Rockdale is a city in Milam County, Texas, on the Blackland Prairies of Central Texas roughly 60 miles northeast of Austin. It is the largest city in the county, with a population of about 5,300, and it serves as a commercial and community center for the surrounding agricultural region. The city was founded in 1873 as a stop on the International–Great Northern Railroad line running from Palestine to Austin, and the railroad gave the town its start and its name. Rockdale's defining economic chapter came in the 1950s, when the Aluminum Company of America built its largest U.S. aluminum smelter here, drawn by the area's extensive lignite coal reserves. For decades the smelter and related lignite operations anchored local employment and shaped the town's working-class identity. That industrial legacy remains part of Rockdale's story today, alongside its agricultural surroundings. Downtown Rockdale features historic buildings and murals celebrating the city's history and notable figures such as cowboy Bill Pickett, and the town lies near the San Gabriel River and Granger Lake, which draw residents for fishing, boating, and camping. Rockdale also sits along the route of the El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail, and nearby landmarks include Sugarloaf Mountain and the San Gabriel River crossing at Apache Pass. Public education is provided by Rockdale Independent School District, which operates four campuses serving about 1,500 students. U.S. Highway 79 connects the city to Austin to the southwest and to Hearne and the Bryan–College Station area to the east. Rockdale offers a genuine small-town Central Texas way of life with a notable industrial heritage and convenient highway access to the region's larger cities.