Who/what is the city Waco, Texas named after?

Waco is a city which is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin.

Indigenous peoples occupied areas along the river for thousands of years. In historic times, the area of present-day Waco was occupied by the Wichita Indian tribe known as the "Waco".

In 1902, the Waco received allotments of land and became official US citizens. A former Texas Ranger and surveyor named George B. Erath was hired to inspect the area and design the first block of the city in 1849. Property owners wanted to name the city Lamartine, but Erath convinced them to name the area Waco Village, after the Indians who had lived there.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org

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36 Comments

Dwayne Potter

Hueco (tribe) = Waco

allen s dohner

I took a wild guess and got it right. During the Branch Davidian standoff in 1993 the name got interpreted as "We Ain't Coming Out", "What A CookOut" and David Koresh (the Branch Davidian leader) was called the "Waco Wacko." And those are some of the nicer comments!!!

Clayton Dean Brannon

One of those places that is a real gem of a place to visit. Lots to do in the city and the surrounding area. I especially enjoyed the displays at the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame Museum.

Scott Pitzer

The Branch Davidian tradgedy took place out in the country near a town of Elm Mott. Waco was the closest big city recognizable for the media to give as the location and with facilities for lodging, meals, press conferences, etc. On a brighter note, the best thing now for Waco, is it is the home of the HGTV hit show, Fixer Upper., bringing 20-30,000 visitors a week to visit the Magnolia Silos gift and dining complex and a new Magnolia restaurant. Happier times.