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B−History
History · Schertz

Schertz dates to 1843, and 2 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 51% of U.S. towns · #124 of 642 in Texas. What drives it

Most of Schertz was built recently: 0.3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2002. Its Register listings are the State Highway 3-A Bridge at Cibolo Creek and the Saint Joseph's Chapel. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1953 on, and the census since 1960.

1843founded
2on the National Register
0.3%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Schertz’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Schertz began

When was Schertz founded?

1843

Schertz dates its founding to 1843 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1960.

First census: 2,281 in 19602020 census: 42,002183 years

How historic is Schertz?

B−

More historic than 51% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1861.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Schertz’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Schertz is more historic than 51% of U.S. towns, #124 of 642 in Texas. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Schertz’s overall grade.
Founding era1843, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 19400.3% of homes (±0.3) · typical TX town 1.6% · U.S. 8.4%DNational Register2 listings, 3 historic buildings, 0.7 per 10,000 residents · typical TX town 0.0 · U.S. 2.4B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 51%
NewerOlder
Texas towns of 2,500+ (642)Ahead of 81%

Few Texas towns list much on the Register (a typical Texas town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Schertz’s 0.7 sits above most of its state (71% of Texas towns have fewer) while its 3 historic buildings outnumber those of 65% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1843.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to A−. The pre-1940 share (±0.3 points) is firm at this size.

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Schertz’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Deep rootsEstablished in 1843: 183 years of Schertz.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Schertz’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Schertz’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewTexas - Santa Helena through Schulenburg: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Timeline

Schertz, 1843 to 1991

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1843
    FoundingSchertz is established
  3. 1861Post officeThe Comal Ranche post office opens
  4. 1875Post officeThe Danville post office opens
  5. 1894Post officeThe Danville post office closes
  6. 1899Post officeThe Schertz post office opens
  7. 20th century
  8. 1917In the archiveTexas - Santa Helena through Schulenburg
  9. 1953On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  10. 1991Born hereSean Porter is born here
The story

How Schertz came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Schertz.

Read it all →

Schertz is the third-largest city in the San Antonio-New Braunfels metropolitan area and the largest city of the Randolph Metrocom, which consists of cities surrounding Randolph Air Force Base. The Metrocom is located on San Antonio's far northeast side. In addition to Schertz, other Randolph Metrocom communities include Live Oak, Kirby, Converse, Marion, Cibolo, Universal City, Windcrest, Garden Ridge, and Selma. These towns are located in Comal, Bexar, and Guadalupe counties and combined have a total of 355,000 residents and growing rapidly.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Schertz, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1910s2 items
Texas - Santa Helena through Schulenburg1917Texas - Santa Helena through SchulenburgTexas - Santa Helena through Schulenburg1917Texas - Santa Helena through Schulenburg
1920s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today3 recent
Gil's Ranch House, a nightclub and bar2014Gil's Ranch House, a nightclub and barSchertz texas city hall 20142014Schertz texas city hall 2014Gil's Ranch House, a nightclub and bar in Schertz, Texas, a northern suburb of San Antonio2014Gil's Ranch House, a nightclub and bar in Schertz, Te…
On the map

Schertz on the map, 1953 to 1992

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Schertz. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Schertz on the 1953 USGS mapSchertz on the 1967 USGS mapSchertz on the 1973 USGS mapSchertz on the 1992 USGS map1953Schertz sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Schertz.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Texas - Santa Helena through Schulenburg
Retake this viewTexas - Santa Helena through Schulenburg, 1917

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Schertz’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

2 historic places in Schertz

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
3
each building in a district counts
first listed
1996
State Highway 3-A Bridge at Cibolo Creek
State Highway 3-A Bridge at Cibolo CreekSaint Joseph's Chapel
BuildingsStructures

Architectural styles listings

Parker Through Truss Bridge1
State Highway 3-A Bridge at Cibolo CreekParker Through Truss Bridge
Saint Joseph's ChapelBuilding

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Schertz, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00035,00040,00045,000196019802000202042,002

Grew from 2,281 people in 1960 to 42,002 in 2020, more than tenfold.

7 censuses, 1960–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Schertz’s Wikipedia page.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Schertz’s post office has been open since 1899. Another post office, Danville, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Comal Ranche
1861–today
Danville
1875–1894
Schertz
1899–today
18601940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
ComalNorthcliff
5cemeteries and burying grounds inside Schertz
KempinSchertz - CiboloSchneider MemorialSellerStappers

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

CiboloIts storyC−Universal CityIts storyD−San Antonio144 historic placesARandolph AFB2 historic placesA+Selma2 historic placesCConverseIts storyDNew Braunfels22 historic placesB+Garden RidgeIts storyD−

Questions about Schertz’s history

What year was Schertz founded?

In 1843, according to Wikidata. Schertz’s post office opened in 1861, and the census of 1960 counted 2,281 people here.

How does Schertz rank for history?

Schertz is more historic than 51% of U.S. towns, #124 of 642 in Texas. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Schertz?

Two places: the State Highway 3-A Bridge at Cibolo Creek (listed 1996) and the Saint Joseph's Chapel (2014).

How old are the homes in Schertz?

0.3% of Schertz’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 2002.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (4), the Library of Congress (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.