Uvalde is a city and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

of Uvalde County,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

, United States. The population was 15,217 at the 2020 census. Uvalde is located in the Texas Hill Country, west of

downtown San Antonio Downtown San Antonio is the central business district of San Antonio, Texas, United States. It also serves as the urban core of Greater San Antonio, a metropolitan area with nearly 2.5 million people. In addition to being encircled by Loops 1604 ...

and east of the

Mexico–United States border The Mexico–United States border ( es, frontera Estados Unidos–México) is an international border separating Mexico and the United States, extending from the Pacific Ocean in the west to the Gulf of Mexico in the east. The border trave ...

Name

Uvalde was founded in 1853 as the town of ''Encina'', but was renamed in 1856 as ''Uvalde''. Its name is a misspelling of the Spanish governor

Juan de Ugalde Juan de Ugalde (December 9, 1729 – 1816), later referred to erroneously as Juan de Uvalde by American settlers, was the Governor of Coahuila, now in Mexico. He was also a commanding general of Texas, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Nuevo Santand ...

(

Cádiz Cádiz (, , ) is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the Province of Cádiz, one of eight that make up the autonomous community of Andalusia. Cádiz, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, ...

Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a "historical nationality". The t ...

, 1729–1816). Pronunciations of the name of the town vary. One common pronunciation is the fully

Anglicized Anglicisation is the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by English culture or British culture, or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-English becomes English. It can also refer to the influenc ...

version ( ). A fully Spanish version is also in common use, which is often approximated by English speakers as . There are also pronunciations that combine the English and Spanish versions. The chosen pronunciation often shows how strong a person's connection with the Hispanic community is or general knowledge of its pronunciation.

History

Uvalde was founded by

Reading Wood Black Reading Wood Black (September 23, 1830 – October 3, 1867), was the father of Uvalde County, Texas and city of Uvalde, Texas, which he founded as the town of Encina. In 1979, Recorded Texas Historic Landmark 4209 was placed in the Hillcrest Ce ...

in 1853 as the town of Encina. In 1856, when the county was organized, the town was renamed Uvalde after Spanish governor

(

, 1729–1816) and was chosen as county seat. It is the southern limit of the Texas Hill Country and is part of South Texas. Uvalde is known for its production, dating back to the 1870s, of huajillo honey (also spelled ''guajillo''), a mild, light-colored honey. On May 24, 2022, 19 children and two adults were murdered, and 18 others were injured, in the Robb Elementary School shooting.

Geography

Uvalde is located at the crossroads of U.S. Hwy 90 and U.S. Hwy 83. 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 t ...

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

Climate

The climate in this region is characterized by hot, humid summers and mild, dry 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, Uvalde has a humid subtropical climate, ''Cfa'' (inclining toward ''Cwa''), on climate maps.

Demographics

2020 census

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 15,217 people, 5,217 households, and 3,663 families residing in the city.

2010 census

At the 2010 census, the population was 15,751.

2000 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2000, 14,929 people, 4,796 households and 3,716 families resided in the city. The population density was . The 5,313 housing units averaged 790.1 per square mile (305.3/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 city was 78.3% Hispanic or Latino, 19.2% White, 0.47% African American, 0.62% Native American, 0.48% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0% from other races, and 2.97% from two or more races. Of the 4,796 households, 41.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.6% were married couples living together, 16.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.5% were not families; 20.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.02 and the average family size was 3.50. About 32.4% of the population was under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 18.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.5 males. The household median income was $25,259 and for a family was $27,897. Males had a median income of $25,600 compared with $15,674 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,735. About 24.2% of families and 29.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 40.1% of those under age 18 and 23.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Uvalde is within the

Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District (UCISD) is a public school district based in Uvalde, Texas, US. Located in Uvalde County, the district extends into portions of Zavala and Real counties. In addition to Uvalde, the district ser ...

, which operates Uvalde High School.

Southwest Texas Junior College Southwest Texas Junior College (SWTJC) is a Public college, public community college with four campuses serving 11 counties in southwest Texas: unincorporated area, unincorporated Uvalde County, Texas, Uvalde County (next to Uvalde, Texas, Uvalde ...

has a campus next to Uvalde on the site of Garner Field. The Garner Field facility also houses a campus of

Sul Ross State University Sul Ross State University (SRSU) is a public university in Alpine, Texas. The main campus is the primary institution of higher education serving the nineteen-county Big Bend region of far West Texas. Branch campuses, branded as Rio Grande Colle ...

Robb Elementary Massacre

On May 24, 2022, 19 children and two teachers were murdered by a gunman in a

school shooting A school shooting is an attack at an educational institution, such as a primary school, secondary school, high school or university, involving the use of firearms. Many school shootings are also categorized as mass shootings due to multiple c ...

in Uvalde. The shooter had shot his grandmother before driving to Robb Elementary School, where he entered the building without opposition. Local officers, believing the shooter to be barricaded safely inside the school, stood outside waiting for further instruction. Video shows local officers forcing parents behind police tape, pinning them down, and threatening to

tase The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE; ; colloquially known as The Bursa, ) is Israel's only public stock exchange and a public company that has been traded on the Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange since August 1, 2019. Legally, the exchange is regulated b ...

them, preventing them from trying to save their children's lives. After an hour, the killer was shot by

BORTAC The Border Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC) is the tactical unit of the United States Border Patrol. In 2007, BORTAC was placed under the command of the newly formed Special Operations Group (SOG) together with the Border Patrol Search, Trauma, a ...

agents.

