Lockhart, Texas
City in the United States in Caldwell County
About Lockhart
Lockhart is a city in and the county seat of Caldwell County, Texas, United States. According to the 2020 census, its population was 14,379.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How Lockhart is governed
Form of government not yet listed.
1 of 14 positions listed. Gray dashed boxes are placeholders waiting for a name.
Residents of Lockhart
Registered voters elect the officials below.
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Mayor
Executive
- Lew White per Wikidata
The city's chief elected official. Presides over the executive branch, proposes the budget and represents the city.
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City Manager / Administrator
Executive
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The professional administrator who runs day-to-day operations (in some cities appointed by the council instead of the mayor).
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Police Chief
Administration & departments
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Leads the police department.
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Fire Chief
Administration & departments
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Leads the fire and emergency services department.
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Public Works Director
Administration & departments
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Streets, water, sewer, and city buildings.
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Finance Director
Administration & departments
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The budget, taxes, and city accounts.
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Planning & Zoning Director
Administration & departments
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Land use, zoning, building permits.
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Parks & Recreation Director
Administration & departments
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Parks, programs, and public facilities.
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City Council
Legislative
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The elected body that passes ordinances, sets the tax rate and approves the budget.
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City Clerk
Administration & departments
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Keeps the official records, runs meeting agendas and, often, local elections.
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City Attorney
Administration & departments
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The city's lawyer; advises officials and prosecutes ordinance violations.
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Boards & Commissions
Legislative
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Citizen advisory bodies, such as planning, zoning appeals and library boards.
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Municipal Court
Judicial
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Hears traffic, ordinance and other minor cases.
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Municipal Judge
Judicial
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Presides over the municipal court.
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- Website
- lockhart-tx.org
Looking for your county, state and federal representatives too? See who represents 78644 or everyone in Texas.
Population over time
From 12,698 in 2010 to 14,379 in 2020 (+13.2%).
Show the numbers
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 14,379 |
| 2010 | 12,698 |
History
The city of Lockhart is named after Byrd Lockhart, an assistant surveyor of Green DeWitt and reportedly the first Anglo to set foot in Caldwell County. Lockhart was the site of a victory of the Texans over the Comanche, at the Battle of Plum Creek in 1840. Lockhart was originally called "Plum Creek." In 1848, Lockhart was named the county seat and was incorporated with a mayor-council government in 1852; by the end of the decade, the town had over 400 residents, with a newspaper, a school, a Masonic Hall, and five churches.
Following the years of economic devastation after the Civil War, the town's economic growth began with the arrival of the Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad in 1887, when the town became a regional shipping center for local cotton. Following the arrival of the railroad, the production, processing, and shipment of cattle, cotton, corn, wheat, and poultry became the center of Lockhart's economy, providing slow but study growth throughout the 20th century.
Lockhart has several claims to fame. In 1999, the Texas Legislature proclaimed Lockhart the "Barbecue Capital of Texas"; Lockhart has four major barbecue restaurants. The Dr. Eugene Clark Library is the oldest operating public library in Texas. Lockhart was also the subject of an article by the architectural historian and critic Colin Rowe and architect John Hejduk, first published in Architectural Record in 1957 and republished in the collection of his writings As I Was Saying (1996). Rowe and Hejduk see Lockhart as a "curiously eloquent" example of a Victorian post-frontier American town.
Lockhart has played host to many film sets, as this quaint, small town is located just 30 miles (48 km) south of Austin. The 1996 Christopher Guest comedy film Waiting for Guffman and the 1993 drama What's Eating Gilbert Grape were filmed partly in Lockhart, including the historic courthouse and the town square. The city's Walmart store was featured in the 2000 film Where the Heart Is. From 2014 to 2017, the city was the primary filming location for the second and third seasons of the acclaimed HBO supernatural drama show The Leftovers, with the town square and courthouse featured prominently in several pivotal scenes.
On July 30, 2016, a hot air balloon struck a power line and caught on fire, killing all 16 people on board when it crashed near the unincorporated community of Maxwell, about 7 miles west of Lockhart.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.