Leander, Texas, United States

🇺🇸 Leander is a city in Williamson and Travis counties in the U.S. state of Texas. A suburb just north of Austin, and part of the Greater Austin metropolitan area, it was the fastest-growing city in the United States between 2018 and 2019.

History Leander was established in 1882 on land sold by the Austin and Northwestern Railroad Co. to prospective citizens. The town was named in honor of Leander "Catfish" Brown, one of the railroad officials responsible for the completion of the line.

Tumlinson Fort, the first white settlement in Williamson County, was established in early January 1836 at the headwaters of Brushy Creek, four miles south of present-day Leander. With the purpose of protecting white settlers from attacks by Comanche Indians, a company of Texas Rangers occupied the post until late February, when the invasion of Santa Anna made it necessary for the post to be abandoned, soon after which it was burned by the Comanche.

The Webster Massacre occurred near present-day Leander in August 1839, when a party of about 30 settlers traveling westward through the area were attacked by Comanche Indians and all but three were killed.

It was near Leander that the Leanderthal Lady, a skeleton dating back 10,000 to 13,000 years, was discovered; the site was one of the earliest intact burials found in the United States.

In August and September 2011, destructive wildfires swept through two central Leander neighborhoods, burning a total of 330 acres (130 ha) and destroying 26 homes.

Geography Leander is located at the intersection of Ranch to Market Road 2243 and U.S. Route 183, approximately 22 miles north-west of Austin. Georgetown lies five miles to the east on Route 2243.

According to the City of Leander, the city has a total area of 34.08 square miles (88.3 km²), all land.

Education Leander is the centre of the Leander Independent School District. Schools in the district include Leander High School, Vista Ridge High School, Cedar Park High School, Charles Rouse High School, Vandegrift High School, Tom Glenn High School, Wiley Middle School (Bernice Knox Wiley Middle School), Leander Middle School, Danielson Middle School, Henry Middle School, Running Brushy Middle School, Cedar Park Middle School, Canyon Ridge Middle school, Parkside Elementary School, Pleasant Hill Elementary School, Rutledge Elementary School, Whitestone Elementary School, Jim Plain Elementary School, and Block House Creek Elementary School, Winkley Elementary School, Reed Elementary School, Camacho Elementary (S.T.E.M.) school, Bagdad Elementary School and Monta Akin Elementary School.

Transport Leander is a jurisdiction member of the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Capital Metro). The northern terminus for the Capital MetroRail Red Line is located at Leander Station and Park & Ride designed by McKinney York Architects, located on U.S. Highway 183 north of Ranch to Market Road 2243. Leander Station also has access to several express bus lines, and includes a park and ride facility with 600 parking spaces.