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Brenham

The seat of Washington County, Brenham is located on US 290 72 miles northwest of Houston, near Somerville Lake.

Brenham has served as a regional educational center since Reconstruction, when a large freedmen's school was established there. In 1875 the town began operating the first tax-supported school system in Texas, including a school for blacks.

The population rose rapidly, from 7,740 in 1960 to 12,796 in 1988. The population increase was triggered by the influx of Houston-area and rural Washington County residents, expansion of processing and light industry, and the advent of new manufacturers, encouraged by the Brenham Industrial Foundation, established in 1953.

Several Victorian residences in town have been restored, and the Main Street Program has renovated downtown Brenham to encourage tourism. This effort has been supported by the Washington County Heritage Society. In 1990 the population was 11,952.

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