Comal County, Texas
Comal County, Texas is in the central portion of the state, northeast of San Antonio and southwest of Austin, the state capital. The 555-square-mile county comprises both prairie and Hill Country terrain. The rich farmland attracted German and American settlers and permanent settlements began in earnest in 1845. In March 1846, the Texas Legislature formed Comal County from a portion of Bexar County and made New Braunfels the county seat.
Comal County's steady population growth, from 78,021 in 2000 to an estimated 114,525 in 2009 (U.S. Census Bureau), is due primarily to San Antonio's northward sprawl. Comal County's location between San Antonio and Austin provides opportunities for commuters to work in one of these major cities. Comal County is part of theSan Antonio–New Braunfels Metropolitan Statistical Area, an eight-county metropolitan area often referred to as "Greater San Antonio."
New Braunfels is the largest city in Comal County, TX. Founded in 1845 by German settlers, New Braunfels hosts a large German Festival, WURSTFEST, a “Ten Day Salute to Sausage." New Braunfels strategic location at the intersection of Interstate 35 and Interstate10, and the availability of nearby freight railroads, have made the city popular with distribution companies such as Walmart Distribution Center,Sam’s Club Distribution Center, Ashley Furniture andLeisure Pools.
There are six other cities within Comal County: the City of Garden Ridge, the City of Schertz, the City of Selma, the City of Fair Oaks Ranch and the City of Bulverde.
Comal County, TX enjoys easy access to Interstate 35 and Interstate10 and air travel is provided by the Austin Bergstrom International Airport, the San Antonio International Airport and the New Braunfels Airport.
The Comal Independent School District provides public education for Comal County. The school district faces the same challenges as the rest of Comal County, Texas in dealing with the county's rapid growth. The Comal Independent School District is buying future school sites and expanding current middle and high schools to reach larger student capacities.
Residents of Comal County enjoy year-round outdoor recreation in the Guadalupe and Comal rivers, Canyon Lake, and Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort in New Braunfels. Water recreation plays such a major part in the lives of Comal County, Texas residents that the county maintains the Water Oriented Recreation District. The District includes Canyon Lake and almost 30 miles of water on the Guadalupe River above and below Canyon Lake. The district begins at the New Braunfels city limits on the east and ends at the boundary of the Guadalupe State Park on the west.
Canyon Lake is a census-designated area in Comal County, Texas which includes a number of small, unincorporated communities. With 80 miles of shoreline, Canyon Lake is known as the Water Recreation Capital of Texas. The scenic area has eight Corps of Engineer public parks, 23 boat ramps, two marinas, campgrounds, golf courses, a country club and a yacht club.
