Zavala County, Texas

Not to be confused with Zavala, Texas.

Zavala County, Texas
County
The Zavala County Courthouse in Crystal City
The Zavala County Courthouse in Crystal City
Map of Texas highlighting Zavala County
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Coordinates: 28°51′53″N 99°45′35″W / 28.864652°N 99.75983°W / 28.864652; -99.75983
Country United States
State Texas
FoundedFebruary 1, 1858 (created)
February 25, 1884 (organized)
Named afterLorenzo de Zavala
SeatCrystal City
Largest cityCrystal City
Government
 • County judgePaula DeLeon
Area
 • Total
1,301.735 sq mi (3,371.48 km2)
 • Land1,297.407 sq mi (3,360.27 km2)
 • Water4.328 sq mi (11.21 km2)  0.33%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
9,670
 • Estimate 
(2024)
9,209 Decrease
 • Density7.45/sq mi (2.88/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Area code830
Congressional district23rd
Websitewww.co.zavala.tx.us Edit this at Wikidata
Veterans monument at Zavala County Courthouse grounds

Zavala County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,670,[1] and was estimated to be 9,209 in 2024.[2] The county seat and largest city is Crystal City.[3]

History

The county was created on February 1, 1858 and later organized on February 25, 1884.[4] Zavala is named for Lorenzo de Zavala, Mexican politician, signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence, and first vice president of the Republic of Texas.

Native Americans

Radiocarbon assays indicate the county's Tortuga Flat Site[5] was used in the 15th and 16th centuries by Pacuache.[6] Archeologist T. C. Hill of Crystal City conducted excavations in 1972–1973 at the site, uncovering artifacts. More than 100 archeological sites have been identified by researchers of the University of Texas at San Antonio at the Chaparrosa Ranch. Coahuiltecan, Tonkawa, Lipan Apache and Mescalero Apache and Comanche have inhabited the area after the Pacuache.[7] The last Indian raid in the county occurred in 1877 and involved Kickapoo Indians.[8]

The Wild Horse Desert

The area between the Rio Grande and the Nueces River, which included Zavala County, became disputed territory known as the Wild Horse Desert, where neither the Republic of Texas nor the Mexican government had clear control. Ownership was in dispute until the Mexican–American War. The area became filled with lawless characters who deterred settlers in the area. An agreement signed between Mexico and the United States in the 1930s put the liability of payments to the descendants of the original land grants on Mexico.[9][10] According to a list of Spanish and Mexican grants in Texas,[11] Pedro Aguirre owned 51,296 acres in Zavala County, while Antonio Aguirre had 34,552. Seven other people (including two women — Juana Fuentes and Maria Escolastica Diaz) — each had 4,650 acres.

County established and growth

Zavala County was established in 1858 and named for Lorenzo de Zavala, a Mexican colonist and one of the signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence.[12] The county was organized in 1858, with an error putting an additional “L” in the county. The mistake was not corrected until 1929. Batesville became the county seat. Crystal City won a 1928 election to become the new county seat.[13] Grey (Doc) White and the Vivian family settled Cometa around 1867. They were joined by the Ramón Sánchez and Galván families in 1870 and by J. Fisher in 1871.[14] Murlo community was settled about the same time.[15] Ranching dominated the county originally, until overgrazing destroyed the grasslands. Zavala then became the first county in Texas to grow flax commercially.[16] Ike T. La Pryor the largest ranch in the county and advertised the land for farming. The community that sprang up was named La Pryor.[17] Developers E. J. Buckingham and Carl Groos purchased all 96,101 acres (388.91 km2) of the Cross S Ranch in 1905, platted the town of Crystal City, and sold the rest as sections divided into 10-acre (40,000 m2) farms.[18]

Winter Garden

Zavala, Dimmit, Frio, and LaSalle Counties are considered the Winter Garden region of Texas.[19] Irrigation and mild winter climate have made the area ideal for year-round vegetable farming. During the winter of 1917–18, spinach was introduced to Zavala.[20] The first annual Spinach Festival was introduced in 1936, halted during World War II, but resumed in 1982.[21] Cartoonist E. C. Segar, who created the spinach-eating Popeye, received a letter of appreciation from the Winter Garden Chamber of Commerce, thanking him for his support of spinach in the American diet. Segar's written response appeared in two newspapers exhorting children everywhere to enjoy Segar's favorite vegetable. He later approved a 1937 statue of Popeye to be erected in Crystal City, dedicated "To All The Children of the World".[22] Bermuda onions became a major crop. Spinach, sorghum, and cotton were the three biggest crops. The principal crops grown in Zavala County in 1989 were spinach, cotton, pecans, corn, and onions.[16]

