Medina County, Texas Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Medina County
U.S. county
The Medina County Courthouse in Hondo
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Texas
Founded	1848
Named for	Medina River
Seat	Hondo
Largest city	Hondo
Area
• Total	1,335 sq mi (3,460 km²)
• Land	1,325 sq mi (3,430 km²)
• Water	9.2 sq mi (24 km²) 0.7%
Population (2020)
• Total	50,748
• Density	38.013/sq mi (14.677/km²)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	23rd

Medina County is a place in the state of Texas, USA. It is called a county. In 2020, about 50,748 people lived there. The main town, or county seat, is Hondo.

The county gets its name from the Medina River. The northern part of the county is in the Edwards Plateau. This area is also known as the Texas Hill Country. The Medina Dam is a very important structure here. It was built in 1913 and was one of the biggest dams in the country back then. It helped create Medina Lake for watering farms. Medina County is also part of the larger San Antonio metropolitan area.

History of Medina County
- Early Native American Tribes
- Protecting the County from Raids
Geography of Medina County
- Main Roads in Medina County
- Neighboring Counties
Population Changes in Medina County
Communities in Medina County
Education in Medina County
Images for kids
See also

History of Medina County

The name "Medina" comes from the Medina River. A Spanish explorer named Alonso de Leon named the river in 1689. He named it after a Spanish mapmaker, Pedro de Medina. Pedro de Medina's family name came from an old city in Spain. That city's name came from an Arabic word meaning "city."

The state of Texas officially created Medina County on February 12, 1848. Later, on February 1, 1850, it became even bigger. Land was added from Bexar County.

The first county seat was Castroville. A courthouse was built there in 1854. But in 1892, the county seat moved to Hondo. A new courthouse was finished in Hondo in 1893.

Early Native American Tribes

Long ago, different Native American tribes lived in this area. These included the Lipan Apache, Coahuiltecan, and Tonkawa tribes.

Protecting the County from Raids

In the 1860s and 1870s, tribes like the Comanche and Kiowa often raided the county. For example, on June 11, 1873, Comanches attacked four settlers near Hondo. These raids made local people very afraid.

By 1875, the Comanche raids had mostly stopped. However, other tribes continued to raid the county. The very last Native American raid in the county happened on April 22, 1877. A 19-year-old named Joe Wilton was killed by Native Americans near Devine, Texas.

Geography of Medina County

Medina County covers a total area of about 1,335 square miles. Most of this area, about 1,325 square miles, is land. Only a small part, about 9.2 square miles, is water.

Main Roads in Medina County

Several important roads run through Medina County. These roads help people travel and connect different towns.

Interstate 35
U.S. Highway 90
State Highway 16
State Highway 132
State Highway 173

Neighboring Counties

Medina County shares its borders with several other counties.

Bandera County (to the north)
Bexar County (to the east)
Atascosa County (to the southeast)
Frio County (to the south)
Uvalde County (to the west)

Population Changes in Medina County

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1850	909	—
1860	1,838	102.2%
1870	2,078	13.1%
1880	4,492	116.2%
1890	5,730	27.6%
1900	7,783	35.8%
1910	13,415	72.4%
1920	11,679	−12.9%
1930	13,989	19.8%
1940	16,106	15.1%
1950	17,013	5.6%
1960	18,904	11.1%
1970	20,249	7.1%
1980	23,164	14.4%
1990	27,312	17.9%
2000	39,304	43.9%
2010	46,006	17.1%
2020	50,748	10.3%
U.S. Decennial Census 1850–2010 2010 2020

The population of Medina County has grown a lot over the years. In 1850, there were just over 900 people. By 2020, the population had grown to more than 50,000 people.

**Medina County, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition**
*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 may be of any race.*
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000	Pop 2010	Pop 2020	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	19,919	21,408	22,324	50.68%	46.53%	43.99%
Black or African American alone (NH)	801	913	1,252	2.04%	1.98%	2.47%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	144	146	158	0.37%	0.32%	0.31%
Asian alone (NH)	117	272	215	0.30%	0.59%	0.42%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	17	24	38	0.04%	0.05%	0.07%
Other race alone (NH)	50	28	188	0.13%	0.06%	0.37%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	383	344	1,118	0.97%	0.75%	2.20%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	17,873	22,871	25,455	45.47%	49.71%	50.16%
Total	39,304	46,006	50,748	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

In 2000, there were 39,304 people living in Medina County. About 45% of the people were Hispanic or Latino. The county had about 12,880 households. The average household had almost three people.