Giddings is located just southeast of
Austin toward
Brenham along US 290 and US 77, and is the seat of
Lee County.In the early 1980s the oil-laden Austin chalk that underlies the town was tapped, and the area experienced an oil boom. Some 300 oil-related businesses located in the town, and many oil rigs were operating in outlying areas. In the late 1980s, however, the oil activities decreased almost to a standstill.