George Washington Glasscock who donated the land for the new town. Early pioneers were attracted to the area's abundance of timber and good, clear water, just as the Tonkawa Indians, who thrived in the area for many years. In addition, the land was inexpensive and extremely fertile.

Georgetown remained an agrarian community for most of the 19th and early 20th centuries. The establishment of Southwestern University in 1873 and construction of a railroad in 1878 contributed to the town's growth and importance. A stable economy was based largely on agriculture, mainly cotton. The Chisholm Trail, a cattle trail that led from Texas to the railcenters in Kansas and Missouri crossed through the heart of Georgetown.

Cotton production became dominant in the area from the 1880s through the 1920s. The Georgetown and Granger Railroad (GGR) was completed to Austin in 1904. Extensive loss from a 1921 flood led Georgetown to seek flood control, an effort that culminated in the building of a dam to impound Lake Georgetown, which opened officially on October 5, 1979. An unlicensed radio station appeared briefly in the 1930s, and Radio Station KGTN opened in 1962. At one time, Georgetown was served by two railroads, the International-Great Northern, which eventually was merged into the Missouri Pacific, and the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railway. Currently, Georgetown is served by the appropriately named Georgetown Railroad, a 'short line' railroad that uses portions of the former M-K-T and the I-GN to connect with the Union Pacific Railroad at Round Rock and at Granger.

Population growth and industrial expansion continued modestly in the twentieth century until about 1960, when residential, commercial, and industrial development greatly accelerated. Since then adaptive restoration has been widely practiced, with special emphasis on a Main Street program and private restoration of older homes. Today, Georgetown is home to one of the best preserved Victorian and Pre-WW1 downtown historic districts, with The Beaux-Arts Williamson County Courthouse (1911) as its centerpiece. Due to its successful preservation efforts, Georgetown was named a national Main Street City in 1997, the first Texas city so designated. In 1998, the city celebrated its 150th birthday with numerous community activities and parties. By 2000, Georgetown and Williamson County experienced tremendous growth, doubling the population.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 28,339 people, 10,393 households, and 7,711 families residing in the city. The population density was 479.3/km² (1,241.3/mi²). There were 10,902 housing units at an average density of 184.4/km² (477.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 85.39% White, 3.39% African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.67% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 8.31% from other races, and 1.83% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 18.07% of the population.

There were 10,393 households out of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.6% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.8% were non-families. 21.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.4% under the age of 18, 11.4% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $54,098, and the median income for a family was $63,338. Males had a median income of $40,541 versus $27,082 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,287. About 4.4% of families and 7.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.3% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.

Economy
Many residents of Georgetown commute to nearby Austin for work. Thousands of graduates each year from the engineering and computer science programs at The University of Texas at Austin provide a steady source of employees that help to fuel Austin's technology and defense industry sectors. The metro Austin area has much lower housing costs than Silicon Valley, but much higher housing costs than many parts of rural Texas. As a result of the relatively high concentration of high-tech companies in the region, Austin was strongly affected by the dot-com boom in the late 1990s and subsequent bust. The general consensus is that high-tech recovery is proceeding rapidly. Austin's biggest employers include the State of Texas, The University of Texas, the SETON Healthcare Network, Dell, IBM and Freescale Semiconductor (spun off from Motorola in 2004). Other high-tech companies with operations in Austin include Apple Inc., Hewlett-Packard, Vignette, AMD, Applied Materials, Cirrus Logic, Hoover's, Inc., Intel, Motive Inc, National Instruments, Samsung, Silicon Laboratories, Sun Microsystems, and United Devices. The proliferation of technology companies has led to the region's nickname, "the Silicon Hills," (Austin was originally "Silicon Gulch", but San Jose, California already had that distinction) and has spurred rapid development that has greatly expanded the city to the north, south, east, and west.

