Waco, Texas Register of Historic Places. In the late 19th century, a red-light district called the "Reservation" grew up in Waco, and prostitution was regulated by the city. The Reservation was suppressed in the early 20th century. In 1885, the soft drink Dr Pepper was invented in Waco at Morrison's Old Corner Drug Store. In 1845, Baylor University was founded in Independence, Texas. It moved to Waco in 1886 and merged with Waco University, becoming an integral part of the city. The university's Strecker Museum was also the oldest continuously operating museum in the state until it closed in 2003, and the
Neighborhoods of Waco, Texas a mixed-use development with commercial and residential buildings. There are other sectors in Waco that do not fit into one of the three sides. They are: Though not a part of Waco, these cities depend on Waco's economy: Neighborhoods of Waco, Texas Waco, a Texas city of around 120,000, is unusual in that, unlike most cities its size, it has areas that are referred to much like many larger cities. These are not official government neighborhoods, but rather common names given by the residents and city neighborhood maps and parks. Waco is first divided into three "sides": the North Side,