Medina Valley
Encyclopedia
Medina Valley, also known as the Medina River Valley, is an area in south central Texas
containing the Medina River
, Lake Medina and the Medina Dam
. It serves to drain the Balcones Escarpment of the Texas Hill Country
and irrigate the farms contained therein. It is approximately 120 miles (190 km) long and is named for the Medina River.
Zone. There are a number of flora and fauna species associated with the Medina Valley. Some of the species in and close to Medina Valley have their distributional range defined by the Medina Valley and/or the Balcones Fault. For example, the California Fan Palm, Washingtonia filifera
occurs only in the western USA west of the Medina Valley and Balcones Fault.
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...
containing the Medina River
Medina River
The Medina River is located in south central Texas, USA, in the Medina Valley. Named after Pedro Medina, a Spanish engineer, by Alonso de León, Spanish governor of Coahuila, New Spain in 1689. It was also known as the Rio Mariano, Rio San Jose, or Rio de Bagres...
, Lake Medina and the Medina Dam
Medina Dam
The Medina Dam is a hollow-masonry type dam built in 1911 and 1912 by the Medina Irrigation Company in what became Mico, Texas. Medina Lake extends north of it in northeastern Medina County, Texas. The dam and irrigation project was designed and financed by Dr. Frederick Stark Pearson, an American...
. It serves to drain the Balcones Escarpment of the Texas Hill Country
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...
and irrigate the farms contained therein. It is approximately 120 miles (190 km) long and is named for the Medina River.
Natural features
The geology of Medina Valley has been analyzed for some time, with a prominent feature being the Balcones FaultBalcones Fault
The Balcones Fault Zone is a tensional structural system in Texas that runs approximately from the southwest part of the state near Del Rio to the north central region near Waco along Interstate 35. The Balcones Fault zone is made up of many smaller features, including normal faults, grabens, and...
Zone. There are a number of flora and fauna species associated with the Medina Valley. Some of the species in and close to Medina Valley have their distributional range defined by the Medina Valley and/or the Balcones Fault. For example, the California Fan Palm, Washingtonia filifera
Washingtonia filifera
Washingtonia filifera , with the common names California Fan Palm , Desert Fan Palm, Cotton palm, and Arizona Fan Palm. It is a palm native to southwestern North America between an elevation range of , at seeps, desert bajadas, and springs where underground water is continuously available...
occurs only in the western USA west of the Medina Valley and Balcones Fault.
Counties in Medina Valley
- Bandera County, TexasBandera County, TexasBandera County, formed in 1856 from Bexar and Uvalde counties, is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2000, the population is 17,645. Its county seat is Bandera. Bandera is named for the Spanish word for flag...
, - Eastern Medina County, Texas,
- southwestern Bexar County, TexasBexar County, TexasAs of the census of 2000, there were 1,392,931 people, 488,942 households, and 345,681 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,117 people per square mile . There were 521,359 housing units at an average density of 418 per square mile...
, - Atascosa County, Texas
Communities in Medina valley
- Bandera, TexasBandera, TexasBandera is the county seat of Bandera County, Texas, United States,in the Texas Hill Country, which is part of the Edwards Plateau. The population was 957 at the 2000 census, and according to a 2009 estimate, the population had jumped up to 1,216 people...
- Castroville, TexasCastroville, TexasCastroville is a city in Medina County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,664 at the 2000 census. Prior to 1893, Castroville was the first county seat of Medina County....
- Mico, TexasMico, TexasMico, founded in 1911, is an unincorporated community in northeastern Medina County, Texas, United States, approximately west of San Antonio. The community is part of the San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area...
- Rio Medina, TexasRio Medina, TexasRio Medina, is an unincorporated town in Medina County, Texas, United States. It is located approximately five miles north of Castroville and is part of the San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area. According to the 2006-07 Texas Almanac, it had a population of 60 people in 2000...
- LaCoste, TexasLaCoste, TexasLaCoste is a city in Medina County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,255 at the 2000 census. It is part of the San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:LaCoste is located at ....
- Lakehills, TexasLakehills, TexasLakehills is a census-designated place in Bandera County, Texas, United States. The population was 4,668 at the 2000 census, making it the most populous place in Bandera county. It is part of the San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
- Lytle, TexasLytle, TexasLytle is a city in Atascosa, Bexar, and Medina counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 2,383 at the 2000 census. It is part of the San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Lytle is located at...
- Pearson, TexasPearson, TexasPearson, named for Dr. Frederick Stark Pearson, is an unincorporated community in Medina County, Texas, United States. It is part of the San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area. Pearson was established in 1912 by the Medina Valley Irrigation Company as a stop on the Southern Pacific Railroad...
- Somerset, TexasSomerset, TexasSomerset is a city of Bexar County in the U.S. state of Texas. It is located less than 20 miles south of San Antonio and is part of the metropolitan area. The population was 1,550 at the 2000 census.-History:...
- St. Hedwig, TexasSt. Hedwig, TexasSt. Hedwig is a town in Bexar County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,875 at the 2000 census. It is part of the San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
- Elmendorf, TexasElmendorf, TexasElmendorf is a city in Bexar County, Texas, United States. It is part of the San Antonio—New Braunfels Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 664 at the 2000 census. Elmendorf is located seventeen miles southeast of San Antonio at the juncture of Farm Road 327 and the Southern Pacific...
- Von Ormy, TexasVon Ormy, TexasVon Ormy is a city located in southwest Bexar County, Texas, United States. It has been known as Von Ormy since the late 1880s. Prior to 1880, the community was known as Mann's Crossing, Garza's Crossing, Medina Crossing, and Paso de las Garzas. The former settlements of Kirk, Texas and Bexar,...
- Medina, TexasMedina, TexasMedina is a census-designated place in Bandera County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,960 at the 2000 census. It is part of the San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area...