JOHNSON CITY, Texas

"Gateway to the Hill Country"; "Heart of the Arts in the Texas Hill Country";
"Wildflower Capital of the Texas Hill Country";
"Home of the 36th President of the United States, Lyndon Johnson"

Population (2007): 1,528COL Index (2008): 80.9
Elevation: 1,198 ftArea: 1.3 smCounty: Blanco (JC is County Seat)
Zip Code: 78636Area Code: 830-866Time Zone: CST
Coordinates: 30 16' 35" N, 98 24' 29" W
Location: Central part of county;
15 mi N of Blanco; 25 mi S of Marble Falls; 32 mi E of Fredericksburg
45 mi W of Austin, 58 mi N of San Antonio
Highways: US 290, 281, Spur 356, RR 2766
Creeks: TownRivers: PedernalesLakes: none
Parks: See below
Quick Link To: Directory Listings in Johnson City

REFERENCES

CITY:
City of Johnson City:
Ofc: 830-868-7111; Fax: 830-868-7718
POB 369, 303 E. Pecan Drive, Johnson City, TX 78636
Web: www.cityofjohnsoncity.info
Email: jcpworks@moment.net

CHAMBER & TOURISM:

JOHNSON CITY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: 830-868-7684
100 East Main (at Nugent Ave), Johnson City, TX 78636
Web: www.JohnsonCityTexasChamber.com
Email: info@JohnsonCityTexasChamber.com

CHAMBER VISITORS CENTER: In Withers & Spauldings Building, at same address, phone, email and web as above.

TEXAS HILL COUNTRY WILDFLOWER TRAIL:
www.tex-fest.com/wildflower/index.htm.
Tourism spotlight on this town.

TEXAS HILL COUNTRY REGIONAL CHRISTMAS LIGHTING TRAIL:
www.tex-fest.com/regional/index.htm. Tourism spotlight on this town.

TPWD HILL COUNTRY TRAIL & REGION: Promoted by the Texas Parks & Wildlife Dept, this group puts a tourism spotlight on 19 counties filled with rolling hills, wildflowers, rivers and scenic drives. Click: TPWD Trail Region

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT RESOURCES: Nothing formal

MAJOR ATTRACTIONS: Bamberger Ranch Preserve; Bamberger Bat Cave; Benson Farm and Ranch; Captain Perry Texas Ranger Museum; Exotic Resort Zoo; Johnson City Chamber Visitors Center; Johnson City Hiking Trail; Lavender Farms; LBJ Boyhood Home; Texas Hills Vineyard. For details on all, click Attractions

NEARBY & HILL COUNTRY-WIDE ATTRACTIONS: See Attractions

PARKS: There are many State and LCRA parks in the greater area as profiled on the Parks page. These include: LBJ State & National Parks; Pedernales Falls State Park, Pedernales River Nature Park Local city include: Memorial (Hwy 290, downtown); City Park (Spur 356)

EVENT CALENDAR: For more details, see Chamber event listings; and Festivals.

Jan: Blanco County Youth Stock Show, 4-H and FFA youth projects; 830-868-7167
Mar: Texas Men's State Chili & BBQ Championship Cook-off; Texas Star Trail Ride; LBJ 100 Bicycle Tour at LBJ Ranch
Women's Club Spaghetti Dinner & Bingo Fundraiser
May: Wildflower Spring Festival, VFD Fish Fry fundraiser
June: Tractor Pull Competition
July: Spange-Dangle, July 4th Celebration, parade & fireworks
Aug: Blanco County Fair & Rodeo
Oct: Texas Hill Country Lavender Festival (early in month);
Wild Game Dinner; Annual Pig Roast Event (fundraiser)
Nov-Dec: Lights Spectacular-Hill Country Style
(lighting of the courthouse & PEC, Hooves & Wheels Parade);
Methodist Living Nativity Pageant;
Hill Country Toy Run; LBJ Park: Christmas at LBJ Boyhood Home;
A Timeless Christmas at the Johnson Settlement;
Movies Under the Stars
Nov-Dec: Dexter's Hill Country Christmas Lights Display: 1685 Hwy 281 N, 1 mi N of town. 830-992-7646. www.hillcountrychristmaslights.com
All Year: Monthly Music-In-The-Park Series

WEATHER: Weather Underground; NOAA

MEDIA COVERAGE:

On-Line Latest News: Topix
Newspaper: Johnson City Record Courier (weekly)

MAPS: Google, Yahoo, TopoZone Map, More GeoHack;
Chamber map of downtown: Map, and Surrounding Area

ARTICLES ABOUT JOHNSON CITY:

JOHNSON CITY LIGHTS SPECTACULAR, by George Cofran, freelance author:
Web: www.HillCountryPortal.com/reports/LightsSpectacular
and You-Tube Video of PEC Lights (ranked #4 of World's Best Holiday Light Displays for 2008 by Travel & Leisure Magazine!)

