Bryan, Texas: Full of History and Culture

It was just 11 months ago when Theresa and I posted our video of Bryan, Texas, but I'm glad we did. This is a really cute town.

One of the most interesting things about Bryan is that it was incorporated in 1871, but the city had gone through five county courthouses by 1892. Bryan became the county seat of Brazos County in 1866. The same year, Bryan's first post office was established.

If you're observant, you'll notice that Bryan became the Brazos county seat before being incorporated. The city was settled just a few years before by settlers from Spain. Among these settlers was William Joel Bryan, for whom the city was named. Bryan was the nephew of Texas founding father Stephen F. Austin. Austin's son Moses had received a land grant allowing him to settle the area around Bryan, making Brazos County one of the most important parts of Texas historically.

Like a lot of other small towns in the America, the Bryan library received a large donation from Andrew Carnegie ($10,000 to be exact) in 1902, the year the library was established.

If you're familiar with the area, you probably know that Texas A&M University is just a few miles south in the town of College Station. Bryan is home to an extension of that university, the Texas A&M Health Science Center.

With a population of 83,980 in 2020, Bryan is also one of the most racially diverse cities in Texas. Only 39.56 percent of the city's residents are white (non-Hispanic) while 39.09 percent are Hispanic or Latino and 15.33 percent are Black or African-American. In 1890, the population of Bryan was just 2,979. Over the years, it has seen Census-to-Census growth as high as 52.6 percent. In fact, that growth has happened twice - from 1910 to 1920 and from 1940 to 1950. Furthermore, Bryan grew at a pace of 52.4 percent from 1950 to 1960 and 51.5 percent from 1930 to 1940.

I also learned something interesting about Bryan-College Station this past weekend. These are two of Texas' largest towns without an interstate running through them. Major thoroughfares in Bryan include State Highway 190 and State Highway 6.

Notable people from Bryan, Texas include sculptor Lynn Aldrich, former pro football players Melvin Bullitt and Gerald Carter, journalist Linda Ellerbee, former Texas Congressman Bill Flores, radio personality Bill Garcia, professional basketball player R.T. Guinn, former NFL linebacker Devin Lemons, Olympic gold medalist Aries Merritt, former Texas State Senator William Tyler Moore Sr., actress Raini Rodriguez, actor Rico Rodriguez, NFL coach Shawn Slocum, country music artist Doug Supernaw, former NFL players Syndric Steptoe and Ty Warren, and Marine Corps Major General Charles F. Widdecke.

Bryan, Texas is rich with history and culture. Theresa and I think you'll enjoy our walk-through of this small Texas town.

First published by Author Allen Taylor at Paragraph. 

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