Real County is a
county
A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
located on the
Edwards Plateau 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 so ...
of
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
. As of the
2020 census, its population was 2,758. The
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
is
Leakey.
The county is named for
Julius Real (1860–1944), a former member of the
Texas State Senate. The Alto Frio
Baptist
Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...
Encampment is located in an isolated area of Real County southeast of Leakey.
History
* 1762–1771: Looking for protection from
Comanches, Lipan Apache chief El Gran Cabezón persuades
Franciscan
The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...
s and the Spanish military to establish San Lorenzo de la Santa Cruz Mission on the Nueces River. The mission was abandoned in 1771
* 1856: John and Nancy Leakey settle in Frio Canyon.
* 1857: The original
Camp Wood is established on the
Nueces River
The Nueces River ( ; , ) is a river in the U.S. state of Texas, about long. It drains a region in central and southern Texas southeastward into the Gulf of Mexico. It is the southernmost major river in Texas northeast of the Rio Grande. ''Nu ...
near the site of the former San Lorenzo mission.
* 1864: Lipan Apaches attack the family of George Schwander in the abandoned ruins of the San Lorenzo mission.
* 1868: Theophilus Watkins, F. Smith and Newman Patterson construct a gravity flow irrigation canal from the
Frio River that operates for a century.
* 1879: Indians attack and kill Jennie Coalson, wife of Nic Coalson, and two children at Half Moon Prairie.
* 1881: Lipan Apaches strike the McLauren home at Buzzard's Roost in the Frio Canyon. Last Indian raid in southwest Texas.
* 1910: Crop farming declines in the county, livestock ranching gains prominence, in particular angora goats.
* 1913: On April 3, the Texas state legislature establishes Real County from parts of
Edwards,
Bandera, and
Kerr
Kerr may refer to:
People
*Kerr (surname)
*Kerr (given name) Places
;United States
*Kerr Township, Champaign County, Illinois
*Kerr, Montana, A US census-designated place
*Kerr, Ohio, an unincorporated community
*Kerr County, Texas
Kerr Co ...
counties.
Leakey is the county seat.
* 1920: Camp Wood township is founded and becomes a railroad terminus to transport heart cedar.
* 1924:
Charles A. Lindbergh lands in Real County.
* 1948:
Farm to Market Road 337 is completed.
Geography
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.1%) is water.
Major highways
*
U.S. Highway 83
*
State Highway 41
*
State Highway 55
*
Ranch to Market Road 337
Adjacent counties
*
Edwards County (west)
*
Kerr County (northeast)
*
Bandera County (east)
*
Uvalde County (south)
Demographics
As of the
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, 3,047 people, 1,245 households, and 869 families resided in the county. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...
was . The 2,007 housing units averaged . The
racial makeup of the county was 91.40% White, 0.20% Black or African American, 0.62% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 6.01% from other races, and 1.54% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were about 22.58% of the population.
Of the 1,245 households, 26.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.40% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 7.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.20% were not families. About 28.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the county, the population was distributed as 23.40% under the age of 18, 5.40% from 18 to 24, 21.50% from 25 to 44, 28.80% from 45 to 64, and 20.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $25,118, and for a family was $29,839. Males had a median income of $21,076 versus $18,352 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 county was $14,321. About 17.40% of families and 21.20% 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 30.60% of those under age 18 and 15.00% of those age 65 or over.
Communities
Cities
*
Camp Wood
*
Leakey (county seat)
Unincorporated community
*
Rio Frio
Politics
Education
School districts include:
*
Leakey Independent School District
*
Nueces Canyon Consolidated Independent School District
*
Utopia Independent School District
*
Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District
The designated community college is
Southwest Texas Junior College.
Texas Education Code: Sec. 130.200. SOUTHWEST TEXAS JUNIOR COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.
/ref>
See also
* List of museums in Central Texas
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Real County, Texas
* Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Real County
References
External links
Frio River Canyon
Real County Official Site
Real County, Texas-Handbook of Texas
{{Coord, 29.84, -99.81, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-TX_source:UScensus1990
1913 establishments in Texas
Populated places established in 1913
Texas Hill Country