Val Verde County Judicial Center, Del Rio, TX DSCN0905

Val Verde County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

located on the southern

Edwards Plateau The Edwards Plateau is a geographic region at the crossroads of Central Texas, Central, South Texas, South, and West Texas. It is bounded by the Balcones Fault to the south and east, the Llano Uplift and the Llano Estacado to the north, and the ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

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 ...

. The 2020 population is 47,586. Its

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 ...

is Del Rio. In 1936, Val Verde County received

Recorded Texas Historic Landmark Recorded Texas Historic Landmark (RTHL) is a designation awarded by the Texas Historical Commission for historically and architecturally significant properties in the U.S. state of Texas. RTHL is a legal designation and the highest honor the st ...

number 5625 to commemorate its founding. Val Verde, which means "green valley", was named for a battle of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

. In 1862, soldiers of Sibley's Brigade took part in the Texas invasion of New Mexico Territory, where they captured several artillery pieces at the Battle of Val Verde. The battle is memorialized both in the name of the county and a small settlement in

Milam County Milam County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 24,754. The county seat is Cameron. The county was created in 1834 as a municipality in Mexico and organized as a county in 1837. Milam Coun ...

. The Del Rio, Texas, micropolitan statistical area includes all of Val Verde County.

History

* First inhabitants were 6,000–10,000 years ago and later came to include

Lipan Apache Lipan Apache are a band of Apache, a Southern Athabaskan Indigenous people, who have lived in the Southwest and Southern Plains for centuries. At the time of European and African contact, they lived in New Mexico, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, and ...

Coahuiltecan The Coahuiltecan were various small, autonomous bands of Native Americans who inhabited the Rio Grande valley in what is now southern Texas and northeastern Mexico. The various Coahuiltecan groups were hunter-gatherers. First encountered by Europ ...

Jumanos Jumanos were a tribe or several tribes, who inhabited a large area of western Texas, New Mexico, and northern Mexico, especially near the Junta de los Rios region with its large settled Indigenous population. They lived in the Big Bend area in th ...

, Tamaulipans and

Comanches The Comanche or Nʉmʉnʉʉ ( com, Nʉmʉnʉʉ, "the people") are a Native American tribe from the Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the federally recognized Comanche Nation, headquartered in ...

. * 1590 Spanish explorer Gaspar Castaño de Sosa leads a mining expedition of 170 who pass through Devils Draw. He refers to a stream by the name of Laxas, which is believed Devils River. * 1673 Juan Larios opens a mission school at between Del Rio and Eagle Pass. * 1675 Traveling Franciscan priests celebrate Mass at San Felipe Springs. * 1736 Lt. Miguel de la Garza Falcón leads 100 soldiers along the Devils River in pursuit of Apaches. * 1834 James Grant and John Charles Beales establish settlement on San Felipe Creek, which becomes undesirable due to Indian attacks. * 1850s Military bases to protect against Indian attacks include Camp Blake, Camp Hudson and Camp San Felipe. * 1860 Population of 2,874, includes 108 blacks and 1,103 foreign-born. * 1868 San Felipe Del Rio community is established on San Felipe Creek next to Camp San Felipe. * 1869 through 1882 Seminole Negro Indian Scouts (mixed heritage Seminoles with African blood) under John Lapham Bullis, namesake of Camp Bullis, defend the Texas border against Indian attack. * 1883 Galveston Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway is completed. Frank Qualia establishes Val Verde winery. * 1884 Langtry community established, named after George Langtry (an engineer and foreman), but wrongly said after

Lillie Langtry Emilie Charlotte, Lady de Bathe (née Le Breton, formerly Langtry; 13 October 1853 – 12 February 1929), known as Lillie (or Lily) Langtry and nicknamed "The Jersey Lily", was a British socialite, stage actress and producer. Born on the isla ...

Judge Roy Bean Phantly Roy Bean Jr. (c. 1825 – March 16, 1903) was an American saloon-keeper and Justice of the Peace in Val Verde County, Texas, who called himself "The Only Law West of the Pecos". According to legend, he held court in his saloon along the ...

. * 1885 Val Verde County is organized from Crockett, Kinney, and Pecos counties. Roy Bean elected justice of the peace in Langtry, operating out of the Jersey Lily Saloon and becoming renowned as “the Law West of the Pecos”. * 1886 Juno and Devils River communities established. * 1888 Comstock community established. * 1889 Norris community established. * 1928 Lake Hamilton Dam complete. * 1904 Lillie Langtry visits the community of Langtry. * 1929 Lake Walk Dam complete. * 1942 Laughlin Field/Laughin Army Air Field opens to train World War II pilots. * 1945 Laughlin Field closes. * 1952 Laughlin Field reopens as Laughlin Air Force Base, and serves as a secret U2 unit. Major Rudolf Anderson, a U-2 pilot from Laughlin, is the only casualty of the Cuban Missile Crisis. * 1969 Amistad Dam and Reservoir complete. The project cost $78 million.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which are land and (2.7%) are covered by water.

