Cities In Texas That Start With R

Please find out more about Texini, the leading Texas lifestyle brand defined by its celebration of the Lone Star State’s culture, heritage, and values.

Kay Keeton, Editor in Chief

Cities in Texas that start with R celebrated the richness of Texas. Richness in culture, resources, and our general way of life. 

Texas has 53 Fortune 500 companies, more than any other state. Also, Texas grosses more than $300 billion in exports, more than California and New York combined.

Another thing Texas is rich in is values. Honesty, integrity, kindness, and generosity are found in people almost everywhere you turn in our great state. Texas cities that start with ‘R’ are no exception.

Top Texas Cities That Start With R

Many cities in Texas start with an R, so we’ve put together a shortlist of our favorite ’R’ Texas cities.

• Round Rock
• Richardson
• Rowlett
• Rockwall

Round Rock

Round Rock is located in Williamson County on Interstate Highway 35. It is part of the Greater Austin metropolitan area and lies along the Balcones Escarpment just fourteen miles north of downtown Austin.

The history of Round Rock starts 10,000 years ago as it was a site of human habitation during the late Pleistocene epoch (ice age). The area was inhabited by the Tonkawa tribes when the first anglo settlers arrived.

Modern history begins in the spring of 1848 when Jacob M. Harrell, a former blacksmith in Austin, set up a new shop on the north bank of Brushy Creek. A post office was established in 1851 when the area was known as Brushy Creek.

The post office rejected the name and a new name, Round Rock, was decided upon. Part of Brushy Creek was a popular low water crossing and, at this spot, was an anvil-shaped “round rock” that gave the site its name.

The railroad ran through the area at a site just south and east of the town. People of the town gravitated toward the railroad and the original site was largely abandoned and named Old Round Rock. 

The town grew steadily with a slight dip in the 1920s and 1930s. Round Rock remained a rural community until the 1970s. Over the last five decades, the town has grown by 4,200 %, going from 2,811 in 1970 to over 120,000 in 2021.

The growth of Austin and its location on I-35 has contributed to the growth of this one-time small rural community and a one-time bedroom community. It is now a large city with manufacturing, industry, and even its own minor-league baseball team.

Among other numerous improvements, Round Rock sees the completion of medical and nursing school campuses.

Richardson

Richardson is located on U.S. Highway 75 ten miles north of downtown Dallas in northern Dallas and southern Collin counties. The earliest settlement there was Breckinridge. It was formed in the 1840s and 1850s by people from the Peters Colony.

When Breckinridge was bypassed by the Houston & Central Texas Railway in 1873 its people moved to the newly formed Richardson near the tracks. The city of Richardson grew steadily until the 1950s thanks largely to the building of waterworks, a sewage treatment plant, gas and electric companies, and the Interurban Electric Railway.

Between 1950 and 1960 the city grew by 1,204% going from 1,289 residents to almost 17,000. Collins Radio and Texas Instruments opened in or near Richardson in the 1950s spurring development and earning it the title of the “electronic suburb”.

Over the next several decades the land was annexed and the city became a popular suburb for upper-income college-educated professionals. With a focus on education, the Southwest Center for Advanced Studies opened in 1964 becoming the University of Texas at Dallas in 1969.

Richardson experienced another boom in the 1980s with the arrival of several telecommunication firms earning it the new nickname “Telecom Corridor. The city is now home to many other schools, museums, and over four hundred restaurants.

Many prominent businesses have their corporate headquarters in Richardson including Metro by T-Mobile, Fossil Group, Lennox International, Wingstop Restaurants, Bluecross Blueshield of Texas, and Samsung Mobile. Top employers include State Farm Insurance and AT&T Incorporated.

The arts are represented in Richardson by the Charles W. Eisemann Center for Performing Arts which is the primary venue for the Richardson Symphony Orchestra and the Plano Symphony Orchestra.

Several notable people like Anne Rice and Mike Judge are from Richardson.

Rowlett

Rowlett is located mostly in Dallas County twenty miles northeast of downtown. A small portion extends into Rockwall County.

Daniel Rowlet moved from Tennessee to Texas in 1836. He and several families settled in the Tulio Bend area of the Red River. He served in the military during the Texas Revolution and for his service, he earned in Collin county.

A creek that ran through his land was named Rowlett’s Creek. Though he never lived in the city, Rowlett gets its name from the creek that bears his name.

The creek runs through the west side of town into Lake Ray Hubbard, forming the city’s boundary to the south. Interstate Highway 30 crosses over the lake just to the south of Rowlett.

The President George Bush Turnpike runs through the center of town where it intersects with I-30. The Peters and Mercer Colonies brought people to settle the land in the 1840s.

The area’s first post office was named Morris after postmaster Austin Morris but was later renamed Rowlett after the creek. The railroad reached the area in 1886. 

Rowlett has grown steadily over the years. Major contributing factors to its growth were the turnpike and the lake. After the completion of the lake in 1971, the city’s population went from around 1,500 to almost 8,000 in the following decade.

Rowlett provides urban-style lakeshore living right near the heart of Dallas.

Rockwall

Rockwall is located at the intersection of State highways 66 and 205 and is the county seat of Rockwall County. The west side of the city is bordered by Lake Ray Hubbard. 

The Boydstun family of Illinois was the first to settle in the area in the late 1840s. Many settlers followed and a Baptist church was built in 1852. Two years later, on forty acres donated by Elijah Elgin, the town was established.

That same year, in 1854, a post office was opened. The county and town received their name from a natural rock wall discovered below the town. The rock wall seems man-made but it has been deemed a naturally occurring phenomenon.

Except for a slight dip during and after the Great Depression, the town has grown steadily. The city was, at one time, in the western part of Kaufman county.

Residents found the county seat too far from their location and the Texas legislature established Rockwall County in 1873. The city was incorporated the next year in 1874.

Before the arrival of the railroad and with no great means to export agricultural crops, the town relied on cattle raising to sustain itself. The city became a shipping center for cotton and other crops grown by area farmers after the Missouri, Kansas & Texas line reached the city in 1886.

The city of Rockwall remained a small agricultural community until the building of Lake Ray Hubbard in 1971. The city’s population has almost doubled every ten years for the following four decades. 

Today there are many beautiful parks in Rockwall and of course Lake Ray Hubbard.

Here is a list of cities in Texas that start with R

In Conclusion, Cities In Texas That Start With R

Texas is a diverse and vibrant state, offering a variety of activities and experiences to its many cities. From mountain biking in Big Bend National Park to bird-watching in the Hill Country, Texas has it all. Whether you’re looking for an urban getaway or a serene escape, Texas has it. Visit Richardson to experience world-class shopping and restaurants, or head to Round Rock to explore its unique culture and history.

Read more about cities in Texas here.

School rating and cost of living rating by Niche.com

Read about Austinites here.

air fryer recipe areas in Texas areas of texas Austin Texas average cost of living in texas Bar-B-Cue Bar-B-Q Bar-B-Que barbecue barbeque bbq best cities in texas to raise a family best cities to raise a family in texas best place to live in texas for families bowl of red budget-friendly meal cities in texas comfort food cost of living in texas easy appetizer easy dessert recipe easy dinner easy dinner recipe family dinner famous in texas Foods in Texas friendly people google texas county google texas news google texas office google texas roadhouse leading texas lifestyle brand lifestyle brand local texas one-pot meal party food protein-rich meal Southern comfort food Southern cuisine Southern dessert Texas Hill Country texas lifestyle brand Texas Panhandle Texini the leading Texas lifestyle brand weeknight dinner