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Elgin, Texas

17 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1885 and the latest in 1985. It stands in the Elgin census division. It lies in ZIP code area 78621. The Survey maps it on the Elgin East quadrangle. 9,784 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 561 feet above sea level.

Elgin within Bastrop County

On record in Elgin

Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.

On the National Register 2 records

Population over time

2 figures

Elgin grew from 8,135 to 9,784 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
20108,135
20209,784+1,649 (+20%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

8 surveys from 17 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Fires near this place

74 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 74 fires within 5 miles of Elgin between 1992 and 2019, burning about 803 acres in total. 2 started naturally. 4 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Debris and open burning40
Missing data/not specified/undetermined18
Equipment and vehicle use4
Arson/incendiarism4
Smoking2
Natural2
Misuse of fire by a minor2
Power generation/transmission/distribution1
Recreation and ceremony1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
5 August 2011Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceTASK FORCE 12
29 August 1992Debris and open burning10 acresTexas A & M Forest Servicenot named
16 August 1998Missing data/not specified/undetermined2.0 acresTexas A & M Forest Servicenot named
12 August 1998Debris and open burning1.0 acresTexas A & M Forest Servicenot named
12 August 1998Equipment and vehicle use2.0 acresTexas A & M Forest Servicenot named
28 July 2011Power generation/transmission/distribution2.0 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceNATURES WAY
27 July 1992Smoking200 acresTexas A & M Forest Servicenot named
25 July 2013Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceYOUNG PRAIRIE

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Bastrop County

Mines and quarries near this place

7 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 7 workings within 5 miles of Elgin: 6 producers, 1 past producer. 6 still produce. What was taken out: Clay, Fire Clay (Refractory). Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Weaver PitFire Clay (Refractory)ProducerSedimentary
Landing Strip PitClayProducerClay
Payne Brick Co PlantClayProducer
Payne Clay Pits and PlantsClayProducer
Plant No. 1ClayProducer
Standard Pit & PlantClayPast Producer
Unnamed PitClayProducerClay

