Comal County, Texas

Comal County is a county in Texas, United States, on the Edwards Plateau where the Balcones Escarpment meets the Texas Hill Country. It had a population of 161,501 at the 2020 census and covers 575 square miles (1,490 km2) centred near 29°49′N 98°17′W.

New Braunfels is the county seat, and its postal code is 78130. The county holds a handful of incorporated cities, one large census-designated place, and a scatter of unincorporated German-heritage communities. It sits in the Central time zone; its FIPS county code is 48091.

Towns & Villages in Comal County

Comal County has a small number of incorporated cities set among a much longer list of unincorporated crossroads and river communities. Several cities — New Braunfels, Fair Oaks Ranch, Schertz, and Selma — straddle the county line and are only partly within Comal. CDP = census-designated place (unincorporated but tracked by the Census Bureau); Unincorp. = unincorporated place with no formal municipal government.

New Braunfels, Fair Oaks Ranch, Schertz, and Selma are all split between Comal and one or more neighboring counties; the populations shown above are each city’s full total across all counties it sits in, not the Comal-only share. Canyon City, Canyon Springs, Canyon Lake Forest, and Landa Park Highlands are older subdivision names now generally folded into the Canyon Lake or New Braunfels area rather than tracked as separate places.

ZIP Codes

• 78130 — New Braunfels (also serves Gruene)
• 78132 — New Braunfels north (also serves Solms, Freiheit)
• 78133 — Canyon Lake (also serves Startzville, Sattler, Cranes Mill, Honey Creek)
• 78163 — Bulverde (also serves Anhalt, Smithson Valley)
• 78266 — Garden Ridge (also serves Bracken)
• 78070 — Spring Branch
• 78154 — Schertz/Selma (also serves the Comal community)
• 78623 — Fischer
• 78629 — Hunter

Small subdivisions without their own post office, such as Oak Cliff Acres and Silver Hills, use a neighboring town’s ZIP code.

Geography

Comal County sits on the Edwards Plateau, where the Balcones Escarpment divides the flatter Blackland country to the southeast from the hillier Hill Country to the northwest. The Guadalupe River crosses the county from northwest to southeast and is dammed to form Canyon Lake, the county’s largest reservoir and its most visited recreation site; the smaller Comal River, the shortest navigable river in Texas, rises from Comal Springs in New Braunfels itself.

Comal County borders Hays County to the north, Blanco County to the northwest, Kendall County to the west, Bexar County to the southwest, and Guadalupe County to the southeast.

Demographics

The county’s population was 161,501 at the 2020 census, making it one of the fastest-growing counties in Texas over the prior decade. New Braunfels and the Canyon Lake CDP are its two largest communities. Comal County’s median household income runs well above the Texas median of $75,780, reflecting its position as a commuter and retirement corridor between San Antonio and Austin. With 575 square miles of land and water, the county’s overall density works out to roughly 281 people per square mile, though most of that population concentrates around New Braunfels and Canyon Lake rather than the rural northwest.

Economy & Local Life

Tourism and recreation anchor much of the local economy: Schlitterbahn Waterpark in New Braunfels is one of the region’s largest seasonal employers, and the historic Gruene district draws visitors for its dance hall, wineries, and Guadalupe River tubing outfitters. Comal Independent School District and New Braunfels Independent School District are both major local employers. The county’s German-Texan heritage is celebrated each November at Wurstfest, New Braunfels’ ten-day sausage-and-music festival, one of the state’s largest heritage events.

History

Comal County was organized in 1846, the year after Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels led German immigrants under the Adelsverein colonization society to found New Braunfels on the Comal River. The county and river take their name from the Spanish word for a flat griddle, applied to the natural terrace of the Comal Springs. German settlement patterns are still visible in the county’s place names — Anhalt, Freiheit, and Solms among them — and in the language and architecture of New Braunfels and Gruene.

Getting There

Interstate 35 runs through New Braunfels and is the county’s main north-south corridor; U.S. Route 281 and Farm to Market roads including FM 306 and FM 311 serve Bulverde and the Canyon Lake area.

• San Antonio — 30 miles southwest
• Austin — 50 miles north
• Boerne — 20 miles west
• San Marcos — 15 miles north

The nearest commercial airport is San Antonio International Airport.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Comal County, Texas?
It is in south-central Texas on the Edwards Plateau, between San Antonio and Austin, straddling the Balcones Escarpment.

What is the population of Comal County?
161,501 as of the 2020 census, one of the fastest-growing counts of any Texas county that decade.

How big is Comal County?
575 square miles (1,490 km2), including about 15 square miles of water, most of it Canyon Lake.

What is the Comal County seat?
New Braunfels.

How many towns and communities are in Comal County?
A handful of incorporated cities plus around 20 recognized unincorporated communities and CDPs, several shared with neighboring counties.

What ZIP codes are in Comal County?
Mainly 78130, 78132, and 78133 around New Braunfels and Canyon Lake, plus 78163 (Bulverde), 78266 (Garden Ridge), and 78070 (Spring Branch).

What is Comal County known for?
Its German-Texan heritage, Canyon Lake and the Guadalupe River, and the historic Gruene dance-hall district.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Texas.