Giddings, Texas
Giddings is a city of 5,151 people in Lee County, Texas, founded in 1871.
Why visit Giddings
Townapedia lists 15 museums and landmarks, 3 parks and trails, 25 places to eat, 6 places to stay and 1 attraction in and around town.
Highlights include Lee County Courthouse and Lee County.
Weather in Giddings
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Giddings
Giddings is a city in and the county seat of Lee County, Texas, United States situated on the intersection of U.S. Highway 77 and U.S. Route 290. As of the 2020 census, Giddings had a population of 4,969.
From the Wikipedia article Giddings, Texas (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do1
Museums and landmarks15
Lee County Courthouse
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.6 mi
Courthouse in Texas, United States
Lee County Museum
Museum · 0.5 mi
183 East Hempstead Street, Giddings
3 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds3
Restaurants and cafes25
Los Patrones Mexican Grill
Restaurant · Mexican · 1.1 mi
2880 East Austin Street, Giddings
Mo-Th 11:00-21:00; Fr-Su 11:00-22:00
Chelis Mexican Food
Restaurant · Mexican · 0.6 mi
709 North Main Street
Mo-Fr 11:00-15:00,17:00-21:00; Sa 11:00-15:00
Los Caporales
Restaurant · Mexican · 0.6 mi
259 North Main Street, Giddings
Su-Th 11:00-21:00; Fr,Sa 11:00-22:00
Lost Pines BBQ
Restaurant · Barbecue · 0.4 mi
1534 East Austin Street, Giddings
Tu-Sa 11:00-19:00; Su 11:00-15:00
Taqueria Chihuaua
Restaurant · Mexican · 0.6 mi
1935 East Austin Street, Giddings
Mo-Su 05:30-14:00
Cardenas
Restaurant · Mexican · 0.8 mi
Mo-Tu,Th-Sa 06:00-14:30; Su 07:00-14:30
City Meat Market & BBQ
Restaurant · Barbecue, Southern · 0.6 mi
101 West Austin Street, Giddings
13 more on the map.
History
The land where the city of Giddings now stands was part of the land granted to Stephen F. Austin in 1821 for a colony in Spanish Texas, and later became part of the Robertson's Colony.
The city itself was founded in 1871 when the Houston and Texas Central Railway came to the area. It probably took its name from local magnate Jabez Deming Giddings, who was instrumental in bringing the railway to the area. He had come to the area from Pennsylvania in 1838 to claim the land bounty of his brother Giles A. Giddings, killed at the Battle of San Jacinto. Another theory is that the city was named after Jabez's brother Dewitt Clinton Giddings.
Early settlers in the new town were mostly pioneers from the surrounding communities, such as Old Evergreen and Shady Grove. The majority of these people were ethnically British Isles natives, but a sizable minority were Wendish families from the Serbin area. They would later establish the German-language newspaper Deutsches Volksblatt.
A syndicate headed by William Marsh Rice owned the whole townsite and sold property to settlers. Later, Rice Institute (now Rice University) in Houston had control and sold the lots.
From the History section of Giddings, Texas on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay6
Churches and places of worship3
Shopping6
Gas and EV charging10
Schools, colleges and libraries8
Healthcare1
Brookshire Brothers Pharmacy
Clinic and pharmacy
513 East Austin Street, Giddings
Map of Giddings
78 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Lee County has had 17 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for hurricanes.
- 2024-07-09: Hurricane Beryl (Hurricane)
- 2024-05-17: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding (Flood)
- 2023-04-21: Severe Winter Storm (Winter Storm)
- 2021-02-19: Severe Winter Storms (Severe Ice Storm)
- 2021-02-14: Severe Winter Storm (Severe Ice Storm)
- 2020-03-25: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Giddings-Lee County Airport (GYB) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 3 miles away.
- Lexington 17 mi north, about 27 min by car
- Smithville 18 mi southwest, about 29 min by car
- La Grange 19 mi south, about 31 min by car
- Circle D-KC Estates 19 mi west, about 30 min by car
- McDade 20 mi west, about 33 min by car
- Camp Swift 22 mi west, about 35 min by car
- Bastrop 24 mi west, about 39 min by car
- Somerville 26 mi northeast, about 42 min by car
- Caldwell 28 mi northeast, about 44 min by car
- Elgin 30 mi northwest, about 48 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Lee county texas courthouse 2014, Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0
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