Every working recorded in Bastrop County

Storms near this place

48 since 1993

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Elgin in 48 storm reports between 1993 and 2024: 19 hail, 11 thunderstorm wind, 10 flash flood, 5 tornado. The reports record 1 injury. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
October 1998Tornado (F1)Elgin1 hurt, $30,000A very small and short-lived tornado struck briefly near Elgin. It destroyed a mobile home and knocked over several trees before lifting back into the parent thunderstorm. The only reported injury was to a baby in the mobile home.
May 2017Tornado (EF0)Elgin$100,000A NWS storm survey found that a tornado was produced by the bookend vortex |of a bow echo that moved through the city of Elgin on the afternoon|of May 23rd 2017. The tornado began just east of Texas Highway 95|and just north of Roemer Road, where it displaced and flipped a shed |off its foundation. The tornado then caused extensive damage to a|business along Roemer Road. As it continued to the east-southeast,|the tornado ripped the metal roof off a large barn and caused roof|damage to a well-built home adjacent to the barn. In the pasture |adjacent to these structures, there were multiple pieces of splintered |wood that were driven into the ground from the opposite direction from |which the storm came. Several cattle and a bull were reportedly thrown |about 1500 feet from one pasture into another, jumping a couple of fences |in the process. The tornado then completely destroyed an old wooden barn |just north of Roemer Road. At this point, the tornado was approximately |moving along Roemer Road, and caused some minor tree damage. The tornado |then crossed Red Town Road just south of Roemer Road and ended just east |of Red Town Road, where it caused some minor damage to a structure.
May 2017Thunderstorm WindElgin$100,000A thunderstorm produced wind gusts estimated at 75 mph that blew down trees and power lines in Elgin.
June 2002Thunderstorm WindElgin$100,000Several large trees were knocked over by severe thunderstorm winds in and around the Elgin area. Windows were also broken out in homes by large limbs knocked off trees.
April 1997Thunderstorm WindElgin$100,000no account filed
October 1998Tornado (F1)Elgin$50,000A second small, narrow and short-lived tornado was reported over thirty minutes after the first tornado. It also formed in the Elgin area and stayed on the ground about two minutes. It moved into a light residential area, destroying one home, then lifted up and dissipating. The family in the destroyed home took shelter in the bathroom, escaping injury.
March 2005Tornado (F0)Elgin$40,000A second tornado descended from the same south end of the line of thunderstorms that had produced the Littig tornado. This touchdown was around 2 miles east of Littig, in Bastrop County, where the Old Shiloh Baptist Church and the new Shiloh Baptist Church both sustained considerable exterior and roof damage. The location is just east of County Line Road and just south of Voelker Lane. This touchdown would have been very brief, less than one quarter mile in length. It was timed near 2202 CST and was rated as F0.
September 2000Thunderstorm WindElgin$20,000Severe thunderstorm winds blew down several trees just east of Elgin.
May 2015Flash FloodElgin$10,000Water was inundated at least one home in the city of Bastrop. Numerous road closures were also ongoing in the city.
August 2011Thunderstorm WindElgin$10,000A thunderstorm produced wind gusts estimated at 60 mph which moved a porch away from a house, downed power lines, and knocked over a couple of trees.
May 2000Flash FloodElgin$10,000The Police Department reported brief flash flooding and road closures in the town of Elgin as thunderstorms dropped 3 inches of rain in little over 1 hour.
July 2013LightningElgin$5,000A thunderstorm produced lightning that struck and disabled the 911 Center in Elgin.
August 2009Thunderstorm WindElgin$3,000A thunderstorm produced wind gusts, estimated at 50 knots, that caused minor damage to a home and knocked over several trees. In addition, this storm dropped quarter size hail.
April 2024HailElgin-A thunderstorm produced quarter to golf ball size hail on the north side of Elgin.
April 2024HailElgin-A thunderstorm produced quarter size hail on the north side of Elgin.
December 2024HailElgin-A thunderstorm produced half dollar size hail northeast of Elgin.
May 2021Flash FloodElgin-Thunderstorms produced heavy rain that led to flash flooding. The intersection of FM 1704 and Arbuckle Rd. in Elgin was flooded.
April 2021HailElgin-A thunderstorm produced ping pong ball size hail in Elgin.
April 2021HailElgin-A thunderstorm produced quarter size hail in Elgin.
April 2021HailElgin-A thunderstorms produced golf ball size hail in Elgin.
June 2019HailElgin-A thunderstorm produced one inch hail in Elgin.
May 2017HailElgin-A thunderstorm produced quarter size hail along Hwy 290 just west of Elgin.
May 2017Thunderstorm WindElgin-A thunderstorm produced wind gusts estimated at 60 mph that knocked down small tree limbs in Elgin.
February 2017Thunderstorm WindElgin-A thunderstorm produced wind gusts estimated at 70 mph knocked down multiple power poles and damaged some trees and roofs across the southern part of Elgin.
May 2015Flash FloodElgin-Thunderstorms produced heavy rain that caused flash flooding closing numerous roads in and around Elgin including Old Sayer Rd., FM 812 near the county line, Woody Ln. at FM 1704, and Young Prairie at FM 1704.
May 2015Flash FloodElgin-The low water crossing at County Line Road and Highway 290 was closed due to high water.
April 2015HailElgin-Nickel size hail was reported in the city of Elgin by local law enforcement.
October 2015Flash FloodElgin-Thunderstorms produced heavy rain that caused flash flooding requiring high water rescues of people in stranded vehicles in Elgin.
March 2014HailElgin-A thunderstorm produced golf ball size hail at Elgin High School.
May 2013Thunderstorm WindElgin-A thunderstorm produced wind gusts estimated at 58 mph that downed trees on Red Town Rd. in Elgin.
May 2013Flash FloodElgin-Thunderstorms produced heavy rain that caused flash flooding on N. Avenue B, N. Avenue C, W. 3rd St., and Brenham St. in Elgin.
May 2013Flash FloodElgin-Thunderstorms produced heavy rain that caused flash flooding closing Hwy 290 at County Line Rd. outside of Elgin.
January 2012Flash FloodElgin-Thunderstorms produced heavy rain which caused flooding near Elgin. People were rescued from flood waters along Highway 290. A CoCoRAHS observer southwest of Elgin reported 5.58 inches of rain from these storms.
July 2007Flash FloodElgin-Heavy rain over Caldwell and Bastrop Counties averaged between 2 and 3 inches in the early morning hours, with up to 7 inches between Elgin and Bastrop. SH95, FM1704, and FM2336 were closed.
January 2007FloodElgin-Wilbarger Creek in Elgin crested at 34.10 feet at 2100cst on January 13, where 27 feet is flood stage.
June 2007FloodElgin-Wilbarger Creek at Elgin crested at 30.2 feet at 2300cst on June 20, where 27 feet is flood stage.
March 2005Thunderstorm WindElgin-As the severe line of thunderstorms moved eastward, they produced winds that uprooted trees both to the east and the west of SH95, south of the town of Elgin.
July 2005Thunderstorm WindElgin-Thunderstorms forming along the northern Texas Hill Country in the late afternoon moved southward into the evening hours. The storms knocked over trees near Elgin.
November 2000Tornado (F0)Elgin-A small and short-lived tornado was observed by the public near Elgin. It caused no damage.
March 1993HailElgin-Half-dollar-size hail was reported in Utley by a weather observer. As a second areas of thunderstorms moved into the county, quarter-size hail was reported between Elgin and Bastrop. Five minutes later the Elgin Police reported quarter-size hail just south of Elgin. Hail up to softball-size was reported in Paige. At least one car had its windshield knocked out.
May 2013HailElgin-no account filed
May 2011HailElgin-no account filed
June 2002HailElgin-no account filed
March 2000HailElgin-no account filed
March 2000HailElgin-no account filed
February 1998HailElgin-no account filed
May 1997HailElgin-no account filed
March 1995HailElgin-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Bastrop County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Pleasant Grove (historical)3.7 miles16
Butler4.4 miles17
McDade8.4 miles15
Sayersville8.4 miles16
Swiftex10.3 miles16
Camp Swift11.7 miles16
Utley11.9 miles17
Phelan13.4 miles16

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on ElginAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q976529The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1373617. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.