'Bexar County' is a
county located in the
U.S. state of
Texas. As of 2000, the population was 1,392,931. Its
county seat is
San Antonio6. In
Spanish, "Béxar" is pronounced in referring to Bexar County, however, in
English it is commonly pronounced (or simply "bear").
[1]
History
Bexar County was created on
December 20,
1836, and encompassed almost the entire western portion of the
Republic of Texas, including the disputed areas of western New Mexico northward to Wyoming. After statehood, 128 counties were carved out of its area.
The county gets its name from San Antonio de Béxar, one of the twenty-three
municipalities (administrative divisions) of Texas at the time of its independence. San Antonio de Béxar—originally ''Villa of San Fernando de Béxar''—was the first civil government established in the
Spanish province of Texas. Specifically, the municipality was created in
1731 when fifty-five
Canary Islanders settled near the system of
missions that had been established around the source of the
San Antonio River. The new settlement was named after the Presidio San Antonio de Béxar, the Spanish military outpost that protected the missions. The presidio, located at the
San Pedro Springs, was founded in
1718 and named for
Viceroy Balthasar Manuel de Zúñiga y Guzmán Sotomayor y Sarmiento, second son of the Duke of
Béxar (a city in
Spain).
Geography
Bexar County is located in south-central Texas, about 190 miles (305 km) west of
Houston and 140 miles (225 km) inland from the
Gulf of Mexico.
The
Balcones Escarpment bisects the county from west to northeast; to the north of the escarpment are the rocky hills, springs and canyons of the
Texas Hill Country. South of the escarpment are
Blackland Prairie and the South Texas plains. The
San Antonio River rises from springs north of downtown San Antonio, and flows southward and southeastward through the county.
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3,255
km² (1,257
mi²). 3,229 km² (1,247 mi²) of it is land and 25 km² (10 mi²) of it (0.78%) is water.
Major Highways
★
Interstate 10
★
Interstate 35
★
Interstate 37
★
Interstate 410
★
U.S. Highway 87
★
U.S. Highway 90
★
U.S. Highway 181
★
U.S. Highway 281
★
State Highway 16 (Texas)
Adjacent counties
★
Kendall County (north)
★
Comal County (north)
★
Guadalupe County (northeast)
★
Wilson County (southeast)
★
Atascosa County (south)
★
Medina County (west)
★
Bandera County (northwest)
Demographics
As of the
census² of 2000, there were 1,392,931 people, 488,942 households, and 345,681 families residing in the county. The
population density was 431/km² (1,117/mi²). There were 521,359 housing units at an average density of 161/km² (418/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 68.86%
White, 7.18%
Black or
African American, 0.80%
Native American, 1.61%
Asian, 0.10%
Pacific Islander, 17.80% from
other races, and 3.64% from two or more races. 54.35% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race.
There were 488,942 households out of which 36.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.50% were
married couples living together, 15.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.30% were non-families. 24.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.33.
In the county, the population was spread out with 28.50% under the age of 18, 10.70% from 18 to 24, 30.60% from 25 to 44, 19.90% from 45 to 64, and 10.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 94.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $38,328, and the median income for a family was $43,724. Males had a median income of $30,756 versus $24,920 for females. The
per capita income for the county was $18,363. About 12.70% of families and 15.90% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 22.40% of those under age 18 and 12.20% of those age 65 or over.
Famous People from Bexar County
★
Al Freeman, Jr., actor,
ABC soap opera ''
One Life to Live'', ''
Malcolm X'', ''
Carol Burnett'' and ''Joan Crawford''
★
Michelle Rodriguez of ABC's ''Lost''
★
Ciro D. Rodriguez, Member of Congress, previously 28th District, Texas, now 23rd District, Texas
★
Robert Rodríguez, Director of ''
Spy Kids'', ''
Desperado'', and ''
Sin City''.
''
Cities and towns
★ Only a very small portion of Cibolo is located in Bexar County.
★
★ Fair Oaks Ranch has territory in Bexar County, Kendall County, and Comal County.
★
★
★ Selma and Schertz each have territory in both Bexar County and Guadalupe County. Schertz also has territory in Comal County.
★
★
★
★ Lytle has territory in Bexar County, Atascosa County and Medina County.
References
1. http://www.sachamber.org/relo/general_info.php
★ Stephens, A. Ray, and William M. Holmes, ''Historical Atlas of Texas.'' University of Oklahoma Press, 1989. ISBN 0-8061-2307-9
External links
★
Bexar County government's website
★
★
Historic Bexar County materials, hosted by the
Portal to Texas History.
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