Medina County, Texas

Medina County, Texas
Medina County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 50,748. Its county seat is Hondo. The county is named for the Medina River. The extreme northern part of the county lies within the Edwards Plateau, which elevates into the Texas Hill Country. 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 who worked in shifts operating 24 hours a day to complete the dam in two years. Medina County is part of the San Antonio, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
The county is named after the Medina River, which was named in 1689 after the Spanish cartographer Pedro de Medina by the Spanish explorer Alonso de Leon, the first European to encounter the river. Because Pedro de Medina derived his surname from the Andalusian city of Medina-Sidonia, the name Medina comes from the Arabic for city.
The Texas Legislature formed Medina county on February 12, 1848, and enlarged it on February 1, 1850, using land taken from Bexar County. Castroville was the county seat, and the county erected the first permanent courthouse there in 1854. The county seat moved to Hondo in 1892, and a new courthouse was completed there in 1893.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.7%) is water.
Major highways
Interstate 35
U.S. Highway 90
State Highway 16
State Highway 132
State Highway 173
Adjacent counties
Bandera County (north)
Bexar County (east)
Atascosa County (southeast)
Frio County (south)
Uvalde County (west)
Demographics
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.
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 . There were 14,826 housing units at an average density of . 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.
Communities
Cities
Castroville
Devine
Hondo (county seat)
LaCoste
Lytle (mostly in Atascosa County and a small part in Bexar County)
Natalia
San Antonio (mostly in Bexar County and a small part in Comal County)
Census-designated places
D'Hanis
Lake Medina Shores (partly in Bandera County)
Unincorporated communities
Dunlay
Mico
Pearson
Rio Medina
Yancey
Ghost towns
New Fountain
Quihi
Education
Most of La Salle County is served by the Cotulla Independent School District. The Dilley Independent School District serves a small portion of northwestern La Salle County.
D'Hanis Independent School District
Devine Independent School District
Hondo Independent School District
Lytle Independent School District
Medina Valley Independent School District
Natalia Independent School District
Northside Independent School District
Utopia Independent School District
The designated community college is Southwest Texas Junior College.
Gallery
Politics
See also
National Register of Historic Places listings in Medina County, Texas
Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Medina County
References
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.
External links
Medina County Profile from the Texas Association of Counties
1848 establishments in Texas
Populated places established in 1848
Greater San Antonio
Majority-minority counties in Texas