Smithville

The City of Smithville is located in a still-rural section of eastern Bastrop County. Smithville is situated between Houston and Austin along the Highway 71 corridor and within two hours of San Antonio, San Marcos and College Station, making Smithville a very convenient location and an ideal place to live, work, and play.

Smithville offers a wide variety of local attractions and amenities with convenient access to the Colorado River and Buescher State Park. Our downtown historic district contains many eclectic shops and eateries for residents and visitors alike. Smithville was the first Film Friendly Community designated by the Texas Film Commission. Over 100 film productions have been made in our community since 2008. Movie locations from Hope Floats, The Tree of Life, and Bernie can be seen on self-guided tours. Smithville boasts an airport, a recreation center, multiple city parks, and some of the friendliest people on the planet. Smithville was designated a Texas Commission on the Arts Cultural District in 2013 due to its focus on history, culture, arts, entertainment (music and theater), and artisan crafts.

With railroad artifacts dating from 1886, Smithville's Railroad Museum is fun for visitors of all ages. Smithville has a rich music history with many legendary blues musicians—BB King, Etta James, T-Bone Walker, Sonny Rhodes and Hannibal Lokumbe—who played at West End Park, one of the last standing venues on the Texas Chitlin’ Circuit. Satchel Paige of the Kanas City Monarchs pitched a baseball game at this historic site.

Smithville is undergoing an economic resurgence and is poised for explosive growth. More and more people are buying property, renovating, and opening businesses within our downtown historic district. The City helps encourage this growth through an expedited plan review and permitting process for entrepreneurs and developers. “It’s Possible in Smithville” is the rallying cry of the Smithville Area Chamber of Commerce, because dedicated citizens take full advantage of partnerships among local organizations, available programs, and potential sources of outside funding in an effort to maximize our own resources, which include the time and effort many volunteers are willing to contribute to make things happen—and great things are happening in Smithville. Stop by for a visit—you’ll be glad you did!

SMITHVILLE
BASTROP COUNTY
AUSTIN MSA
Population 2020
3,922
97,216
2,283,371
Population growth 2010-2020
2.8%
31.1%
33.0%
Land area (sq. mi.) 2020
4.0
888.2
4,219.5
Median age 2021
44.6
40.4
34.7
Households 2021
1,661
32,432
894,088
Home ownership rate 2021
56.5%
69.2%
57.4%
Median household income 2021
$47,700
$58,487
$81,998
Per capita income 2021
$24,997
$26,222
$41,805
High school grads 2021
85.3%
83.5%
90.9%
College grads 2021
21.3%
21.9%
46.0%
Labor force 2020
42,573
1,242,659
Unemployment rate 2020
6.0%
6.2%
Public school enrollment 2021-2020
18,227
338,710
High school graduates 2019
1,214
21,607
Retail sales 2020
$40 mil.
$1,395 mil.
$37,406 mil.
Business
2020
Establishments
1,611
65,881
Employment
18,434
1,031,078
Average salary
$43,337
$72,107
Mfg.business
2020
Establishments
78
1,942
Employment
1,138
61,958
Average salary
$51,810
$113,744

Sources: Texas Comptroller for retail sales; Texas Workforce Commission for labor force, unemployment, businesses, employees, and salaries; Texas Education Agency for public school enrollment and graduates; ESRI for 2021 demographic estimates; and U.S. Census Bureau for all other data.




Contact

City of Smithville
Robert Tamble
City Manager
317 Main Street
Smithville, TX 78957
Phone: 512.237.3282

www.ci.smithville.tx.us