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28-412: Bracken Cave is a cave located in southern Comal County, Texas , outside the city of San Antonio . The 100-foot (30 m)-wide crescent shaped opening to the cave lies at the bottom of a sinkhole, formed when the roof of the cave collapsed. It is the summer home to the largest colony of bats in the world. An estimated 20 million Mexican free-tailed bats roost in the cave from March to October making it

56-476: A collision course with bugs such as cotton bollworth moths and army cut-worm moths being pushed away from crops southwest by winds. The bats consume several tons of insects per night, which according to research conducted in 2006, saves cotton farmers in south central Texas about equivalent to $ 1,118,429 in 2023 a year. While the Bracken Cave bat roost is often estimated at 20 million, the true number of bats

84-401: A household in the county was $ 46,147, and the median income for a family was $ 52,455. Males had a median income of $ 36,048 versus $ 25,940 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 21,914. About 6.40% of families and 8.60% of the population were below the poverty line , including 11.50% of those under age 18 and 7.30% of those age 65 or over. Comal is a strongly Republican county:

112-531: A population of at least 10,000. In 2017, Comal County was second on the list; it grew by 5,675 newcomers, or 4.4% from 2015 to 2016. Kendall County was the second-fastest growing county in the nation in 2015 to 2016, growing by 5.16%. Hays County, third on the national list, had nearly 10,000 new residents during the year. As a result of this growth, the counties have experienced new home construction, traffic congestion, and greater demand for public services. Bexar County , which includes San Antonio, grew by 1.75% during

140-403: Is unknown due to unreliable counting methods. An animal behavior expert named Leonard Ireland, who researched the bats at Bracken Cave in the 1960s and 1970s, once said the clouds of bats emerging from the cave were up to "30 miles (48 km) long and 20 miles (32 km) wide." Comal County, Texas Comal County ( / ˈ k oʊ m æ l / KOH -mal ) is a county located on

168-547: The Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas . As of the 2020 census , its population was 161,501. Comal County is known for its rich German-Texan and European history. Its county seat is New Braunfels . Comal County is part of the San Antonio -New Braunfels, TX metropolitan statistical area . Along with Hays and Kendall counties, Comal was listed in 2017 of the nation's 10 fastest-growing large counties with

196-576: The Rhine . They gathered at the castle of the German Duke of Nassau , the future Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxembourg , who was named Protector of the Society. In Germany, the society was referred to as Mainzer Adelsverein after the city of Mainz , where it was officially registered. The society represented a significant effort to establish a new Germany on Texas soil through organized mass emigration. The land for

224-987: The United States House of Representatives , represented by Republican Chip Roy , the 25th district of the Texas State Senate , represented by Republican Donna Campbell , and the 73rd District of the Texas House of Representatives and is represented by Republican Carrie Isaac . School districts in Comal County: All of the county is in the service area of Alamo Community College District . 29°49′N 98°17′W  /  29.81°N 98.28°W  / 29.81; -98.28 Adelsverein The Mainzer Adelsverein at Biebrich am Rhein ( Verein zum Schutze Deutscher Einwanderer in Texas ; "Society for

252-512: The census of 2010, there were 108,472 people, 29,066 households, and 21,886 families residing in the county. The population density was 139 people per square mile (54 people/km ). There were 32,718 housing units at an average density of 58 units per square mile (22/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 89.08% White , 0.95% Black or African American , 0.53% Native American , 0.46% Asian , 0.03% Pacific Islander , 6.98% from other races , and 1.96% from two or more races. 22.57% of

280-613: The 1830s and was not affiliated with the Adelsverein's colonization efforts. The community of Shelby had been named for David Shelby, one of the Old Three Hundred under Stephen F. Austin . Shelby became the home of many Adelsverein colonists in 1845, but it was not founded by the organization. Shelby was one of the Latin Settlement communities populated by German intellectuals who had settled in Texas after 1848 . Prince Carl

308-427: The Adelsverein funding expired, and also due to conflict of structure and authorities. Some members moved to other Adelsverein settlements in Texas. Others moved elsewhere, or returned to Germany. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 575 square miles (1,490 km ), of which 15 square miles (39 km ) (2.7%) is covered by water. The Balcones Escarpment runs northeastward through

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336-626: The Adelsverein in April 1845. He founded the first settlement on the outskirts of the land grant, and named it Fredericksburg , in honor of Adelsverein member Prince Frederick of Prussia . The land grant was located in Comanche territory, and to colonize, Meusebach first negotiated a treaty between the German Immigration Company (Adelsverein) and the Penateka Comanche. A separate agreement

364-406: The Adelsverein near Comal Springs . Prince Solms named the first colony New Braunfels in honor of his homeland. Henry Francis Fisher and Burchard Miller sold their 1842 land grant to the Adelsverein on June 22, 1844. This grant was intended to provide for more settlements in Texas. After Prince Solms returned to Germany, John O. Meusebach was appointed the second commissioner general of

392-515: The Protection of German Immigrants in Texas"), better known as the Mainzer Adelsverein ( German pronunciation: [ˈmaɪntsɐ ˈʔaːdl̩sfɛʁˌʔaɪn] ; "Nobility Society of Mainz"), organized on April 20, 1842, was a colonial attempt to establish a new German settlement within the borders of Texas . The Adelsverein was organized on April 20, 1842, by 21 German noblemen at Biebrich on

