Hutto, Texas

Hutto, Texas has undergone a transformation over the past decade from a sleepy, rural Texas farm town of 1,250 to Austin’s fastest growing suburb. The impetus for Hutto’s exponential growth has been quality, affordable housing and quality public schools coupled with the opening of SH-130 on the new Central Texas turnpike System. Low crime, quality schools, moderate taxes, and convenient access to the Austin region and state have resulted in honors such as Hutto being named one of the “Top 100 Places in Major Markets to Locate Your Business” by Southern Business & Development as well as a host of other accolades. During the past 10 years, Hutto ISD has increased from over 1,000 students in K-12 on one campus, to over 6,200 students at eight campuses. Enrollment grows by 300 students a year.

All the growth and change has not eroded a strong sense of community pride that has permeated Hutto since it was first settled in the mid 1800’s. Swedish and German immigrants came to this area to farm and ranch and begin their new lives in America. However, a slave, Adam Orgain, was actually the first person to live in the immediate Hutto vicinity having been placed out on the black land prairie by his owner to watch after the cattle and livestock holdings.

Hutto is perhaps most widely known for its high school mascot-the hippo. According to local historian Mike Fowler, there are several alternate stories about the beginnings of the unique Hutto mascot. One is, the big Swedish and German boys of Hutto were playing their smaller foes in football, and the visiting coach exclaimed “We can’t beat those boys, they’re big as hippos!” Another story, also based on gridiron lore, is that the Hutto football team in the early twenties had no real jerseys and used feed sacks as their uniforms. The opposing coach allegedly said that the football team looked like a bunch of hippos in their makeshift outfits.