Leakey, Texas
Encyclopedia
Leakey is a city in and the county seat
of Real County, Texas
, United States
. The population was 387 at the 2000 census. A U.S. Census Bureau estimate of July 1, 2008, placed the population at 359.
The city is named for John H. Leakey (1824-1900), a pioneer former Tennessee
.
Leakey depends heavily on tourism because of the existence of the nearby Frio River and Garner
State Park. The Alto Frio Baptist
Encampment is located to the southeast of the community.
, and Farm Roads 336, 337, and 1120 in southeastern Real County, approximately 35 miles north of Uvalde
and 90 miles northwest of San Antonio
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²), all of it land.
, and Tonkawa
inhabited or traversed the area.
Anglo-American settlement of the area began in 1856 when John Leakey, his wife Nancy, and a few others settled near a spring along the banks of the Frio River
. Shingles and lumber were produced from the abundant cypress
and cedar trees. In its first few years, the community was a lonely outpost that was subject to frequent Indian raids, which continued until 1882. Growth accelerated after the Civil War
as new families arrived. In 1883, A.G. Vogel moved a post office from the community of Floral to Leakey. That same year, the Texas State Legislature created Edwards County and designated Leakey as the county seat less than a year later. 1883 was also the year that the area's first school was established on land donated by the Leakeys. A new school building was completed in 1890. In 1891, the Edwards County seat was moved from Leakey to Rocksprings
. During the early 1900s, ranching superseded lumber, cotton cultivation, and corn production in importance to the local economy. The raising of Angora goats was a major component of the ranching industry. In 1902, the school in Leakey had a total enrollment of 102 students. The town's population was estimated to be 318 in 1904.
Real County was created from parts of Edwards, Bandera
, and Kerr
counties in the spring of 1913, with Leakey as the county seat. In 1919, Real County Judge Ed Kelly established the Leakey Independent School District
. By the mid-1920s, the population had declined to around 120. A larger school building was completed in 1930. Soon after, several nearby schools, including West Frio, Cypress Creek, Rio Frio, Exile, Stanford, Dry Frio, and Harper were consolidated with Leakey schools.
Leakey was formally incorporated on June 11, 1951. The population fluctuated during the latter half of the twentieth century. Leakey was home to 450 people in 1960, 393 in 1970, 468 in 1980, and 399 in 1990. By 2000, there were 387 residents living in Leakey, representing a 3.01 percent decrease in population since the last census was conducted in 1990.
of 2000, there were 387 people, 169 households, and 100 families residing in the city. The population density
was 694.8 people per square mile (266.8/km2). There were 211 housing units at an average density of 378.8/sq mi (145.5/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 92.51% White, 0.52% African American, 1.03% Native American, 5.94% from other races
. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 22.74% of the population.
There were 169 households out of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.2% were married couples
living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.8% were non-families. 39.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 23.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 3.02.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.6% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 21.2% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 20.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 84.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $22,019, and the median income for a family was $25,417. Males had a median income of $17,500 versus $18,750 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $11,511. About 9.8% of families and 19.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.6% of those under age 18 and 19.0% of those age 65 or over.
.
Also children have the option of Ed Brune Charter School
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 Real County, 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...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 387 at the 2000 census. A U.S. Census Bureau estimate of July 1, 2008, placed the population at 359.
The city is named for John H. Leakey (1824-1900), a pioneer former Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
.
Leakey depends heavily on tourism because of the existence of the nearby Frio River and Garner
Garner State Park
Garner State Park is a state park in Uvalde County, Texas in the United States. Garner State Park, in the Texas Hill Country, is the most popular state park in Texas for overnight camping. It often fills by noon in peak parts of the season...
State Park. The Alto Frio Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
Encampment is located to the southeast of the community.
Geography
Leakey is located at 29.725243°N 99.761463°W (29.725243, -99.761463). It is situated at the intersection of U.S. Highway 83U.S. Route 83
U.S. Route 83 is one of the longest north–south U.S. Highways in the United States, at . Only four other north–south routes are longer: U.S. Routes 1, 41, 59 and 87. The highway's northern terminus is north of Westhope, North Dakota, at the Canadian border, where it continues as...
, and Farm Roads 336, 337, and 1120 in southeastern Real County, approximately 35 miles north of Uvalde
Uvalde, Texas
Uvalde is a city in and the county seat of Uvalde County, Texas, United States. The population was 14,929 at the 2000 census.Uvalde was founded by Reading Wood Black in 1853 as the town of Encina. In 1856, when the county was organized, the town was renamed Uvalde for Spanish governor Juan de...
and 90 miles northwest of 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,...
