Waco is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 113,726. The Waco MSA consists of McLennan County and has a population of 222,439.

Prior to the founding of the town, a Wichita Native American group known as the "Waco" or "Hueco" lived on the land of contemporary downtown Waco west of the Brazos River. In 1824, on an expedition to the Waco village, Thomas M. Duke reported the following to Stephen F. Austin: "This town is situated on the West Bank of the River about half a mile from the River. They have a spring almost as cold as ice itself. All we want is some Brandy and Sugar to have Ice Toddy. They have about four hundred acres planted in corn beans pumpkins and melons and that tended in good order. I think they cannot raise more than One Hundred Warriors."