Boerne, Texas
Encyclopedia
Boerne is a city in the Hill Country
of Texas
in the United States
. It is the county seat
of Kendall County
. Boerne was named in honor of Ludwig Börne
, a Jewish German
author and publicist, and its population was 10, 471 in the 2010 census. The city is noted for the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case City of Boerne v. Flores
.
Boerne is part of the San Antonio
–New Braunfels
Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Boerne is the home of the Guadalupe Valley Poetry Celebration, a regional poetry festival that benefits the Boerne Public Library.
Free Thinker
Latin Settlement
s, resulting from the Revolutions of 1848 in the German states
. Those who came were Forty-Eighters
, intellectual liberal abolitionists who enjoyed conversing in Latin
and who believed in utopian ideals that guaranteed basic human rights to all. They reveled in passionate conversations about literature, music and philosophy. The Free Thinkers first settled Castell, Bettina, Leningen. and Schoenburg in Llano County
. These experimental communities were supported by the Adelsverein
for one year. The communities eventually failed due to lack of finances after the Adelsverein funding expired, and conflict of structure and authorities. Many of the pioneers from these communities moved to Sisterdale
, Boerne and Comfort
.
In 1849 a group of Free Thinker German colonists from Bettina camped on the north side of Cibolo Creek
, about a mile west of the site of present Boerne. They named their new community after Cicero's
Tusculum
home in ancient Rome
. In 1852 John James and Gustav Theissen, who helped settle Sisterdale, platted the townsite, re-named it in honor of German author Karl Ludwig Börne
, with the Anglicized
spelling of Boerne. The town was not incorporated until 1909. August Staffell was the original postmaster in 1856.
The 1870 limestone courthouse, second oldest in Texas, was designed by architects Philip Zoeller and J. F. Stendebach, and stands directly across the street from the current 1998 courthouse designed by architects Rehler Vaughn & Koone, Inc.
Boerne's robust environment encouraged the health resort industry. Sisters of the Incarnate Word founded the St. Mary's Sanitarium in 1896 for pulmonary patients; Dr. W.E. Wright contracted with the Veterans Administration in 1919 to provide care for World War I
veterans suffering from lung ailments; the William L. Sill Tuberculosis Resort operated northwest of Boerne; and Mrs. Adolph (Emilie) Lex opened her home to recovering patients, eventually converting two rooms into operating rooms.
Karl Degener organized the Boerne Gesang Verein (singing club) and the Boerne Village Band in 1860. The family and descendants of Sisterdale resident Baron Ottmar von Behr
have included three generations of directors of the Boerne Village Band, and four generations of musicians.
The band is billed as "Oldest Continuously Organized German Band in the World outside Germany", and in 1998 the Federal Republic of Germany recognized the Boerne Village Band for its contribution to the German heritage in Texas and America.
experimental colonies of the Darmstadt Society of Forty.
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 6.1 square miles (15.8 km²), of which, 5.8 square miles (15 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²) of its (4.74%) is water.
Two of Texas' 7 show caves are located in Boerne, Cave Without a Name
and Cascade Caverns http://www.cascadecaverns.com/. They are both actively growing limestone solution caves.
of 2000, there were 6,178 people, 2,292 households, and 1,613 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,061.1 people per square mile (409.9/km2). There were 2,466 housing units at an average density of 423.5 per square mile (163.6/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 94.76% White, 0.36% African American, 0.37% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 3.29% from other races
, and 1.05% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 19.44% of the population.
There were 2,292 households out of which 36.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.0% were married couples
living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.6% were non-families. 25.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.0% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 84.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $42,009, and the median income for a family was $50,903. Males had a median income of $35,039 versus $25,773 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $23,251. About 6.5% of families and 9.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.5% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.
has two high schools:
The original high school, Boerne High School, has served the Boerne community for the last 100 years. The colors for Boerne High School are purple and white, with gray or silver used as an accent color; the school mascot is the Greyhound. Boerne Middle School originally had blue and white as their colors with the mascot being the Pups, but they have adopted the same colors and mascot as the high school. In later years Boerne Middle School was divided into two middle schools; Boerne Middle School North and Boerne Middle School South. Boerne Middle School North feeds into BHS. Students living north of HW 46 attend BHS.
Boerne High School has been noted nationwide for its excellent Advanced Placement program
, which has unusually high participation and success rates compared to similar schools around the United States. In the year 2007, eight B.H.S. students qualified in the National Merit Scholarship Program
, with one receiving a scholarship.
