Del Rio, Texas, United States

🇺🇸 Del Rio is a city and the county seat of Val Verde County in south-western Texas, United States. The city is 152 miles west of San Antonio. Located across from Del Rio, in the Mexican state of Coahuila, is the city of 🇲🇽 Acuña.

History The Spanish established a small settlement south of the Rio Grande in present-day Mexico, and some Spaniards settled on what became the United States side of the Rio Grande as early as the 18th century. Paula Losoya Taylor built the first hacienda in the area in 1862. U.S. development on the north shore of the Rio Grande did not begin until after the American Civil War.

The San Felipe Springs, about 8 mi (13 km) east of the Rio Grande on the U.S. side of the border, produces 90×106 US gal of water a day. Developers acquired several thousand acres of land adjacent to the springs, and to San Felipe Creek formed by the springs, from the state of Texas in exchange for building a canal system to irrigate the area. The developers sold tracts of land surrounding the canals to recover their investment and show a profit. The initial investors (William C. Adams, Joseph M. Hudson, John P. Grove, Donald Jackson, John Perry, Joseph Ney, Randolph Pafford, A. O. Strickland, and James H Taylor) formed the San Felipe Agricultural, Manufacturing, and Irrigation Company in 1868. The organization completed construction of a network of irrigation canals in 1871. Residents referred to the slowly developing town as San Felipe Del Rio because local lore said the name came from early Spanish explorers who offered a mass at the site on St. Philip's Day, 1635.

In 1883, local residents requested a post office be established. The United States Postal Department shortened "San Felipe del Rio" to "Del Rio" to avoid confusion with San Felipe de Austin. In 1885, Val Verde County was organized and Del Rio became the county seat. The City of Del Rio was incorporated on November 15, 1911.

The San Felipe community was started by the Arteaga family. Arteaga Street and Arteaga Park are named after them.

Many historical artifacts from Del Rio, particularly from the 19th century, are preserved at the Whitehead Memorial Museum downtown.

During September 2021, as part of the ongoing Mexico–United States border crisis, approximately 30,000 Haitians migrants illegally entered the United States at Del Rio. The United States Border Patrol moved many into a camp underneath the Del Río–Ciudad Acuña International Bridge. The squalid conditions in the camp attracted widespread national attention. A photo of a Haitian grabbing the reins of a horse-mounted Border Patrol agent was incorrectly alleged to show the agent whipping the Haitian.

Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 52.3 km² (20.2 sq mi), of which 52.2 km² (20.2 sq mi) are land and 0.1 km² (0.039 sq mi), or 0.24%, is covered by water.

Del Rio lies on the north-western edges of the Tamaulipan mezquital, also called the South Texas brush country. It is also near the south-western corner of the Edwards Plateau, which is the western fringe of the famous, oak savanna-covered Texas Hill Country; that area is dotted with numerous small springs; one of these is the San Felipe Springs, which provides a constant flow of water to San Felipe Creek. The creek supplied fresh water for drinking and irrigation to early settlers of Del Rio, and the springs are still the town's water supply.

The Del Rio region, west to about the Pecos River, has a mix of desert shrub and steppe vegetation, depending on soil type, with the gray-leafed cenizo (Leucophyllum spp.), several different acacias, cactuses, and grama grasses dominant members of local flora. The terrain is mostly level, but some areas are dissected with substantial canyons and drainages, though none of the upland areas is high or large enough to be considered a mountain.

Neighborhoods Rincon del Diablo: The section where Barron St. meets Magnolia Street.

Barrio Chihuahua: In the southern part of the city, this neighborhood, named after the Chihuahua Soccer Field, is located between West Gibbs to the north, Texas State Spur 29 to the west, Garfield Ave., West Garfield to the south-east, and S. Ave F to the far east.

Buena Vista: Located near Buena Vista Park. Lake Amistad and North Del Rio are located past the Buena Vista area.

Cienegas Terraces: Outside the city limits, it is home to the "Duck Pond" and various ranches, on the west side of the city.

Eastside: Named by locals after the school on the corner of Bedell & 7th Street, the neighborhood is also home to Star Park. Surrounded by Veterans Boulevard to the west and E. Gibbs to the south, the neighborhood is home to the Val Verde Regional Medical Center.

San Felipe: The original neighborhood in Del Rio, the city originally got its name from it as in "San Felipe del rio", south of Barrio Chihuahua and the Northside. Home of the San Felipe Creek.

Qualia: Home to Val Verde Winery, the oldest operating winery in Texas. Next door to the San Felipe neighborhood. Residents living within the Qualia area reference the neighborhood as "the one by the Winery", Many historical markers are located within the vicinity.

Westside: Home to Del Rio International Airport, the neighborhood is surrounded to the north by W. 15th, 18th, and 17th Streets, to the east by Veterans Blvd., and to the south by W. Gibbs bordering Chihuahua.

Comalia: A neighborhood isolated by the Woodlawn cemetery and a bridge that leads to the U.S.-Mexico border crossing, it can be found by traveling down W. 2nd Street.

Laughlin Air Force Base In 1942, the Army Air Corps opened Laughlin Field 9 mi (14 km) east of Del Rio, as a training base for the Martin B-26, but the base was deactivated in 1945. As the Cold War pressures built, along with new border-control issues, Laughlin Field was rebuilt and renamed Laughlin Air Force Base and was again used as a home for flight training. Laughlin plays a large part in the Del Rio community as the area's largest employer.

Val Verde Correctional Facility The GEO Group, a private correctional facility corporation based in Boca Raton, Florida, manages the Val Verde Correctional Facility in Del Rio. It has a contract to house offenders for the county, for the U.S. Marshals Service (male/female) prisoners, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection detainees. The facility opened in 2001 with 688 beds. In 2007, the facility was expanded to its current capacity of 1,400 beds. It is one of the major employers in the Del Rio area and meets standards required by state and federal guidelines.

