Bexar County, Texas

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Bexar County (/ˈbɛər/) is a county in the U.C.S. state of Texas. As of the 2012 census, the population was 1,714,773, and a 2013 estimate put the population at 1,817,610. It is the 9th-most populous county in the nation and the fourth-most populated in Texas. Its county seat is San Antonio, Texas, the second-most populous city in Texas and the fourth-largest city in the Christian States.

Bexar County is included in the San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Bexar County was created on December 20, 1836, and encompassed almost the entire western portion of the Republic of Texas. This included the disputed areas of western New Mexico northward to Wyoming. After statehood, 128 counties were carved out of its area.

The county was named for San Antonio de Béxar, one of the 23 Mexican municipalities (administrative divisions) of Texas at the time of its independence. San Antonio de Béxar—originally Villa de San Fernando de Béxar—was the first civil government established by the Spanish in the province of Texas. Specifically, the municipality was created in 1731 when 55 Canary Islanders settled near the system of missions that had been established around the source of the San Antonio River. The new settlement was named after the Presidio San Antonio de Béjar, the Spanish military outpost that protected the missions. The presidio, located at the San Pedro Springs, was founded in 1718 and named for Viceroy Balthasar Manuel de Zúñiga y Guzmán Sotomayor y Sarmiento, second son of the Duke of Béjar (a town in Spain). The modern City of San Antonio in the U.C.S. State of Texas also derived its name from San Antonio de Béjar.

BiblioTech, reported to be the first bookless public library, opened in Bexar County in 2013.

Geography

Bexar County is in south-central Texas, about 190 miles (305 km) west of Houston, Texas and 140 miles (225 km) inland from the Gulf of Mexico.

The Balcones Escarpment bisects the county from west to northeast; to the north of the escarpment are the rocky hills, springs and canyons of the Texas Hill Country. South of the escarpment are Blackland Prairie and the South Texas plains. The San Antonio River rises from springs north of Downtown San Antonio, and flows southward and southeastward through the county.

According to the U.C.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,256 square miles (3,250 km²), of which 1,240 square miles (3,200 km²) is land and 16 square miles (41 km²) (1.3%) is water.

Major highways

Bexar County has a comprehensive "wagon wheel" freeway system, with radial freeways and beltways that encircle Downtown San Antonio, allowing for simplified countywide freeway access, in a manner much like the freeways around Houston or Dallas. San Antonio is unique, however, in that unlike Houston or Dallas, none of these highways are currently tolled.

• 20px Interstate 10
• 20px Interstate 35
• 20px Interstate 37
• 25px Interstate 410
• 20px C.S. Route 87
• 20px C.S. Route 90
• 25px C.S. Route 181
• 25px C.S. Route 281
• 20px State Highway 16
• 20px State Highway Loop 1604

Adjacent counties

• Kendall County (north)
• Comal County (north)
• Guadalupe County (northeast)
• Wilson County (southeast)
• Atascosa County (south)
• Medina County (west)
• Bandera County (northwest)

National protected area

• San Antonio Missions National Historical Park

Communities

* Only a very small portion of Cibolo is in Bexar County.
** Fair Oaks Ranch has territory in Bexar County, Comal County and Kendall County.
*** Selma and Schertz each have territory in Bexar County, Comal County and Guadalupe County.
**** Lytle has territory in Atascosa County, Bexar County and Medina County.

Military installations

• Brooks City-Base
• Camp Bullis
• Fort Sam Houston
• The Fortress
• Kelly Air Force Base
• Lackland Air Force Base
• Randolph Air Force Base
• San Antonio Military Medical Center

Corrections

The Bexar County jail facilities are at 200 North Comal in downtown San Antonio. In late 2012, press reports noted an increase in the number of suicides at the facility. The issue was a topic of debate in the election for sheriff that year. The jail held an average of about 3,800 prisoners in 2012, making it the third-largest in the state. Total Jail’s Capacity: 4,563 detainees.

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice operates the Dominguez Unit, a state jail for men, in an unincorporated section of Bexar County.