Real Estate Photographer in Taylor, TX

Originally an old 19th-century railroad town and a major exporter of cotton, Taylor, Texas, is now embracing its newest identity as a notable tech manufacturing hub. With a recent $44 billion dollar investment in the Samsung Semiconductor plant, the city stands at the forefront of semiconductor chip production.

But you won’t find many signs of a tech boom in and around downtown Taylor, which has maintained its historic, small-town charm and apparent love of all things vintage. From antique stores to historic buildings that have been reimagined into vibrant new shops and restaurants, Taylor is a unique city that’s worth getting off the beaten path to explore.

Things to Do

One of the more imaginative examples of new life in an old building is Old Taylor High. Located at the site of Taylor’s original 1923 high school, the roll call now includes dozens of shops and restaurants in the building’s band room, classrooms, and locker rooms. The old cafeteria now hosts an arcade, and you can enjoy ice cream in the old chemistry lab. The space especially comes alive during Taylor Market Days on the first and third Saturdays of the month.

, 410 W. 7th St., Taylor, TX

You might be surprised to see who shows up for a concert or open mic night in downtown Taylor’s Black Sparrow Music Parlor: Eric Burton, lead singer of the Black Pumas, and honky-tonker Dale Watson have both graced the stage here in recent years. Stop by for a specialty coffee, beer, soju, or light snack, and enjoy the show.

, 113 W. 2nd St., Taylor, TX

Texas Governor Dan Moody was the state’s youngest governor; he’s also credited with starting to dismantle the Ku Klux Klan at the height of its power for successfully prosecuting several key members when he served as district attorney. Moody was born in Taylor, and you can explore his boyhood home, furnished with original family antiques and several historic artifacts at the Dan Moody Museum, with tours led by a helpful docent on weekends.

, 114 W 9th St. Taylor, TX

Downtown Taylor is bursting with one-of-a-kind treasures throughout its antique shops. Spend the day strolling along the downtown Main Street district for great finds, such as Taylor Soap Bar for gifts and body products; Alchemy for globally sourced clothing and textiles; Curio Mrvosa for books; and Outpost Video for unique artwork.

Located just 10 minutes northwest of Taylor on the outskirts of Georgetown, Sweet Eats Adventure Farm & Petting Zoo is a special place to bring kids for a day at the farm. Your ticket includes a petting zoo, a gigantic jumping pillow, an apple cannon that launches apples at various targets, tractor rides, and more. Seasonal events are held throughout the year celebrating various holidays.

, 14400 E. State Hwy 29, Georgetown, TX

Where to Eat

Louie Mueller Barbecue got its start in the 1940s as a tiny alleyway shed, expanding after a few years to feed the big appetites of local farmers and cotton pickers. Over time, it has earned a reputation as one of the biggest players in the Texas barbecue scene. The brisket here is legendary. Try for yourself and see what happens.

, 206 W. 2nd St., Taylor, TX

Despite its quaint, small-town atmosphere, Taylor has surprises in store that you might not expect. Take Seed to Soul Food, a home-cooking restaurant with several vegan and vegetarian options, from cauliflower fried chicken to carrot souffle—and a cold glass of chocolate oat milk to wash it down.

, 203 W. 4th St., Taylor, TX

Over at Old Taylor High, brunch never sounded so good as it does in the old band room at Plowman’s Kitchen. Decorated with instruments on the walls, food is fine-tuned to deliver a crescendo with favorites like a breakfast board with pancakes, French toast, bacon, and sausage, fried green tomatoes, and Mom’s Meatloaf.

, 305 W. 9th St. Taylor, TX

Some of the best Korean cuisine in the area is cooking up in what was formerly the Old Taylor High boys’ and girls’ locker rooms, now renovated in a sleek, modern style. Taylor Seoul Food offers Korean classics like bibimbap, bulgogi, japchae, and tteokbokki, with warm, friendly service., 407 W. 9th. St. B, Taylor, TX

Somehow the unusual combination of “small batch dry goods, chicken feed, and natty wine,” feels just right at Western Darlin, with playful vintage vibes in an intimate setting. Or head to one of Old Taylor High’s newest additions, 1922 Libations and Bites, for wines by the glass, as well as specialty cocktails, and shareable eats.

