Uvalde County

Uvalde County, named for Spaniard Juan de Ugalde, is in Southwest Texas midway between San Antonio and the International Amistad Reservoir on the United States-Mexico border. The county's center is eight miles north of Uvalde at 29°22' north latitude and 99°45' west longitude. Uvalde County covers 1,588 square miles. The Nueces, Leona, Sabinal, Dry Frio, and Frio rivers flow through Uvalde County. At the intersection of U.S. highways 83 and 90 is Uvalde, the county seat. Other major towns are Knippa, Sabinal, and Utopia; minor towns are Cline, Montell, Concan, and Reagan Wells. The main line of the Southern Pacific Railroad parallels U.S. 90 and connects Uvalde with Knippa and Sabinal to the east and Cline to the west. The climate has been described as continental, semi-arid, and subtropical-subhumid. The average rainfall is 23.22 inches annually. Temperatures range from an average low of 37° F and average high of 63° F in January to an average low of 71° and high of 98° in July. The Edwards Plateau covers the northern third of the county. Elevations range from 2,000 feet above sea level to 700 feet above sea level. Low rolling hills and deep canyons cut across the county's midsection from southwest to northeast. The northern and western portions have the short grass and scattered timber common to the eastern Edwards Plateau and Hill Country. Trees include live oak, shinnery oak, red oak, and juniper; buffalo and mesquite grasses dominates the western margin. The southern and eastern region is in the South Texas brushy plains and features thorny vegetation with scattered post oak and live oak.

Adapted from the official Handbook of Texas, a state encyclopedia developed by the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). It is an authoritative source of trusted historical records.