Hondo, Texas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hondo, Texas
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Downtown Hondo
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Location of Hondo, Texas
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Texas |
| County | Medina |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council-Manager |
| Area | |
| • Total | 10.08 sq mi (26.10 km2) |
| • Land | 10.05 sq mi (26.03 km2) |
| • Water | 0.03 sq mi (0.07 km2) |
| Elevation | 902 ft (275 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 8,289 |
| • Density | 822.3/sq mi (317.59/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
78861
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| Area code(s) | 830 |
| FIPS code | 48-34676 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2410784 |
| Website | hondo-tx.org |
Hondo is a city in and the county seat of Medina County, Texas, United States. According to the 2020 Census, the population was 8,289. It is part of the San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Contents
History
Original inhabitants of the area, now Medina County, were the Coahuiltecan people. Non-indigenous settlers to the area came from Alsace-Lorraine, Germany, Belgium and Mexico. Many family-owned businesses, farms, and ranches are still owned by descendants of the non-indigenous families.
The first Spaniard to explore the area was Cabeza de Vaca in the early 1530s, some 40 years after Columbus arrived in the New World.
The city of Hondo was first settled in 1881 and incorporated in 1942.
Hondo was the scene of two bank robberies in the early 1920s. The crooks were the famed Newton Gang, the most successful outlaws in U.S. history. Both bank heists occurred the same night.
In 1930, the local Hondo Lions Club erected the now somewhat famous sign reading "This is God's Country, Don't Drive Thru It Like Hell" at the city limits with the intention of slowing down those speeding while traveling through town. Later, in the 1940s the sign was changed to "This is God's Country, Please Don't Drive Through It Like Hell" to satisfy those in the town who were displeased with the tone of the old sign. [1] The sign has been in news and print in many magazines, including on the cover of National Geographic, and in the music video of Little Texas' song "God Blessed Texas."
The U.S. Army built an air field in the town in 1942 to train new pilots; at one time the largest air navigation school in the world, Hondo Army Air Field trained over 14,000 navigators for service during World War II before closing in 1946.
Geography
Hondo is located approximately 40 miles (64 km) west of Downtown San Antonio.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.6 square miles (25 km2), of which, 9.6 square miles (25 km2) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) of it (0.21%) is covered with water. Hondo was mentioned in Season 2 Episode 13 of The Night Shift and described as "a two stoplight town down I-90".
Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Hondo has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.
| Climate data for Hondo, Texas (South Texas Regional Airport at Hondo) (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1900–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 90 (32) |
98 (37) |
102 (39) |
105 (41) |
106 (41) |
107 (42) |
112 (44) |
111 (44) |
112 (44) |
102 (39) |
99 (37) |
93 (34) |
112 (44) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 81.3 (27.4) |
85.9 (29.9) |
89.8 (32.1) |
93.6 (34.2) |
96.8 (36.0) |
99.6 (37.6) |
101.2 (38.4) |
102.5 (39.2) |
99.1 (37.3) |
94.1 (34.5) |
85.9 (29.9) |
81.2 (27.3) |
103.9 (39.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 65.3 (18.5) |
69.7 (20.9) |
75.8 (24.3) |
82.7 (28.2) |
88.3 (31.3) |
94.4 (34.7) |
96.7 (35.9) |
97.2 (36.2) |
91.4 (33.0) |
83.8 (28.8) |
73.3 (22.9) |
65.6 (18.7) |
82.0 (27.8) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 52.0 (11.1) |
56.6 (13.7) |
63.0 (17.2) |
69.8 (21.0) |
76.9 (24.9) |
82.8 (28.2) |
84.7 (29.3) |
84.8 (29.3) |
79.6 (26.4) |
71.4 (21.9) |
60.6 (15.9) |
52.9 (11.6) |
69.6 (20.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 38.7 (3.7) |
43.4 (6.3) |
50.2 (10.1) |
56.9 (13.8) |
65.6 (18.7) |
71.2 (21.8) |
72.6 (22.6) |
72.3 (22.4) |
67.7 (19.8) |
58.9 (14.9) |
47.9 (8.8) |
40.1 (4.5) |
57.1 (13.9) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 22.5 (−5.3) |
26.2 (−3.2) |
30.9 (−0.6) |
39.0 (3.9) |
50.2 (10.1) |
62.9 (17.2) |
67.2 (19.6) |
66.4 (19.1) |
54.7 (12.6) |
39.5 (4.2) |
29.1 (−1.6) |
23.6 (−4.7) |
19.8 (−6.8) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 4 (−16) |
4 (−16) |
13 (−11) |
29 (−2) |
38 (3) |
47 (8) |
57 (14) |
55 (13) |
43 (6) |
23 (−5) |
19 (−7) |
7 (−14) |
4 (−16) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 1.21 (31) |
1.27 (32) |
1.88 (48) |
2.10 (53) |
3.43 (87) |
2.94 (75) |
2.06 (52) |
1.93 (49) |
2.76 (70) |
2.59 (66) |
1.56 (40) |
1.18 (30) |
24.91 (633) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 5.9 | 5.7 | 7.0 | 5.6 | 7.7 | 6.0 | 4.9 | 4.5 | 6.8 | 5.5 | 5.9 | 5.9 | 71.4 |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1950 | 4,188 | — | |
| 1960 | 4,992 | 19.2% | |
| 1970 | 5,487 | 9.9% | |
| 1980 | 6,057 | 10.4% | |
| 1990 | 6,018 | −0.6% | |
| 2000 | 7,897 | 31.2% | |
| 2010 | 8,803 | 11.5% | |
| 2020 | 8,289 | −5.8% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
2020 census
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (NH) | 2,376 | 28.66% |
| Black or African American (NH) | 624 | 7.53% |
| Native American or Alaska Native (NH) | 3 | 0.04% |
| Asian (NH) | 46 | 0.55% |
| Pacific Islander (NH) | 3 | 0.04% |
| Some Other Race (NH) | 18 | 0.22% |
| Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH) | 88 | 1.06% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 5,131 | 61.9% |
| Total | 8,289 |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 8,289 people, 2,574 households, and 1,846 families residing in the city.
Education
The City of Hondo is served by the Hondo Independent School District and home to the Hondo High School Owls.
Transportation
U.S. Route 90 runs east-west through the center of Hondo as 19th Street, leading west 20 miles (32 km) to Sabinal and east 16 miles (26 km) to Castroville and roughly 40 miles (65 km) to downtown San Antonio. Texas State Highway 173 runs north-south immediately to the east of the city, leads north 29 miles (47 km) to Bandera and south 21 miles (34 km) to Devine, where it intersects Interstate Highway 35.
The closest airport with commercial airline service is San Antonio International Airport, on the north side of San Antonio 46 miles (74 km) to the east. Hondo also has a public airport named South Texas Regional Airport at Hondo.
Notable people
- Clint Hartung, baseball pitcher/outfielder (1947–1952), born in Hondo
- George C. Windrow (1931–2019), member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, was born in Hondo
See also
In Spanish: Hondo (Texas) para niños
