Buda, Texas

Buda (/ˈbjuːdə/ BYOO-də) is a city in Hays County, Texas, United States. The population was 15,108 in 2020, an increase over the figure of 7,295 tabulated in 2010. Buda is part of the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos metropolitan statistical area and is one of Austin's fastest growing suburbs.

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 Hays County Times and Farmer's Journal notes that "The Buda House is one of the best hotels in the state. The polite and entertaining hostess, Mrs. Carrington, meets all with a courteous welcome." According to the town's oral tradition, "Buda" is a corruption of the Spanish word viuda, or "widow", referencing the widows who supposedly worked as cooks at the Carrington Hotel. Others suggest that like the town of Buda, Illinois, the town name is a nod to the exiles of the failed Hungarian Revolution of 1848 who settled in the area.

Buda was incorporated in 1948. By the mid-1980s it had attracted a cement plant and some craft industry.

Buda is in northeastern Hays County. It is 15 miles (24 km) southwest of downtown Austin and 65 miles (105 km) northeast of San Antonio on Interstate 35. Just to the north of Buda is Texas State Highway 45, a major toll loop of Austin. Almost immediately north of Buda is the county line bordering Travis County and the Austin city limits.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Buda has a total area of 5.4 square miles (13.9 km²), of which 0.01 square miles (0.02 km²), or 0.11%, are water. Onion Creek flows through the northwest side of the city, a tributary of the Colorado River.

As of the 2020 census, Buda had a population of 15,108 and 4,314 families residing in the city. The median age was 36.2 years, 28.7% of residents were under the age of 18, and 11.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 93.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.5 males age 18 and over.

99.5% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.5% lived in rural areas.

There were 5,273 households in Buda, of which 45.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 60.0% were married-couple households, 12.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 21.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 18.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.