Arts and culture

The John Nance Garner House in Uvalde, which was home to John Nance Garner for 30 years, chronicles his life. Garner served as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1931 to 1933, and as

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

's Vice President from 1933 to 1941. Also in Uvalde are: * The Aviation Museum at Garner Field has displays of World War II aircraft. * The Briscoe Art and Antique Collection displays the collection of former Texas governor

Dolph Briscoe Dolph Briscoe Jr. (April 23, 1923 – June 27, 2010) was an American rancher and businessman from Uvalde, Texas, who was the 41st governor of Texas between 1973 and 1979. He was a member of the Democratic Party. Because of his re-election foll ...

. * The Janey Slaughter Briscoe Grand Opera House hosts community theater and concerts.

Parks and recreation

Uvalde is known as one of the best locations for gliding in the United States. It was the site of the 1991 and 2012

World Gliding Championships The World Gliding Championships (WGC) is a gliding competition held every two years or so by the FAI Gliding Commission. The dates are not always exactly two years apart, often because the contests are sometimes held in the summer in the Southern ...

. The Uvalde area of the Texas Hill Country is home to many native and exotic species of animals, which allow sportsmen almost year-round hunting opportunities. ''

Outdoor Life ''Outdoor Life'' is an outdoors magazine about camping, fishing, hunting, and survival. It is a sister magazine of ''Field & Stream''. Together with ''Sports Afield'', they are considered the Big Three of American outdoor publishing by Money ...

'' magazine named Uvalde County one of the best

white-tailed deer The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known as the whitetail or Virginia deer, is a medium-sized deer native to North America, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru and Bolivia. It has also been introduced t ...

hunting areas in the world.

Notable people

* Oscar Albarado, world champion boxer * Bobby Bonner, former MLB shortstop *

, former governor of Texas *

Pete Conrad Charles "Pete" Conrad Jr. (June 2, 1930 – July 8, 1999) was an American NASA astronaut, aeronautical engineer, naval officer and aviator, and test pilot, and commanded the Apollo 12 space mission, on which he became the third person to ...

, former astronaut, resident for 30 years *

Dale Evans Dale Evans Rogers (born Frances Octavia Smith; October 31, 1912 – February 7, 2001) was an American actress, singer, and songwriter. She was the third wife of singing cowboy Roy Rogers. Early life Evans was born Frances Octavia Smith on ...

, actress * King Fisher, gunslinger, sheriff of Uvalde County 1881 and 1883, buried in Uvalde * John Nance Garner, the 32nd

Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice ...

* Pat Garrett, Old West lawman, killer of

Billy the Kid Billy the Kid (born Henry McCarty; September 17 or November 23, 1859July 14, 1881), also known by the pseudonym William H. Bonney, was an outlaw and gunfighter of the American Old West, who killed eight men before he was shot and killed at th ...

, one time resident of Uvalde * Carlos Guevara, former MLB pitcher * Harvey Hildebran, former Texas state representative * Dave Hilton, former MLB third baseman *

Ben Kinchlow Harvey Ben Kinchlow (December 27, 1936 – July 18, 2019) was an American evangelist who co-hosted ''The 700 Club'' from 1975 to 1988 and again from 1992 to 1996. He also hosted other shows on the Christian Broadcasting Network such as ''Straigh ...

, former co-host of ''

The 700 Club ''The 700 Club'' is the flagship television program of the Christian Broadcasting Network, airing each weekday in syndication in the United States and available worldwide on CBN.com. The news magazine program features live guests, daily news, co ...

'' *

Matthew McConaughey Matthew David McConaughey ( ; born November 4, 1969) is an American actor. He had his breakout role with a supporting performance in the coming-of-age comedy '' Dazed and Confused'' (1993). After a number of supporting roles, his first succes ...

, Oscar-winning actor * Vann McElroy, former NFL star and Super Bowl winner *

Tom O'Folliard Tom O'Folliard (1858 – December 19, 1880) was the best friend of outlaw William Bonney, a.k.a. Billy the Kid. Both were members of the Regulators during the Lincoln County War. After the war ended, they became cattle rustlers, forming the Bo ...

, American outlaw, friend of

Brooks Raley Brooks Lee Raley (born June 29, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Houston Astros and Tampa Bay Rays, ...

, MLB pitcher for the New York Mets *

Marshall Ashmun Upson Marshall Ashmun "Ash" Upson (1828–1894) was a newspaper journalist for several years, postmaster, Justice of the Peace, and author. His claim to fame was as a ghostwriter of the book, '' The Authentic Life of Billy, the Kid'', by Pat F. Garrett ...

, American journalist, ghostwriter of Pat Garrett's 1882 book

The Authentic Life of Billy, the Kid ''The Authentic Life of Billy, the Kid, The Noted Desperado of the Southwest'' is a biography and partly first-hand account written by Pat Garrett, sheriff of Lincoln County, New Mexico, in collaboration with a ghostwriter, Marshall Ashmun "Ash" ...

, buried in Uvalde

Notes

References

Sources

External links

City of Uvalde official website

2022 Uvalde city council districts election map

Uvalde Area Chamber of Commerce
{{Authority control Cities in Texas Cities in Uvalde County, Texas County seats in Texas Micropolitan areas of Texas Populated places established in 1853 San Antonio–San Diego Mail Line Stagecoach stops in the United States