Waco is located near the heart of the state of Texas. The local government for Waco is a Council-Manager type, with the current City Manager being Larry D. Groth and Mayor Virginia DuPuy. The city has an estimated current population of roughly one hundred twenty thousand residents, as of 2009, in a density of 1,350 people per square mile. Waco is the county seat for McLennan County.
In earlier times, the region that is now downtown Waco was once home to the Waco group of the Wichita Native American Indian tribe. The earliest recorded explorer was Thomas M. Duke in 1824. The area of Waco was first designed by former Texas Ranger in 1849 and persuaded the new property owners to use the name Waco, instead of Lamartine. The first house was also built in the same year, which was a double log cabin near the springs.
One of the interesting facts about Waco is that it is the birthplace of the popular drink Dr. Pepper. It was created at Morrison's Old Corner Drug Store in 1885. The city is the location of the Texas Christian University, which was once named AddRan College, then Add-Ran Christian University. Waco is the designated site for the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum. Information about the Hall of Fame, museums, or other interesting things to visit in Waco can be found in the business directory.
In more popular culture, Waco is where the famous rock guitarist and frontman Ted Nugent lives. The MTV show, Surviving Nugent, was shot on his ranch in the nearby city of China Spring. The former United States President George W. Bush used Waco as the White House Press Center and is informally known as the Western White House. This and other fun facts about the city of Waco are listed in the local Texas yellow pages.