Cedar Park, Texas
Cedar Park, Texas is a suburb of Austin approximately 16 miles southeast of the state capitol on Cluck Creek and U.S. Highway 183. Cedar Park lies mostly in Williamson County, although a small portion of the city extends into Travis County. In 2009, Cedar Park population was 55,115 (U.S. Census), with families accounting for 74% of the households.
The Cedar Park area was first settled in 1871 by George Cluck, who made a cattle drive up the Chisholm Trail and bought land in the area. A sleepy town even after the arrival of the railroad, Cedar Park was best known for producing limestone and cedar fence posts. As the residents of Austin started migrating to Cedar Park seeking a friendly small-town atmosphere to raise a family, the Cedar Park citizens voted to incorporate on February 24, 1973.
In 2008, Cedar Park celebrated the opening of the Cedar Park Regional Medical Center, a full-service hospital for residents of Western Williamson County. With 350 hospital employees, the Cedar Park Regional Medical is one of the city's top employers. Other major Cedar Park employers include the following: National Oilwell Varco, the City of Cedar Park, ETS-Lindgren, CoreSlab Structures, Baker Triangle Drywall, BMC Millwork, BMC West, and Texas Quarries.
Cedar Park is ideally situated between Austin and the Texas Hill Country and offers all the amenities of a major metropolitan area along with the relaxed life style in keeping with their family-oriented community.
The 95-acre Schlitterbahn Cedar Park has a targeted opening date of May 2012. The 16-acre water park, with restaurant and retail space, a hotel, and a conference center, is expected to be a major tourist attraction in Cedar Park and to create up to 1,000 new jobs.
District courts are the primary trial courts in Texas as state trial courts of general jurisdiction. The Texas Constitution also provides for a county court in each of Texas's 254 counties. Each county in Texas is divided according to population into at least one and not more than eight justice precincts.
In Williamson County, Texas, all five district courts: 26th District Court, 277th District Court, 368th District Court, 395th District Court, and 425th District Court are located in the Justice Center in Georgetown, the county seat.
Justice courts generally have exclusive jurisdiction of civil matters, including personal injury lawsuits, only when the amount in controversy does not exceed $200. Generally, the county courts have concurrent jurisdiction with justice courts in civil cases where the matter in controversy exceeds $200 but does not exceed $10,000 and concurrent jurisdiction with the district courts in civil cases where the matter in controversy exceeds $500 but does not exceed $5,000. The district courts have jurisdiction in civil matters with a minimum monetary limit but no maximum limit. The fourteen Texas Courts of Appeals handle most of Texas’ civil appeals from the district and county-level courts, while the Texas Supreme Court has statewide, final appellate jurisdiction in most civil cases.
The Guide to Texas Legislative Information provides brief definitions of terms associated with the legislative process to help you understand the terms you may hear in court.
