Frontier-style architecture is still much in evidence on New Braunfels’ streets with the Guadalupe Hotel on Main Plaza, the Prince Solms Inn, and the L.A. Hoffman Building. The Richardsonian Romanesque-styled Comal County Courthouse, crafted from native limestone, has been the city’s signature building for over 120 years.
The entire cotton-producing town of Gruene – locally pronounced “Green” – is now a New Braunfels historical district. The Gruene Mansion Inn is a Victorian showplace, but more representative of the district’s small-town vernacular architecture is the Gruene General Store. Gruene Hall calls itself the oldest dance hall in Texas and “kikker dancers” have toe-tapped the old wooden floors to every country singer from Willie Nelson to George Strait. The dance hall even took a star turn in the movie Michael with John Travolta showing off his best 1980s moves.
The New Braunfels real estate market is the purview of single family homes with 22,165 properties. Multifamily properties number 755 and buyers can also investigate 1,467 other residential options for home values.
New Braunfels commercial real estate leans heavily towards recently constructed warehouses, retail space and office buildings. These real estate trends have brought the number of commercial buildings to 1,971 with an additional 712 properties classified as mixed use. The industrial base of New Braunfels includes 154 properties.
Public transportation in New Braunfels is part of the Alamo Area Council of Governments that provides demand and response curb-to-curb service from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Door-to-door service can also be provided upon request.
The New Braunfels Independent School District and the Comal Independent School District funnel students to 5 public city high schools. Test scores at the primary level give the city a 7 rating out of 10 statewide and Hoffmann Lane Elementary School rates a 10 for its pre-kindergarten through 5th grade programs. Texas State University and Howard Payne University have established branch campuses in New Braunfels.
The New Braunfels Hospital, part of San Antonio’s Christus Santa Rosa Hospital system, anchors health care in the community. New Braunfels Regional Rehabilitation Hospital provides state-of-art facilities specifically for rehabilitative care.
FBI statistics reveal that property crime in New Braunfels is roughly the same as the national average, with about a 1 in 34 incidence rate. Crimes against persons are reported at a much lower rate in New Braunfels than nationally, with a rate of only about 1 in 403.
Residents often begin their immersion in Germanic New Braunfels culture in one of the many bierhalles and biergartens serving authentic Bavarian schnitzel and spaetzele. Naegelin’s Bakery is the oldest in the Lone Star State - it opened in 1868 when everyone in town still spoke nothing but German. November brings the ceremonial “biting of the sausage” to kick off Wurstfest, the “Ten-Day Salute to Sausage” that is the city’s biggest party.
New Braunfels offers an eclectic roster of museums – barbershopping, children, railroading, firefighting, Texas handmade furniture and outdoor art all have their own buildings in the city. New Braunfelites keep close tabs on local “wildflower watches” each spring to monitor the arrival of the famous Hill Country Bluebonnets. That’s a perfect time to also explore the 51-stop Texas Wine Trail. Picnics in Landa Park and tubing excursions down the Guadalupe River fill New Braunfels weekends.
The Comal River that joins the Guadalupe near downtown is one of the world’s shortest rivers – only 3 miles long – and the spring-fed waters are a constant 72 degrees, making it a year-round attraction. Summer, however, is the best time to enjoy the Shlitterbahn Waterpark & Resort, one of America’s most celebrated waterparks.
