Leakey, Texas - City Profile By Cofran's Texas Hill Country Portal

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LEAKEY, Texas

(pronounced "LAY-key")

"THE motorcycling Mecca of Texas"
"The Swiss Alps of Texas"
"In The Land of 1100 Springs"

Population: 387Elevation: 1,604 ftArea:.6 smCounty: Real (county seat)
Zip Code: 78873Area Code: 830-232Time Zone: CST
Coordinates: 29 43' 31" N, 99 45' 41" W
Location: About 80 mi W of San Antonio; 64 mi S of Junction;
40 mi N of Uvalde; 56 mi W of Bandera; 21 mi E of Camp Wood
Highways: US 83, RM 336, 337, 1120Rivers: Frio

REFERENCES

CITY:

CITY OF LEAKEY: 830-232-6757
Leakey, TX 78873
Web: None

CHAMBER:

FRIO CANYON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: Ofc: 830-232-5222
PO Box 743, Leakey, TX 78873
Web: www.friocanyonchamber.com; Email: info@leakey-tx.com

FRIO RIVER CANYON REGION: Fun river-centered activities on the Frio River near Concan, Rio Frio, and Leakey and near Garner State Park. www.funrivers.com

VISITORS GUIDE: www.leakey-tx.com

Small Town Research Project: Article

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT RESOURCES: Nothing formal

SMALLER NEIGHBORING TOWNS: Camp Wood; Vance; Montell

PRINCIPAL BUSINESS: Ranching; river recreation

MAJOR ATTRACTIONS:

MOTORCYCLE RIDING ON THE "THREE TWISTED SISTERS" (RM 335, 336, 337)

SCENIC, HILLY DRIVES: Sabinal River Canyon along RR 187

SCENIC DRIVE - US 83 NORTH: Skirts East Frio River; 12 mi N, a roadside park offers spectacular view and picnic facilities.

SCENIC DRIVE - TWISTED SISTERS: RM 335; RM 336

SCENIC DRIVE - FM 337: both east and west spans some of the Hill Country's most spectacular scenery-wooded steppes and tiny secluded valleys. West to Camp Wood leads to river camps on the picturesque Nueces River. East to Vanderpool and north on FM 187 leads to beautiful Lost Maples Natural Area.

FRIO RIVER TUBING & WATER SPORTS:

CAMPING & HUNTING

WILDLIFE ART MUSEUM: 830-232-5607; Features art of taxidermy, sculpture, paintings and carvings. On FM 337, 3 blocks E of US 83. Mon-Sat 9a-5p.

REAL COUNTY HISTORICAL MUSEUM: 830-232-5330; PO Box 69, Leakey, TX 78873. Email: realmuseum@hctc.net; 830-232-6212, Email: riofriotx1@yahoo.com. Located 1/2 block N of the Real County Courthouse on Evergreen Street in downtown Leakey. Created in 1986 "to help preserve the history and heritage of Real County and to bring to life for you the way our pioneer families lived in these beautiful hills". Open Fri-Sat 10a-4p. http://realcountyhistoricalmuseum.com

NEARBY & HILL COUNTRY-WIDE ATTRACTIONS: See Attractions.
Some of the very nearby attractions include:

BARKSDALE: TWISTED SISTERS SCENIC DRIVES & MOTORCYCLE ROUTES

CAMP WOOD; PARKS; TINKER THE FOSSILIZED T REX; TWISTED SISTERS SCENIC DRIVES & MOTORCYCLE ROUTES

CONCAN: FRIO BAT CAVE; FRIO RIVER FUN

RIO FRIO: ANCIENT LIVE OAK REFERENCE LANDMARK; FRIO RIVER FUN

ROCKSPRINGS: DEVIL'S SINKHOLE & BAT CAVE; TWISTED SISTERS SCENIC DRIVES & MOTORCYCLE ROUTES

UTOPIA: SABINAL CANYON MUSEUM; GOLF; RIVER FUN

VANDERPOOL: LONE STAR MOTORCYCLE MUSEUM

PARKS: There are many state parks in the greater area as profiled on the Parks page. These nearby parks include:

CONCAN: GARNER STATE PARK

ROCKSPRINGS: DEVIL'S SINKHOLE & BAT CAVE

VANDERPOOL: LOST MAPLES STATE NATURAL AREA

KICKAPOO: KICKAPOO CAVERN STATE PARK: just W of Camp Wood & Leakey, and just outside the Hill Country

Local city parks include:

EVENT CALENDAR: For full details on each event see Chamber web site and
Events & Festivals

December: Christmas On The Square

WEATHER: Weather Underground

MEDIA COVERAGE:

On-Line Latest News: Topix

Newspapers:

LEAKEY STAR NEWSPAPER: 830-232-6102; editors@theleakeystar.com; Located at Canyon Charm Hwy. 83 P.O. Box 402, Leakey, TX 78873. www.theleakeystar.com

HILL COUNTRY HERALD: 830-232-6294; Leakey, TX. www.hillcountryherald.com; editor@hillcountryherald.com

