How Hutto Got Its Hippo and Projections for an Ongoing Population Boom

Hutto was established in 1876 when the International-Great Northern Railroad passed through land owned by James Emory Hutto for whom the community is named. The following year, the city of Hutto appointed a postmaster and became one of the wealthiest cattle ranching communities in Williamson County. In 1911, Hutto was established as an incorporated city.

In 1915, a circus train stopped in Hutto and a hippopotamus escaped. It was soon found in the muddy waters of Cottonwood Creek. While the circus workers panicked, the locals found the hippo to be quite entertaining. After much effort, the hippo was safely brought back and reloaded onto the train. Soon after, the Hutto School adopted the hippo as its mascot and in 1923, the hippo appeared for the first time on official Hutto High School graduation announcements.

Currently, the population of Hutto is just under 15,000 and is growing quickly. Projections indicate Hutto should have about 40,000 residents by 2020. By 2030, the population is predicted to reach at least 60,000. Highway 130, an alternative to I-35, is helping fuel the growth, along with the booming economy and growth of the Austin metro area.

Play Sports, Go Fishing or Just Relax in Hutto’s Plentiful Parks

Hutto homeowners have plenty of green space to play sports, enjoy the outdoors and take in special events. Nearly 200 acres of Hutto real estate is dedicated to four community parks. At more than 33 acres, Fritz Park features basketball and sand volleyball courts, horseshoe pits, a pond, picnic sites, trails and a pavilion and is home of the Summer Concert Series and Movies in the Park.

Among the amenities residents enjoy at Creekside Park are a baseball diamond, picnic sites, playground, practice fields, and hike-and-bike trails. Country Estates Park has a pavilion, playground, basketball courts and picnic sites. Birders and anglers love Hutto Lake Park. The park is built on more than 36 acres of lakefront real estate and has a pavilion, playground, boat launch dock, bird watching platform, and a catch-and-release fishing lake. In the hot summer months, the Glenwood Splash Pad is a welcome addition to the community, with its eagerly anticipated opening each year on June 1^st -Labor Day Weekend.

Enjoy a Round of Golf, Triple-A Baseball and a Fun-Filled Calendar of Community Events

Golfers appreciate their close proximity to the Golf Course and Clubhouse at Star Ranch, featuring a popular and scenic course with undulating fairways and greens flanked by pristine white sand bunkers. The 15,000 square foot clubhouse facility is a popular place to relax, dine and host celebrations. In addition, the 18 holes of championship golf at Blackhawk Golf Club is just 10 minutes away in nearby Pflugerville.

Baseball fans have a ball at nearby Dell Diamond, which is less than 10 minutes to the west and home of the Triple-A, Round Rock Express. There are also plenty of fun festivals and celebrations which Hutto homeowners look forward to every year,  including Olde Tyme Days, Hutto Farmer’s Market, Hutto Crawfish Festival, “Get Outdoors Hutto,” Arbor Day, Easter Egg Hunt, Old Town Christmas, and “Don’t Mess with Hutto, Texas”-Trash Off Day.

Highly Rated Schools and Convenient Quality Medical Services

Hutto Independent School District is the only school in the nation with a Hippo mascot, and that hippo has become a traditional trademark for everyone in Hutto including real estate owners, students, and businesses. Hutto ISD consists of 4 Elementary Schools, 2 Middle Schools and 1 High School, while exceeding all of its performance goals on the Texas Education Agency 2013 accountability report. For older students, Temple College and Texas State Technical College offer a wide variety of educational opportunities. Covering almost 57 acres, the East Williamson County Higher Education Center campus features a three-story, 11,000 square foot facility that has technical and academic classrooms, lab space, enrollment services, a bookstore, a library, a testing center, a dining room and office space.

In addition to fine physicians, specialists, and pediatricians, Scott & White Healthcare Hutto Clinic offers patients quality primary care. Scott & White Round Rock Hospital, a full-service 101-bed hospital also offering a primary care clinic, multispecialty clinics, and Seton Medical Center Williamson, another full service hospital with 108 beds and plans to expand to more than 350 beds, are both in nearby Round Rock about 15 minutes away.

Shop and Dine in the Award-Winning Restored Splendor of Historic Downtown

For folks who like to cook at home, Hutto has several grocery stores throughout the city. And when it’s time for dining out, Hutto’s recently revitalized downtown district is home to several popular foodie favorites. In fact, the City of Hutto won the Texas Downtown Association Award for The Best Public Improvement in 2013 for its Farley Street Reconstruction Project.

On Farley Street itself, locals rave about Skillet’s Barbecue. Skillet’s signature dish is a layer of Fritos topped with beans, sour cream, and your choice of chopped brisket or sausage. Other popular downtown restaurants include Snuffy’s Bar & Grill, Mario’s Mexican Restaurant, and the Texan Café and Pie Shop where you can enjoy a thoroughly satisfying chicken-fried steak followed by a tempting slice of pie.

Local shoppers enjoy spending a Saturday morning browsing shops in the renovated downtown area. Downtown Hutto now has a variety of one-of-a-kind retailers with home décor, antiques, jewelry, arts and crafts – and, of course, hippos – for sale. Along the highway toward Round Rock, a Walmart and Super Target and several other large retail stores serve a wide variety of everyday shopping needs. With the Round Rock Premium Outlet and its 125 popular brand retailers just 10 minutes away, Hutto bargain hunters don’t have to go far from home to find deals and save money.

Hutto Has the Right Answers to the Important Questions Every Home Buyer Should be Asking

Making a wise decision about where you want to buy a home begins by asking the right questions – and getting the right answers. And Hutto has the answers many people are looking for: it has great schools and parks; it’s a charming community and people are friendly; it has a variety of neighborhoods to choose from and even residential real estate downtown for sale. Plus, it’s convenient to Austin and Round Rock and the prices of real estate for sale in Hutto offer excellent value.

Ask yourself about what’s important to you in your search for a new home. Maybe, you too will find the answers you are looking for as one of the happy people living in Hutto.

Contact a Hutto Specialist

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