Downtown Buda
Downtown Buda offers a relaxed, historic, small town atmosphere along the I35 corridor - 13 miles south of Austin and 60 miles north of San Antonio.
Beginnings
The town developed along the International and Great Northern Railroad line, which was extended from Austin to San Antonio in 1880. Buda bore the name of “Du Pre” from its birth in 1881 until the autumn of 1887, when postal officials became aware that another Texas town was also named Du Pre.
The Town Name
The name Buda was adopted in the late 1880s, although its origin is unclear. According to popular legends, it was either related to Budapest, Hungary, or evolved from the Spanish word for widow, viuda, and honored the women who cooked in one of the local hotels.
Becoming a Main Street City
Today, downtown is home to many eclectic, independent businesses. Buda became a Texas Main Street City in 2017 to preserve the scale and character of its historic downtown as well as to continue to provide resources and support for the unique collection of small businesses.