Gillespie County, Texas

Gillespie County, Texas
The Gillespie County Courthouse in Fredericksburg
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Coordinates: 30°19′N 98°57′W / 30.31°N 98.95°W / 30.31; -98.95
Country United States
State Texas
Founded1848
Named afterRobert Addison Gillespie
SeatFredericksburg
Largest cityFredericksburg
Area
 • Total
1,062 sq mi (2,750 km2)
 • Land1,058 sq mi (2,740 km2)
 • Water3.5 sq mi (9.1 km2)  0.3%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
26,725
 • Density25.26/sq mi (9.753/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district21st
Websitewww.gillespiecounty.gov

Gillespie County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. Gillespie county is prominent in the Texas German belt region, a region settled by German emigrants in the 1800s. As of the 2020 census, its population was 26,725. Gillespie County comprises the Fredericksburg, TX Micropolitan Statistical Area. The county seat is Fredericksburg. It is located in the heart of the rural Texas Hill Country in Central Texas. Gillespie is named for Robert Addison Gillespie, a soldier in the Mexican–American War.

On December 15, 1847, a petition was submitted to create Gillespie County. In 1848, the legislature formed Gillespie County from Bexar and Travis Counties. The signers were overwhelmingly German immigrants.

President of the United States of America Lyndon B. Johnson was born in the county's unincorporated community of Stonewall, and where he later maintained his ranch.