Located in Hays County, Texas, Dripping Springs was incorporated in 1981, but its history goes much further back in time. Billed as the "Gateway to the Hill Country," the area can trace its roots to the early days of Texas when three families from Mississippi settled in the area in 1853. In 1881, W.T. Chapman developed a twelve-block city plan for Dripping Springs. For most of its existence, Dripping Springs remained a rural area that was prosperous but unincorporated. Then, in 1981, with the city of Austin looking to expand, residents united, and Dripping Springs became a municipality. Carl Waits has strong ties to Drippings Springs, having spent most of his adult life there and wearing multiple hats. Waits taught school and coached for thirty years in the Dripping Springs ISD during his tenure. Waits was head football, basketball, baseball, track, and golf coach during his time. He has also been a sportswriter for local newspapers for almost fifty years. Today, Dripping Springs is a rapidly growing city that has seen explosive growth and development over the past twenty years. However, the early pioneers planted the seeds for that growth, and The Complete History of Dripping Springs, Texas, and the P. A. Smith Survey documents the area's rich history.