Waco: otherwise known as "the heart of Texas;" sometimes known as "that place where there was a cult and a biker gang shootout;" more recently known as, "home to the Baylor Bears."

On a good day, I would say that I love Waco. On a bad day, I would say that I tolerate Waco. Waco has its quirks, both positive and negative. The city is growing and expanding into something new (I wish I could be more specific, but with Waco, you really never know what's going to happen).

I believe in understanding one's background and history and since Waco is on the rise, I educated myself on Waco's history.

1) Waco was named after the Wichita Native American group known as the "Waco" (pronounced, Huaco or Hueco in Spanish). The original settlers wanted to name the city, "Lamartine," but George B. Erath (a land surveyor) convinced them otherwise.

2) The Suspension Bridge, completed in 1870 was the first bridge to ever span the Brazos River.

3) In 1896, a few miles north of Waco, two trains crashed as part of publicity stunt. However, the event took a nasty turn when a few bystanders died (I don't understand how no one saw that coming).

4) The Alico building was built in 1911 and standing at 22 stories it was the tallest skyscraper south of the Mason-Dixie Line. It was able to survive the Waco Tornado because of its steel beams and more advanced architectural structure than surrounding buildings.

5) ALICO stands for American-Amicable Life Insurance Company.

6) In September 1936, Waco (and most of Central Texas) had an unusual amount of heavy rainstorms, resulting in the Brazos River rising 41 feet above normal levels. The Brazos broke through a levee and then flooded most of downtown Waco.

7) On May 11th, 1953, a tornado touched down in downtown Waco and had a width of two city blocks. Over 190 businesses and factories were destroyed or damaged, and 114 people were killed making the tornado the worst Texas had ever seen (now the Waco Tornado is tied for most damage with the Goliad Tornado).

8) Five years ago, Cameron Park celebrated its first centennial marking it as one of the oldest public parks in Texas. In 1910, the land of Cameron Park was bought and immediately donated by the Cameron Family, with following donations made in 1917 and 1920.

I have to give credit where credit is due: All of these photos (and several more) can all be found at The Texas Collection, Baylor University's Flickr page. If I were you, I would go check them out and learn more about Waco's history because everyone should love where they live.