Zavala County is a county in Texas, United States, in the Winter Garden farming belt of South Texas, roughly 110 miles southwest of San Antonio. It had a population of 9,670 at the 2020 census and covers 1,302 square miles (3,371 km2), of which 1,297 square miles (3,360 km2) are land and 4 square miles (11 km2) are water, centred near 28°52′N 99°46′W.
Crystal City is the county seat, and its postal code is 78839. The county has one incorporated city (Crystal City) and four census-designated places — Amaya, Batesville, Chula Vista and La Pryor. Zavala County runs on Central time and has no organized civil townships.
Towns & Villages in Zavala County
Almost all of Zavala County’s people live along US 83, the highway that strings together the county’s one city and its CDPs from north to south.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crystal City | City · seat | 6,354 | 78839 |
| La Pryor | CDP | 1,294 | 78872 |
| Batesville | CDP | — | 78829 |
| Amaya | CDP | — | 78839 |
| Chula Vista | CDP | — | 78839 |
ZIP Codes
- 78839 — Crystal City (also serves Amaya and Chula Vista)
- 78872 — La Pryor
- 78829 — Batesville
Several small rural clusters recorded in older census maps — including a handful of unincorporated colonias scattered south and west of Crystal City — share the Crystal City or La Pryor ZIP and have no separate postal designation of their own.
Geography
Zavala County sits in the brush country of the Winter Garden region, a flat-to-rolling landscape of mesquite and cactus rangeland cut by the Nueces River and its tributaries along the county’s eastern edge. Elevations run from roughly 500 to 900 feet above sea level. Sandy Winter Garden soils, combined with irrigation drawn from the Carrizo-Wilcox aquifer, support the vegetable farms that gave the region its name.
Zavala County borders five other Texas counties: Uvalde County to the north, Frio County to the east, La Salle County to the southeast, Dimmit County to the south, and Maverick County to the west. Uvalde County’s page is at townsvillages.com/us/uvalde-county/, Frio County’s at townsvillages.com/us/frio-county/, La Salle County’s at townsvillages.com/us/la-salle-county/, Dimmit County’s at townsvillages.com/us/dimmit-county/, and Maverick County’s at townsvillages.com/us/maverick-county/.
Demographics
Zavala County had 9,670 residents at the 2020 census, down from a 2010 count of 11,677; the Census Bureau’s latest estimate puts the county near 9,037 people. Crystal City and La Pryor are the two largest communities, together holding roughly four in five county residents. Median household income in Zavala County runs well below the Texas figure of $75,780, reflecting the county’s dependence on seasonal farm labor. Population density is about 7 people per square mile, among the lowest of any county on this stretch of the Winter Garden.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture anchors the local economy: spinach, cotton, onions, cantaloupe, pecans and corn are the county’s principal crops, grown under irrigation drawn from the Carrizo-Wilcox aquifer. Zavala County Regional Medical Center and Crystal City Independent School District are among the largest local employers, alongside the county government itself and several farm-produce packing sheds around Crystal City. The Zavala County Fair runs each fall, and Crystal City’s Spinach Festival, held the second weekend of November, draws visitors from across South Texas to celebrate the crop that made the city famous.
History
The Texas legislature created Zavala County on February 1, 1858, from portions of Uvalde and Maverick counties, and it was formally organized on February 25, 1884. The county is named for Lorenzo de Zavala, a Mexican-born statesman who signed the Texas Declaration of Independence and served as the first vice president of the Republic of Texas. Crystal City, founded in 1907 by land developers who promoted the area’s irrigated farmland, grew into the county’s dominant town and earned the nickname “Spinach Capital of the World” after a 1937 Popeye statue celebrated its signature crop. During World War II the federal government operated a Japanese-American, German-American and Italian-American internment camp just outside Crystal City.
Getting There
US Highway 83 runs the length of Zavala County north to south, linking Crystal City and La Pryor; Farm to Market roads connect Batesville and the county’s smaller communities.
- Uvalde — 30 miles north
- Eagle Pass — 45 miles southwest
- Carrizo Springs — 20 miles south
- San Antonio — 110 miles northeast
The nearest commercial airport is San Antonio International Airport. Amtrak does not serve Zavala County; the closest station is in Del Rio, about 75 miles west on the Sunset Limited route.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Crystal City postcode?
78839.
Is Crystal City the county seat of Zavala County?
Yes, Crystal City is the county seat.
How many people live in Zavala County?
Zavala County had a population of 9,670 at the 2020 census.
What county is Crystal City, Texas in?
Crystal City sits in Zavala County, in the Winter Garden region of South Texas.
How big is Zavala County?
Zavala County covers 1,302 square miles (3,371 km2), of which about 4 square miles are water.
What is Zavala County’s main industry?
Irrigated vegetable and row-crop farming, especially spinach, cotton and onions, drives the local economy.
What counties border Zavala County?
Uvalde, Frio, La Salle, Dimmit and Maverick counties surround Zavala County on the north, east, southeast, south and west.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Texas.