Jarrell, city in Williamson County, Texas, United States
Jarrell is a small city in Williamson County, Texas, positioned where Interstate 35 meets Farm Road 487 in the central part of the state. The city is made up mostly of residential areas and a modest commercial strip, surrounded by the open rolling terrain typical of central Texas.
Jarrell was founded in 1909 at a railroad crossing by O.D. Jarrell and E.C. Haeber, and the town grew steadily in its early years. The collapse of cotton farming and the closure of the rail line in the 1930s brought that growth to a halt for several decades.
Jarrell sits along one of the busiest roads in Texas, Interstate 35, which gives the town a strong through-traffic feel. Many shops and restaurants along the main strip cater to travelers heading north toward the Dallas area or south toward Austin.
Jarrell is easy to reach from Interstate 35, which runs directly through the city and connects it to Austin to the south and Waco to the north. Spring and fall offer the most comfortable weather for a visit, since summer heat in central Texas can be intense.
A tornado in May 1997 tore through a residential neighborhood and killed 27 people, making it one of the deadliest tornadoes in Texas history. The area was rebuilt afterward, but the event left a lasting mark on how residents talk about their town.
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