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Leakey, Texas
Leakey, Texas
City
	Real County Courthouse in Leakey
	Location of Leakey, Texas
	Coordinates: 29°43′31″N 99°45′41″W / 29.72528°N 99.76139°W
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Real
Area
• Total	0.56 sq mi (1.45 km2)
• Land	0.56 sq mi (1.45 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	1,604 ft (489 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	315
• Estimate (2019)	438
• Density	780.75/sq mi (301.46/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	78873
Area code	830
FIPS code	48-42004
GNIS feature ID	2411643

Leakey (/ˈleɪki/ LAY-kee^[5]) is a city in and the county seat of Real County, Texas, United States.^[6] The population was 315 at the 2020 census.

The city is named for John H. Leakey (1824–1900), a pioneer from Tennessee. The Alto Frio Baptist Encampment is located to the southeast of the community.

History

Archaeological excavations in the Frio Canyon region revealed Paleo-American, Archaic, and Neo-American occupations. Later, several Native American tribes, including Lipan Apache, Comanche, and Tonkawa inhabited or traversed the area.^[7]

Anglo-American settlement of the area began in 1856 when John Leakey, his wife Nancy, and a few others settled near a spring along the banks of the Frio River. Shingles and lumber were produced from the abundant cypress and cedar trees. In its first few years, the community was a lonely outpost that was subject to frequent Indian raids, which continued until 1882. Growth accelerated after the Civil War as new families arrived.^[8] In 1883, A.G. Vogel moved a post office from the community of Floral to Leakey. That same year, the Texas State Legislature created Edwards County and designated Leakey as the county seat less than a year later.^[9] 1883 was also the year that the area's first school was established on land donated by the Leakeys.^[10] A new school building was completed in 1890.^[9] In 1891, the Edwards County seat was moved from Leakey to Rocksprings.^[9] During the early 1900s, ranching superseded lumber, cotton cultivation, and corn production in importance to the local economy. The raising of Angora goats was a major component of the ranching industry. In 1902, the school in Leakey had a total enrollment of 102 students.^[9] The town's population was estimated to be 318 in 1904.

Real County was created from parts of Edwards, Bandera, and Kerr Counties in the spring of 1913, with Leakey as the county seat.^[11] In 1919, Real County Judge Ed Kelly established the Leakey Independent School District.^[9]^[10] By the mid-1920s, the population had declined to around 120.^[12] A larger school building was completed in 1930. Soon after, several nearby schools, including West Frio, Cypress Creek, Rio Frio, Exile, Stanford, Dry Frio, and Harper were consolidated with Leakey schools.^[10]

Leakey was formally incorporated on June 11, 1951.^[7] The population fluctuated during the latter half of the 20th century. Leakey was home to 450 people in 1960, 393 in 1970, 468 in 1980, and 399 in 1990. By 2000, there were 387 residents living in Leakey, representing a 3.01% decrease in population since the last census was conducted in 1990.

On March 29, 2017, thirteen senior citizens from the First Baptist Church of New Braunfels in Comal County who had completed a retreat at Alto Frio were killed when Jack D. Young, the 20-year-old driver of a pickup, crashed into the church minivan on U.S. Highway 83 inside Uvalde County near the state park. One person survived the crash in critical condition. The accident was one of the deadliest in memory in the Leakey area.^[13] Young told a witness, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry" and said that he had been on his cell phone at the time of the accident. Jody Kuchler, a welder from Leakey who saw the accident, said that the driver of the church vehicle moved over to try to avoid Young's incoming pickup but was blocked by the guard rail.^[14]

Geography

Leakey is situated at the intersection of U.S. Highway 83, RM 336, RM 337, and FM 1120 in southeastern Real County, approximately 35 miles north of Uvalde and 90 miles northwest of San Antonio.^[12]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²), all land.

The community is in proximity to the Garner State Park, located north of Uvalde.^[15]

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. Leakey has a humid subtropical climate, Cfa on climate maps according to the Köppen climate classification system.^[16]

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1960	587	—
1970	393	−33.0%
1980	468	19.1%
1990	399	−14.7%
2000	387	−3.0%
2010	425	9.8%
2020	445	4.7%
U.S. Decennial Census^[17]

Main Street in Leakey (1972), Photograph by Marc St. Gil

2020 census

**Leakey racial composition**^[18]
(*NH = Non-Hispanic*)^[a]
Race	Number	Percentage
White (NH)	206	65.4%
Black or African American (NH)	6	1.9%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH)	1	0.32%
Asian (NH)	3	0.95%
Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH)	3	0.95%
Hispanic or Latino	96	30.48%
Total	315

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 455 people (55% of whom are males), 163 households, and 184 housing units in the city. 75% of residents are white and 25% Hispanic/Latino.^[21]

2000 census

As of the census^[22] of 2010, 425 people, 174 households, and 115 families resided in the city. The population density was 708.3 inhabitants per square mile (273.5/km²). The 237 housing units averaged 395/mi² (148.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.5% White, 0.5% African American, 2.1% Native American, 3.8% from other races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 26.4% of the population.

Of the 174 households, 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.9% were not families. About 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the city, the population was distributed as 27.2% under the age of 20, 4.7% from 20 to 24, 23.6% from 25 to 44, 26.6% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $23,125, and for a family was $24,531.

Economy

As of the 1970s, much of Leakey's income derived from deer hunters traveling there in the fall and from tourists in the summer.^[15]

Education

Public education in the city of Leakey is provided by the Leakey Independent School District.

Children also have the option of attending Ed Brune Charter School.

References

^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
^ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Leakey, Texas
^ "How to Pronounce: J-L Cities". texastripper.com. September 23, 2014. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
^ ^a ^b "Leakey, Texas". The Handbook of Texas online. Retrieved July 3, 2009.
^ "Frio Canyon History". Real County, TXGen Web Project. Retrieved July 6, 2009.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Leakey, TX". Small Town Research Project. Palo Alto College. Archived from the original on October 18, 2009. Retrieved July 3, 2009.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Leakey School". Historical Markers in Leakey. HillCountryRambling.com. Retrieved July 6, 2009.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
^ "Real County, Texas". The Handbook of Texas online. Retrieved July 3, 2009.
^ ^a ^b "Leakey, Texas". Texas Escapes Online Magazine. Retrieved July 6, 2009.
^ "Speed a factor in deaths: It's not known if people on bus were using seat belts", San Antonio Express-News, March 31, 2017, pp. 1, A10.
^ Zeke McCormack, "Death Truck: Witness: Pickup driver said he was on phone", San Antonio Express-News, April 1, 2017, pp. 1, A8.
^ ^a ^b "Guthrie, Dana (compiler) and St. Gil, Marc (photographer of the Environmental Protection Agency). "EPA photos of Texas from the 1970s." Houston Chronicle. September 3, 1973. Retrieved on September 7, 2013.
^ "Leakey, Texas Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)". Weatherbase. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
^ https://www.census.gov/ ^{[not specific enough to verify]}
^ "About the Hispanic Population and its Origin". www.census.gov. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
^ "Leakey, TX". Census Reporter. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
^ United States Census^{[dead link‍]}

^ 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.^[19]^[20]