Major highways

U.S. Highway 90 * US 277

U.S. Highway 277 * US 377

U.S. Highway 377 * Texas 163

State Highway 163 * Texas Loop 79

Loop 79

Adjacent counties and'' municipios''

Crockett County Crockett County is the name of two counties in the United States, both named for frontiersman and politician Davy Crockett: * Crockett County, Tennessee * Crockett County, Texas Crockett County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in t ...

(north) * Sutton County (northeast) * Edwards County (east) * Kinney County (east) * Terrell County (west) * Acuña, Coahuila, Mexico (south) * Jiménez, Coahuila, Mexico (south)

National protected areas

Amistad National Recreation Area Amistad National Recreation Area is a national recreation area managed by National Park Service (NPS) that includes the area around the Amistad Reservoir at the confluence of the Rio Grande, the Devils River, and the Pecos River near Del Rio ...

Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River The Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River is a U.S. National Wild and Scenic River that protects of the Rio Grande in New Mexico and Texas. The designation was first applied in 1968 to a stretch of the river in New Mexico; an additional of the river ...

(part)

Demographics

''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.'' 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, 44,856 people, 14,151 households, and 11,320 families resided in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 14 people per square mile (5/km²). The 16,288 housing units averaged 5 per square mile (2/km²). 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 county was 76.36% White, 4.54% African American, 0.68% Native American, 0.55% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 18.22% from other races, and 2.60% from two or more races. About 75.5% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 14,151 households, 42.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.50% were married couples living together, 13.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.00% were not families. About 17.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.11 and the average family size was 3.55. In the county, the population was distributed as 32.10% under the age of 18, 9.40% from 18 to 24, 27.90% from 25 to 44, 19.60% from 45 to 64, and 11.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.20 males. The median income for a household in the county was $28,376, and for a family was $31,434. Males had a median income of $26,485 versus $18,039 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the county was $12,096. About 22.10% of families and 26.10% 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 33.80% of those under age 18 and 26.40% of them age 65 or over.

Education

Val Verde County LIbrary, Del Rio, TX DSCN1416

School districts include: * Comstock Independent School District * Rocksprings Independent School District * San Felipe-Del Rio Consolidated Independent School District Sometime prior to 1976 the Comstock district absorbed the Langtry and Pandale common school districts. The former Juno Common School District consolidated into Comstock ISD in 1992. There was formerly a Star Route School on Miers Ranch. In 1964 the school had 13 students.

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 ...

is the designated

community college A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have graduated from high school (also known as senior se ...

for the county. The Val Verde County Library in Del Rio serves the county.

Government

Val Verde County government is led by a four-member board of county commissioners, each commissioner representing one of four districts. The county commission appoints a county administrator as chief administrative officer of the county. The chief law-enforcement authority of Val Verde is the Val Verde County Sheriff's Office
Val Verde County Sheriff’s Office
The fire-protection arm of the Val Verde is the Val Verde County Fire Rescue
Val Verde County Fire Rescue

County commissioners

One county commissioner is elected from each district to serve a 4-year term. Commissioners are chosen in partisan elections by voters from the districts in which they live. The board appoints a county judge to be chief administrative officer of the county, responsible to the commission for the orderly operations of matters within the board's jurisdiction. The current office holders are: * Val Verde County Judge: Honorable Judge Lewis Owens * Val Verde County Precinct 1: Martin Wardlaw * Val Verde County Precinct 2: Juan Vazquez * Val Verde County Precinct 3: Robert Beau Nettleton * Val Verde County Precinct 4: Gustavo Flores * Val Verde County Secretary: Elizabeth Ferrino

Politics

Val Verde County has been a longtime swing county, having voted for both Republicans and Democrats throughout its history.

Communities

City

* Del Rio (county seat)

Census-designated places

* Amistad *

Box Canyon A canyon (from ; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), or gorge, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tendency to cu ...

* Cienegas Terrace * Lake View * Laughlin Air Force Base * Val Verde Park

Unincorporated communities

* Comstock * Juno * Langtry * Pandale

Ghost town

* PumpvillePumpville
(

Texas State Historical Association The Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) is a non-profit educational organization, dedicated to documenting the history of Texas. It was founded in Austin, Texas, on March 2, 1897. , TSHA moved their offices from Austin to the University of ...

)

Notable people

References

External links

*
Texas Beyond History, Hinds Cave

"Val Verde County Profile" by the Texas Association of Counties
{{coord, 29.89, -101.15, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-TX_source:UScensus1990 1885 establishments in Texas Populated places established in 1885 Texas Hill Country Majority-minority counties in Texas Hispanic and Latino American culture in Texas