Smithson Valley, Texas

Unincorporated community in Texas, United States

29°48′47″N 98°20′14″W / 29.81306°N 98.33722°W / 29.81306; -98.33722CountryUnited StatesStateTexasCountyComalElevation

1,289 ft (393 m)Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST)) • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)Area code830GNIS feature ID1380562^[1]

Smithson Valley is an unincorporated community in Comal County, Texas, United States.^[1] According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had a population of 15 in 2000. It is located within the Greater San Antonio area.

History

Ben Smithson, who arrived in the area in 1856, is honored by the Smithson Valley post office, which was established in 1857 and housed in Charles Ohlrich's residence. By the 1880s, the town had become a hub for social and commercial activity, providing area farmers and ranchers with a saloon, a store, an amusement hall, and a cotton gin. Cutting cedar posts developed into a significant regional business. The post office closed in 1940. The town's population has been reported to be between 15 and 20 since the 1930s. Though the Texas Almanac still listed 15 people as living there in the 2000 census, the number obscured the area's rapid population growth in rural Comal County. By the early 1990s, several residential and commercial developments had started, reflecting a migration of people from the San Antonio region.^[2]

Geography

Smithson Valley is located on Farm to Market Road 311, 15 mi (24 km) northwest of New Braunfels in central Comal County.^[2]

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Smithson Valley has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.^[3]

Education

The community's first school was established in 1875. The Smithson Valley and Sherwood schools were combined after 1940. Established in 1976, Smithson Valley High School is a component of the Comal Independent School District. When the high school's new campus opened in 1988, the previous location became Smithson Valley Middle School. With almost 2,500 pupils, the high school catered to a sizable rural and increasingly suburban student body in 2007.^[2] It is also zoned for Bill Brown Elementary School.

Notable person

Logan Cunningham, track and field athlete who specializes in the pole vault.^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Smithson Valley, Texas
^ ^a ^b ^c Smithson Valley, TX from the Handbook of Texas Online
^ Climate Summary for Smithson Valley, Texas
^ Vozzelli, Joe (2016-07-03). Track and Field: Former Texas State pole vaulter Logan Cunningham is Rio bound Archived 2016-09-26 at the Wayback Machine. San Marcos Record. Retrieved on 2016-07-16.