La Grange Map
La Grange is a city in Fayette County, Texas, near the Colorado River. The population was 4,478 at the 2000 census. The 2006 estimated population was 4,645. But a 2010 census estimated that the city had a population of 4,923. La Grange is the county seat of Fayette County.
La Grange was the site of an early crossing of the Colorado River along La Bahía Road during the Mexican period. The earliest white settlers in the area were Aylett C. Buckner and Peter Powell, who lived slightly to the west. The first settlement on the city's present location was by Stephen F. Austin's band of colonists in 1822. John Henry Moore built a blockhouse in 1828 as protection from the Comanche. It is known today as Moore's Fort. (The fort is currently found in nearby Round Top, having been moved there for restoration.)
The town was a major site of German and Czech settlement, because the rolling hills and forests are reminiscent of their homelands. Even today the German and Czech influences on the town remain strong, seen in many local customs, the local architecture, and the town's reputation for not having participated in the prohibition of alcoholic beverages during the 1920s and 1930s - beyond a token effort by the local authorities. La Grange, too, became the home of many Jewish immigrants in the 19th century.
Nearby cities include Fayetteville, Weimar, Round Top, Schulenburg, Smithville.