China Grove is a town in

Bexar County Bexar County ( or ; es, Béxar ) is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. It is in South Texas and its county seat is San Antonio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,009,324. Bexar County is included in the San Antonio–New Bra ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, located on the far east side of

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , s ...

. The population was 1,141 at the 2020 census. It is part of the San Antonio

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...

Geography

China Grove is about east of downtown San Antonio. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the town has a total area of , all of it land.

Demographics

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 1,141 people, 363 households, and 306 families residing in the town. At the 2000 census 1,247 people, 404 households, and 355 families were residing in the town. The population density was 303.0 people per square mile (116.9/km). There were 417 housing units at an average density of 101.3 per square mile (39.1/km). The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the town was 86.93% White, 5.93% African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 4.81% from other races, and 2.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 22.53%. Of the 404 households 43.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 80.0% were married couples living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 11.9% were non-families. 9.9% of households were one person and 5.0% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.09 and the average family size was 3.30. The age distribution was 28.1% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 27.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% 65 or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.5 males. The median household income was $67,333 and the median family income was $73,125. Males had a median income of $43,482 versus $30,391 for females. The per capita income for the town was $22,745. About 2.4% of families and 3.4% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 2.6% of those under age 18 and 2.2% of those age 65 or over.

Cultural references

The community became famous in 1973 when the

Doobie Brothers The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band formed in 1970 in San Jose, California, known for their flexibility in performing across numerous genres and their vocal harmonies. Active for five decades, with their greatest success in the 1970s, ...

' " China Grove" became a hit song. It was written and sung by The Doobies' Tom Johnston, who wrote it after passing through the town on his way to a concert in

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

. Despite its name and Johnston's lyrics, China Grove does not have a sizable

Asian-American Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of such immigrants). Although this term had historically been used for all the indigenous people ...

population; residents tracing their heritage to Asia number less than 0.1% of the population. Instead, the town got its name from a grove of

chinaberry ''Melia azedarach'', commonly known as the chinaberry tree, pride of India, bead-tree, Cape lilac, syringa berrytree, Persian lilac, Indian lilac, or white cedar, is a species of deciduous tree in the mahogany family, Meliaceae, that is native ...

trees once located near the town's train depot, no longer extant. This China Grove is not the one mentioned in

Eudora Welty Eudora Alice Welty (April 13, 1909 – July 23, 2001) was an American short story writer, novelist and photographer who wrote about the American South. Her novel ''The Optimist's Daughter'' won the Pulitzer Prize in 1973. Welty received numero ...

's short story, "

Why I Live at the P.O. "Why I Live at the P.O." is a short story written by Eudora Welty, American writer and photographer. It was published in her collection of stories named ''A Curtain of Green'' (1941). The work was inspired by a photograph taken by Welty that dep ...

". That (fictional) town is said to be in

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system, China Grove has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.Climate Summary for China Grove, Texas
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References

External links

China Grove, Texas
– Official site. {{authority control Towns in Bexar County, Texas Towns in Texas Greater San Antonio