Known as a “super suburb” of Austin, the capital city of Texas, Round Rock holds its own as a major employer and thriving commercial centre just a few minutes from downtown. Once a sleepy cotton-farming community, Round Rock is now home to thousands of corporate workers in sectors such as information technology, clean energy, advanced manufacturing and retail. With the multi-use La Frontera centre and a lively Main Street filled with cafes, galleries and live music venues, Round Rock is a vibrant city just 15 miles north of Austin.

Round Rock embraces the farm-to-table dining concept while drinking venues range from wine and sports bars to piano bars, coffee bars, saloons, cantinas, taverns and taps pouring everything from craft beer to reposado tequila. Following the tradition of Austin, Main Street in Round Rock comes alive with regular “Music on Main” nights, while North Mays and Main Streets draw shopping enthusiasts, art aficionados and antique collectors. Picnics at Round Rock Memorial Park make for lazy days fishing in Brushy Creek and hiking to Chisholm Trail Crossing.

About 32 kilometres north of downtown Austin and 16 kilometres south of Georgetown, Round Rock benefits from Interstate 35 running through its borders. The city offers on-demand public buses by reservation, providing transportation within the city limits and immediate areas. The private CARTS company operates an interurban bus service between Round Rock and Austin, as well as to other surrounding cities.

Round Rock’s most unusual claim-to-fame is its prominent role in the 1974 cult-classic horror movie “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre”, filmed in a crumbling farmhouse on what is now the La Frontera property. A movie icon, the farmhouse was saved in 1998 and transported in seven pieces to the Antlers Hotel in Kingsland, Texas. An identical home later discovered on the same property gave rise to ghost stories that linger to this day, along with tall tales from the gunfight and capture of notorious train robber Sam Bass at Round Rock in 1878.