Founded on the banks of the San Marcos River, the area is thought to be among the oldest continuously inhabited sites in the Americas
General Information
San Marcos is within the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos metropolitan area and on the Interstate 35 corridor between Austin and San Antonio. Founded on the banks of the San Marcos River, the area is thought to be among the oldest continuously inhabited sites in the Americas. San Marcos is home to Texas State University and the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment.
San Marcos is situated on the Balcones Fault, the boundary between the Hill Country to the west and the Coastal Plains to the east. Along the fault, many springs emerge, such as San Marcos Springs, which forms Spring Lake and is the source of the San Marcos River. The eastern part is blackland prairie. The western part consists of forested or grassy rolling hills, often marked with cacti.
The San Marcos River and the Blanco River, part of the Guadalupe watershed, flow through the city, along with Cottonwood Creek, Purgatory Creek, Sink Creek, and Willow Springs Creek.
The San Marcos and Blanco Rivers flow through the city, along with Cottonwood Creek, Purgatory Creek, Sink Creek, and Willow Springs Creek. Each of these rivers and creeks has parks or nature preserves with hiking trails along it.
The San Marcos River rises from the San Marcos Springs. The upper river flows through Texas State University and San Marcos and is a popular recreational area. It is joined by the Blanco River after four miles, passes through Luling and near Gonzales, and flows into the Guadalupe River after 75 miles (121 km). This course is the first leg of the Texas Water Safari, considered the "World's Toughest Canoe Race." San Marcos has many areas meant for recreation, but one of the most popular is Sewell Park. Many activities are available at Sewell Park, such as volleyball, picnics, and swimming/tubing.
The town center (referred to locally as "the square") was laid out in 1851 and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The Hays County Courthouse, which sits in the center, was built in 1908. The downtown area surrounding the courthouse is home to many of the city's bars, restaurants, boutiques, and music venues, making it a top entertainment destination.
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "San Marcos, Texas", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0