Internment Camp

Main article: Crystal City Internment Camp

The Crystal City, Texas Family Internment Camp began as a migrant labor camp in the 1930s. By the time it closed, it had held German and Japanese combatants and their families, Latin Americans, and at least one Italian Latin American family, as well as German and Japanese American families. The 100 acres (0.40 km2) were used for housing and security measures. An additional 190 acres (0.77 km2) were for farming and personnel residences. The first internees of German ethnicity, arrived on December 12, 1942, and were expected to work on construction, being paid 10 cents an hour. A 70-bed hospital was built in 1943, as was a school for children of the internees. Internees ran nursery schools and kindergartens. From its inception through June 30, 1945, the Crystal City camp held 4,751 internees and had 153 births. The camp closed in 1948.[23]

Latino Americans

The Mexican Revolution that began in 1910 resulted in thousands of laborers flowing across the border to cultivate vegetable crops. By 1917 and 1918, Pancho Villa was sending banditos across the Rio Grande. Crystal City organized home guards for protection against Villa's associates. By 1930, Crystal City was overwhelmingly composed of Latino Americans. That year, Zavala County had the highest percentage of laborers (1,430 per 100 farms) and the lowest percentage of tenants (33 per 100 farms) of all counties in South Texas. Owner-operators were primarily non-Hispanic white, whereas sharecroppers and farm laborers were Latino. By the late 1950s, a majority of those graduating from high school in the county were Latino American. In 1990, 89.4% of the county population of 12,162 was Hispanic.[24]

Tejano politics

Juan Cornejo of the Teamsters Union and the Political Association of Spanish-Speaking Organizations organized the Latino population among cannery workers and farm laborers of Crystal City in 1962–63 and succeeded in electing an all-Latino city council. The feat became known as the Crystal City Revolts.[25][26] The Raza Unida Party was established in 1970 in Crystal City and Zavala County to bring greater self-determination among Tejanos.[27]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,301.735 square miles (3,371.48 km2), of which 1,297.407 square miles (3,360.27 km2) is land and 4.328 square miles (11.21 km2) (0.33%) is water.[28] It is the 32nd largest county in Texas by total area.[29]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
186026—
1870138430.8%
1880410197.1%
18901,097167.6%
1900792−27.8%
19101,889138.5%
19203,10864.5%
193010,349233.0%
194011,60312.1%
195011,201−3.5%
196012,69613.3%
197011,370−10.4%
198011,6662.6%
199012,1624.3%
200011,600−4.6%
201011,6770.7%
20209,670−17.2%
2024 (est.)9,209[30] Decrease−4.8%
U.S. Decennial Census[31]
1790–1960[32] 1900–1990[33]
1990–2000[34] 2010–2020[2]

Housing market

As of the second quarter of 2025, the median home value in Zavala County was $97,657.[35]

American Community Survey

As of the 2023 American Community Survey, there are 3,411 estimated households in Zavala County with an average of 2.78 persons per household. The county has a median household income of $41,887. Approximately 36.3% of the county's population lives at or below the poverty line. Zavala County has an estimated 50.6% employment rate, with 9.6% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 73.4% holding a high school diploma.[2]

There were 3,951 housing units at an average density of 0.0 per square mile (0.0/km2).[2]

The top five reported languages (people were allowed to report up to two ancestries, thus the figures will generally add to more than 100%) were English (27.8%), Spanish (72.1%), Indo-European (0.1%), Asian and Pacific Islander (0.0%), and Other (0.0%).[2]

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 9,670. The median age was 35.4 years, 28.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 88.9 males age 18 and over.[36]

As of the 2020 census, the racial makeup of the county was 47.5% White, 0.9% Black or African American, 0.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 16.2% from some other race, and 34.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 92.5% of the population.[37]

As of the 2020 census, 69.4% of residents lived in urban areas, while 30.6% lived in rural areas.[38]

As of the 2020 census, there were 3,355 households in the county, including 2,391 families; 38.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 40.4% were married-couple households, 18.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 35.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 24.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[36]

As of the 2020 census, there were 3,920 housing units, of which 14.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 70.3% were owner-occupied and 29.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.6%.[36]

