Real County, Texas

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox U.S. county

File:Veterans Monument, Real County Courthouse, Leakey, TX IMG 4300.JPG

Veterans Memorial at Real County courthouse

File:Real County, TX, Historical Museum IMG 4310.JPG

The Real County Historical Museum is located in a rustic building in Leakey.

File:Open gate to a field in Leakey, TX IMG 4305.JPG

Open gate to a grassy field in Real County

Real County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 2,758.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The county seat is Leakey.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> The county is named for Julius Real (1860–1944), a former member of the Texas State Senate. The Alto Frio Baptist Encampment is located in an isolated area of Real County southeast of Leakey.

History

Template:Prose

1762–1771: Looking for protection from Comanches, Lipan Apache chief El Gran Cabezón persuades Franciscans and the Spanish military to establish San Lorenzo de la Santa Cruz Mission on the Nueces River. The mission was abandoned in 1771<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
1856: John and Nancy Leakey settle in Frio Canyon.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
1857: The original Camp Wood is established on the Nueces River near the site of the former San Lorenzo mission.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
1864: Lipan Apaches attack the family of George Schwander in the abandoned ruins of the San Lorenzo mission.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
1868: Theophilus Watkins, F. Smith and Newman Patterson construct a gravity flow irrigation canal from the Frio River that operates for a century.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
1879: Indians attack and kill Jennie Coalson, wife of Nic Coalson, and two children at Half Moon Prairie.<ref name="Real County, Texas">Template:Cite web</ref>
1881: Lipan Apaches strike the McLauren home at Buzzard's Roost in the Frio Canyon. Last Indian raid in southwest Texas.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
1910: Crop farming declines in the county, livestock ranching gains prominence, in particular angora goats.<ref name="Real County, Texas"/>
1913: On April 3,<ref>"The Formation of Real County" Template:Webarchive</ref> the Texas state legislature establishes Real County from parts of Edwards, Bandera, and Kerr counties. Leakey is the county seat.<ref name="Real County, Texas"/>
1920: Camp Wood township is founded and becomes a railroad terminus to transport heart cedar.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
1924: Charles A. Lindbergh lands in Real County.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
1948: Farm to Market Road 337 is completed.<ref name="Real County, Texas"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (0.1%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref>

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Edwards County (west)
Kerr County (northeast)
Bandera County (east)
Uvalde County (south)

Demographics

Template:US Census population

**Real County, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition**
Template:Nobold
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>Template:Cite web</ref>	Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref>	Template:Partial<ref name=2020CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref>	% 2000	% 2010	Template:Partial
White alone (NH)	2,306	2,398	1,940	75.68%	72.47%	70.34%
Black or African American alone (NH)	5	20	22	0.16%	0.60%	0.80%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	12	23	8	0.39%	0.70%	0.29%
Asian alone (NH)	6	2	12	0.20%	0.06%	0.44%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	1	12	3	0.03%	0.36%	0.11%
Other Race alone (NH)	0	1	2	0.00%	0.03%	0.07%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	29	39	79	0.95%	1.18%	2.86%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	688	814	692	22.58%	24.60%	25.09%
Total	3,047	3,309	2,758	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

As of the census<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> of 2000, 3,047 people, 1,245 households, and 869 families resided in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. The 2,007 housing units averaged Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 91.40% White, 0.20% Black or African American, 0.62% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 6.01% from other races, and 1.54% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were about 22.58% of the population.

Of the 1,245 households, 26.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.40% were married couples living together, 7.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.20% were not families. About 28.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the county, the population was distributed as 23.40% under the age of 18, 5.40% from 18 to 24, 21.50% from 25 to 44, 28.80% from 45 to 64, and 20.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $25,118, and for a family was $29,839. Males had a median income of $21,076 versus $18,352 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,321. About 17.40% of families and 21.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.60% of those under age 18 and 15.00% of those age 65 or over.