College Station dates back to 1860, when the Houston and Texas Central Railway began construction in the area. Eleven years later, the projected Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, a land-grant university, was chosen as the site. The school (renamed Texas A&M University in 1963) opened its doors as the first public institution of higher education in the state of Texas in 1876, as the country celebrated its centennial.
College Station’s population gradually increased, reaching 350 in 1884 and 391 at the turn of the century.However, the town’s transportation system was improved during this time. The I&GN Railroad was extended to College Station in 1900 (the route was abandoned by the Missouri Pacific Railroad Company in 1965), and electric interurban service between Texas A&M and the neighboring town of Bryan was created ten years later.
In the 1920s, the interurban was phased out in favor of a municipal bus system. North Oakwood, a neighborhood to the north of College Station, was incorporated as part of Bryan in 1930. College Station was not incorporated until 1938, and the first mayor was John H. Binney. The city established a zoning commission within a year, and by 1940, the population had risen to 2,184.
The community thrived under the leadership of Ernest Langford, dubbed the “Father of College Station” by some, who took office as mayor in 1942 and served for 26 years. The city established a council-manager system of administration early in his first tenure.
Following WWII, the non-student population grew rapidly, reaching 7,898 in 1950, 11,396 in 1960, 17,676 in 1970, 30,449 in 1980, 52,456 in 1990, and 67,890 in 2000. In 2018, the Bryan-College Station metropolitan region had a population of over 270,000 people.
In the 1990s, College Station and Texas A&M University garnered national notice when the George Bush Presidential Library opened in 1997 and, more tragically, when the Aggie Bonfire collapse while being built in 1999, killing 12 people and injuring 27 more.