Most people know Buc-ee's as a favorite stop for snacks, souvenirs and clean restrooms. Students in Texas Christian University's Economic Geography course saw something else: a business that challenges conventional thinking about location strategy.  

“Buc-ee's is an interesting case study for economic geography because it breaks a lot of the rules we teach,” said Sean Crotty, associate professor of geography in the AddRan College of Liberal Arts. “Gas stations are meant to be convenient and close to customers. People don't travel a long way to get gas or convenience goods, and yet people will travel hundreds of miles to a Buc-ee's.” 

That contradiction inspired an interdisciplinary team of students to develop an interactive GIS StoryMap exploring the company's expansion across the United States. Using geographic information systems (GIS), they analyzed how interstate corridors, population density, transportation networks and competing travel centers have shaped Buc-ee's expansion strategy. 

“Buc-ee's is one of those brands that almost everyone recognizes and loves, but few people stop to think about why the locations are where they are,” said Landon Stitt, senior geography student. “We wanted to understand the geographic and economic strategy behind Buc-ee's growth and better understand what factors influenced where new locations are built.” 

Learning through Geography 

Crotty designed the project as part of his Economic Geography course, where students investigate how economic activity is shaped by place, networks and regional development. Rather than simply learning concepts in the classroom, students apply them to real-world businesses and industries through maps, spatial analysis and data visualization. 

“Geography is an applied science,” Crotty said. “It's always trying to understand the real world as it is. Having students work with real companies helps them understand how geography influences the decisions businesses make every day.” 

The team brought together students from across disciplines – geography, digital culture and data analytics, geology and mathematics – allowing each member to contribute different strengths throughout the project. 

“Everyone brought a different perspective to the table,” Stitt said. “Combining those different skill sets allowed us to tell a much stronger story than any one of us could have on our own.” 

Telling a Story through Data 

As students layered transportation networks, population density and other geographic data into their analysis, clear patterns began to emerge. 

“The biggest surprise was how intentional Buc-ee's expansion is,” Stitt said. “Once we mapped the locations, there was a clear pattern of prioritizing interstate access and proximity to large population centers while avoiding the high costs of building in dense urban areas.” 

The experience also changed the way Tyler Cairns, senior geography and digital culture and data analytics double major, thinks about geography. 

“This project definitely changed the way that I think about geography because when it comes to location, there are so many factors that make a good location compared to a bad one,” Cairns said. “Affordability, space and resources all factor in.” 

Stitt said the project reinforced that GIS is about much more than creating maps. 

“This project demonstrated that geography is more than maps or individual locations,” Stitt said. “GIS helps uncover patterns that most people wouldn't notice and gives us a way to explain why businesses make certain decisions. It was very rewarding to see how locational data could tell a story that wasn't obvious until we mapped it.” 

Crotty said that's exactly what he hopes students take away from projects like this. 

“I think what's great about geography is that it tries to have a holistic view of whatever topic or issue we're exploring,” he said. “The road trip is a quintessential American experience.” 

He said Buc-ee's reflects a uniquely American way of traveling, making it an ideal case study for students learning how geography shapes business, culture and everyday life. 

Explore the Buc-ee's Location Expansion Strategy StoryMap. 

-Riane Cleveland