Arts and culture Some of the earliest surviving cultural artefacts in the region are various pictographs found in local caverns in and near the town. Some of these pictographs date as far back as 4,200 years when the Seminole first reached the region and created pictographs in the caverns of the Lower Pecos Canyonlands Archeological District, a proposed National Historic Landmark. The pictographs are preserved in part by the Shumla Archaeological Research and Education Center, a local group which documents the pictographs, and creates educational material about them.

The Whitehead Memorial Museum carries on the history of the culture created in Del Rio brought by mementos of Judge Roy Bean.

The Laughlin Heritage Museum Foundation educates the public about the importance of air power in sustaining the national security of the United States, and to preserve the heritage of Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas.

Del Rio is home to the oldest continuously running winery in Texas, the Val Verde Winery. The winery was established in 1883 by Italian immigrant Frank Qualia, who brought with him the family tradition of winemaking. Today, the winery is operated by third-generation vintner Thomas Qualia.

A cultural melting pot, Del Rio is home to a mix of ethnic and racial backgrounds including Hispanic, African American Seminole, Mestizo, and Tejano. Del Rio offers a variety of Southwestern cuisine including: Tex-Mex, Steakhouses, Barbecue, Authentic Mexican food and "Pan Dulce" or Mexican pastries.

The Upstagers have been performing award-winning live theater in Del Rio since 1977.

The Casa de la Cultura is a non-profit organization that provides community focused outlets for the youth and adults in Del Rio for over 40 years. It offers a revolving variety of classes based on the educational and cultural needs of the community, such as: Ballet Folklorico, Guitar, Singing, Knitting, Pottery, Art Camps, Latino Aerobics and Literacy classes. In the early 2000s, the Casa de la Cultura began Noches Musicales, a live summer music festival with food vendors and live music. The Casa de la Cultura celebrated their 14th annual Live Music Festival in June 2021.

The Del Rio Council for the Arts provides affordable arts and education and entertainment to the community and its surrounding areas.

Del Rio is home to the George Paul Memorial Bullriding, which is the oldest stand-alone bull-riding event in the world.

Some of the most notable celebrations in the community include: the Independence Day City-Wide Celebration, Cinco de Mayo, 16 de Septiembre, Fiesta de Amistad, and the Fiesta of Flight Air Show. Del Rio held its first ever Pride event in June 2019.

Del Rio is home to consulates of Guatemala and Mexico.

The area is home to various religious profiles including: Christian, Baptist, Catholic, Episcopal, Evangelical, Lutheran, Methodist, Non-Denominational, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Spirit-Filled, Judaism, Seventh Day Adventist, and many more.

Education The city is served by the San Felipe Del Rio Consolidated Independent School District. About 10,450 students are enrolled and 637 teachers are employed at 14 campuses throughout the district. Del Rio is also home to Del Rio Heritage Academy High School, and Premier High School, two charter schools.

Education: University Two four year universities have campuses in Del Rio: Sul Ross State University and Park University.

Southwest Texas Junior College, a two-year community college, has a campus in Del Rio.

Media: Print The Del Rio News-Herald was a daily newspaper published in Del Rio, covering Val Verde County, was owned by Southern Newspapers Inc. The newspaper had a daily circulation of 10,400 and a Sunday circulation of 13,500. The newspaper closed in November 2020.

In 2020, The 830 Times, a local news sit covering Del Río and the wider region of south-west Texas is published weekly, launched its print and online newspaper.

Media: Radio There are multiple radio stations licensed to the area in and around Del Rio including, KDLK-FM, KTDR, KVFE, KWMC, KDRN, KTPD, KDLI.

In 2014, KVFE, a Christian station owned by Inspiracom, was launched to fill one of the ministry's remaining gaps on the US–Mexico border.

In 2016, Texas Public Radio opened a transmitter in Del Rio.

Digital In 2020, The 830 Times, a local news site covering Del Rio and the wider region of south-west Texas, launched.

Transport Del Rio International Airport (FlyDRT) serves the city and surrounding area. American Airlines operates flights twice daily between Del Rio and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. The route is currently served by regional affiliate SkyWest Airlines on their 65-seat Canadair CRJ 700 series aircraft. On January 5, 2023, the City of Del Rio announced that American Airlines will terminate service to DRT effective April 3rd, 2023, leaving Del Rio without scheduled air carrier service.

Transportation services to the citizens of Del Rio is provided by the City of Del Río Transportation Department.

Amtrak provides passenger rail service to Del Rio station through its combined Sunset Limited/Texas Eagle service. Trains serve the station thrice-weekly in each direction, with direct service to Los Angeles, San Antonio, New Orleans, Chicago, and points in between.

Transport: Road • U.S. Route 90 connects with Alpine, Marfa, and El Paso to the west, Uvalde and San Antonio to the east. • U.S. Route 277 connects with San Angelo to the north and Crystal City and Laredo (by U.S. Route 83) to the southeast. • U.S. Route 377 crosses sparsely populated West Texas through several small towns before eventually reaching Fort Worth. • Texas State Highway Loop 79 in Val Verde County and Del Rio, known as a Super Two Loop, opened for traffic in mid-May 2012. It connects with U.S. Route 90, U.S. Route 277, and U.S. Route 377; Loop 79 is part of the Ports to Plain Corridor Infrastructure and the future Interstate 27 that extends from Laredo to Denver, Colorado. • US 90 • US 277 • US 377 • SH 297 • SH 239 • SH 79.