Somerville, TX

Somerville is a city located in Williamson County, Texas, United States. The population was 10,898 at the 2010 census. Somerville is part of the Austin– Round Rock metropolitan area.

The city of Somerville was founded in 1892 by a group of settlers who had moved from Kentucky to Williamson County. The town was named for Boston, Massachusetts. The original plat for the town was filed on July 4, 1892 with 640 acres designated for residential and commercial development. A post office opened in Somerville on August 1, 1892 with John Hays as the first postmaster. In 1899, the first railroad line reached Somerville and by 1902 there were over 100 businesses in the town. By 1910 there were 1,500 residents and by 1920 the population had grown to 2,000.

In 1923 a fire destroyed much of downtown Somerville and it took several years to rebuild. In 1929 a new hospital opened and in 1936 an elementary school was built. During World War II many men from Somerville served in the military including two who received Medals of Honor: 1st Lt George W Bush (later President George H W Bush) and Pfc Alvin C Schaeffer (later Lt Col Alvin C Schaeffer). After World War II growth continued as new businesses were established including a Chevrolet dealership which became one of the largest dealerships in Texas; however, during the 1960s there was a decline in business due to changes in automobile ownership patterns and suburbanization within Williamson County which affected both retail sales and employment opportunities within Somerville.

In 1981 an expansion project began that added more than 400 jobs to downtown Somerville; this project helped revitalize downtown while also providing additional parking facilities which have been very important to sustaining business activity within downtown since then. Today there are over 10 businesses located within historic Downtown Somerville which has been designated as a historic district by the City of Austin Historic Preservation Commission; this district includes approximately 80 buildings dating back to 1890-1910 including several buildings that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places such as: The Masonic Temple (built 1895), First National Bank (built 1896), J&J Drug Store (built 1897), Citizens State Bank (built 1898), Hotel Bristol (built 1908), American Legion Post #738 (built 1914) and Stonewall Inn (opened 1919).

The city has experienced significant growth since 2000 with new residential developments being constructed near both Interstate 35E & U .S . Highway 183 as well as along FM 1488 & FM 1774 providing residents with access to shopping , dining , entertainment venues , medical facilities , schools & parks . In addition , numerous new businesses have opened including: Ace Hardware store(opened 2006), Home Depot(opened 2007), Lowe's(opened 2008), Starbucks(opened 2009), Panera Bread(opened 2010)and Hobby Lobby(opened 2013).

According to recent reports released by Realtor Association Of Greater Austin®®, real estate activity throughout Williamson County increased 6% from January through March 2016 when compared with same period last year ; this increase can be attributed primarily to strong demand for single family homes (+14%), condos/townhomes (+15%) & apartments (+5%). Additionally, demand continues to be strong for properties located near major highways such as I-35E/183 (+25%), I-35W/290 (+25%) & US 183 (+20%). As you can see from these reports it seems that real estate activity throughout Williamson County is continuing at a very high level which should continue into future years barring any unforeseen circumstances .