Lifestyle

Far Out, Man! San Marcos Named ‘Most Hippie’ Town in Texas

By  | 
Tony Maples Photography

 

When you think of “Hippie Towns,” in Texas, obviously Austin is a stand-out out choice. Surprisingly though, another Texas Hill Country town was recently named the most “Hippie Town” in Texas by the website Thrillist.com. San Marcos was chosen by the website over other stand-out, free-spirited Texas towns. Their list varies from farm communes in Missouri to an artists colony in Mississippi and Thrillist.com raved about the “Hippie Vibe” in San Marcos.

A Hippie Enclave in the ‘60’s and ’70’s

Hippie

Photo: Unsplash/Maxine Bhm

According to the Thrillist website, San Marcos, a town of just over 54,000, was Texas’ hippie enclave back in the ’60s and ’70s, and many of those who moved there decades ago have chosen to stay. It was at the forefront of the marijuana-legalization movement, and it’s home to Texas State University, giving the city the hippie-academia confluence of Austin, albeit on a smaller scale. Like much of Texas, it’s seen an influx of younger people in the past decade and the character here isn’t as zany as it might have been 20 years ago. But San Marcos’ hippie community is still alive and well, and far more concentrated than anywhere else in Texas.

A Thriving Art Scene

art scene

Photo: Facebook/ArtSquaredSMTX

San Marcos has a thriving art scene that makes it a fun and interesting getaway. With an art market regularly held in downtown San Marcos, on the beautiful historic courthouse lawn, artists and art-lovers are well represented. Also home to a cat cafe, San Marcos is a haven for animal lovers. San Marcos is also home to several highly-rated vegetarian and vegan restaurants, so those who are health conscious can enjoy a tasty meal in this college town.

To see the entire list of the 50 Most Hippie Towns in each state, on Thrillist’s website, visit the webpage here. To plan a visit to Texas’ own “Hippie Mecca,” visit the website for the San Marcos Chamber of Commerce.