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C+History
History · Buda

Buda dates to 1881, and 3 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 43% of U.S. towns · #171 of 642 in Texas. What drives it

Most of Buda was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2012. 3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 27 buildings. Below: maps from 1958 on and the census since 1950.

1881founded
3on the National Register
1%homes built before 1940
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Buda began

When was Buda founded?

1881

Buda dates its founding to 1881 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1950.

First census: 483 in 19502020 census: 15,108145 years

How historic is Buda?

C+

More historic than 43% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1881.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Buda’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Buda is more historic than 43% of U.S. towns, #171 of 642 in Texas. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Buda’s overall grade.
Founding era1881, from Wikidata: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 19401.0% of homes (±1.3) · typical TX town 1.6% · U.S. 8.4%DNational Register3 listings, 30 historic buildings, 18.9 per 10,000 residents · typical TX town 0.0 · U.S. 2.4A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 43%
NewerOlder
Texas towns of 2,500+ (642)Ahead of 73%

Few Texas towns list much on the Register (a typical Texas town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Buda’s 18.9 sits above most of its state (90% of Texas towns have fewer) while its 30 historic buildings outnumber those of 82% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to B. The pre-1940 share (±1.3 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1881.

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Buda’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Buda are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.A historic districtThe Downtown Buda Historic District takes in 27 historic buildings.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Buda’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Buda’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the National Register

3 listings protect 30 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
3
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
30
each building in a district counts
first listed
2002
Bunton Branch Bridge
Bunton Branch BridgeOnion Creek Post Office and Stagecoach HouseDowntown Buda Historic District
BuildingsDistrictsStructures

Architectural styles listings

Center-Passage1
One-Room1
Commercial Style1
Bungalow/Craftsman1
Classical Revival1
Ranch Style1
Bunton Branch BridgeStructure
Onion Creek Post Office and Stagecoach HouseCenter-Passage
Downtown Buda Historic DistrictCommercial Style

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

The story

How Buda came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Buda.

Read it all →

The town of Buda sprang up along the route of the International-Great Northern Railroad, which was extended from Austin to San Antonio in 1880. Buda bore the name of "Du Pre" from its birth in 1881 until the autumn of 1887, when postal officials became aware that another Texas town was also named Du Pre. Cornelia Trimble platted the town of Du Pre on April 1, 1881, establishing streets and a 150-foot (46 m) wide "Reservation" between the lots and the railroad right of way, which allowed the railroad to place buildings on the parkland, including the depot that would become the lifeblood of the town over the next few decades. Several businesses sprang up, including the Carrington Hotel, which served meals to railroad travelers. By the time Du Pre found a new name for itself, the Carrington hotel was known as the "Buda House". The "Dupre Notes" column of the Sept. 25, 1886, edition of the …

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Buda, 1877 to 1958

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1877Born hereSamuel Ealy Johnson Jr. is born here
  3. 1881
    FoundingBuda is established
  4. 1881Post officeThe Dupree post office opens
  5. 1887Post officeThe Dupree post office closes
  6. 1887Post officeThe Buda post office opens
  7. 20th century
  8. 1916Born hereTex Hughson is born here
  9. 1938Born hereLarry Stephens is born here
  10. 1958On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Buda, decade by decade

Today6 recent
First Baptist Church Buda Texas Marker2018First Baptist Church Buda Texas MarkerCabela's water tower at2015Cabela's water tower atOnioncreekpostoffice12012Onioncreekpostoffice1Budapolice12012Budapolice1Buda Weiner Dog Races2010Buda Weiner Dog RacesTXMap-doton-Buda2004TXMap-doton-Buda
On the map

Buda on the map, 1958 to 1994

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Buda. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Buda on the 1958 USGS mapBuda on the 1968 USGS mapBuda on the 1973 USGS mapBuda on the 1994 USGS map1958Buda sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Buda.

People over time

Buda, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,00014,00016,000196019802000202015,108

Grew from 483 people in 1950 to 15,108 in 2020, more than tenfold.

8 censuses, 1950–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Buda’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

3 famous people were born in Buda

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Samuel Ealy Johnson Jr.American politician · b. 1877
Tex HughsonAmerican baseball player · b. 1916
L
Larry StephensAmerican football player · b. 1938
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and burying grounds

Buda’s post office has been open since 1887. Another post office, Dupree, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Dupree
1881–1887
Buda
1887–today
18801950today
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Buda
AllenAntioch

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Kyle4 historic placesCAustin205 historic placesB+

Questions about Buda’s history

What year was Buda founded?

In 1881, according to Wikidata. Buda’s post office opened in 1881, and the census of 1950 counted 483 people here.

How does Buda rank for history?

Buda is more historic than 43% of U.S. towns, #171 of 642 in Texas. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Buda?

Three places: the Bunton Branch Bridge (listed 2002), the Onion Creek Post Office and Stagecoach House (2002) and the Downtown Buda Historic District (2003).

How old are the homes in Buda?

1% of Buda’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.3 points), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 2012.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (6), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.