| Hondo, Texas | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
| Hondo Public Library | |
| Location of Hondo, Texas | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Medina |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council-Manager |
| • City Council | Mayor James W. Danner, Sr. Mike Sanchez Clyde Haak Eric A. Torres Ann Michelle Keith A. Lutz |
| • City Manager | Robert t. Herrera |
| Area | |
| • Total | 9.6 sq mi (24.9 km2) |
| • Land | 9.6 sq mi (24.8 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 892 ft (272 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 7,897 |
| • Density | 823.8/sq mi (318.1/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 78861 |
| Area code(s) | 830 |
| FIPS code | 48-34676[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1359487[2] |
| Website | cityofhondo.com |
Hondo is a city in and the county seat of Medina County, Texas, United States.[3] According to the 2000 Census, the population was 7,897. It is part of the San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area.
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Hondo is located at (29.346838, -99.145543),[4] approximately 40 miles (64 km) west of 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 water.
Original settlers in the area came from Alsace-Lorraine, Germany, Belgium and Mexico. Many family-owned businesses, farms and ranches are still owned by descendants of the original families.
The area, which is now Medina County, was first explored by Cabeza de Vaca in 1519, 27 years after Columbus arrived in the new world.
The city of Hondo was first settled in 1881 and incorporated in 1942. 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.
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 hiests 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 Through 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" in order 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."
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 7,897 people, 2,207 households, and 1,664 families residing in the city. The population density was 823.8 people per square mile (317.9/km²). There were 2,474 housing units at an average density of 258.1 per square mile (99.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 73.33% White (includes Hispanic or Latino of any race were 59.92% of the population), 8.33% African American, 0.47% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 15.23% from other races, and 2.38% from two or more races.
There were 2,207 households out of which 39.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.1% were married couples living together, 14.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.6% were non-families. 21.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.91 and the average family size was 3.38.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.0% under the age of 18, 12.0% from 18 to 24, 33.1% from 25 to 44, 16.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 132.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 145.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,917, and the median income for a family was $34,856. Males had a median income of $21,639 versus $17,868 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,635. About 18.9% of families and 22.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.8% of those under age 18 and 17.1% of those age 65 or over.
The City of Hondo is served by the Hondo Independent School District.
Hondo High School (principal Jim Angst) is a 3A school in Region IV.
Hondo has a school newspaper named "The Owls' Nest" that features columns such as "Ask the Owl" and "What Owls Give A Hoot About." The high school journalism adviser is Philip Billnitzer.
The school is located at the intersection of 27th street and Ave H.
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![[1]](http://www.hondochamber.com/City/Hondo_4_copy_small.jpg){kind=link}