Leander, Texas (Unnamed Copywriting)

Leander, Texas, sister city to Cedar Park, Texas, and shares much of the violent history that Cedar Park is known for. If not for the 10,000 year old skeleton found in Leander, the violent massacre that took place here in 1839, would most likely still be its only claim to fame.

Leander and Cedar Park are both located in areas ideal for life. Nestled into the rushing creek, these areas have supported life for what is now known to be over 10,000 years. From Neanderthals all the way to Native Americans on up to modern man, Leander has been a cradle of life since before history.

The modern town of Leander was created in a bloody way, however. In 1839, on the side of what is now Leander, Texas, the Webster Massacre, also known as the Brushy Creek Massacre, occurred. The Webster family, a family of settlers, attempted to flee a band of violent Indians. Their flight only made it to what is now Leander where they were brutally murdered.

The spot of the massacre was always remembered, and a year later in 1840, a fort was built in the location for the protection of the remaining settlers of the area. This eventually grew into the area in town known as Baghdad.

By 1881, Baghdad was a thriving town. It had numerous stores and scores of residents. When the Austin and Northwest Railroad decided to build a line through Baghdad, however, the residents opposed it. This turned out to be a poor decision on the part of Baghdad. The railroad simply bought land directly outside of the city limits and built its line through that land. In 1884, a completed the line, and to celebrate, opened a new town on the border of Baghdad. The town was named after a local railroad executive, Leander "Catfish" Brown.

It did not take long for the new town of Leander to fully eclipse its neighbor to the west, Baghdad. Within one decade Baghdad no longer existed, and Leander was a fast-growing community. The power of the railroad line to bring new residents was a factor that Baghdad simply could not compete with.

Linda has continued to grow and is now a thriving inner ring suburb of Austin. What started as a simple log cabin has now become a thriving community with more than 25,000 residents. Leander and neighboring Cedar Park are two of the most visited Austin suburbs that there are.