Boerne, Texas

A barn on the Herff–Rozelle Farm in Boerne

Boerne came into being as an offshoot of the Texas Hill Country Free Thinker Latin Settlements, resulting from the Revolutions of 1848 in the German states. Those who came were Forty-Eighters, intellectual liberal abolitionists who enjoyed conversing in Latin and who believed in utopian ideals that guaranteed basic human rights to all.[7] They reveled in passionate conversations about science, philosophy, literature, and music.[8] The Free Thinkers first settled Castell,[9] Bettina,[10] Leningen,[11] and Schoenburg in Llano County. These experimental communities were supported by the Adelsverein[12] for one year. The communities eventually failed due to lack of finances after the Adelsverein funding expired, and conflicts of structure and authorities. Many of the pioneers from these communities moved to Sisterdale, Boerne, and Comfort.[13]

In 1849, a group of Free Thinker German colonists from Bettina camped on the north side of Cibolo Creek, about a mile west of the site of present Boerne. They named their new community after Cicero's Tusculum home in ancient Rome. In 1852, John James and Gustav Theissen,[7] who helped settle Sisterdale, platted the townsite, renamed it in honor of German author Karl Ludwig Börne,[14] with the Anglicized spelling of "Boerne". The town was not incorporated until 1909. August Staffell[15] was the original postmaster in 1856.

Historic office building in Boerne

The 1870 limestone courthouse, second-oldest in Texas, was designed by architects Philip Zoeller and J. F. Stendebach, and stands directly across the street from the current 1998 courthouse designed by architects Rehler, Vaughn & Koone, Inc.[16]

In March 1887, the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway came to town. The coming of the railroad was an economic boost of some magnitude, and it created better conditions for the area.[17]

In the late 1870s, retired British army officers, including Glynn Turquand and Captain Egremont Shearburn, played one of the first polo matches in the United States in Boerne.[18] The polo ground is still visible on Balcones Ranch, bought by Captain Turquand in 1878.[18]

Boerne's robust environment encouraged the health resort industry. Sisters of the Incarnate Word founded the St. Mary's Sanitarium in 1896 for pulmonary patients;[19] Dr. W.E. Wright contracted with the Veterans Administration in 1919 to provide care for World War I veterans suffering from lung ailments;[20] the William L. Sill Tuberculosis Resort operated northwest of Boerne;[21] and Mrs. Adolph (Emilie) Lex opened her home to recovering patients, eventually converting two rooms into operating rooms.[22]

Karl Degener organized the Boerne Gesang Verein (singing club) and the Boerne Village Band[23] in 1860. The family and descendants of Sisterdale resident Baron Ottomar von Behr have included three generations of directors of the Boerne Village Band, and four generations of musicians.[24] The band is billed as the "Oldest Continuously Organized German Band in the World outside Germany", and in 1998[25] the Federal Republic of Germany recognized the Boerne Village Band for its contribution to the German heritage in Texas and America.

Boerne is located in southern Kendall County in the Texas Hill Country. Interstate 10 and U.S. Route 87 pass through the city south and west of its center, with access from Exits 537 through 543. I-10/US-87 lead southeast 31 miles (50 km) to downtown San Antonio and northwest 16 miles (26 km) to Comfort, where the highways diverge.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Boerne has a total area of 11.6 square miles (30.1 km²), of which 11.3 square miles (29.3 km²) are land and 0.3 square miles (0.8 km²), or 2.61%, are water.[26] Cibolo Creek, a 96-mile-long (154 km) tributary of the San Antonio River, flows through the city.

Two of Texas' seven show caves are located near Boerne: Cave Without a Name is 10 miles (16 km) to the northeast, and Cascade Caverns are 3 miles (5 km) to the southeast. They are both actively growing limestone-solution caves.

Boerne Stage Airport

As of the census[30] of 2000, 6,178 people, 2,292 households, and 1,613 families resided in the city. The population density was 1,061.1 people per square mile (409.9/km²). The 2,466 housing units averaged 423.5 per square mile (163.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.76% White, 0.36% African American, 0.37% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 3.29% from other races, and 1.05% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 19.44% of the population.

Of the 2,292 households, 36.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.0% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.6% were not families. About 25.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.10.

In the city, the population was distributed as 26.0% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $80,500 and for a family was $50,903. Males had a median income of $35,039 versus $25,773 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,251. About 6.5% of families and 9.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.5% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.

Boerne is home to two public high schools and one private high school. Students located south of Texas State Highway 46 attend Boerne Samuel V. Champion High School, a 5A high school named after a well-liked administrator for the Boerne Independent School District. Opening in 2008, Samuel V. Champion High School is attended by students who matriculate from Boerne Middle School-South.[31]

Students zoned north of Texas Highway 46 attend Boerne High School. A 4A public high school, Boerne High School is smaller than Champion. Boerne High School is a well-regarded public high school and attended by students who come from Boerne Middle School-North.[32]

Boerne is also home to the Geneva School of Boerne. Unlike Boerne Champion and Boerne High School, Geneva is a private high school with an annual tuition of $11,235. Geneva competes in the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools at the 4A level.[33]

• Michelle Beadle, TV sports personality
• Jacobs Crawley, rodeo world champion
• Susan Howard, actress; Dallas (1979-1987)
• George Wilkins Kendall, journalist, Mexican–American War correspondent, and founder of The New Orleans Picayune
• Cheryl Ladd, actress; Charlie's Angels (1977-1981)[36]
• Maggie Lindemann, singer/songwriter
• Grace Phipps, actress; Fright Night (2011), The Nine Lives of Chloe King (2011), The Vampire Diaries (2012), Teen Beach Movie (2013), and Teen Beach 2 (2015).
• Tammie Jo Shults, commercial airline pilot, former Lieutenant commander for the United States Navy Reserve[37]
• Jimmy Walker, PGA Tour golfer

• Kendall County Courthouse and Jail

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Boerne, Texas.

• Official website
• Boerne Chamber of Commerce
• Boerne Kendall County Economic Development Corporation
• Boerne from the Handbook of Texas Online