Editing Williamson County, Texas (section)

==Economy==
[[File:CottonPlant.JPG|thumb|Cotton bolls ready for harvest]]

===Agriculture===
Williamson County was an agrarian community for most of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Cotton was the dominant crop in the area between the 1880s and the 1920s, and Williamson County was the top producer of cotton in Texas.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Cotton County |first=Andrew |last=McLemore |newspaper=Williamson County Sun |date=August 15, 2010 }}</ref>  Primarily to transport bales of cotton, the county was served by two national railroads, the [[International-Great Northern Railroad]], which eventually merged into the Missouri Pacific, and the [[Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad]]. The town of [[Taylor, Texas|Taylor]] in eastern Williamson County became the primary center for cotton production, [[cotton gin]]ning, and compressing cotton into bales to transport by rail.

Other agriculture activities, farming, and dairying were also a part of rural Williamson County east of the Balcones Fault, and ranching occurred to the west in the Hill Country area. Both gradually gave way to more modern business, services, and retail as the area became more urban, but cattle ranching is still a major business in some areas of the county, and cotton is still a significant crop eastward toward [[Hutto, Texas|Hutto]] and Taylor.

===Business===
Williamson County's largest employer was once [[Dell]] Computer in Round Rock, employing roughly 16,000 employees.{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}} Retail and health care, including St. David's Hospital, Scott & White, Seton Medical Center Williamson hospital (a level II certified trauma center), and the A&M Health Science Center are among the area's largest employers. Other than Dell, retail is the second-most significant business group in the county. The new [[IKEA]] store and [[Simon Property Group|Premium Outlet Mall]] in Round Rock, as well as those in the La Frontera mixed-use project in Round Rock are significant to the county. Wolf Ranch and The Rivery are also major retail centers in Georgetown. In addition, higher education has a large positive effect on the county with the opening of the Texas State University Campus in Round Rock and the [[Austin Community College]] campus. The Round Rock campus is the single largest campus in the ACC system, providing two-year degrees and training in the high-tech sector, nursing, and other specialties.{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}}