Geography
Hondo is located at 29°20'49" North, 99°8'44" West (29.346838, -99.145543)1, approximately 40 miles west of San Antonio.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 24.9 km² (9.6 mi²). 24.8 km² (9.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.21% water.
History
The city was first settled in 1881 and incorporated in 1942. The U.S. Army built an air field in the town in 1942 to train new pilots; at one time the largest air navigation school in the world, Hondo Army Air Field trained over 14,000 navigators for service during World War II before closing in 1946. Presently the field is owned by the town of Hondo and leased for T-6A instructor training by the United States Air Force.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 7,897 people, 2,207 households, and 1,664 families residing in the city. The population density is 317.9/km² (823.8/mi²). There are 2,474 housing units at an average density of 99.6/km² (258.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 73.33% White, 8.33% African American, 0.47% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 15.23% from other races, and 2.38% from two or more races. 59.92% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 2,207 households out of which 39.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.1% are married couples living together, 14.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 24.6% are non-families. 21.3% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.7% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.91 and the average family size is 3.38.
In the city the population is spread out with 26.0% under the age of 18, 12.0% from 18 to 24, 33.1% from 25 to 44, 16.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 30 years. For every 100 females there are 132.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 145.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $27,917, and the median income for a family is $34,856. Males have a median income of $21,639 versus $17,868 for females. The per capita income for the city is $12,635. 22.6% of the population and 18.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 31.8% are under the age of 18 and 17.1% are 65 or older.