200px|right|thumb|Veterans Memorial at Burnet County courthouse

200px|right|thumb|Rolling highway in Burnet County in [[Texas Hill Country toward Longhorn Cavern State Park]]

Burnet County ( ) is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 49,130. Its county seat is Burnet.

The 2025 county population estimate was 57,015. The county was founded in 1852 and later organized in 1854. It is named for David Gouverneur Burnet, the first (provisional) president of the Republic of Texas. The name of the county is pronounced with the emphasis or accent on the first syllable, just as is the case with its namesake.

History

Indigenous peoples inhabited the area as early as 4500 BC. Later known tribes in the area include Tonkawa, Lipan Apache, and Comanche.

During the 1820s-1830s, Stephen F. Austin and Green DeWitt conducted surveying and Indian-fighting explorations. and in 1848, the first settlers arrived in the county, Samuel Eli Holland, Logan Vandeveer, Peter Kerr, William Harrison Magill, Noah Smithwick, Captain Jesse B. Burnham, R. H. Hall, Adam Rankin "Stovepipe" Johnson, and Captain Christian Dorbandt. In 1851, 20 Mormon families under the leadership of Lyman Wight establish a colony at Hamilton Creek, later to be known as Morman Mill.

In 1852, the Fourth Texas Legislature created Burnet County from Bell, Travis, and Williamson Counties.

Major highways

  • 25px U.S. Highway 183
  • 25px U.S. Highway 281
  • 20px State Highway 29

Adjacent counties

  • Lampasas County (north)
  • Bell County (northeast)
  • Williamson County (east)
  • Travis County (southeast)
  • Blanco County (south)
  • Llano County (west)
  • San Saba County (northwest)

National protected area

  • Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Demographics

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See also

  • List of museums in Central Texas
  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Burnet County, Texas
  • Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Burnet County

References

  • Burnet County tourism office
  • Burnet County TXGenWeb Project
  • Burnet Bulletin newspaper
  • The Highlander newspaper