Helotes, Texas
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Helotes ( ) is a city in
Bexar County, Texas Bexar County ( or ; ) is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Texas. It is in South Texas and its county seat is San Antonio. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 2,009,324, making it the st ...
, United States, located on the far northwestern side of
San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...
. It is part of the San Antonio-New Braunfels metropolitan statistical area. Its population was 9,030 at the 2020 census.


History

According to anthropologists, the area was occupied seasonally from about 5,000 BCE by small bands of nomadic Native American tribes in search of food and game. The
Lipan Apache Lipan Apache are a band of Apache, a Southern Athabaskan languages, Southern Athabaskan Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous people, who have lived in the Oasisamerica, Southwest and Southern Plains for centuries. At the time of European ...
moved into the area in the late 17th century and occupied it throughout the 18th century. However, the Lipan were forced from the area in the early 1820s by the
Comanche The Comanche (), or Nʉmʉnʉʉ (, 'the people'), are a Tribe (Native American), Native American tribe from the Great Plains, Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the List of federally recognized tri ...
Indians. A small farming and ranching community began to develop in the area shortly after the
Texas Revolution The Texas Revolution (October 2, 1835 – April 21, 1836) was a rebellion of colonists from the United States and Tejanos (Hispanic Texans) against the Centralist Republic of Mexico, centralist government of Mexico in the Mexican state of ...
in the late 1830s. The ranches suffered occasional attacks by the Comanches until the late 1870s. The last Indian raid in Helotes may have been in 1878, when a postmaster, Carl Mueller, was killed by Indians. In 1858, a Scottish immigrant, Dr. George Marnoch, purchased the land that later became the site of the town. Marnoch's home at one time served as a
stagecoach A stagecoach (also: stage coach, stage, road coach, ) is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by ...
stop and a
post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...
for
cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the ''vaquero'' ...
s driving their cattle from Bandera to auction in
San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...
. His heirs sold a portion of their property in 1880 to a
Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...
immigrant, Arnold Gugger, who built a home and mercantile store around which the town of Helotes arose. In 1908, Gugger sold his property to Bert Hileman, who opened the town's first dance hall. He was also instrumental in getting old Bandera Road paved and opening the town's first
filling station A filling station (also known as a gas station [] or petrol station []) is a facility that sells fuel and engine lubricants for motor vehicles. The most common fuels sold are gasoline (or petrol) and diesel fuel. Fuel dispensers are used to ...
. He sold his property in downtown Helotes in 1919, when the town's population declined. In 1946, the manager of San Antonio's Majestic Theatre, John T. Floore, opened the landmark John T. Floore Country Store, which is actually a dance hall (or "
honky tonk A honky-tonk (also called honkatonk, honkey-tonk, honky tonk, or tonk) is either a bar that provides country music for the entertainment of its patrons or the style of music played in such establishments. It can also refer to the type of piano ...
") that draws top
country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
talent, including
Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor and activist. He was one of the main figures of the outlaw country subgenre that developed in the late 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restr ...
, who still plays the venue on occasion. Floore also financed the first annual Helotes Cornyval festival in the 1960s, which was held to celebrate the opening of a new post office. Corn played an important role in the heritage of Helotes. The local Native Americans planted corn (
maize Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. Native American ...
outside the US) in the fertile valleys of the area, and feed corn was a major crop grown in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The town name is derived from the Spanish word ''elote'', which can mean "ear of maize", "
corncob A corncob, also called corn cob or cob of corn, is the hard core of an ear of maize, bearing the kernels, made up of the chaff, woody ring, and pith. Corncobs contain mainly cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. However, during several instance ...
", or simply "corn", but exactly how the town came to be called Helotes is still a subject of debate. As the
urban sprawl Urban sprawl (also known as suburban sprawl or urban encroachment) is defined as "the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city". Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted ...
of San Antonio expanded and approached the outskirts of Helotes in the 1970s. After a decade of planning and negotiation, Helotes became an
incorporated city Municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including (but not necessarily limited to) cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. The term can also be used to describe municipally owned ...
in October 1981. To this day, residents struggle with the dilemma of maintaining the city's rugged country charm, while at the same time allowing for the development of modern suburban facilities and businesses. Helotes was the hometown of late Texas State Senator Frank L. Madla, who died after his home on the south side of San Antonio caught fire on November 24, 2006.


