Castroville, Texas Facts for Kids

Castroville is a city in Medina County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,680 at the 2010 census. Prior to 1893, Castroville was the first county seat of Medina County. Castroville is known for its influential Alsatian-Texan architecture, people, and culture. Most Alsatians that came to Castroville spoke Alsatian (a dialect of German origin integrating Celtic, Yiddish, and French words). The Alsatian culture and language are still kept alive by the residents of Castroville.

History
Geography
Demographics
Gallery
Education
See also

History

Castroville was established in 1844 by Henri Castro, an empresario of the Republic of Texas, who brought several dozen European families to the area from Alsace and adjoining Baden to populate his land grant along the Medina River 20 miles west of San Antonio. The first colonists disembarked at Galveston on January 9, 1843. They were taken by ship to Lavaca Bay and traveled overland to San Antonio, where they took shelter in abandoned buildings until the Texas Rangers were prepared to escort them to their land and protect them from hostile Indians. On September 2, 1844, the first colonists arrived at Castro's land grant on the Medina River.

From 1849, Castroville, on the Medina River was a water stop on the San Antonio-El Paso Road and a stagecoach station on the San Antonio-El Paso Mail Line and San Antonio-San Diego Mail Line.

After a few hard years, the town and surrounding farms flourished; although for generations, the residents remained insular. In Castroville's first century, a visitor would be more likely to hear Alsatian — a dialect spoken in Europe before Standard German was prevalent — than English spoken in the town's homes, stores, and taverns. Modern Alsatian travelers noted that the dialect spoken in Castroville was more like that which was spoken in the 1840s. The descendants of the original settlers worked diligently to preserve their language, which has slowly been eradicated in Europe by political actions of France and Germany, especially since World War II.

Today, though, native speakers of Alsatian are dying out, and fewer of the town's residents can trace their ancestry back to the original Castro Colonists. The suburbs of nearby San Antonio are encroaching, and much of the town has been made a national historic district to preserve the unique, sloped-roof architecture of dozens of original Alsatian homes and shops.

The Steinbach Haus (originally built between 1618 and 1648 in Wahlbach, France) was dismantled and reconstructed in Castroville in 1998. It was opened to the public in 2002.

Castroville is a sister city of Ensisheim (Alsace) in France.

Geography

Castroville is located at 29°21′N 98°53′W / 29.350°N 98.883°W / 29.350; -98.883 (29.3550, -98.8807). This is 20 miles west of Downtown San Antonio.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.5 square miles (6.5 km²), of which, 2.5 square miles (6.5 km²) of it is land and 0.39% is covered with water.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1850	366	—
1860	458	25.1%
1870	515	12.4%
1880	731	41.9%
1890	679	−7.1%
1950	985	—
1960	1,508	53.1%
1970	1,893	25.5%
1980	1,821	−3.8%
1990	2,159	18.6%
2000	2,664	23.4%
2010	2,680	0.6%
2019 (est.)	3,119	16.4%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2010, 3,053 people resided in the city. The population density was 1,045.4 people per square mile (403.4/km²). There were 1,025 housing units at an average density of 402.2 per square mile (155.2/km²).

Of the 941 households, 37.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.5% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.5% were not families. About 20.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.17.

In the city, the population was distributed as 28.0% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $42,308, and for a family was $51,007. Males had a median income of $35,625 versus $27,228 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,615. About 5.4% of families and 9.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.9% of those under age 18 and 5.9% of those age 65 or over.

Gallery

The Steinbach Alsatian House
Waders cool off in the Medina River in Castroville on Fathers Day.
Monument to Henri Castro
Castroville State Bank
Castroville Public Library
Trees shade the entrance to the Landmark Inn, a state historic site in Castroville.
The Old Alsatian Steakhouse and Ristorante in the historic district of Castroville
The historic St. Louis Catholic Church is located in downtown Castroville; pastor James Conway (2011).
First Baptist Church in Castroville is located off U.S. Route 90.
Trailhead at Castroville Regional Park
On the hiking trail in Castroville
Downtown Castroville, Texas