Castroville is a city in Medina County, Texas, United States. Its population was 2,954 at the 2020 census, up from 2,680 at the 2010 census. It is part of the San Antonio–New Braunfels, Texas Greater San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area. Castroville was founded by Alsatian-Texans, who came to Texas From Alsace France during a high emigration period of the mid-1800s. Most Alsace Alsatians who came to Castroville came due to economic hardships in the French region and many of them spoke Alsatian dialect Alsatian (a dialect of Germanic origin integrating Celtic, Yiddish, and French words). Alsatians were still though despite their unique blended heritage, French. The Alsatian culture and language are still kept alive by the residents of Castroville. Prior to 1893, Castroville was the first county seat of Medina County.
History
Castroville was established in 1844 by Henri Castro, an empresario of the Republic of Texas, who brought several dozen German, and French families such as the Boheme, Haby, Burges, Hoog, and Mcmullen Families, to the area from Alsace, Switzerland, and adjoining Baden to populate his land grant along the Medina River 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, but for generations, the residents remained insular. In Castroville's first century, a visitor would be more likely to hear Alsatian 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, whose usage in Europe has been diminished by the political actions of France and Germany, especially since World War II.
The Steinbach Haus(originally built between 1618 and 1648 in Wahlbach, Alsace) was dismantled and reconstructed in Castroville in 1998. It was opened to the public in 2002.
Sister cities
Castroville has two twin towns:
- Ensisheim, (Alsace) France - 2009
- Eguisheim, (Alsace) France - 1975
Geography
Castroville is located 26 miles west of downtown San Antonio.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which 0.39% is covered with water.
Transportation
U.S. Route 90 runs east-west through the center of Castroville, leading west 16 miles (26 km) to Hondo and east roughly 25 miles (40 km) to downtown San Antonio. The closest airport with commercial airline service is San Antonio International Airport, on the north side of San Antonio 30 miles (48 km) to the east.
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Castroville city, Texas – Racial composition<br><small></small>
!Race <small>(NH = Non-Hispanic)</small>
!
!% 2010
!% 2000
!
!Pop 2010
!Pop 2000
|-
|White alone (NH)
|style='background: #ffffe6; |54.8%
|59.9%
|61.9%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,620
|1,605
|1,650
|-
|Black alone (NH)
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.7%
|0.5%
|0.1%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |21
|14
|3
|-
|American Indian alone (NH)
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.3%
|0.3%
|0.2%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |8
|8
|6
|-
|Asian alone (NH)
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.6%
|0.7%
|0.8%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |19
|18
|21
|-
|Pacific Islander alone (NH)
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0%
|0%
|0.1%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1
|0
|2
|-
|Other race alone (NH)
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.3%
|0.1%
|0%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |10
|2
|0
|-
|Multiracial (NH)
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.6%
|0.6%
|0.9%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |47
|16
|23
|-
|Hispanic/Latino (any race)
|style='background: #ffffe6; |41.6%
|37.9%
|36%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,228
|1,017
|959
|}
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Castroville had a population of 2,954, with 1,111 households and 860 families residing in the city. The median age was 43.0 years; 22.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 21.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.9 males age 18 and over.
0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 1,111 households in Castroville, of which 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 52.8% were married-couple households, 15.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 27.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 22.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census
! Race !! Percent
|-
| White || 69.6%
|-
| Black or African American || 0.8%
|-
| American Indian and Alaska Native || 0.8%
|-
| Asian || 0.7%
|-
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || <0.1%
|-
| Some other race || 8.9%
|-
| Two or more races || 19.1%
|-
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 41.6%
|}
2010 census
As of the census
Of the 941 households, 37.4% had children under 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 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 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 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.
Education
The City of Castroville is served by the Medina Valley Independent School District and Saint Louis Catholic School (Pre-kindergarten–5th grade).
Gallery
<gallery widths="200px" class="center">
File:Steinbach house 2013.jpg|The Steinbach Alsatian House
Image:The Medina River in Castroville, TX IMG 3243.JPG|Waders cool off in the Medina River in Castroville.
Image:Henri de Castro monument in Castroville, TX IMG 3252.JPG|Monument to Henri Castro
Image:Castroville, TX, State Bank, IMG 3260.JPG|Castroville State Bank
Image:Castroville, TX Public Library IMG 3264.JPG|Castroville Public Library
Image:Landmark Inn State Historic Site, Castroville, TX IMG 3240.JPG|Trees shade the entrance to the Landmark Inn, a historic site in Castroville.
Image:The Old Alsatian Steakhouse, Castroville, TX IMG 3255.JPG|The Old Alsatian Steakhouse and Ristorante in the historic district of Castroville. The steakhouse closed in 2020.
Image:St. Louis Catholic Church, Castroville, TX IMG 3253.JPG|The historic St. Louis Catholic Church is located in downtown Castroville; pastor James Conway (2011).
Image:Trailhead, Castroville, TX IMG 3268.JPG|Trailhead at Castroville Regional Park
Image:Hiking trail at Castroville, TX Regional Park IMG 3271.JPG|On the hiking trail in Castroville
Image:Castroville2 (1 of 1).jpg|Downtown Castroville, Texas
</gallery>
References
External links
- Castroville, Texas official Page
- Castroville Chamber of Commerce
- https://web.archive.org/web/20110128123337/http://preservecastroville.com/
- https://web.archive.org/web/20090902091004/http://www.castrovilletx.com/castroville-texas-history.htm Castroville Texas City History
- Handbook of Texas Online: Castroville, Texas