Val Verde County was named after a Civil War battle. The name “Val Verde” means green valley. The county was created in 1885 from a land area which was divided into counties forming Crockett, Kinney, Pecos and Val Verde County. The city of Del Rio was first settled around 1807 by a Catholic Priest establishing a mission along San Felipe Creek. Shortly this settlement was abandoned due to hostile Indians and the area was unoccupied until 1868 when a farming settlement appeared along the banks of the San Felipe Creek. The settlement was called San Felipe. The name changed to Del Rio in 1885 when the County was organized and Del Rio became the county seat.
The county is composed of 3,170.7 square miles. It is composed of rolling, hilly and brushy type country. The Devils, Pecos, and Rio Grande rivers flow through the county into Amistad Reservoir located on the southern tip of the county.
Average yearly rainfall in the county is 18.2 inches. The weather is rather mild with very mild winters and hot summer temperatures. The land is suited for and the agriculture production consists mainly of sheep, goat and cattle raising. Hunting operations are of major economical importance in the county. According to the 2010 census, the county population is 48,879.
Recreation in the county includes the gateway to Mexico, deer hunting, fishing, Amistad lake activities, two state parks, Judge Roy Bean Center at Langtry, and two golf courses. Other towns or centers in the county include Comstock, Langtry, Juno, Pandale, Carta Valley and Loma Alta.
A note from our Ag/NR County Agent Miles Gibbs: 2011 has posed many road blocks for Val Verde County landowners and ranchers. As with much of Texas, this county has suffered severely from both drought and wildfire. It is estimated that 175,00 acres have burned in this county alone and the recovery and education process will be ongoing with approximately 15% or less of our average rainfall for the calendar year.
Producers of livestock and wildlife have had to make critical career decisions. Texas AgriLIFE Extension in Val Verde County has provided programs for both wildfire recovery efforts and drought management. Due to extreme drough conditions, educational programs have been provided to county residents in regards to rainwater harvesting and continued water conservation programs will be come staples in Val Verde.
