COMMUNITIES WE SERVE

Bryan, College Station, Navasota and Surrounding Areas.

We are pleased to serve these wonderful communities and we promise to do our best to continue the great traditions of quality work for our customers, who are also our friends and neighbors in the cities of Bryan, College Station, Navasota and the surrounding areas. We offer this page to celebrate the history of our communities that we call home. These pages will include information on the cities of Bryan, College Station, and Navasota. More to be added, so keep coming back and refreshing the page.

A Brief History of Bryan, Texas:
During the 1820’s and 1830’s members of Stephen F. Austin’s Colony settled the area around what became the site of Bryan, Texas. The town’s name came from a nephew of Austin, William Joel Bryan, when in 1859 Mr. Bryan donated land for a townsite to the Houston and Texas Central Railroad. The railroad company began to grade a railroad bed through the area and platted the townsite. Railroad construction was halted during the Civil War, but about 300 residents formed a community at the townsite.  Railroad construction resumed in 1866, so in 1867 the railroad, telegraph service and the first general store came to the new town. The city incorporated in 1867 and the first courthouse for the county seat was built in 1871. All during the pioneer era, new homesteaders of German, Czech, and Italian descent became established through the area.

Many enterprises began – including no less than four colleges, the Bryan Male and Female Seminary, the Texas Odd Fellows University and Orphanage, Bryan Academy, and Allen Academy. At nearby College Station, opened in 1876 the Texas Agricultural & Mechanical College became very important to the city of Bryan. 1884 saw a town of about 3,000 residents who supported Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Christian, and Episcopal churches. Also two public schools, two banks, a 500 seat opera house, cotton gin, Odd Fellows hall, two buggy and wagon factories, two planning mills. A city waterworks and electric lighting arrived in 1889. The 1900 census found a population of 3,589, a second railroad called the International-Great Northern, along with three additional educational institutions, the Villa Ursuline Academy in 1901, and two Baptist schools, the Texas Women’s College in 1902 and Bryan Baptist Academy in 1909.

An interurban railroad connected Bryan and College Station in 1910 serving a population of 4,132. The interurban ran until the mid-1920 when bus service replaced it. The city during that time was a major cotton-shipping point due to the productive farms of the Brazos Valley. Growth was a continuing theme with the census finding in 1920 6,307 residents, 1930 7,814, and in 1940 11,842 population. New subdivisions were added. Sears operated a thriving store in the busy Main Street central business district of Bryan.

The Depression hit some local businesses hard, followed by the completion of Texas State Highway 6 through the area drove some economic stimulation. The World War II mobilization brought the Bryan Army Airfield as an aviation training center for the US military. Bryan’s growth pattern stayed on line, in 1950 there were 18,072 residents, 1960 27,542, 1970 33,141, 1980 44,337, 1990 55,002, through to 83,950 population in 2017. Along the way, Bryan partnered with College Station to bring various university-related businesses including agribusiness, high-tech manufacturing, and defense electronics.

Quality of life in Bryan is very good. Public schools are highly rated, many private schools provide other options, and numerous home-schooling networks are active. Not to mention when your children are ready for college, a top-tier research university, Texas A&M University is close by. The historic growth of the region continues to provide job opportunities and a good place to start a business. Bryan has what many describe as the “Texas small-town vibe” within the twin-city region with College Station plus easy access to the truly big cities of Houston, Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio.

Even with all these plus factors the cost of living here is low overall. The low crime rate makes it one of the safest cities. High quality healthcare is readily available with several large hospitals keeping you in good hands. Many activity options give you and your family all the activity one could desire. Many nearby lakes, parks, town parks, golf courses, swimming pools, offerings at nearby Texas A&M University, several museums and art centers, dining choices from traditional small-town diners, cafes, to Texas B-B-Q, to higher end restaurants, all with good Texas and Southern hospitality to give you diverse culture and entertainment choices among friendly people. Be sure to attend First Friday in downtown Bryan.
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