Medina County, Texas

Medina County
Medina County
County
	The Medina County Courthouse in Hondo
	Location within the U.S. state of Texas
	Texas's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 29°21′N 99°07′W / 29.35°N 99.11°W
Country	United States
State	Texas
Founded	1848
Named for	Medina River
Seat	Hondo
Largest city	Hondo
Area
• Total	1,335 sq mi (3,460 km2)
• Land	1,325 sq mi (3,430 km2)
• Water	9.2 sq mi (24 km2) 0.7%
Population (2020)
• Total	50,748
• Density	38/sq mi (15/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	23rd
Website	www.medinacountytexas.org

Medina County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 50,748.^[1] Its county seat is Hondo.^[2] 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.^[3] 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.^[4] 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.^[5]

Native Americans that lived in Medina County include the Comanche, Apache and also the Coahuiltecan. The last Indian raid of the county happened on April 22, 1877, when 19 year old Joe Wilton was killed by Indians near Devine, Texas.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,335 square miles (3,460 km²), of which 1,325 square miles (3,430 km²) is land and 9.2 square miles (24 km²) (0.7%) is water.^[6]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

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

Demographics

Historical population
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%
2020	50,748	10.3%
U.S. Decennial Census^[7] 1850–2010^[8] 2010^[9] 2020^[10]

**Medina County, Texas - Demographic Profile**
(*NH = Non-Hispanic*)
Race / Ethnicity	Pop 2010^[9]	Pop 2020^[10]	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	21,408	22,324	46.53%	43.99%
Black or African American alone (NH)	913	1,252	1.98%	2.47%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	146	158	0.32%	0.31%
Asian alone (NH)	272	215	0.59%	0.42%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	24	38	0.05%	0.07%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	28	188	0.06%	0.37%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)	344	1,118	0.75%	2.20%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	22,871	25,455	49.71%	50.16%
Total	46,006	50,748	100.00%	100.00%

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^[11] 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 (12 people/km²). There were 14,826 housing units at an average density of 11 units per square mile (4.2/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.

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

Ghost towns

Education

Most of Medina County is served by the Hondo Independent School District.^[12]

The designated community college is Southwest Texas Junior College.^[13]

Gallery

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

Politics

United States presidential election results for Medina County, Texas^[14]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	15,642	69.04%	6,773	29.89%	242	1.07%
2016	12,085	70.07%	4,634	26.87%	527	3.06%
2012	11,079	69.03%	4,784	29.81%	186	1.16%
2008	10,480	66.59%	5,147	32.71%	110	0.70%
2004	10,389	70.07%	4,322	29.15%	115	0.78%
2000	8,590	66.73%	4,025	31.27%	258	2.00%
1996	5,710	55.03%	3,880	37.39%	787	7.58%
1992	4,912	45.54%	3,650	33.84%	2,223	20.61%
1988	5,722	57.05%	4,227	42.15%	80	0.80%
1984	5,737	65.17%	3,053	34.68%	13	0.15%
1980	4,742	60.12%	3,034	38.46%	112	1.42%
1976	3,252	46.54%	3,681	52.68%	55	0.79%
1972	4,059	71.85%	1,507	26.68%	83	1.47%
1968	2,058	39.19%	2,471	47.06%	722	13.75%
1964	1,583	31.71%	3,408	68.27%	1	0.02%
1960	2,028	46.43%	2,325	53.23%	15	0.34%
1956	2,668	63.51%	1,516	36.09%	17	0.40%
1952	3,204	63.52%	1,840	36.48%	0	0.00%
1948	1,492	42.39%	1,875	53.27%	153	4.35%
1944	1,607	47.42%	1,469	43.35%	313	9.24%
1940	1,480	45.83%	1,749	54.17%	0	0.00%
1936	969	31.97%	2,050	67.63%	12	0.40%
1932	515	16.96%	2,516	82.87%	5	0.16%
1928	1,243	46.94%	1,400	52.87%	5	0.19%
1924	816	35.81%	986	43.26%	477	20.93%
1920	772	45.71%	519	30.73%	398	23.56%
1916	650	45.11%	758	52.60%	33	2.29%
1912	219	18.85%	648	55.77%	295	25.39%