Sandia, Texas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sandia, Texas
Census-designated place
Location of Sandia in Jim Wells County, Texas
Sandia, Texas Location in Texas Show map of Texas Sandia, Texas Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Jim Wells
Area
• Total	1.0 sq mi (2.5 km2)
• Land	1.0 sq mi (2.5 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	125 ft (38 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	326
• Density	338/sq mi (130.4/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	78383
Area code(s)	361
FIPS code	48-65168
GNIS feature ID	1346565

Sandia is a small community in Jim Wells County, Texas, United States. It is called an "unincorporated community" and a "census-designated place" (CDP). This means it's a settled area that doesn't have its own city government, but the United States Census Bureau counts its population.

In 2020, 326 people lived in Sandia. This number was a bit lower than in 2010, when 379 people lived there.

History of Sandia

The land where Sandia is located was once part of a large land grant called Casa Blanca. Spain gave this land to Juan José de la Garza Montemayor in 1807. The Montemayor family owned the land until 1852.

Later, in 1896, a man named John L. Wade bought the land. He started a large farm called the Casa Blanca Ranch. After he passed away, his ranch was divided among his family. One part was sold to Joseph B. Dibrell.

Joseph B. Dibrell asked Fennell Dibrell and Max Starcke to help divide and sell the land. They officially founded the town of Sandia in 1907. At that time, there was only one building in the whole community.

Dibrell and Starcke chose the name Sandia because it is the Spanish word for "watermelon". Many watermelons grew in the area, which made it a fitting name.

All the land lots in Sandia were sold very quickly, within eight months! Soon, many businesses opened, like a lumberyard, a hardware store, and grocery stores. There was also a meat market, a place to stay (a boardinghouse), and a barbershop.

By 1914, Sandia had about 150 people. It also had a bank, two general stores, and a cotton gin, which is a machine that separates cotton fibers. The population kept growing, reaching about 500 people by 1927.

In 1936, Sandia had three businesses, two churches, and many farms. It was also a stop on the Texas and New Orleans Railroad. By 1940, the population was 300, and there were fifteen businesses. Sandia's population was highest in the 1960s and early 1970s, with about 310 residents.

Geography of Sandia

Sandia is located in the northeastern part of Jim Wells County. You can find it at these coordinates: 28°1′10″N 97°52′43″W.

Texas State Highway 359 runs along the northwest side of the community. This highway can take you northeast about 6 miles (10 km) to Mathis. If you go southwest, it's about 24 miles (39 km) to Alice, which is the main town in Jim Wells County.

The Sandia CDP covers a total area of about 2.5 square kilometers (1.0 square mile). Most of this area is land. Only a very small part, about 0.04%, is water. The community is on high ground, about 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Lake Corpus Christi. This lake is a large body of water formed by damming the Nueces River.

Population of Sandia

In the year 2000, there were 431 people living in Sandia. These people lived in 139 households, and 106 of those were families. The population density was about 445 people per square mile (172 people per square kilometer).

About 35% of the households had children under 18 living with them. Most households (61%) were married couples living together. The average household had about 3 people.

The median age of people in Sandia in 2000 was 35 years old. This means half the people were younger than 35, and half were older. About 30% of the population was under 18 years old.

Education in Sandia

Students in Sandia attend schools that are part of the Orange Grove Independent School District.

See also

In Spanish: Sandía (Texas) para niños