The Birthplace of Aggieland®
Located within the Texas Triangle, the region formed by Houston, Austin, San Antonio and Dallas-Fort Worth, Bryan offers convenient access to major markets. More than 70 percent of the state’s population is within a three-hour drive.
Shaped by its beginnings as an 1800s railroad town, Bryan has grown into the region’s historic center, cultural hub and home of the only true downtown. The community’s locally owned businesses, diverse heritage and entrepreneurial spirit create a strong sense of place that feels both authentic and modern. Bryan is also recognized as a Texas Film Friendly community and a Texas Music Friendly Community.
Visitors and residents enjoy Historic Downtown Bryan, a Texas Cultural District known for its restaurants, shops, art galleries, live music and year-round events. Bryan is also home to Travis Bryan Midtown Park, a major sports and recreation destination; Lake Walk, a mixed-use district focused on technology, innovation, dining and hospitality; and Lake Bryan, a popular place for fishing, boating, hiking and biking.
City Government
The City of Bryan is a full-service municipality in Brazos County known as the Birthplace of Aggieland and home to more than 93,000 residents. The city delivers a wide range of municipal services and owns and operates Bryan Texas Utilities, a public electric utility, and Coulter Airfield, a general aviation airport that supports business and recreational travel. Bryan focuses on high quality of life, strong customer service, strategic and innovative planning, and a business environment that keeps pace with industry. These values reflect the community’s long-standing identity as The Good Life, Texas Style.
Bryan uses a council-manager form of government. The city council includes a mayor and six councilmembers. The mayor and one councilmember are elected at-large, and five councilmembers are elected from single-member districts. All serve four-year terms with an eight-year limit.
History
Bryan’s roots begin with Stephen F. Austin’s colony in the 1820s and 1830s. Much of the surrounding land remained with his family until William Joel Bryan, Austin’s nephew, deeded 640 acres to the Houston and Texas Central Railroad in 1860. The railroad named the town site after him, and rail service arrived in 1867, connecting the settlement to the rest of the state and driving early growth.
Bryan was officially incorporated on Nov. 29, 1871. Earlier that year, key residents donated 2,416 acres to establish the state’s first public institution of higher education under the Morrill Act. On Oct. 4, 1876, the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, now Texas A&M University, opened. The connection between Texas A&M and Bryan remains strong today, with the Texas A&M Health Science Center, the Texas A&M-RELLIS campus and a growing presence in Downtown Bryan. The City of College Station was incorporated later, in 1938.