If ale’s more your speed, you’ll have plenty of options in Taylor, from the Texas Beer Co., with a taproom located right at the production facility just west of town; the Neighborhood Bottle Shoppe, with a selection of singles to mix and match; or the Loose Screw, located at Old Taylor High.

Where to Stay

Formerly a First Presbyterian Church and its related buildings, the 11-room boutique Talbot Commons Hotel is located within an easy walk of all the dining and shopping in downtown Taylor. Guests have contactless check-in access to rooms, which are decorated with custom artwork from Texas artist B. Shawn Cox, and they can access the pool at the nearby Taylor Mansion.

Citizens that are thinking about donating land to their city so that it can be used for the benefit of their community should take pause. Once again there is a story in the news of a city turning that gift to the public into a private development project.

Twenty years ago, there was the case of Benton Harbor, Michigan handing over public land to build a private golf course that had been granted in 1917 to serve as a public park for residents in perpetuity. Residents in the southeast of the City of Taylor, Texas, found out last year that a data center was planned on an nearly 88-acre piece of land abutting their neighborhood which had been donated to be turned into a public park in 1999.

How a donation to be a public park could become a data center instead

Pamela Griffin explained to that the original owner of the land, Mr. Bland, used to own the property that has been slated to become a data center. He was on good terms with the residents of the adjacent neighborhood and would sometimes talk with her father.

One day she said that Mr. Bland told her father: “I see the kids don’t really have nowhere to play. I’m thinking about giving this land for parkland because these kids need somewhere to play.”

Sure enough, he was true to his word and in the deed to the property when it was given to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation in 1999 for a nominal $10, on it was written that the land was “to be held in trust for future use as parkland for Williamson County.”

However, just four years later the land was granted to a non-profit called the Williamson County Park Foundation but the deed didn’t have the previously stipulated clause any longer. A month later the land again changed hands and was given to the City of Taylor. Five years later, the land was then sold for $15,000 to the Taylor Economic Development Corporation (TEDC), a quasi-governmental non-profit organization created by the city in 1994.

Unaware of the clause in the original deed, according to a former member of the TEDC, it was agreed the non-profit development entity would sell 53 acres of that property for $10 million to BBP Projects LLC for a $1 billion data center project called Blueprint. Residents of the abutting neighborhood were not informed of project as a buffer zone of over 500 feet was part of the design. The city is only required to notify landowners if a development project is within 200 feet of their property, reports the .

It wasn’t until local activists came to the neighborhood to raise awareness that residents found out about the project. “I was like, ‘what is a data center?’” Griffin told 404 Media. “So me and my sisters and my brothers, we all got together and we started looking it up and we said, ‘oh, this is not good for the neighborhood.’”

Despite outcries from residents of Taylor, including those who don’t live near the proposed data center, the city council unanimously approved the Blueprint project July last year. Griffin, three of her siblings and a neighbor managed to get a lawyer to take their case.

They sued but Blueprint filed a motion to have the case dismissed, which a judge granted as well as denying an injunction to prevent construction from beginning until the legal dispute was resolved saying the plaintiffs didn’t have standing. They have filed an appeal which is pending.

For Griffin, this fight isn’t just about the proposed data center but about the sanctity of deeds. “I keep trying to tell everybody, if they start messing with deeds in Texas? Allowing deeds to be not upheld? What’s going to happen to all of us? When we got deeds? What people leave behind? They’re going to start saying, ‘oh that person left you that but you can’t have it,’” she told 404 Media.

“That’s the scary part,” she added. “I’m not fighting just because of a data center. I’m fighting because this land was deeded for park land.”

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Thursday that he is investigating the proposed development of an AI data center in Taylor. He said the land for the development was conveyed more than 25 years ago for use as public parkland in the future.

Paxton referenced a deed from 1999 that shows a family conveyed the property to a nonprofit, the Texas Parks and Recreation Foundation, "to be held in trust for future use as parkland."

The property changed hands several times before eventually being transferred to the city of Taylor in 2004. The city then transferred the land to the Taylor Economic Development Corporation (TEDC) in 2009. In April 2025, the TEDC sold the property to NCP Travis TPP Project, LLC, a Delaware company behind the development of the proposed Blueprint Data Centers, for $10 million.

Paxton said his investigation will determine if the restriction referenced in the 1999 deed was "modified, released or terminated." Depending on the outcome of the investigation, Paxton said he might seek court intervention to make sure any deed restrictions are not disregarded.

