Castroville, Texas

Castroville, Texas
City
Castroville City Hall
Seal
Nickname:  The Little Alsace of Texas
Location of Castroville, Texas
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Medina
Area
• Total	2.6 sq mi (6.6 km2)
• Land	2.5 sq mi (6.6 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	758 ft (231 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	2,664
• Density	1,045.4/sq mi (403.6/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP codes	78009, 78023
Area code	830
FIPS code	48-13312
GNIS feature ID	1353948

Castroville is a city in Medina County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,680 at the 2010 census. Prior to 1893, Castroville was the first county seat of Medina County.

Castroville is part of the San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Castroville was established in 1844 by Henri Castro, an empresario of the Republic of Texas, who brought several dozen European families to the area from Alsace and adjoining Baden to populate his land grant along the Medina River 20 miles west of San Antonio. The first colonists disembarked at Galveston on January 9, 1843. They were taken by ship to Lavaca Bay and traveled overland to San Antonio, where they took shelter in abandoned buildings until the Texas Rangers were prepared to escort them to their land and protect them from hostile Indians. On September 2, 1844, the first colonists arrived at Castro's land grant on the Medina River.

From 1849, Castroville, on the Medina River was a water stop on the San Antonio-El Paso Road and a stagecoach station on the San Antonio-El Paso Mail Line and San Antonio-San Diego Mail Line.

After a few hard years, the town and surrounding farms flourished; although for generations, the residents remained insular. In Castroville's first century, a visitor would be more likely to hear Alsatian — a language spoken in Europe before Standard German was prevalent — than English spoken in the town's homes, stores, and taverns. Modern Alsatian travelers noted that the dialect spoken in Castroville was more like that which was spoken in the 1840s. The descendants of the original settlers worked diligently to preserve their language, which has slowly been eradicated in Europe by political actions of France and Germany, especially since World War II.

Today, though, native speakers of Alsatian are dying out, and fewer of the town's residents can trace their ancestry back to the original Castro Colonists. The suburbs of nearby San Antonio are encroaching, and much of the town has been made a national historic district to preserve the unique, sloped-roof architecture of dozens of original Alsatian homes and shops.

Castroville is a sister city of Ensisheim (Alsace) in France.

Geography

Castroville is located at 29°21′N 98°53′W (29.3550, -98.8807). This is 20 miles west of Downtown San Antonio.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.5 square miles (6.5 km²), of which, 2.5 square miles (6.5 km²) of it is land and 0.39% is covered with water.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1850	366		—
1860	458		25.1%
1870	515		12.4%
1880	731		41.9%
1890	679		−7.1%
1950	985		—
1960	1,508		53.1%
1970	1,893		25.5%
1980	1,821		−3.8%
1990	2,159		18.6%
2000	2,664		23.4%
2010	2,680		0.6%
2014 (est.)	2,909		8.5%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2010, 3,053 people resided in the city. The population density was 1,045.4 people per square mile (403.4/km²). There were 1,025 housing units at an average density of 402.2 per square mile (155.2/km²).

Of the 941 households, 37.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.5% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.5% were not families. About 20.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.17.

In the city, the population was distributed as 28.0% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $42,308, and for a family was $51,007. Males had a median income of $35,625 versus $27,228 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,615. About 5.4% of families and 9.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.9% of those under age 18 and 5.9% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The City of Castroville is served by the Medina Valley Independent School District and Saint Louis Catholic School (prekindergarten through fifth grade).

Gallery

• 
  The Steinbach Alsatian House
• 
  Waders cool off in the Medina River in Castroville on Fathers Day.
• 
  Monument to Henri Castro
• 
  Castroville State Bank
• 
  Castroville Public Library
• 
  Trees shade the entrance to the Landmark Inn, a state historic site in Castroville.
• 
  The Old Alsatian Steakhouse and Ristorante in the historic district of Castroville
• 
  The historic St. Louis Catholic Church is located in downtown Castroville; pastor James Conway (2011).
• 
  First Baptist Church in Castroville is located off U.S. Route 90.
• 
  Trailhead at Castroville Regional Park
• 
  On the hiking trail in Castroville
• 
  Downtown Castroville, Texas

Notable people

• Alexis Texas, Adult film actress

External links

• Castroville, Texas official Page
• Castroville Chamber of Commerce
• http://www.preservecastroville.com
• http://www.castrovilletx.com/castroville-texas-history.htm Castroville Texas City History
• Handbook of Texas Online: Castroville, Texas