Racial and ethnic composition

Zavala County, Texas – racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / ethnicity (NH = non-Hispanic) Pop. 1980[39] Pop. 1990[40] Pop. 2000[41] Pop. 2010[42] Pop. 2020[43]
White alone (NH) 1,246
(10.68%)		 954
(7.84%)		 924
(7.97%)		 647
(5.54%)		 572
(5.92%)
Black or African American alone (NH) 19
(0.16%)		 284
(2.34%)		 43
(0.37%)		 35
(0.30%)		 67
(0.69%)
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 9
(0.08%)		 3
(0.02%)		 17
(0.15%)		 9
(0.08%)		 21
(0.22%)
Asian alone (NH) 3
(0.03%)		 0
(0.00%)		 8
(0.07%)		 3
(0.03%)		 19
(0.20%)
Pacific Islander alone (NH) — — 1
(0.01%)		 3
(0.03%)		 1
(0.01%)
Other race alone (NH) 3
(0.03%)		 46
(0.38%)		 1
(0.01%)		 3
(0.03%)		 3
(0.03%)
Mixed race or multiracial (NH) — — 24
(0.21%)		 16
(0.14%)		 43
(0.44%)
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 10,386
(89.03%)		 10,875
(89.42%)		 10,582
(91.22%)		 10,961
(93.87%)		 8,944
(92.49%)
Total 11,666
(100.00%)		 12,162
(100.00%)		 11,600
(100.00%)		 11,677
(100.00%)		 9,670
(100.00%)

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 11,677 people, 3,573 households, and _ families residing in the county. The population density was 0.0 inhabitants per square mile (0.0/km2). There were 4,283 housing units at an average density of 0.0 per square mile (0.0/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 88.22% White, 0.76% African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.03% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 9.09% from some other races and 1.40% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 93.87% of the population.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 11,600 people, 3,428 households, and 2,807 families residing in the county. The population density was 9.0 inhabitants per square mile (3.5/km2). There were 4,075 housing units at an average density of 3.0 per square mile (1.2/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 65.06% White, 0.49% African American, 0.59% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 31.08% from some other races and 2.66% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 91.22% of the population.

There were 3,428 households, which 43.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.10% are married couples living together, 21.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.10% were non-families. About 16.60% of all households are made up of individuals, and 9.10% had someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 3.28 and the average family size is 3.70.

In the county, the population was distributed as 34.10% under the age of 18, 10.20% from 18 to 24, 25.60% from 25 to 44, 18.70% from 45 to 64, and 11.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age is 29 years. For every 100 females there are 97.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 95.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $16,844, and for a family is $19,418. Males had a median income of $22,045 versus $14,416 for females. The per capita income for the county is $10,034. About 37.40% of families and 41.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 48.90% were under the age of 18 and 42.40% are 65 or older.

Communities

City

Census-designated places

Politics

Zavala County, like most of southern Texas, is heavily Democratic. It had given the Democratic presidential candidate over 60% of the vote in every election since 1976, even in 2020, when Democratic support in southern Texas receded. In 2024, Democrats won under 60% of the vote for the first time since Richard Nixon's 1972 landslide. Overall, Zavala County shifted to the right from 2012 to 2024 by 53 percentage points, representing one of the strongest such rightward shifts for any county in the country.[44]

United States presidential election results for Zavala County, Texas[45]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
1912 44 10.68% 242 58.74% 126 30.58%
1916 43 14.78% 229 78.69% 19 6.53%
1920 101 25.57% 264 66.84% 30 7.59%
1924 95 20.97% 326 71.96% 32 7.06%
1928 571 71.38% 229 28.63% 0 0.00%
1932 166 17.42% 783 82.16% 4 0.42%
1936 209 20.86% 788 78.64% 5 0.50%
1940 259 25.95% 739 74.05% 0 0.00%
1944 342 30.29% 696 61.65% 91 8.06%
1948 306 31.03% 618 62.68% 62 6.29%
1952 1,043 60.53% 677 39.29% 3 0.17%
1956 896 62.79% 528 37.00% 3 0.21%
1960 761 51.59% 706 47.86% 8 0.54%
1964 598 25.07% 1,784 74.80% 3 0.13%
1968 693 31.29% 1,307 59.01% 215 9.71%
1972 1,288 52.96% 1,122 46.13% 22 0.90%
1976 735 28.51% 1,822 70.67% 21 0.81%
1980 831 23.49% 2,621 74.08% 86 2.43%
1984 924 23.89% 2,937 75.93% 7 0.18%
1988 628 15.81% 3,338 84.02% 7 0.18%
1992 571 14.76% 3,058 79.06% 239 6.18%
1996 463 14.50% 2,629 82.34% 101 3.16%
2000 751 22.15% 2,616 77.15% 24 0.71%
2004 777 24.92% 2,332 74.79% 9 0.29%
2008 596 15.38% 3,263 84.18% 17 0.44%
2012 574 15.71% 3,042 83.27% 37 1.01%
2016 694 20.44% 2,636 77.62% 66 1.94%
2020 1,490 34.00% 2,864 65.36% 28 0.64%
2024 1,482 42.44% 1,984 56.82% 26 0.74%
United States Senate election results for Zavala County, Texas1[46]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2024 1,167 35.66% 1,994 60.92% 112 3.42%

Education

School districts include:[47]

