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]
The county was subject to frequent Comanche and Kiowa raids during the 1860s and 1870s. On a June 11, 1873 raid, Comanches attacked four settlers near Hondo. These raids were feared by the local residents, however by 1875, the raiding had stopped. However, although the Comanche were gone, there were still other tribes raiding the county very frequently.
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]
U.S. Decennial Census[7] 1850–2010[8] 2010[9] 2020[10]
Medina County, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition 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 may be of any race.
As of the census[12] 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.
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.
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