"I will not allow any person or entity to disregard the rule of law or obligations owed to the public," Paxton said in a news release. "If the Taylor data center development is unlawful, I will do everything in my power to stop it and hold those who have violated the law accountable."

Blueprint Data Centers plans to build a 135,000-square-foot facility, as well as an on-site electricity substation. The facility will house servers that can be used for a variety of purposes, including data storage and artificial intelligence processing, according to the city of Taylor's website.

Five residents who live near the site and became aware of the 1999 deed filed a lawsuit against the project's developer, NCP Travis TPP Project, LLC, last year. A state district court judge dismissed the lawsuit, ruling that the residents lack standing in the matter. The residents have appealed the ruling, but no action has been taken yet.

Jerrod Kingery, a spokesperson for the city of Taylor, said the city is aware of the investigation in an emailed statement.

"While the City is not a party to the lawsuit involving the property, the City will cooperate fully with the Attorney General’s investigation and provide any records or information requested," Kingery said. "The City respects the legal process, however we are unable to comment on ongoing litigation related to this property."

Ben White, the president and CEO of the Taylor Economic Development Corporation, declined to comment on the investigation.

Blueprint Data Centers could not immediately be reached for comment.

TAYLOR, Texas (KXAN) — Taylor residents voiced frustration Thursday night after learning city officials had determined a citizen-led petition aimed at restricting future data center development could not move forward.

The petition, submitted in June, sought to amend the city’s land development code and create an ordinance to prohibit data centers in all existing zoning districts unless and until Taylor creates a zoning district specifically for digital infrastructure uses, like a data center.

The issue appeared on Thursday night’s city council agenda, with the council scheduled to discuss the initiative petition and the proposed ordinance.

Before the meeting, Carrie D’Anna with the HALT Taylor Data Centers coalition said the proposal was intended to establish stronger regulations for data center development.

“I don’t think data centers should be everywhere on every corner. I don’t think that they should encroach upon people’s neighborhoods,” D’Anna said. “That doesn’t mean that the technology itself doesn’t exist in a good ethical way — we just have to be able to center people and land as we move forward with technology.”

The item was one of the first issues taken up shortly after the meeting began at 6 p.m. Thursday.

After city staff introduced the agenda item, the council moved directly into public comment, allowing residents who had signed up to speak to address the petition. At that point, council members had not publicly discussed the substance of the proposal beyond introducing the agenda item.

Then, around 6:15 p.m., while public comment was still underway, the city of Taylor posted a statement on social media and its website announcing it had determined the measure could not legally move forward through the initiative process.

In the statement, the city said Texas law does not allow cities to enact or change zoning through a popular vote. City officials said zoning changes must instead go through a process that includes Planning and Zoning Commission review, notice to affected property owners and public hearings.

The timing of the announcement quickly became a source of frustration inside council chambers, where many residents had gathered expecting to hear council members publicly discuss the proposal for the first time. Several speakers told the council they felt blindsided by the social media post, arguing the city had announced its decision before residents had a chance to hear the council’s reasoning during the meeting.

“Minutes ago, after this meeting started, you posted this on Facebook — knowing that we’re all coming here…tell me this is not shady,” one Taylor resident said in a public comment to council members. “Shame on all of y’all.”

Public comment continued for roughly an hour and a half, with many residents expressing frustration not only with the city’s legal determination, but also with how and when it was communicated.

“We’re not opposed to every data center,” another resident said in public comment. “Because y’all didn’t do the proper vetting — now you have this reaction.”

After public comment concluded, Mayor Pro Tem Kelly Cmerek addressed the crowd and apologized for how the information was released.

“I need to apologize. Obviously, this information was put on the website inappropriately,” Cmerek said.

Cmerek emphasized that the city’s determination was based on legal limitations surrounding the initiative process and not a dismissal of residents’ concerns about data center development.

According to the city’s statement, Taylor is already pursuing amendments to its Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Code aimed at regulating digital infrastructure, including data centers. Proposed regulations would address issues such as environmental protection, neighborhood compatibility, noise mitigation, air quality and water conservation.

“We’re actively pursuing amendments to our comprehensive plan and land development code to not only address data centers, but all digital infrastructures,” Cmerek said.

