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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Proud residents of Waller County are marking the |
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150th anniversary of their county's founding on May 5, 2023; and |
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WHEREAS, Encompassing 514 square miles of land in the lower |
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coastal plain of southeast Texas, Waller County combines rolling |
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timber in the north with coastal prairie in the south; when the |
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state legislature established the county in 1873, by carving out |
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portions of Austin and Grimes Counties, Hempstead was designated as |
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the seat of government; the creation of the Houston and Texas |
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Central Railway spurred the growth of the county during the early |
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years of its existence, and railway companies were involved in the |
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development of Hempstead as well as the town of Brookshire; and |
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WHEREAS, The county's economy was largely driven by cotton |
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production, before it pivoted with the discovery of oil in the |
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1930s; in more recent years, it has benefited from being at the |
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nexus of two major transportation corridors, with U.S. Route 290 |
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leading from Austin to Houston and Interstate 10 connecting Houston |
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to San Antonio and El Paso; and |
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WHEREAS, Waller County boasts a diverse population of nearly |
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60,000 people, a number that has grown steadily since the mid-20th |
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century; the area offers citizens a small-town, rural way of life, |
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while still being within commuting distance of Houston; its natural |
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beauty is enhanced by the abundance of bluebonnets that bloom there |
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in the spring, and residents and visitors alike enjoy such annual |
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events as the Waller County Fair, the Hempstead Watermelon |
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Festival, and the Katy Rice Festival; and |
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WHEREAS, Celebrating their history as they work to build an |
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even brighter future, the people of Waller County may indeed take |
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great pride in the role their community continues to play in the |
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story of the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
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Legislature hereby commemorate the sesquicentennial of Waller |
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County and extend to the county's residents sincere best wishes for |
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the future. |