New Braunfels in the Texas Hill Country

The small city of New Braunfels, on the Guadalupe River, was established by German immigrants led by Prince Carl Solms-Braunfels in 1945. German immigrants had been urged to leave Germany and settle in Texas by the Noblemen's Society, of which Prince Carl was an officer, and he named the town for his German hometown, Braunfels. Settlers began arriving from Germany in March of 1945, and at that point, they divided the land, built homes, and began planting crops in the New Braunfels area, partially due to the cold springs that fed the Guadalupe River near the settlement.

After Texas became a state in 1845, a second group of settlers arrived from Germany, but were hit immediately by three disasters, one of which was an outbreak of cholera, which took hundreds of lives. In addition, a very wet season caused the river and lakes to overflow, flooding a great deal of the land. Lastly, the Mexican-American War broke out, and many of the wagon train leaders and ox-cart drivers who were bringing the settler's belongings to the area were diverted to the military in order to fight the war.

Around the same time, the community of Fredericksburg was established 80 miles northwest of New Braunfels when the settlers were urged to stabilize their finances and establish nearby towns in order to better protect their communities and families. New Braunfels grew steadily, and had a population of 1,725 residents at the time, reportedly the fourth largest city in Texas in 1850, behind San Antonio, Houston, and Galveston.

New Braunfels has an area of just under 30 square miles, and the city in on the Balcones Fault, so one side of the community is mostly rolling plains, and the other side is rocky and has numerous hills as well as underground artesian springs. New Braunfels is the county seat of Comal County, and New Braunfels, which means brown rock, had a population of just under 37,000 inhabitants in the census of 2000, and has expanded quite a bit since the census.

New Braunfels is also home to one of the biggest tourist attractions in Texas: Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort, an immense water park created with waters from the Comal River and the Guadalupe River, which the Comal flows into, as do the waters of the artesian springs which flow into the Comal from the nearby Edwards Aquifer.

The Comal River is noteworthy from the standpoint that it is one of the shortest rivers in the world, with a length of just 3.2 miles before it empties into the Guadalupe River near Schlitterbahn. Nearby Canyon Lake is also very popular for water sports enthusiasts, as well as rafting and tubing, since it is formed from the waters of the Guadalupe, which are quite cold and contain numerous rapids that are excellent for both rafting and tubing.

One of the 22 Texas hill country vineyards is in New Braunfels, the Dry Comal Creek Vineyards, and there are many old fashioned bed and breakfast inns as well as restaurants and nightlife in or near the city as well. Two of the popular bed and breakfast inns include the Acorn Hill Bed and Breakfast and Antoinette's Cottage on Gruene Road. Some choices for dining include the Adobe Café, the Bavarian Village, the Liberty Bistro, and Becky's Patio Café, among many others.

New Braunfels is an excellent place to relax and enjoy nature, with beautiful lakes and rivers nearby, or to spend some time at one of the many quaint inns and elegant restaurants, so come over to New Braunfels for a classic example of hill country living at its finest!

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