On Friday afternoon, Taylor City Manager Brian LaBorde put out a lengthy statement on social media apologizing for the “untimely online announcement.” The statement continued:

“Please know, our City Council had no prior knowledge that this announcement would be published at that time.

We understand that a lot of time and effort went into collecting signatures for this petition, which many community members support. Our legal team and outside counsel determined that the measure cannot be adopted through the initiative process or placed on the ballot following a careful review that began after the petition was submitted.

Announcing this decision online shortly after the start of last night’s meeting at which many community members had turned out to speak was an error that we deeply regret. Our goal was to present our findings at the meeting, share how we would incorporate the petition into proposed regulations, and distribute it to the rest of the community following the meeting. Again, our council had no prior knowledge of this timing.

While we are limited by state law as to what we can legally do in regard to development moratoriums and regulations, the City recognizes that we can and should do more to address the community’s concerns about data centers. We agree with the petition’s claim that our current land development code and zoning were not designed to regulate these developments. That’s why Council has been focused on a comprehensive plan and land development code update for some time. We have prioritized creating new regulations intended to address this need as part of the comprehensive plan and land development code update that is well underway. Communicating the important work that has already taken place along with progress updates will be a priority for the City.

We encourage all residents concerned about data centers to participate in this process, which provides opportunities for written feedback, as well as public hearings. Additionally, we are currently working to schedule and coordinate a community meeting in the coming weeks to continue this important discussion and explain more about the constraints that all Texas cities face in dealing with this pressing issue. We will be back in touch in the coming days with meeting details.“

The city said public comment on the draft regulations will remain open through July and that the Comprehensive Plan and Development Code Advisory Committee will review the proposals.

City officials said they anticipate bringing an ordinance related to digital infrastructure before city council in September following public input and required notifications.

TAYLOR, Texas — A packed and emotional crowd filled Taylor City Hall Thursday night after city leaders announced a citizen-led petition aimed at restricting future data center development cannot move forward through the initiative process under Texas law.

For months, members of the HALT Taylor Data Centers coalition gathered about 1,400 signatures for a petition that sought to prohibit new data centers under the city’s current zoning until Taylor creates zoning rules specifically for digital infrastructure.

Many residents arrived expecting the Taylor City Council to discuss the proposal. Instead, just minutes after the meeting began, the city announced on social media that, after certifying the petition signatures and consulting outside legal counsel, it determined the measure cannot move forward through the initiative process or be placed on the ballot because Texas law does not allow zoning changes by popular vote.

“I’m angry because we have followed the rules that you tell us to do,” said HALT Taylor Data Centers spokesperson Carrie D’Anna. “We have spent a year researching.”

Residents repeatedly interrupted the meeting with chants of “Shame! Shame! Shame!” as they urged council members to reconsider.

Many said they were frustrated not only by the outcome but by learning of the city’s legal determination after the meeting had already begun. Others voiced concerns about the potential impact additional data centers could have on water resources, electricity demand, and noise in nearby neighborhoods.

One resident asked the audience to hum for three minutes straight during his public comment, telling council members, “Okay, that’s what you get 24/7 for the rest of your life.”

City leaders said the decision was based on state law, not the merits of residents’ concerns.

“This is a determination about the legal process available to the city. It’s not a judgment about the policy issue about the concerns you guys have voiced,” Mayor Pro Tem Kelly Cmerek said.

Communications Manager Jerrod Kingery also cited state law during a quick comment following the discussion.

“According to Texas law, zoning may be established only through the process the legislature has prescribed,” Kingery said.

When asked by CBS Austin when the city determined the petition could not legally move forward, Kingery responded, “This is all I’ve got for you.”

Residents continued to criticize the process, saying they felt their months of work had been dismissed.

“The fact that we are having to ask for land and human-centered zoning and beg for it and go to this extent for basic, basic human rights and basic freedoms in our own town is ridiculous,” D’Anna said.

Although the petition will not move forward through the initiative process, the city says it is continuing to develop new regulations for data centers and other digital infrastructure through updates to its Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Code. Proposed standards include environmental protections, water conservation measures, noise mitigation, and compatibility requirements for surrounding neighborhoods.

The city is accepting public comments on the proposed regulations throughout July. Officials expect the ordinance to come before the Taylor City Council for consideration in September following the public input process.