Wilson County

Wilson County was named for James Charles Wilson, who was born in Yorkshire, England in 1816. He came to Texas in 1837 and held many important state offices before his death at Gonzales in 1861. The county was created in 1860 with the first county seat being Sutherland Springs. In 1885, Floresville become the permanent county seat.

The county is a five sided (polygon), kite shaped parcel of land, located in the Rio Grande Plain or upper coastal plain of South Texas. The county comprises 516,480 acres or 807 square miles of land. Elevation ranges from 375 to 575 feet, inclining to the southeast, with a gently rolling terrain of an estimated sloping of some eight feet per mile. The average rainfall is 30 inches per year.

86 percent of the total county land acreage is presently utilized for farming and ranching. About one-half of the total agricultural income comes from beef cattle production. Other major agricultural products produced include grain sorghum, corn, milk, peanuts, hay, swine and wheat.

The most recent data shows Wilson County with a population of 32,800, which is a 35 percent increase since 1990. The reason for this regional increase is the county’s close proximity to San Antonio. 59 percent of our workforce is employed outside of the county.

Wilson County per capita personal income for 1996 was $16,044. The ethnic breakdown of county citizens is 63

% white, 36% hispanic and 1% black. The largest age group are those 30-49 years of age.

The four major towns in the county are Floresville, La Vernia, Stockdale and Poth with each having an independent school district. There is one county hospital, ten volunteer fire departments and four EMS’s.

Wilson County is concentrating on developing a strong economy and educational system that will

prepare its citizens and its children for the 21st century.

Mission: To provide quality, relevant, outreach and continuing education programs and

services to the people of Wilson County.

Extension brings the resources of the Texas A&M University System to Wilson County. Through

field based faculty, Extension provides unbiased, research-based information, educational programs, and technical assistance in the following core service areas:

• Agriculture
• Community & Economic Development
• Environmental Stewardship
• Nutrition and Family Development
• Youth Development