San Marcos () is a city in and the county seat of Hays County, Texas, United States. The city is mostly a part of the Greater Austin metropolitan area. San Marcos's limits extend into Caldwell and Guadalupe Counties, as well. The latter is part of the Greater San Antonio Metropolitan Area. San Marcos is on the Interstate 35 corridor between Austin and San Antonio. Its population was 44,894 at the 2010 census and 67,553 at the 2020 census. 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."Meadows Center for Water and the Environment : Texas State University".
In 2010, San Marcos was listed in Business Weeks fourth annual survey of the "Best Places to Raise your Kids". In 2013 and 2014, the United States Census Bureau named it the fastest-growing city in the United States.Rollins, Brad. , San Marcos Mercury, San Marcos, Texas, 22 May 2014. Retrieved on 22 May 2014.Rollins, Brad. , San Marcos Mercury, San Marcos, Texas, 23 May 2013. Retrieved on 31 May 2013. In December 2013, it was named number nine on Business Insiders list of the "10 Most Exciting Small Cities in America".Nelson, Randy. "The 10 Most Exciting Small Cities In America". Business Insider. Retrieved on 20 December 2013.
History
Archeologists have found evidence at the San Marcos River associated with the Clovis culture, which suggests that the river has been the site of human habitation for more than 10,000 years. The San Marcos Springs are the third-largest collection of springs in Texas. Never in recorded history has the river run dry.
In 1689, Spaniard Alonso de León led an expedition from Mexico to explore Texas and establish missions and presidios in the region. De León's party helped blaze the Camino Real (later known as the Old San Antonio Road), which followed present-day Hunter Road, Hopkins Street, and Aquarena Springs Drive (the route later shifted four miles to the south; it is now followed by County Road 266, known locally as Old Bastrop Highway). De León's party reached the river on April 25, the feast day of St. Mark the Evangelist; the river was thus named the San Marcos.San Marcos Historic Downtown National Register District, "San Marcos--A Brief History".Convention & Visitor Bureau: San Marcos, Texas Retrieved on 2008-02-23.
In 1803, after the Louisiana purchase, the Spanish government in Mexico became concerned about American citizens moving into Texas. Officials decided to establish more Spanish settlements between San Antonio de Béxar and Nacogdoches in an effort to secure Spanish presence in the area. The governor of the province of Texas, Manuel Antonio Cordero y Bustamante, approached his friend Felipe Roque de la Portilla to organize and oversee the venture. In 1807, after extracting promises from Cordero that he would receive a substantial land grant and that the government would assist the settlers financially, Portilla headed for Texas with a small group of settlers. The exact number has been disputed; some suggest that only 10 persons were in the original group, while other sources say the number was as high as 52. Also, some conflict exists in records as to whether Portilla's family was in the original group or whether they arrived in the fall of 1808. Most sources agree the group arrived at the San Marcos River on January 6, 1808. In April, Governor Cordero issued the official order that established San Marcos de Neve, and his military representative, Juan Ygnacio de Arrambide, issued 13 titles to town lots. Disaster struck the settlers in June, when a flood washed them out of their homes. Throughout the summer and fall, the settlers rebuilt their town. In letters to government officials, Portilla reported that he left the colony in September 1808 to get more settlers and returned with six new families in late October. While no other records confirm the increase, Portilla's census of 1809 did show a total of 73 persons and 1,771 animals. Over the next three years, the settlers made a valiant effort to maintain their new homes, but frequent Indian raids and the failure of the government to send soldiers for protection forced them to abandon the settlement in 1812. The settlers were plagued by floods and Indian raids, and the settlement was abandoned in 1812.Spanish Colonial Missions, Villas (towns) and Presidios (forts) Along the Camino Real: starting in Mexico Retrieved on 2008-12-16.
In November 1846, the first Anglo-American settlers moved into the vicinity of the San Marcos Springs. The Texas Legislature organized Hays County on March 1, 1848, and designated San Marcos as the county seat. In 1851, a town center was laid out about a mile southwest of the headwaters of the river. The town became a center for ginning and milling local agricultural products. The town's most notable founder and early settler was Gen. Edward Burleson, a hero of the Texas Revolution and former vice president of the Republic of Texas. Burleson built a dam on the upper reaches of the river in 1849. The dam powered several mills, including one within present-day Sewell Park.
In the decade following the arrival of the International-Great Northern Railroad on September 30, 1880, cattle and cotton provided the basis for the growth of San Marcos as a center for commerce and transportation.
In 1866, the Coronal Institute was established as an early private high school. In 1899, Southwest Texas State Normal School (now known as Texas State University) was established as a teacher's college to meet demand for public-school teachers in Texas. In 1907, the San Marcos Baptist Academy was established,About Us - San Marcos Baptist Academy . furthering education as an important industry for the town. The demands of World War II forced the town's industry to diversify, and with the emergence of a manufacturing and light industrial sector, the town began to experience growth.
