La Vernia is a city in Wilson County, Texas, United States. La Vernia is on the south bank of Cibolo Creek at the junction of U.S. Highway 87 and Texas Farm to Market Road 775, approximately 25 miles east of downtown San Antonio. The population was 1,077 at the 2020 census. La Vernia is part of the San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The La Vernia area was first inhabited by the Coahuiltecan speaking peoples of Texas and subsequently by nomadic bands of Apache and Comanche who migrated to Texas in the 17th century. One of the earliest land grants made was to Erastus "Deaf" Smith. Smith married Guadalupe Ruiz Durán, a Mexican citizen, who was descended from one of the original Tejano or Spanish Texas families; and as such, received a land grant from the Mexican government on Cibolo Creek, north of present-day La Vernia in 1825. This area remained primarily unsettled by Europeans until 1837, when veterans from the Texas Revolution began to arrive.

La Vernia was first settled in earnest around 1850. W. R. Wiseman of Mississippi, who organized a Presbyterian church at the site around 1851, is said to have named the place Live Oak Grove, for a grove of trees nearby.

German and Polish immigration brought the population to 110 by 1885. The community was now served by three churches, a steam gristmill, and a cotton gin. During this time, the major crops grown were corn and cotton, which are still major crops in the area today.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, La Vernia had a population of 1,077 and a median age of 42.0 years. 22.6% of residents were under the age of 18, 19.0% were 65 years of age or older, and for every 100 females there were 99.4 males; for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 85.7 males age 18 and over.

0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 437 households in La Vernia, of which 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 51.0% were married-couple households, 15.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 29.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 23.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

|-

| White || 842 || 78.2%

|-

| Black or African American || 3 || 0.3%

|-

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 8 || 0.7%

|-

| Asian || 9 || 0.8%

|-

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 1 || 0.1%

|-

| Some other race || 68 || 6.3%

|-

| Two or more races || 146 || 13.6%

|-

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 297 || 27.6%

|}

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 931 people, 317 households, and 239 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 344 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.48% White, 0.11% African American, 0.75% Native American, 0.64% Asian, 4.19% from other races, and 1.83% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 19.98% of the population. Statistics presented are based on data collected by the FBI as part of its Uniform Crime Reporting Program. These data represent offenses reported to and arrests made by State and local law enforcement agencies as reported to the FBI. Total 347, Murder is 2, Rape are 3, Robbery is 0, Aggravated Assault has recorded 38, Burglary 70, Larceny – theft is unusually high at 228, Motor vehicle thefts is at 6, and Coverage indicator is 100%.

Education

La Vernia Independent School District with a total enrollment of 3182 students provides public education to the La Vernia. La Vernia Primary School includes grades pre-k through third grade. The newly constructed Intermediate School, opened in 2009, includes grades three to five. The building that now serves as the junior high was the first school building built for the La Vernia school district. Originally serving all grades, it now houses the sixth, seventh and eighth grades. La Vernia High School consists of grades nine to twelve.

Private school education is available at La Vernia Christian Teaching Center.

Economy

La Vernia is located in the center of the Eagle Ford Shale Play, a source of petroleum and natural gas production, which is a significant economic driver of growth and development in South Texas.

The largest employers are La Vernia Independent School District and Guadalupe Valley Electric Cooperative. The highest percentage of employment is in the retail trade with grocery store H-E-B being the largest employer in that industry.

Culture

The La Vernia Heritage Museum displays artifacts and memorabilia relating to the history and development of the city.

Sports

La Vernia High School fields girls teams that compete in basketball, softball, soccer, cheerleading, track & field, tennis, volleyball and golf. The school has boys teams that compete in football, baseball, basketball, soccer, track & field, tennis, wrestling and golf.

La Vernia Little League has baseball and softball divisions for ages 4 to 16.

Notable people

  • Dusty Jonas, Olympic high jumper

<!-- * Kenyon Luthi, USAF veteran -->

  • Austin Mahone, pop singer
  • Jane Y. McCallum, Texas Secretary of State
  • Hugh M. Tiner, the second president of Pepperdine University

References

Further reading

  • "The Good Old Days a history of La Vernia" by the Civic Government class of La Vernia High School, 1936–1937 school year.
  • "Wilson County Centennial 1860–1960" By the Wilson county library, Centennial program handed out at The 100yr centennial celebration.
  • La Vernia News
  • Bluebonnet Fest