City of Hempstead

City Hall: 1125 Austin Street Hempstead, TX 77445 | (979) 826-2486 | (979) 826-6703 (fax)

City Hall Hours of Operations
Monday - Friday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

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Hempstead is a city in Waller County, Texas (in the United States). Our City is located at the junctions of U.S. Highway 290, Texas State Highway 6, and Texas State Highway 159 (around 50 miles northwest of Downtown Houston).

On December 29, 1856 Dr. Richard Rodgers Peebles and James W. McDade organized the Hempstead Town Company to sell lots in the newly-established community of Hempstead, which was located at the projected terminus of Houston and Texas Central Railway. Peebles named Hempstead after Dr. G. S. B. Hempstead, Peebles' brother in law. Peebles and Mary Ann Groce Peebles, his wife, contributed 2,000 acres (8.1 km2) of the estate of Jared E. Groce, Jr. for the community. On June 29, 1858 the Houston and Texas Central Railway was extended to Hempstead, causing the community to become a distribution center between the Gulf Coast and the interior of Texas. On November 10 of that year Hempstead incorporated. The Washington County Railroad, which ran from Hempstead to Brenham, enhanced the city upon its completion.[4]

Hempstead is famous for its watermelon crop, and until the 1940s the town was the top shipper of watermelons in the United States. Billy DiIorio was known as the Watermelon King and Angelina DiIorio was known as the Watermelon Queen. Both resided in Hempstead, Texas. The town holds an annual Watermelon Festival in July.

The town has grown in recent years because of its relative closeness to Houston along U.S. Highway 290. The current economy is based on county government, shipping, and a large auto dealership which closed its doors in 2009.

Check out our population according to the United States Census Bureau.