Boerne High School has excelled in its athletic department, being named the best in the region recently by the San Antonio Express-News
. The Boerne Greyhounds have won multiple state championships in varying sports over the past few years:
The new high school, Boerne Champion High School, recently opened for the class of 2008-2009. It shares the site with new Cibolo Creek Elementary. The mascot is the Chargers, the colors navy blue and white. It is named after former Boerne High School teacher and principal Samuel V. "Sam" Champion, who died on January 8, 2007 after a long battle with brain cancer. Boerne Middle School South feeds into BCHS. Students living south of HW 46 attend BCHS.
Boerne Champion High School, despite only being open three years, has also had success in its athletic department with state championships, including a national championship in cross country in 2009.
Texas Hill Country
The Texas Hill Country is a vernacular term applied to a region of Central Texas featuring tall rugged hills consisting of thin layers of soil atop limestone or granite. It also includes the Llano Uplift and the second largest granite monadnock in the United States, Enchanted Rock, which is located...
of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Kendall County
Kendall County, Texas
Kendall County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2008 census, its population was 32,886. Its seat is Boerne....
. Boerne was named in honor of Ludwig Börne
Ludwig Börne
Karl Ludwig Börne was a German political writer and satirist.-Early life:Karl Ludwig Börne was born Loeb Baruch on May 6, 1786, at Frankfurt am Main, son of Jakob Baruch, a banker. His grandfather had been a government bureaucrat.-Education:Börne and his brothers were privately tutored by Jacob...
, a Jewish German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
author and publicist, and its population was 10, 471 in the 2010 census. The city is noted for the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case City of Boerne v. Flores
City of Boerne v. Flores
City of Boerne v. Flores, 521 U.S. 507 , was a Supreme Court case concerning the scope of Congress's enforcement power under the fifth section of the Fourteenth Amendment...
.
Boerne is part of the San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
–New Braunfels
New Braunfels, Texas
New Braunfels is a city in Comal and Guadalupe counties in the U.S. state of Texas that is a principal city of the metropolitan area. Braunfels means "brown rock" in German; the city is named for Braunfels, in Germany. The city's population was 57,740 as of the 2010 census, up 58% from the 2000...
Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Boerne is the home of the Guadalupe Valley Poetry Celebration, a regional poetry festival that benefits the Boerne Public Library.
History
Boerne came into being as an off-shoot of the Texas Hill CountryTexas Hill Country
The Texas Hill Country is a vernacular term applied to a region of Central Texas featuring tall rugged hills consisting of thin layers of soil atop limestone or granite. It also includes the Llano Uplift and the second largest granite monadnock in the United States, Enchanted Rock, which is located...
Free Thinker
Freethought
Freethought is a philosophical viewpoint that holds that opinions should be formed on the basis of science, logic, and reason, and should not be influenced by authority, tradition, or other dogmas...
Latin Settlement
Latin Settlement
Latin settlement is a term that refers to a handful of communities founded by German immigrants to the United States in the 1840s. Most of these were in Texas, but there were "Latin Settlements" in other states as well...
s, resulting from the Revolutions of 1848 in the German states
Revolutions of 1848 in the German states
The Revolutions of 1848 in the German states, also called the March Revolution – part of the Revolutions of 1848 that broke out in many countries of Europe – were a series of loosely coordinated protests and rebellions in the states of the German Confederation, including the Austrian Empire...
. Those who came were Forty-Eighters
Forty-Eighters
The Forty-Eighters were Europeans who participated in or supported the revolutions of 1848 that swept Europe. In Germany, the Forty-Eighters favored unification of the German people, a more democratic government, and guarantees of human rights...
, intellectual liberal abolitionists who enjoyed conversing in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
and who believed in utopian ideals that guaranteed basic human rights to all. They reveled in passionate conversations about literature, music and philosophy. The Free Thinkers first settled Castell, Bettina, Leningen. and Schoenburg in Llano County
Llano County, Texas
Llano County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2010, its population was 19, 301. Its county seat is Llano, and the county is named for the Llano River....
. These experimental communities were supported by the Adelsverein
Adelsverein
Society for the Protection of German Immigrants in Texas, better known as Adelsverein , organized on April 20, 1842, was a colonial attempt to establish a new Germany within the borders of Texas.-History:...
for one year. The communities eventually failed due to lack of finances after the Adelsverein funding expired, and conflict of structure and authorities. Many of the pioneers from these communities moved to Sisterdale
Sisterdale, Texas
Sisterdale, Texas, is an unincorporated farming and ranching community, established in 1847 and located north of Boerne in Kendall County, in the U.S. state of Texas. The community is located in the valley of Sister Creek. The current 2010 population is 25...
, Boerne and Comfort
Comfort, Texas
Comfort is a census-designated place in Kendall County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,363 at the 2010 census. It is part of the San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
.
