Central Texas map
Region · 18 counties · 29.5°–31.8° N · Central Time
Central Texas is the I-35 corridor and the country either side of it, from Waco down to San Marcos. It is the seam of the state: the Balcones Escarpment runs diagonally through it, putting limestone hills on the west side of the freeway and black prairie farmland on the east. Almost nobody disputes that Austin is Central Texas; almost everything else about the boundary is argued.
Waco at the top, New Braunfels at the bottom, Bryan–College Station on the eastern edge. I-35 runs down the middle.
Where it starts and ends
Start with the escarpment. The Balcones fault zone enters the region near Waco, passes through Belton and Georgetown, cuts across west Austin and turns southwest through San Marcos and New Braunfels. West of it the ground rises into the Edwards Plateau — that is the Hill Country, and the two regions overlap heavily. Hays, Travis and Burnet counties are routinely claimed by both.
The northern limit is usually McLennan County, though people in Waco often say they are in North Central Texas rather than Central Texas, and Hillsboro is where North Texas begins for most drivers. The eastern limit is the softest: Bryan and College Station are normally the Brazos Valley, and Fayette and Lavaca counties tip toward the Gulf Coast as you get closer to Houston. Going south, I-35 keeps going but the region does not: Comal County is the usual stopping point, because past it you are in San Antonio's orbit and the maps switch to South Texas.
Counties
| County | Seat | Population (2020) | Area (sq mi) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travis | Austin | 1,290,188 | 1,025 |
| Williamson | Georgetown | 609,017 | 1,132 |
| Bell | Belton | 370,647 | 1,090 |
| McLennan | Waco | 260,579 | 1,061 |
| Guadalupe | Seguin | 172,706 | 715 |
| Bastrop | Bastrop | 97,216 | 895 |
| Coryell | Gatesville | 83,093 | 1,057 |
| Caldwell | Lockhart | 45,883 | 547 |
| Milam | Cameron | 24,754 | 1,021 |
| Fayette | La Grange | 24,435 | 960 |
| Limestone | Groesbeck | 22,146 | 933 |
| Lavaca | Hallettsville | 20,337 | 971 |
| Gonzales | Gonzales | 19,653 | 1,070 |
| Lee | Giddings | 17,478 | 634 |
| Falls | Marlin | 16,968 | 773 |
| Comanche | Comanche | 13,594 | 948 |
| Hamilton | Hamilton | 8,222 | 836 |
| Mills | Goldthwaite | 4,455 | 750 |
Add Hays, Comal and Brazos and you have the version of Central Texas most people carry in their heads; all three are counted on neighbouring region pages.
Cities
- Austin
Travis County · Pop. 961,855 · State capital, on the Colorado River at the escarpment
- Killeen
Bell County · Pop. 153,095 · Grew up beside Fort Hood
- Waco
McLennan County seat · Pop. 138,486 · Brazos River crossing halfway between Austin and Dallas
- College Station
Brazos County · Pop. 120,511 · Texas A&M University
- Round Rock
Williamson County · Pop. 119,468 · First suburb north of Austin on I-35
- New Braunfels
Comal County seat · Pop. 90,403 · Where the Comal and Guadalupe rivers meet
- Bryan
Brazos County seat · Pop. 83,980 · Twinned with College Station
- Temple
Bell County · Pop. 82,073 · Railroad and hospital town on I-35
- San Marcos
Hays County seat · Pop. 67,553 · Texas State University and the spring-fed San Marcos River
- Georgetown
Williamson County seat · Pop. 67,176 · Limestone courthouse square at the top of the corridor
Highways
- I-35 – the backbone, running New Braunfels–San Marcos–Austin–Round Rock–Georgetown–Temple–Waco; Austin to Waco is about 100 miles.
- SH-130 toll – the eastern bypass of Austin from Georgetown to Seguin; the stretch south of Mustang Ridge is posted at 85 mph, the highest limit in the United States.
- US-290 – Austin east to Houston through Giddings and Brenham, and west into the Hill Country.
- US-190 / I-14 – the east–west route through Copperas Cove, Killeen and Belton; the I-14 designation was added in 2017.
- US-183 – Lampasas and Copperas Cove south through Austin to Lockhart and Gonzales.
- SH-71 – Llano and Marble Falls through Austin to Bastrop, La Grange and Columbus.
- US-79 – Round Rock northeast through Taylor and Rockdale to Bryan-area junctions.
- SH-6 – the Brazos Valley route linking Waco, Bryan–College Station and Hearne.
What sets the region apart
| Seat of state government | The Texas State Capitol in Austin, on Congress Avenue |
| Largest army post in the region | Fort Hood, in Bell and Coryell counties, renamed from Fort Hood in 2023 |
| Fastest-growing counties | Williamson, Hays and Comal — all three roughly doubled or better since 2000 |
| Universities | UT Austin, Texas A&M at College Station, Baylor at Waco, Texas State at San Marcos |
| Big springs | Barton Springs in Austin and San Marcos Springs, both fed by the Edwards Aquifer |
| Where the Colorado River is dammed | The Highland Lakes chain upstream of Austin, ending at Lake Travis and Lake Austin |
| Soil line | Blackland Prairie east of I-35, Edwards limestone west of it — visible in the colour of a ploughed field |