Medina County, Texas

Medina County, Texas
The Medina County Courthouse in Hondo
Location in the state of Texas
Texas's location in the U.S.
Founded	1848
Seat	Hondo
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	1,335 sq mi (3,458 km²) 1,328 sq mi (3,440 km²) 7 sq mi (18 km²), 0.51%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	46,006 28/sq mi (11/km²)

Hondo Creek is located south of Hondo.

Entrance to Hondo Creek Ranch

The Medina County Museum is located off U.S. Route 90 in Hondo.

The Medina County Jail

Medina Electric Cooperative in Hondo

Scorched cornfield in Castroville

Medina Valley United Methodist Church in Castroville

Medina County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, its population was 46,006. Its seat is Hondo. The county is named for the Medina River.

The Medina Dam, the fourth largest in the nation when completed in 1913, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The irrigation project, creating Medina Lake, was built by 1500 skilled workers, mostly Mexican, who worked in shifts operating 24 hours a day to complete the dam in two years.

Medina County is part of the San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,335 square miles (3,456 km²), of which 1,328 square miles (3,439 km²) is land and 7 square miles (17 km²) (0.51%) is water.

Major highways

• Interstate 35
• U.S. Highway 90
• State Highway 173

Adjacent counties

• Bandera County (north)
• Bexar County (east)
• Atascosa County (southeast)
• Frio County (south)
• Uvalde County (west)

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1850	909		—
1860	1,838		102.2%
1870	2,078		13.1%
1880	4,492		116.2%
1890	5,730		27.6%
1900	7,783		35.8%
1910	13,415		72.4%
1920	11,679		−12.9%
1930	13,989		19.8%
1940	16,106		15.1%
1950	17,013		5.6%
1960	18,904		11.1%
1970	20,249		7.1%
1980	23,164		14.4%
1990	27,312		17.9%
2000	39,304		43.9%
2010	46,006		17.1%
U.S. Decennial Census Texas Almanac: 1850-2010

As of the census of 2000, there were 39,304 people, 12,880 households, and 10,136 families residing in the county. The population density was 30 people per square mile (11/km²). There were 14,826 housing units at an average density of 11 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 79.38% White, 2.20% Black or African American, 0.68% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 14.48% from other races, and 2.88% from two or more races. 45.47% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 12,880 households out of which 39.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.20% were married couples living together, 11.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.30% were non-families. 18.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.91 and the average family size was 3.30.

In the county, the population was spread out with 29.00% under the age of 18, 8.40% from 18 to 24, 28.70% from 25 to 44, 21.50% from 45 to 64, and 12.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 105.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,063, and the median income for a family was $40,288. Males had a median income of $27,045 versus $21,734 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,210. About 12.00% of families and 15.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.80% of those under age 18 and 15.60% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

• Castroville
• Devine
• Hondo
• LaCoste
• Lytle (partially)
• Natalia

Unincorporated areas

• D'Hanis, Texas
• Dunlay, Texas
• Mico, Texas
• Pearson, Texas
• Quihi, Texas
• Rio Medina, Texas
• Vandenberg, Texas (a ghost town)
• Yancey, Texas

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Medina County, Texas

Further reading

• Holt, Jr., C.L.R. (1959). Geology and ground-water resources of Medina County, Texas [U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 1422]. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.
• Castro Colonies Heritage Association, The History of Medina County, Texas, Dallas, TX: National Share Graphics, 1983).
• Houston B. Eggen, History of Public Education in Medina County, Texas, 1848–1928 (M.A. thesis, University of Texas, 1950).
• Cyril Matthew Kuehne, S.M., Ripples from Medina Lake, San Antonio, TX: Naylor, 1966.
• Bobby D. Weaver, Castro's Colony: Empresario Development in Texas, 1842–1865, College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press, 1985.