Southwest Texas Junior College is the county's designated community college.[48]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Explore Census Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Zavala County, Texas". www.census.gov. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  4. ^ "Texas: Individual County Chronologies". publications.newberry.org. The Newberry Library. 2008. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  5. ^ "Tortuga Flat". Texas Beyond History. UT-Austin. Retrieved December 14, 2010.
  6. ^ Campbell, Thomas N. "Pacuache Indians". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved December 14, 2010.
  7. ^ "Chaparrosa Ranch". Texas Beyond History. UT-Austin. Retrieved December 14, 2010.
  8. ^ "Tells of an Indian Raid of Zavala County, Texas". genealogytrails.com. Retrieved August 31, 2025.
  9. ^ Wranker, Ralph. "The South Texas Area". Retrieved December 14, 2010.
  10. ^ Bartlett, Richard C.; Williamson, Leroy; Sansom, Andrew; Thornton III, Robert L. (1995). "The South Texas Plains". The Wild Horse Desert. University of Texas Press. pp. 123–141. ISBN 978-0-292-70835-8.
  11. ^ With All Arms, by Carl Laurence Duaine, New Santander Press, Edinberg, TX, 1987
  12. ^ "Lorenzo de Zavala". Lone Star Junction. Retrieved December 14, 2010.
  13. ^ "Batesville, Texas". Texas Escapes. Texas Escapes - Blueprints For Travel, LLC. Retrieved December 14, 2010.
  14. ^ Ochoa, Ruben E. "Cometa, Texas". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved December 14, 2010.
  15. ^ Ochoa, Ruben E. "Murlo, Texas". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved December 14, 2010.
  16. ^ a b Ochoa, Ruben E. "Zavala County". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved December 14, 2010.
  17. ^ Ochoa, Ruben E. "La Pryor, Texas". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved December 14, 2010.
  18. ^ Odintz, Mark. "Crystal City, Texas". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved December 14, 2010.
  19. ^ Odintz, Mark. "Winter Garden Region". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved December 14, 2010.
  20. ^ Mortensen, E. "Spinach Culture". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved December 14, 2010.
  21. ^ Usler, Mark (2008). "Crystal City: Spinach Capital of the World". Hometown Declarations – America's Self-Proclaimed World Capitals. DM Enterprises In. p. 100. ISBN 978-0-9786987-1-3.
  22. ^ Reavis, Dick J. (June 1987). "The Importance of Popeye". Texas Monthly: 98, 100.
  23. ^ Dickerson, James L. (2010). "The Konzentrationslager Blues". Inside America's Concentration Camps: Two Centuries of Internment and Torture. Lawrence Hill Books. pp. 145–160. ISBN 978-1-55652-806-4.
  24. ^ Arreola, Daniel David (2002). "Homeland Forged". Tejano South Texas: A Mexican American Cultural Province. University of Texas Press. pp. 43–63. ISBN 978-0-292-70511-1.
  25. ^ Acosta, Teresa Paloma. "The Political Association of Spanish-Speaking Organizations". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved December 14, 2010.
  26. ^ Acosta, Teresa Paloma. "Crystal City Revolts". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved December 14, 2010.
  27. ^ Ruiz, Vicki (2006). Latinas in the United States: A Historical Encyclopedia (Volume 1). Indiana University Press. pp. 367–368. ISBN 978-0-253-34681-0.
  28. ^ "2025 County Gazetteer Files – Texas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  29. ^ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Zavala County, Texas". www.census.gov. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  30. ^ "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2024". Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  31. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  32. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. 2007. Archived from the original on December 12, 2009. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  33. ^ Forstall, Richard L. (April 20, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 19, 1999. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  34. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  35. ^ "County Median Home Price". National Association of Realtors. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  36. ^ a b c "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved January 11, 2026.
  37. ^ "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved January 11, 2026.
  38. ^ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved January 11, 2026.
  39. ^ "Zavala County, Texas — Population by Race". CensusScope. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  40. ^ "1990 Census of Population: General Population Characteristics Washington" (PDF). www.census.gov. October 6, 2022. p. 30. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  41. ^ "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Zavala County, Texas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  42. ^ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Zavala County, Texas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  43. ^ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Zavala County, Texas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  44. ^ Goldmacher, Shane (May 25, 2025). "How Donald Trump Has Remade America's Political Landscape". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 27, 2025. Retrieved May 29, 2025.
  45. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  46. ^ "2024 Senate Election (Official Returns)". Commonwealth of Texas by county. November 5, 2024. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  47. ^ "2020 Census - School District Reference Map: Zavala County, TX" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved June 30, 2022. - Text list.
  48. ^ Texas Education Code: Sec. 130.200. SOUTHWEST TEXAS JUNIOR COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zavala_County