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( ) is a city in Comal and Guadalupe counties in the U.S. state of Texas that is part of the San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area.
means "brown rock" in German; the city is named for Braunfels, in Germany. In the 2000 census the city's population was 36,494, which grew to 51,804 by the time of the 2007 census. It is the seat of Comal County.
New Braunfels has a sizeable German Texan community. During the 19th century, its name was often spelled
, even by English-speakers. The town holds a German-style festival, Wurstfest ("sausage festival"), every November to celebrate the city's German heritage. The newspaper
New Braunfels draws a fair amount of tourists from across the state, particularly because of the cold-spring rivers that run through the city. Many generations of families still return during the summer to tube down the Guadalupe River and Comal River. New Braunfels is the site of one of the most famous water parks in the United States, Schlitterbahn WaterPark Resort. The Comal River is one of the shortest in the world just 3.2 miles (5.2 km) long, before emptying into the Guadalupe River. The headwaters of the Comal are located in present day Landa Park, where hundreds of artesian springs flow from the Edwards Aquifer. The upper reaches are surrounded by park and private residences, while the lower portions are open for recreation.
New Braunfels is located at (29.701724, -98.123559). This is 30 miles (48 km) northeast of San Antonio and 45 miles (72 km) southwest of Austin.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 29.4 square miles (76.1 km
The city is situated along the Balcones Fault, where the Texas Hill Country meets rolling prairie land. Along the fault in the city, a string of artesian springs known as Comal Springs give rise to the Comal River, which is known as one of the shortest rivers in the world, as it winds three miles through the city before meeting the Guadalupe River.