In 1849 a group of Free Thinker German colonists from Bettina camped on the north side of Cibolo Creek
Cibolo Creek
Cibolo Creek is a stream in South Central Texas, United States that runs approximately from its source at Turkey Knob near Boerne, Texas, to its confluence with the San Antonio River in Karnes County...
, about a mile west of the site of present Boerne. They named their new community after Cicero's
Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero , was a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman constitutionalist. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the equestrian order, and is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.He introduced the Romans to the chief...
Tusculum
Tusculum
Tusculum is a ruined Roman city in the Alban Hills, in the Latium region of Italy.-Location:Tusculum is one of the largest Roman cities in Alban Hills. The ruins of Tusculum are located on Tuscolo hill—more specifically on the northern edge of the outer crater ring of the Alban volcano...
home in ancient Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. In 1852 John James and Gustav Theissen, who helped settle Sisterdale, platted the townsite, re-named it in honor of German author Karl Ludwig Börne
Ludwig Börne
Karl Ludwig Börne was a German political writer and satirist.-Early life:Karl Ludwig Börne was born Loeb Baruch on May 6, 1786, at Frankfurt am Main, son of Jakob Baruch, a banker. His grandfather had been a government bureaucrat.-Education:Börne and his brothers were privately tutored by Jacob...
, with the Anglicized
Anglicisation
Anglicisation, or anglicization , is the process of converting verbal or written elements of any other language into a form that is more comprehensible to an English speaker, or, more generally, of altering something such that it becomes English in form or character.The term most often refers to...
spelling of Boerne. The town was not incorporated until 1909. August Staffell was the original postmaster in 1856.
The 1870 limestone courthouse, second oldest in Texas, was designed by architects Philip Zoeller and J. F. Stendebach, and stands directly across the street from the current 1998 courthouse designed by architects Rehler Vaughn & Koone, Inc.
Boerne's robust environment encouraged the health resort industry. Sisters of the Incarnate Word founded the St. Mary's Sanitarium in 1896 for pulmonary patients; Dr. W.E. Wright contracted with the Veterans Administration in 1919 to provide care for World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
veterans suffering from lung ailments; the William L. Sill Tuberculosis Resort operated northwest of Boerne; and Mrs. Adolph (Emilie) Lex opened her home to recovering patients, eventually converting two rooms into operating rooms.
Karl Degener organized the Boerne Gesang Verein (singing club) and the Boerne Village Band in 1860. The family and descendants of Sisterdale resident Baron Ottmar von Behr
Ottmar von Behr
Ottmar von Behr was a meteorologist and naturalist, who became an Adelsverein colonist in Texas. He was the second settler at Sisterdale, Texas, and the person who gave the town its name.-Early years:...
have included three generations of directors of the Boerne Village Band, and four generations of musicians.
The band is billed as "Oldest Continuously Organized German Band in the World outside Germany", and in 1998 the Federal Republic of Germany recognized the Boerne Village Band for its contribution to the German heritage in Texas and America.
Darmstadt Society of Forty
Some of the early settlers in Boerne migrated from the collapsed Fisher-Miller Land GrantFisher-Miller Land Grant
The Fisher-Miller Land Grant was part of an early colonization effort of the Republic of Texas. Its 3,878,000 acres covered between the Llano River and Colorado River. Originally granted to Henry Francis Fisher and Burchard Miller, the grant was sold to the German colonization company of Adelsverein...
experimental colonies of the Darmstadt Society of Forty.
Geography
Boerne is located at 29.794445°N 98.731483°W (29.794445, -98.731483), 30 miles (48 km) northwest of San AntonioSan Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 6.1 square miles (15.8 km²), of which, 5.8 square miles (15 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²) of its (4.74%) is water.
Two of Texas' 7 show caves are located in Boerne, Cave Without a Name
Cave Without a Name
The Cave Without a Name is a limestone solutional cave located 11 miles northeast of Boerne, Texas off FM 474 and Kreutzberg Road, less than from downtown San Antonio, Texas. It has been commercially operated as a show cave and open for public tours since 1939...
and Cascade Caverns http://www.cascadecaverns.com/. They are both actively growing limestone solution caves.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 6,178 people, 2,292 households, and 1,613 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,061.1 people per square mile (409.9/km2). There were 2,466 housing units at an average density of 423.5 per square mile (163.6/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 94.76% White, 0.36% African American, 0.37% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 3.29% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.05% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 19.44% of the population.
There were 2,292 households out of which 36.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.0% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.6% were non-families. 25.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.0% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 84.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $42,009, and the median income for a family was $50,903. Males had a median income of $35,039 versus $25,773 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $23,251. About 6.5% of families and 9.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.5% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.
