La Joya is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. The population was 4,457 at the 2020 United States Census. It is part of the McAllen–Edinburg–Mission and Reynosa–McAllen metropolitan areas.

History

Its name, meaning "the jewel", was inspired by a small natural lake west of the city; early settlers were said to observe that the lake shined in the sun like a jewel. The site on which La Joya was founded was part of what was known as "Los Ejidos de Reynosa Viejo". The ejidos were the shared grazing lands used for the livestock of the settlers of Reynosa Viejo ("Old Reynosa"). During the early 1800s, at the site of what is now La Joya, Francisco de la Garza, a descendant of the early colonizers of the area who soon decided to change his last name from de la Garza to Garza, founded a community, called "Tabasco", adjacent to the northern bank of the Rio Grande. It was a prosperous community that died out after floods in 1908 and 1909. The settlers moved their belongings just north to higher and less flood-prone ground, present-day La Joya. It is bordered to the east by the city of Peñitas and to the west by unincorporated Havana. Interstate 2 passes through the center of La Joya, leading east to the center of McAllen and northwest to Rio Grande City.

According to the United States Census Bureau, La Joya has a total area of , of which are land and , or 4.05%, are water. Walker Lake is in the southeastern part of the city limits.

thumb|left| Walker Lake Reservoir

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, La Joya had a population of 4,457, 1,346 households, and 880 families residing in the city. The median age was 31.2 years; 30.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 12.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 93.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 86.7 males age 18 and over.

99.4% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.6% lived in rural areas.

There were 1,346 households in La Joya, of which 51.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 51.7% were married-couple households, 12.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 30.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 14.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

|-

| White || 1,466 || 32.9%

|-

| Black or African American || 11 || 0.2%

|-

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 31 || 0.7%

|-

| Asian || 5 || 0.1%

|-

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 1 || 0.0%

|-

| Some other race || 951 || 21.3%

|-

| Two or more races || 1,992 || 44.7%

|-

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 4,332 || 97.2%

|}

2000 census

As of the census

Education

La Joya is served by the La Joya Independent School District. The zoned schools for residents of La Joya city are Tabasco Elementary School, Lorenzo de Zavala Middle School, and La Joya High School.

In addition, residents are allowed to apply to magnet schools operated by the South Texas Independent School District.

La Joya Public Library is located in the city.

Notable people

  • Sergio Castillo, CFL Winnipeg Blue Bombers Place Kicker, 2021 Grey Cup Champion
  • Macarena Hernandez, award-winning journalist, educator and La Joya High School graduate
  • Mayra Rosales, one of the heaviest women of all time

References

Mrs. James Watson, The Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas and Its Builders (Mission, Texas, 1931)