Downtown Van Alstyne
Today, residents and tourists enjoy shopping, dining and working in our vibrant historic downtown district. Those living in a restored home or loft apartment downtown can walk to banking, shopping, restaurants, medical care and entertainment.
Our historic downtown is also the location of events such as the Fall der All festival, Margarita Crawl, Railcar Farmer's Market, Summer Concert Series, holiday festivities and so much more!
Some of the new murals in downtown Van Alstyne
Photo credit: Tiffany Chartier
The City of Van Alstyne, located on the southern border of Grayson County, was founded in 1873 when the railroads began their rapid expansion of the Houston and Texas Central Railway. The railroad bypassed the Town of Mantua that had been settled in 1854 just three miles to the Southwest. Most of Mantua’s citizens and other area towns relocated to Van Alstyne along with businesses and churches. The City of Van Alstyne was named in honor of Maria Van Alstyne, the widow of W. A. Van Alstyne, a major stockholder of the Houston and Texas Central Railway. Van Alstyne was incorporated in 1890 with an estimated population of 740 citizens, two gristmills, a flour mill, a newspaper, and a college. The population has increased to 2,500 by 2000 and 3,100 by 2010. Currently, Van Alstyne has a population of around 8,900 citizens and expects to reach an estimated 30,000 citizens by 2030.
Above: One of the murals added to downtown Van Alstyne in 2019 painted by the artist Calina Mishay Johnson, known as Street Art by Cal. It is located next to the Van Alstyne Post Office, 130 E Jefferson St, Van Alstyne, TX 75495.