MAPS: Google, GeoHack

HISTORY: Handbook of Texas Online: "Archeological excavations in the Frio Canyon and the surrounding region reveal Paleo-American, Archaic, and Neo-American occupations. In the historic period Lipan Apaches, Comanches, and Tonkawas inhabited or traversed the area. Anglo-Americans arrived in 1856, when John Leakey, for whom the town was later named, his wife Nancy, and five others settled near the site at springs that were later known as Leakey Springs. Shingles and lumber were produced from the abundant cypress trees lining area streams, which were processed at water-powered sawmills along the Frio. In 1883 A. G. Vogel moved a post office to the settlement from Floral, two miles north, and opened the town's first store. A Methodist church was erected in 1886. In 1884 Leakey became the county seat of Edwards County. The previous county seat was Bullhead, which later became Vance and is now in western Real County. Leakey remained county seat until 1891, when the government was moved to Rocksprings. When Real County was organized in 1913, Leakey was elected the county seat, although the town was not incorporated until June 11, 1951.

Although lumbering, freighting, and cultivating cotton and corn were initially important to the local economy, these activities were eventually superseded by ranching, and in particular the raising of Angora goats; tourism also provided an increasingly significant source of revenue. In 1904 Leakey was estimated to have 318 residents, though this figure was down to 150 by 1926. Estimates climbed to 700 in 1931 but dropped back to 150 two years later. Following these fluctuations, estimates show a steady increase to a peak of 762 in 1956, followed by a decline to 468 by 1982. The population was 399 in 1990 and 387 in 2000."

PRIOR NAMES: None

NATIONAL REGISTRY SITES:

CEMETERIES: Leakey Cemetery: FM 337 on E side of town. Contains the graves of the town founders. Profile

AVAILABLE SERVICES: Gas: yes; Convenience Stores: yes; Restaurants: yes; Lodging: tes; Grocery Stores: no; Banks: no; Vehicle Repair: yes; Hospital: no; Med Clinic: no; Post Office: yes; Public Schools: yes; Cemetery: yes

OTHER PROFILES: Wikipedia; ePodunk; City Data, Travel Texas; Travel Texas (not available)

NOTES:

(We welcome submission of updates, additions, corrections & digital photos, without compensation.)

BUSINESS AND ORGANIZATION DIRECTORY

See web sites shown above and listings below:

CHURCHES

CHURCH IN THE VALLEY: 830-232-6090; Hwy 83 S; Leakey, TX 78873

CHURCH OF CHRIST: 830-232-6933; Hwy 83, Leakey, TX 78873

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH: 830-232-5344; Hwy 83, Leakey, TX 78873

FRIO CANYON BAPTIST CHURCH: 830-232-5883; Hwy 83 S, Leakey TX 78873

ST. RAYMOND CATHOLIC CHURCH: 830-232-5852; 2nd Ave @ Mountain, Leakey, TX 78873

TRINITY FELLOWSHIP CHURCH: 830-232-6770; PO Box 1177, Leakey, TX 78873-1177

UNITED METHODIST CHURCH: 830-232-6266; Market St @ 1st, Leakey, TX 78873

VANDERPOOL COMMUNITY CHURCH: 830-966-3583; PO Box 508, Leakey TX 78873-0508

LODGING/MOTELS/ACCOMMODATIONS/GUEST HOUSES/B&B'S

Click: Leakey Lodging Listings and Reservation Services

MISCELLANEOUS GOODS & SERVICES

BIG SPRINGS CHARTER SCHOOL: 830-232-7101; 10664 N US Hwy 83, Leakey, TX 78873. Private school.

CATAHOULA WOODWORKS & GIFTS: 830-232-5833; 105 RR 337W at Hwy 83, Leakey, TX. www.catahoula.com. All handcrafted. Furniture, cabinets, lamps, baskets, jewelry, art.

CRIDER'S MERCANTILE: Hwy 83, Leakey, TX 78873

(THE) DRUG STORE: 830-232-6221. On the Courthouse Square in Downtown Leakey, TX 78873

FRIO CANYON MOTORCYCLE STOP: 830-232-6629; at 657 RR 337 (1/2 mi W of Hwy 83), Leakey, TX 78873

HOMETOWN MARKET: Located on Hwy 83 just north of Hwy 337 and across from the Courthouse; 830-232-5414; Leakey, TX 78873

PUBLIC SERVICES

LEAKEY EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES: 830-232-5299; POB 1129, Leakey, TX

LEAKY ISD: 830-232-5595; POB 1129, Leakey, TX; www.leakeyisd.net

LEWIS RANCH AIRPORT (XA31): 830-232-5331; LEAKEY, TX. Privately Owned, Open to the Public, permission required prior to landing. 5 mi N of city. No tower. Runway: 3,150 x 200 ft.; AirNav; Map

REAL COUNTY (LEAKEY) AIRPORT (49R): 888-232-4174; Located 1 mi N of Leakey, 78873. Privately owned, publicly leased. No tower. Runway: 3,975 x 50 ft.; AirNav; Map

US POST OFFICE: 830-232-5239. Leakey, TX 78873