Johnson City, Texas' Free Holiday Events, "Celebrating the Holidays in Johnson City", published 10/30/06, by Amy Francisco, Associated Content: Article

PRINCIPAL BUSINESS: Ranching, tourism, parks, art galleries,
PEC Electric Co-Op Corp HQ

HISTORY: Handbook of Texas Online: "Settlers living along the Pedernales River in the rugged central part of the county, among them one James Polk Johnson, for whom the town was later named, thought that the county seat at Blanco was not accessible, so in 1876 they called for an election to move the courthouse closer to the geographical center of the county. When this attempt failed, the citizens followed Johnson's lead and began publicizing the idea of establishing a new community. The site chosen was on land originally granted to James Fentress, which belonged to Johnson. A post office was established there in 1878, and soon afterwards town lots were offered for sale. In 1879 the people successfully petitioned for an election to choose a new county seat but were defeated. Meanwhile, the town continued to grow, especially boosted by the construction of Johnson's two-story office building and his hotel. He also donated lots for schools. In 1890 another county seat election, a hotly contested one, made Johnson City the county seat.

Though its new status boosted the economy of the community, Johnson City did not get modern utilities until the 1930s, when Lyndon Baines Johnson, a relative of the founder of the city, sponsored legislation that introduced full electric power to the area under the Lower Colorado River Authority and the Pedernales Electric Cooperative. After Johnson became a United States senator and began his climb to the presidency, telephone service rapidly progressed from the old magnetic box phones to dial service and then to worldwide service. In addition, when he returned from the White House, Johnson made the United States a gift of his lands, now the Lyndon Baines Johnson National Historical Park.

Johnson City, for many years mainly a ranch trade center, had a steady tourist business from its origins. Though the number of businesses dropped from twenty in 1914 to seven in 1933, it rose to forty-two in the mid-1950s, when the town was incorporated. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, when Johnson was president of the United States, the major income in Johnson City came from the tourist industry, and the number of businesses rose to fifty-two. By 1986 the number had dropped to twenty-six. The town's newspaper, the Record-Courier, was established in 1883. The population fluctuated from 400 in 1925 to 950 in the late 1940s, and from 660 to 800 between the late 1960s and the mid-1980s. Johnson City continues to be mainly a tourist center. In 1990 the population was 932. That figure increased to 1,191 by 2000."

Named for James Polk Johnson, an early settler. Founded 1878.

Local web sites with information regarding their part in the history of Johnson City:
The Feed Mill: Feed Mill History
Friendly Bar Bistro Building: www.FriendlyBarBistro.com/History.htm
The Historic Pearl: www.HistoricPearl.com/History.htm
Johnson City Volunteer Fire Department: www.JCVFD.org/History.htm

OTHER PROFILES: Wikipedia, ePodunk; City Data; Texas Escapes, Travel Texas

Traveler's Choice: Virtual Cities (outdated but still some interesting history)

Impeckable Aviaries' Unofficial Guide to Johnson City and the LBJ Hill Country: Aviaries

CEMETERIES: Masonic (Spur 356); Nearby: Miller Creek (Hwy 290 & 281); Sandy (RR 1323), Post Oak (FR 2721)

AVAILABLE SERVICES: Gas: yes; Convenience Stores: yes; Restaurants: yes; Lodging: yes; Grocery Stores: yes; Banks: yes; Vehicle Repair: yes; Hospital: no; Med Clinic: no; Post Office: yes; Public Schools: yes; Cemetery: yes

NOTES:

Pollen Count: www.pollen.com/forecast.asp

(We welcome submission of updates, additions, corrections & digital photos, without compensation.)

BUSINESS and ORGANIZATION DIRECTORY:

Click on category below for detailed listings in this city:

Attractions

Commercial Businesses

Non-Profits, Social Organizations, Parks & Governments