Helotes

History

According to anthropologists, the area was occupied seasonally from about 5,000 BCE by small bands of nomadic Native American tribes in search of food and game. The Lipan Apache moved into the area in the late 17th century and occupied it throughout the 18th century. However, the Lipan were forced from the area in the early 1820s by the Comanche Indians. A small farming and ranching community began to develop in the area shortly after the Texas Revolution in the late 1830s. The ranches suffered occasional attacks by the Comanches until the early to mid 1870s. The last Indian raid in the Helotes area was in 1872, when Modesto Torres attacked an encampment of Comanche Indians who killed a settler at the Krempkau divide, where today Babcock and Scenic Loop roads intercept. In 1858, a Scottish immigrant, Dr. George Marnoch, purchased the land that later became the site of the town. His heirs sold a portion of their property in 1880 to a Swiss immigrant, Arnold Gugger, who built a home and mercantile store around which the town of Helotes arose. which is actually a dance hall (or "honky tonk") that draws top country music talent, including Willie Nelson, who still plays the venue on occasion. Floore also financed the first annual Helotes Cornyval festival in the 1960s, which was held to celebrate the opening of a new post office. Corn played an important role in the heritage of Helotes. The local Native Americans planted corn (maize outside the US) in the fertile valleys of the area, and feed corn was a major crop grown in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The urban sprawl of San Antonio expanded and approached the outskirts of Helotes in the 1970s. After a decade of planning and negotiation, Helotes became an incorporated city in October 1981. To this day, residents…

Geography

Helotes is located in northwestern Bexar County in the valley of Helotes Creek where it exits from the Texas Hill Country. The city is about northwest of downtown San Antonio. Texas State Highway 16 runs through the community, leading northwest to Bandera. The Charles W. Anderson Loop, the outer beltway around San Antonio, is southeast of the center of Helotes. According to the United States Census Bureau, Helotes has a total area of , of which , or about 2.5 acres, 0.06%, is covered by water.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  22,611
• White-winged Dove

  Zenaida asiatica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  16,336
• Black-crested Titmouse

  Baeolophus atricristatus (Cassin, 1850) · Aves
  15,147
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  15,110
• Northern Mockingbird

  Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  14,301
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  12,479
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  12,176
• Great-tailed Grackle

  Quiscalus mexicanus (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  10,363

Most recent

• M 2.6 — 2026-09-03
  12 km SW of Falls City, Texas
• M 2.8 — 2026-09-01
  12 km SW of Falls City, Texas
• M 3.6 — 2026-09-01
  12 km SW of Falls City, Texas
• M 2.5 — 2026-08-13
  13 km SE of Pearsall, Texas
• M 2.5 — 2026-08-03
  13 km ESE of Pearsall, Texas
• M 2.8 — 2026-07-13
  13 km ESE of Pearsall, Texas