School System
Boerne Independent School DistrictBoerne Independent School District
Boerne Independent School District is a public school district based in Boerne, Texas .Located in Kendall County, portions of the district extend into Bexar and Comal counties...
has two high schools:
The original high school, Boerne High School, has served the Boerne community for the last 100 years. The colors for Boerne High School are purple and white, with gray or silver used as an accent color; the school mascot is the Greyhound. Boerne Middle School originally had blue and white as their colors with the mascot being the Pups, but they have adopted the same colors and mascot as the high school. In later years Boerne Middle School was divided into two middle schools; Boerne Middle School North and Boerne Middle School South. Boerne Middle School North feeds into BHS. Students living north of HW 46 attend BHS.
Boerne High School has been noted nationwide for its excellent Advanced Placement program
Advanced Placement Program
The Advanced Placement program is a curriculum in the United States and Canada sponsored by the College Board which offers standardized courses to high school students that are generally recognized to be equivalent to undergraduate courses in college...
, which has unusually high participation and success rates compared to similar schools around the United States. In the year 2007, eight B.H.S. students qualified in the National Merit Scholarship Program
National Merit Scholarship Program
The National Merit Scholarship Program is a United States academic scholarship competition for recognition and college scholarships administered by National Merit Scholarship Corporation , a privately funded, not-for-profit organization. The program began in 1955...
, with one receiving a scholarship.
Boerne High School has excelled in its athletic department, being named the best in the region recently by the San Antonio Express-News
San Antonio Express-News
The San Antonio Express-News is the daily newspaper of San Antonio, Texas. It is ranked as the third-largest daily newspaper in the state of Texas in terms of circulation, and is one of the leading news sources of South Texas, with offices in Austin, Brownsville, Laredo, and Mexico City...
. The Boerne Greyhounds have won multiple state championships in varying sports over the past few years:
- The boys cross country team in 2003 and 2004.
- The baseball team of 2004, on which current MLB draftees and University of Texas players Russell Moldenhauer and Bradley Suttle played.
- The boys soccer team, in 2006, after falling short in the state championship in 2001.
- The girls softball team, in 2007.
The new high school, Boerne Champion High School, recently opened for the class of 2008-2009. It shares the site with new Cibolo Creek Elementary. The mascot is the Chargers, the colors navy blue and white. It is named after former Boerne High School teacher and principal Samuel V. "Sam" Champion, who died on January 8, 2007 after a long battle with brain cancer. Boerne Middle School South feeds into BCHS. Students living south of HW 46 attend BCHS.
Boerne Champion High School, despite only being open three years, has also had success in its athletic department with state championships, including a national championship in cross country in 2009.
- Boys swimming 200 freestyle relay
- Boys cross country in 2008, 2009, and 2011.
- Boys Doubles Tennis in 2009.
- Boys soccer 2011
Notable residents
- "Stone Cold" Steve Austin - Professional Wrestler
- Hilary DuffHilary DuffHilary Erhard Duff is an American actress, singer-songwriter, entrepreneur, and author. After working in local theater plays and television commercials in her childhood, she achieved fame playing the title role in the Disney Channel television series Lizzie McGuire. She also reprised her role in...
- Musician/Actress - Ann B. DavisAnn B. DavisAnn Bradford Davis is an American television actress.Davis achieved prominence for her role in The Bob Cummings Show for which she twice won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series...
- Actress - Ferdinand Ludwig HerffFerdinand Ludwig HerffFerdinand Ludwig Herff was a 19th Century German-born physician who emigrated to Texas and became a medical pioneer in San Antonio. He was one of the co-founders of the Bettina commune...
Medical pioneer - Susan HowardSusan HowardJeri Lynn Mooney , better known as Susan Howard, is an American actress, writer, and political activist; best known for portraying the character Donna Culver Krebbs on the soap opera Dallas, Maggie Petrocelli on the television show Petrocelli, and to Star Trek fans for portraying Mara, the first...
- Actress - Michelle BeadleMichelle BeadleMichelle Denise Beadle is a sports reporter and host for ESPN. She is the co-host of SportsNation on ESPN2 with Colin Cowherd, and Winners Bracket on ABC with Marcellus Wiley....
- SportsNation Host - Summer GlauSummer GlauSummer Lyn Glau is an American actress, known for playing River Tam in the science fiction series Firefly and follow-up film Serenity, and for playing Cameron in the series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.-Early life:...
- Actress - David Fuentes - Professional marathoner and winner of the 2011 San Antonio Rock n' Roll Marathon
External links
- City of Boerne Official Web Site
- Boerne Chamber of Commerce
- Boerne Berges Fest
- Boerne Convention & Visitors Bureau
- MainStreetBoerne.com
- Boerne Public Library
- Cascade Caverns
- http://www.gvpc.info Guadalupe Valley Poetry Celebration
- Cibolo Nature Center
- Boerne Texas City Directory
- Boerne Medical Directory