1953 tornado

On April 28, 1953, the town was hit by a violent 1-mi-wide (1.6 km) F4 tornado struck the city, damaging or destroying multiple structures. Two people were killed and 15 others were injured.


Overview

When Helotes incorporated in 1981, very little was in the town. Now with a population over 7,000, Helotes is becoming one of the most desirable suburbs of San Antonio. Helotes itself includes the newly renovated Old Town Helotes. Completed in 2011, Old Town Helotes is the revitalized downtown. Helotes is home to Oak Valley golf course. The Cornyval Festival is an annual city tradition bringing in local vendors and thousands of area residents to celebrate the namesake of the town.


Geography

Helotes is located in northwestern Bexar County in the valley of Helotes Creek where it exits from the
Texas Hill Country The Texas Hill Country is a geographic region of Central and South Texas, forming the southeast part of the Edwards Plateau. Given its location, climate, terrain, and vegetation, the Hill Country can be considered the border between the Ame ...
. The city is about northwest of
downtown San Antonio Downtown San Antonio is the central business district of San Antonio, Texas, and the urban core of Greater San Antonio, a metropolitan area with nearly 2.5 million people. Downtown San Antonio is encircled by Texas State Highway Loop 1604, 16 ...
. Texas State Highway 16 runs through the community, leading northwest to Bandera. The Charles W. Anderson Loop, the outer beltway around San Antonio, is southeast of the center of Helotes. According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, Helotes has a total area of , of which , or about 2.5 acres, 0.06%, is covered by water.


Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, 9,030 people, 2,837 households, and 2,467 families were residing in the city. The population density was . The 1,525 housing units averaged 361.0 per square mile (139.5/km). Of the 2,837 households, 40.2% had children under 18, 79.9% were married couples living together, and 12.2% were not families. About 10.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.5% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.91 and the average family size was 3.13 persons. The population was distributed as 26.8% under 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 27.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.6 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 96.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $76,951, and for a family was $80,090. Males had a median income of $50,625 versus $38,362 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the city was $29,534. About 2.0% of families and 2.0% 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 ...
including 2.4% of those under 18 and 2.9% of those 65 or older.


Education

Helotes residents are zoned to the following schools in the Northside Independent School District: Elementary schools: * Charles L. Kuentz, Jr. Elementary School (Helotes) * Helotes Elementary School (Helotes) * Los Reyes Elementary School (Helotes) * Randall H. Fields Elementary School (San Antonio) Middle schools: * Dr. Hector P. Garcia Middle School (San Antonio) * Wallace B. Jefferson Middle School (San Antonio) * Dr. John Folks Middle School (San Antonio) High schools:2017-18 High School Attendance Areas
" Northside Independent School District. Retrieved on July 12, 2018.
* Sandra Day O'Connor High School (Helotes) * Louis Dembitz Brandeis High School (San Antonio) * John Marshall Harlan High School (San Antonio)


Notable people

*
Phil Gramm William Philip Gramm (born July 8, 1942) is an American economist and politician who represented Texas in both chambers of United States Congress, Congress. Though he began his political career as a Democratic Party (United States), Democrat, Gr ...
, former US. Senator and US Congressman, Texas' 6th District * Will Hurd, U.S. congressman * Boone Logan, former MLB pitcher * Brucene Smith, Miss World USA 1971 and Miss International 1974 * Carlos Uresti, attorney and Democratic politician from San Antonio, Texas


References


External links


City of Helotes official website

Helotes, Texas in the Handbook of Texas Online
{{authority control Cities in Bexar County, Texas Cities in Texas Greater San Antonio New Braunfels, Texas Populated places established in 1880 1880 establishments in Texas