.
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 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²), all of it land.
History
Archaeological excavations in the Frio Canyon region revealed Paleo-American, Archaic, and Neo-American occupations. Later, several Native American tribes, including Lipan Apache, ComancheComanche
The Comanche are a Native American ethnic group whose historic range consisted of present-day eastern New Mexico, southern Colorado, northeastern Arizona, southern Kansas, all of Oklahoma, and most of northwest Texas. Historically, the Comanches were hunter-gatherers, with a typical Plains Indian...
, and Tonkawa
Tonkawa
The Tickanwa•tic Tribe , better known as the Tonkawa , are a Native American people indigenous to present-day Oklahoma and Texas. They once spoke the now-extinct Tonkawa language believed to have been a language isolate not related to any other indigenous tongues...
inhabited or traversed the area.
Anglo-American settlement of the area began in 1856 when John Leakey, his wife Nancy, and a few others settled near a spring along the banks of the Frio River
Frio River
The Frio River is a river in the U.S. state of Texas. The word frio is Spanish for cold, a clear reference to the spring-fed coolness of the river.-Geography:The Frio River has three primary feeds; the East, West, and Dry Frio rivers...
. Shingles and lumber were produced from the abundant cypress
Cypress
Cypress is the name applied to many plants in the cypress family Cupressaceae, which is a conifer of northern temperate regions. Most cypress species are trees, while a few are shrubs...
and cedar trees. In its first few years, the community was a lonely outpost that was subject to frequent Indian raids, which continued until 1882. Growth accelerated after the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
as new families arrived. In 1883, A.G. Vogel moved a post office from the community of Floral to Leakey. That same year, the Texas State Legislature created Edwards County and designated Leakey as the county seat less than a year later. 1883 was also the year that the area's first school was established on land donated by the Leakeys. A new school building was completed in 1890. In 1891, the Edwards County seat was moved from Leakey to Rocksprings
Rocksprings, Texas
Rocksprings is a town in Edwards County, Texas, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 1,285. It is the county seat of Edwards County. The town received its name from natural springs that bubble forth from the porous limestone rocks in the area.-History:J. R. Sweeten...
. During the early 1900s, ranching superseded lumber, cotton cultivation, and corn production in importance to the local economy. The raising of Angora goats was a major component of the ranching industry. In 1902, the school in Leakey had a total enrollment of 102 students. The town's population was estimated to be 318 in 1904.
Real County was created from parts of Edwards, Bandera
Bandera County, Texas
Bandera 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...
, and Kerr
Kerr County, Texas
Kerr County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2010, its population was 49,625. Its county seat is Kerrville. Kerr County was named by Joshua D. Brown for his fellow Kentucky native, James Kerr, a congressman of the Republic of Texas...
counties in the spring of 1913, with Leakey as the county seat. In 1919, Real County Judge Ed Kelly established the Leakey Independent School District
Leakey Independent School District
The Leakey Independent School District is a public school district based in Leakey, Texas, United States.The district is located primarily in Real County with a small portion extending into north central Uvalde County...
. By the mid-1920s, the population had declined to around 120. A larger school building was completed in 1930. Soon after, several nearby schools, including West Frio, Cypress Creek, Rio Frio, Exile, Stanford, Dry Frio, and Harper were consolidated with Leakey schools.
Leakey was formally incorporated on June 11, 1951. The population fluctuated during the latter half of the twentieth century. Leakey was home to 450 people in 1960, 393 in 1970, 468 in 1980, and 399 in 1990. By 2000, there were 387 residents living in Leakey, representing a 3.01 percent decrease in population since the last census was conducted in 1990.
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 387 people, 169 households, and 100 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 694.8 people per square mile (266.8/km2). There were 211 housing units at an average density of 378.8/sq mi (145.5/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 92.51% White, 0.52% African American, 1.03% Native American, 5.94% 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...
. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 22.74% of the population.
There were 169 households out of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.2% 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, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.8% were non-families. 39.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 23.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 3.02.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.6% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 21.2% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 20.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 84.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $22,019, and the median income for a family was $25,417. Males had a median income of $17,500 versus $18,750 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 $11,511. About 9.8% of families and 19.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.6% of those under age 18 and 19.0% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Public education in the city of Leakey is provided by the Leakey Independent School DistrictLeakey Independent School District
The Leakey Independent School District is a public school district based in Leakey, Texas, United States.The district is located primarily in Real County with a small portion extending into north central Uvalde County...
.
Also children have the option of Ed Brune Charter School