Why visit Manchaca
Townapedia lists 3 museums and landmarks, 6 parks and trails, 5 places to eat and 2 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Austin Educational Theatre.
Weather in Manchaca
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Manchaca
Manchaca is a census-designated place (CDP) in Travis County, Texas, United States. It is located 12 miles (19 km) southwest of downtown Austin. This was a new CDP for the 2020 census with a population of 2,266.
From the Wikipedia article Manchaca, Texas (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do2
Austin Educational Theatre
Cinema and theater · 0.4 mi
Local educational theatre in Austin, Texas.
12300 Wirth Road, Manchaca
Museums and landmarks3
Parks, trails and playgrounds6
Restaurants and cafes5
History
Early development around Manchaca probably stemmed from the springs in the area. Manchaca Springs are a stopping place along a portion of the Old San Antonio Road and later the Chisholm Trail.
Over time there has been much conjecture as to the origin of the name "Manchaca". One school holds that "Manchaca" is derived from the Choctaw word imashaka, meaning "behind it" or "to the rear." There are two areas in Louisiana that carry that name: Manchac Pass and Bayou Manchac. However, another theory holds that Manchaca Springs was named for Tejano army officer José Antonio Menchaca. The current pronunciation of the name 'Manchaca' stems from simple Anglicization.
The springs are referred to as "Manshack Springs" in a collection of memoirs written by an early Anglo settler describing life in 1840s Texas, Recollections of Early Texas: Memoirs of John Holland Jenkins. Thomas Falconer, an English explorer who passed through the area in 1841 referred to the springs as "Manjack's Springs" in his manuscripts. Early maps and newspaper articles indicate the spelling was "Manchac Springs," orthography corroborated by maps produced by noted Tejano land agent Jacob de Cordova in 1849 currently housed at the Texas General Land Office in Downtown Austin.
From the History section of Manchaca, Texas on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Churches and places of worship6
Gas and EV charging2
Schools, colleges and libraries46
Map of Manchaca
70 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
Travis County has had 30 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for fires.
- 2025-07-06: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, 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)
- 2020-08-24: Tropical Storms Marco And Laura (Hurricane)
- 2020-03-25: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 11 miles away.
- Buda 4 mi south, about 7 min by car
- Kyle 10 mi south, about 16 min by car
- Barton Creek 10 mi north, about 17 min by car
- Austin 12 mi northeast, about 20 min by car
- Steiner Ranch 16 mi north, about 26 min by car
- Hornsby Bend 16 mi northeast, about 26 min by car
- Lakeway 18 mi northwest, about 28 min by car
- Garfield 18 mi east, about 28 min by car
- San Marcos 19 mi south, about 31 min by car
- Lockhart 20 mi southeast, about 32 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
Loading what members have shared...
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
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- ManchacaPostOffice, WhisperToMe, Public domain
- Manchaca Brachinus - bombardier beetle 01, VPaleontologist, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Manchaca Brachinus - bombardier beetle 03, VPaleontologist, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Manchaca Brachinus - bombardier beetle 06, VPaleontologist, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Manchaca Brachinus - bombardier beetle 12, VPaleontologist, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Manchaca Brachinus - bombardier beetle 09, VPaleontologist, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Manchaca Brachinus - bombardier beetle 04, VPaleontologist, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Manchaca Brachinus - bombardier beetle 15, VPaleontologist, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Manchaca Brachinus - bombardier beetle 21, VPaleontologist, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Manchaca Brachinus - bombardier beetle 19, VPaleontologist, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Manchaca Brachinus - bombardier beetle 24, VPaleontologist, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Manchaca Brachinus - bombardier beetle 08, VPaleontologist, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Manchaca Brachinus - bombardier beetle 22, VPaleontologist, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Manchaca Brachinus - bombardier beetle 17, VPaleontologist, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Manchaca Brachinus - bombardier beetle 02, VPaleontologist, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Manchaca Brachinus - bombardier beetle 07, VPaleontologist, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Manchaca Brachinus - bombardier beetle 14, VPaleontologist, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Manchaca Brachinus - bombardier beetle 20, VPaleontologist, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Manchaca Brachinus - bombardier beetle 11, VPaleontologist, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Manchaca Brachinus - bombardier beetle 13, VPaleontologist, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Manchaca Brachinus - bombardier beetle 16, VPaleontologist, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Manchaca Brachinus - bombardier beetle 18, VPaleontologist, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Manchaca Brachinus - bombardier beetle 23, VPaleontologist, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Manchaca Brachinus - bombardier beetle 10, VPaleontologist, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Manchaca Brachinus - bombardier beetle 05, VPaleontologist, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Manchaca Blapstinus fortis 05, VPaleontologist, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Manchaca Blapstinus fortis 04, VPaleontologist, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Manchaca Blapstinus fortis 07, VPaleontologist, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Manchaca Blapstinus fortis 09, VPaleontologist, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Manchaca Blapstinus fortis 02, VPaleontologist, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Manchaca Blapstinus fortis 06, VPaleontologist, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Manchaca Blapstinus fortis 03, VPaleontologist, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Manchaca Blapstinus fortis 10, VPaleontologist, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Manchaca Blapstinus fortis 01, VPaleontologist, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Manchaca Blapstinus fortis 08, VPaleontologist, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Strangely patterned ant of Manchaca 03, VPaleontologist, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Strangely patterned ant of Manchaca 01, VPaleontologist, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Strangely patterned ant of Manchaca 02, VPaleontologist, CC BY-SA 4.0
- SHP TX Austin Headboards, Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0
- Amprobe BAT-250 Battery Tester, VPaleontologist, CC BY-SA 4.0
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