In addition to global companies, Austin features a strong network of independent, locally-owned firms and organizations such as the Austin Independent Business Alliance. The success of these businesses reflects the high level of commitment by the citizens of Austin to preserving the unique spirit of the city, and has been tied to the "Keep Austin Weird" campaign. Small businesses from restaurants to clothing shops to salons to arts companies in Austin enjoy a lively existence gained by direct competition with large national and global rivals. The government, as Austin is the TX capital and politically active, non-profits, and schools (the university and colleges, preschool-12th grade) also provide many jobs. Whole Foods, a market/grocery store specializing in organic, local, and natural foods and other goods (now a corporation) started in and is based out of Austin, and work in the food industry/farming/culinary arts also provides a surprisingly high amount of employment/income for many people.

Attractions
Blue Hole - A scenic lagoon on the South San Gabriel River. The entrance to Blue Hole Park is located at Second Street and Rock Street, one block west of N. Austin Avenue. This scenic park lined by limestone bluffs is a good wading spot to cool down a little bit in the summer.

Candle Factory - In one of only three factories in the United States where candles are still hand-dipped, quality and care are the number one concern as each candle is made.

Hike & Bike Trail - The Georgetown Parks and Recreation Department has more than 7 miles of hike and bike trails along the North and South San Gabriel Rivers. There is a 1.7-mile granite trail that loops around San Gabriel Park. On the North San Gabriel River, there is a 5.6-mile trail that goes from San Gabriel Park to Lake Georgetown. On the South San Gabriel River, there is a one-mile lighted concrete trail that starts at San Gabriel Park and goes to Blue Hole Park.

Inner Space Caverns - Among the wonderful natural features found in the Texas Hill Country are incredible living caves and caverns. Inner Space is a living cave, which means that its formations are continuing to develop and take shape. For over 80,000 years the cavern has been constantly changing, allowing for such spectacular displays as the "Soda Straws" and the breathtakingly beautiful "Ivory Falls" formations.

Lake Georgetown - For the more serious angler or water enthusiast, this 1200 acre lake offers boating, skiing, fishing, four separate camping areas, a wildlife preserve and 16 miles of hiking trails. Cedar Breaks Park and Jim Hogg Park have boat ramps and camping facilities with RV hook-ups and restrooms with showers. Russell Park has both a camping and swimming area, a boat ramp and restrooms with showers. Tejas Park offers primitive camping and picnic areas. Fishing is some of the best in the region, with small and largemouth bass, white bass, flathead and channel cat.

Palace Theatre - The Georgetown Palace Theater features a year-round season of musicals, comedies, dramas, and children’s workshops. This nonprofit live community theater opened in 2001 after a fundraising campaign to renovate the Art Deco-style Palace Theater, Georgetown’s movie house from 1925 to 1989.

Sunken Gardens - Set in beautiful San Gabriel Park, the Sunken Gardens are available for rental for weddings and other social events.

Williamson County Historical Museum - Housed in the newly renovated Farmers State Bank Building (1911), the Williamson County Historical Museum is located in the historic district on the square in Georgetown. This Beaux Arts style building speaks of a vision for progress and success in the county. With the renovation of this historic structure, this same vision has continued. It is now renewed in the creation of a museum to preserve and interpret the unique stories of the county.

Sports
Georgetown is home to nationally recognized sports facilities and treasured parks and trails as well as first class golf courses.

McMaster Field is a National Softball Association four time award winner that consists of four softball fields, an inline hockey area and two tournament quality soccer fields. Our tennis center includes 11 hard surface lighted tennis courts and a swimming pool for summer enjoyment. Our hike & bike trails will stretch over 10 miles to connect Georgetown to the lake and its surrounding camp grounds.

Education
The City of Georgetown is served by the Georgetown Independent School District. This includes 9 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, and 2 high schools.

Georgetown houses Southwestern University, the oldest chartered university in Texas. The campus, located on 700 acres, is one of the most beautiful and architecturally resplendent in the state, with Gothic style buildings dating back to the 1800’s. Southwestern has consistently been rated as one of the best liberal arts colleges in the nation, fostering a community of lifelong learners.

Also, nearby Austin is home to The University of Texas, one of the largest universities in the country. It is also the flagship institution of The University of Texas System — the largest state system of higher education in Texas.

Transportation
The nearest airport to Georgetown is Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (IATA code AUS), located 5 miles (8 km) southeast of Austin.

Georgetown offers easy access to IH 35 and dual rail service.