420-499: The cave is restricted to protect the habitat of the resident bats. Bat Conservation International offers evening guided tours to the cave to watch the bats emerge from the cave. Bracken Cave has been featured in the media several times since its discovery. The National Geographic Wild channel included Bracken Cave in the World's Weirdest series episode "Freaks of the Sky." It was also featured in

448-444: The cave walls—an ingenious way for keeping warm; the temperature is around 102 °F (39 °C). The city of San Antonio, a local developer, and conservation groups reached agreement on "a $ 20 million deal" in 2014, to ensure that human development would not encroach on the bats, and that the sky near their cave would remain dark at night. From March to October, the bats at Bracken Cave emerge between 6 and 8 p.m. flying southeast on

476-649: The county, generally just west of Interstate 35 . West of the escarpment are the rocky hills and canyons of the Texas Hill Country ; to the east are the rolling grasslands of the coastal plains. The Guadalupe River flows generally southeastward through the county, and is impounded by Canyon Lake . The Comal River rises from the Comal Springs in New Braunfels, and quickly joins the Guadalupe River. As of

504-417: The county’s German heritage meant it often deviated from a " Solid South " voting pattern. In 1924 Robert M. La Follette won 73.96 percent of Comal County’s vote (versus 6.52 percent for all of Texas), which made it his strongest county nationwide, and in 1920 American candidate James “Pa” Ferguson carried the county with 841 votes to 765 for Warren G. Harding . The county is part of the 21st District in

532-644: The emigrants was to be purchased by the Adelsverein or secured through land grants from the Republic of Texas . On January 9, 1843, Count Ludwig Joseph von Boos-Waldeck bought the 4,428-acre Nassau Plantation in Fayette County, Texas , for $ 0.75 an acre and named it for the Duke of Nassau. Twenty-five slaves were bought to work the property, which initially was considered as the primary base for arriving German immigrants. When Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels inspected

560-406: The first pilot episode of Dirty Jobs . The Bracken Cave is the destination every March or April of over 20,000,000 Mexican free-tailed bats ( Tadarida brasiliensis ). These bats fly as much as 1,000 miles (1,600 km) from Mexico to this cave. After arriving in the cave, the migrant mothers give birth to pups. An astounding 500 pups have been recorded clinging to 1-square-foot (0.093 m) of

588-507: The largest known concentration of mammals. The cave and undeveloped 1,521 acres (616 ha) around it are owned by Austin, Texas -based Bat Conservation International , which restores the land to support native vegetation and an abundant variety of wildlife. Bat Conservation International bought the initial 697 acres (282 ha) from the Marbach family in 1992, and has been assisted in preservation efforts by The Nature Conservancy . Access to

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616-511: The last Democrat to carry it being Texan Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, and no others have done so since Franklin Roosevelt ’s 1936 landslide when he won every Texas county bar traditionally Unionist Gillespie and Kendall and took 87.31 percent of the Lone Star State’s vote. LBJ’s victory in 1964 is the last time a Democrat has managed even 40 percent of the county's vote. In earlier periods,

644-639: The plantation in 1844, he recommended the Verein divest itself of the property, rather than be associated with slavery. Gustav Dresel, Special Business Agent for the Adelsverein, sold Nassau Plantation on July 28, 1848, to Otto von Roeder. Von Roeder had been the first settler in Shelby, Texas , in 1841, a year before the Adelsverein was founded in Germany, and three years before the Adelsverein sent its first colonists to Texas. Von Roeder had emigrated to Texas from Westphalia in

672-441: The population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 29,066 households, out of which 33.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.80% were married couples living together, 9.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.70% were non-families. 20.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size

700-927: The year, but its number of new residents exceeded 33,000. Count Castell of the Adelsverein negotiated with the separate Darmstadt Society of Forty to colonize 200 families on the Fisher–Miller Land Grant territory in Texas. In return, they were to receive $ 12,000 in money, livestock, and equipment, and provisions for a year. After the first year, the colonies were expected to support themselves. The colonies attempted were Castell , Leiningen, Bettina , Schoenburg, and Meerholz in Llano County ; Darmstädler Farm in Comal County; and Tusculum in Kendall County . Of these, only Castell survives. The colonies failed after

728-540: Was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.05. A Williams Institute analysis of 2010 census data found there were about 4.4 same-sex couples per 1,000 households in the county. In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.50% under the age of 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 27.50% from 25 to 44, 25.20% from 45 to 64, and 14.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.20 males. The median income for

756-705: Was appointed commissioner general by the Adelsverein in May 1844 to lead its colony in Texas. Each head of household was required to deposit 600 gulden (300 gulden for a single person) with the Adelsverein to cover transportation and housing at the colony and as credit to draw upon until they made their first harvest. The first Adelsverein-sponsored immigrants arrived in Galveston in July 1844. They traveled from Galveston to Indianola in December 1844, then moved inland to land grants acquired by

784-536: Was made with the Darmstadt Forty , to settle socialist colonies within the land grant. In 1853, due to a large amount of debt, Adelsverein ended its colonization campaign in Texas. Count Castell negotiated with the separate Darmstadt Society of Forty to colonize 200 families on the Fisher–Miller Land Grant territory in Texas . In return, they were to receive $ 12,000 in money, livestock, equipment, and provisions for

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