About Leander

Leander ( lee-AN-dər) is a city in Williamson County and Travis County, Texas, United States. The population was 59,202 at the 2020 census and 67,124 at the 2021 census estimate. A suburb just north of Austin, and part of the Greater Austin metropolitan area, it was the fastest-growing city in the United States between 2018 and 2019. == History == Leander was established in 1882 on land sold by the Austin and Northwestern Railroad Co. to prospective citizens. The town was named in honor of Leander "Catfish" Brown, one of the railroad officials responsible for the completion of the line.Tumlinson Fort, the first white settlement in Williamson County, was established in early January 1836 at the headwaters of Brushy Creek, 4 miles south of present-day Leander. With the purpose of protecting white settlers from attacks by Comanche Indians, a company of Texas Rangers occupied the post until late February, when the invasion of Santa Anna made it necessary for the post to be abandoned, soon after which it was burned by the Comanche.The Webster Massacre occurred near present-day Leander in August 1839, when a party of about 30 settlers traveling westward through the area were attacked by Comanche Indians and all but 3 were killed.It was near Leander that the Leanderthal Lady, a skeleton dating back 10,000 to 13,000 years, was discovered; the site was one of the earliest intact burials found in the United States.In August and September 2011, destructive wildfires swept through two central Leander neighborhoods, burning a total of 330 acres (130 ha) and destroying 26 homes. == Geography == Leander is located at the intersection of Ranch to Market Road 2243 and US Route 183 about 22 miles northwest of Austin. Georgetown lies 5 miles to the east on Route 2243.According to the City of Leander, the city has a total area of 34.08 square miles (88.3 km2). None of the area is covered with water.