In the late 1940s, former Hollywood director Shadrack Graham produced a documentary about daily life in San Marcos as part of his "Our Hometown" series of films that encouraged commerce and civic activity in small communities. The film highlights several local businesses from the era, including Smith's Flowers, Waldrin's Cleaners, Lack's Furniture, and the Palace Movie Theater.
Gary Air Force Base, just east of town, was opened in 1942 as San Marcos Army Airfield, renamed San Marcos Air Force Base in 1947, and renamed finally in 1953 in honor of Lieutenant Arthur Edward Gary, killed at Clark Field in the Philippines on December 7, 1941, the first San Martian to die in World War II. During the war, the base trained over 10,000 navigators, and in the following years, it was the largest center of Air Force and Army helicopter training for pilots and mechanics in the United States, with 21 squadrons and 4800 personnel stationed there. The base was handed over to the Army in 1956, renamed Camp Gary, and was closed in 1963. Subsequently, part of the base was taken over by the city for use as San Marcos Airport, while another part was reopened in 1966 as the Gary Job Corps Center.Shirley Ratisseau, "Gary Air Force Base," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed May 26, 2013. Published by the Texas State Historical Association, retrieved 29 May 2013.
In the 1960s, with the establishment of Aquarena SpringsHistory : Aquarena Center : Texas State University . and Wonder WorldWonder World Park Attractions . as attractions, the tourist industry became a growing part of the city's economy. By the 1960s, what was then named Southwest Texas State University had grown into an important regional institution,Handbook of Texas Online - TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY. and when coupled with the creation of Gary Job Corps Training Center in 1965,Gary Job Corps Center-History . education became the largest industry in San Marcos.Handbook of Texas Online - SAN MARCOS, TX. The remarkable growth explosion of Austin further allowed San Marcos to prosper.
By 1973, San Marcos and Hays County were included by the U. S. Census Bureau in the Austin metropolitan statistical area.Handbook of Texas Online - HAYS COUNTY. By that year, the city's population had grown to 25,000 citizens, along with an additional Southwest Texas State University student body of 20,000.
By 1990, the city's population had grown to 28,743; by 2000, it reached 34,733, and by 2010, it was 44,894. A report released by the U.S. Census Bureau in May 2013 stated that San Marcos had the highest rate of growth among all U.S. cities and towns with at least 50,000 people. Its population rose 6.9% between 2011 and 2012.U.S. Census Bureau - Texas Cities Lead Nation in Population Growth, Census Bureau Reports. The university, now known as Texas State University, boasts a student body of 47,513 as of Fall 2026.
Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, 67,553 people and 10,635 families were residing in the city.
Racial and ethnic composition +San Marcos city, Texas – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 2000Pop 2010% 2000% 2010White alone (NH)19,16524,09828,50555.18%53.68%42.20%Black or African American alone (NH)1,8602,2444,4635.36%5.00%6.61%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)1181411570.34%0.31%0.23%Asian alone (NH)4186591,9301.20%1.47%2.86%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)3435540.10%0.08%0.08%Other race alone (NH)52672570.15%0.15%0.38%Multiracial (NH)4106834,7471.18%1.52%7.03%Hispanic or Latino (any race)12,67616,96727,44036.50%37.79%40.62%Total34,73344,89467,553100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census As of the 2020 United States census, the median age was 23.7 years; 15.2% of residents were under 18 and 8.0% were 65 or older. For every 100 females, there were 92.8 males, and for every 100 females 18 and over, there were 91.3 males 18 and over.
About 98.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 1.7% lived in rural areas.
Of the 26,954 households in San Marcos, 19.9% had children under 18 living in them, 22.2% were married-couple households, 32.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 36.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 36.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.6% had someone living alone who was 65 or older.
The city had 29,680 housing units, of which 9.2% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.7%.
+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census Race Number Percent White 37,100 54.9% Black or African American 4,868 7.2% American Indian and Alaska Native 601 0.9% Asian 2,013 3.0% Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander 70 0.1% Some other race 8,596 12.7% Two or more races 14,305 21.2% Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 27,440 40.6%
2010 census As of the census of 2010, 44,894 people lived in the city.
2000 census In 2000, 34,733 people, 12,660 households, and 5,380 families resided in the city. The population density was 1,907.5 people per square mile, (736.4/km2) in 2000. The 13,340 housing units averaged 732.6 per square mile (282.8/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 72.55% White, 5.53% African American, 0.65% Native American, 1.23% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 17.03% from other races, and 2.90% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 36.50% of the population.
Of the 12,660 households, 19.2% had children under 18 living with them, 27.9% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 57.5% were not families. About 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.7% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.31, and the average family size was 3.08.