A site further north and west was originally chosen for a town by a group of German immigrants. A way station for resupply and rest was set up at the confluence of the Guadalupe and Comal rivers. Through a series of events, this actually became the site of New Braunfels, which was founded in 1845.
New Braunfels had a strong German population early on, but soon many Latinos and some Native Americans joined the town. In just a few years they had a population of 2,000. The town became a center for settlers because of its position on the Guadalupe River, and on the road between Austin and San Antonio. By 1850, New Braunfels was the fourth largest town in Texas.
In 1858, 18 years before it became a law to do so, the citizens voted to impose a tax on themselves to fund a public school. The town started a newspaper in the same way, and the New Braunfels Zeitung was printed in German until 1957, when it merged with an English-language newspaper.
New Braunfels started a fire department in 1874. A volunteer department started in 1886. A regular fire station was built in 1918. The department now has five stations and offices with 113 personnel who service more than 50,000 residents.
Since the late 1940s tourism has been a major industry. The establishment of Canyon Lake in 1964 and the designation of several park areas caused the town to have a 30 percent increase in population after World War II. Development of tourism with the Guadalupe River followed naturally.
