Smithson Valley, Texas

Smithson Valley High School is a public high school located in unincorporated Comal County, Texas, United States and classified as a 5A school by the UIL. It is part of the Comal Independent School District and is one of seven high schools in the district.Smithson Valley High School is zoned for students who live primarily in the southwestern Comal County and northern Bexar County area, including Bulverde, Spring Branch, portions of Timberwood Park, and portions of Canyon Lake. In 2015, the school was rated "Met Standard" by the Texas Education Agency.

Comal County ( KOH-mal) is a county located on 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 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 the year, but its number of new residents exceeded 33,000.

Startzville is a neighborhood within the Canyon Lake census-designated place in Comal County, Texas, United States. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had a population of 30 in 2000. It is located within the Greater San Antonio area.

Bulverde ( buul-VUR-dee) is a city in Comal County, Texas, United States. Bulverde is known for its small-town, slow pace of life, coupled with the German emigrant history of the town's founders. Bulverde was originally named Piepers Settlement after a prominent German pioneer. Its population was 5,692 at the 2020 census, up from 4,630 at the 2010 census. It is part of the San Antonio metropolitan statistical area.

Spring Branch is a city located in Comal County, Texas, United States. It has approximately 250 residents. The community voted to incorporate in an election held on November 3, 2015 and Spring Branch officially became a city on November 19, 2015. Originally settled by Germans in the 19th century, Spring Branch is named for a spring fed creek that flows into the Guadalupe River.

Canyon Lake is a reservoir on the Guadalupe River in the Texas Hill Country in the United States. Canyon Lake is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reservoir formed on the Guadalupe River in Comal County by Canyon Dam, which is located about sixteen miles northwest of New Braunfels. The dam, lake, and all adjacent property are managed by the U.S. Army Corps Of Engineers. Water rights, waste water treatment, and hydroelectric generating facilities are managed by the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority. Construction of the dam began in 1958 and was completed in 1964. The reservoir serves to provide flood control and water supply for the communities downstream from the dam. The lake is also a popular recreational destination.

Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch is a ranch and wildlife refuge in Texas. The ranch is a Texas Land Heritage Property, certified by the State of Texas for being used for agriculture by the same family for over 100 years. It comprises over 400 acres of Texas Hill Country publicly accessible by automobile.It is not affiliated with the Natural Bridge Caverns.

The Natural Bridge Caverns are the largest commercial caverns in the US state of Texas. The name is derived from the 60-foot (18 m) natural limestone slab bridge that spans the amphitheater setting of the cavern's entrance. The span was left suspended when a sinkhole collapsed below it. The caverns are located near the city of San Antonio, Texas, in the Texas Hill Country next to the Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch, a drive-through wildlife safari park. The caverns feature several unique speleothems and other geological formations. The temperature inside the cave is 70 °F (21 °C) year-round and the humidity rate is a constant 99 percent. The deepest part of the public tour is 180 feet (55 m) below the surface, although undeveloped areas of the cavern reach depths of 230 feet (70 m). The caverns are still slowly developing. Due to the porosity of the limestone, rainwater travels downward through the layers of rock, where it dissolves out calcite, a weak mineral that makes up all the speleothems at the Natural Bridge Caverns. After exiting the limestone, water enters the caverns where it flows and drips constantly throughout, causing the formations to retain a waxy luster that can be seen in a few caverns.

Bracken Cave 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 the largest known concentration of mammals. The cave is 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. 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 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.

Anhalt Hall is a Texas dancehall owned and operated by the Germania Farmer Verein, an organization started by German settlers in Central Texas in 1875 to help protect their livestock. The hall was used as a stopping point for early settlers traveling between New Braunfels, Texas and Boerne, Texas. Construction began in February 1879 when the first hall measuring 26’X34" was erected by Franz Erben in what is now Spring Branch, Comal County, Texas. In 1880 the first Maifest was held for members only and a dance floor 28’X58' was laid. In 1887 the hall was expanded by 60 feet. In 1891 the hall was again enlarged 20' by 6". In 1894 the Verein held its first agriculture fair which continued into the early 1900s. Chris Herry of New Braunfels, Texas was contracted in 1908 to build the addition to the hall which is the current dance floor at a cost of $2512.37. Mr. Geue had the lighting contract for $192.50. In 1951 the beer garden was added and in 1953 the kitchen was built. Anhalt Hall has hosted such acts as George Strait, Jerry Jeff Walker, Asleep at the Wheel, Kevin Fowler, and many more. The hall was also used as a set in All the Pretty Horses, starring Matt Damon and Penélope Cruz. Anhalt Hall still holds monthly dances and a spring and fall harvest festival, Maifest and Oktoberfest, respectively.

Canyon Lake is a census-designated place (CDP) in Comal County, Texas, United States. The population was 31,124 at the 2020 census. It is part of the San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area. The Canyon Lake CDP includes a number of small, unincorporated communities surrounding Canyon Lake, including Sattler, Startzville, Canyon City, Cranes Mill, and Hancock. Communities located on the fringes of the CDP are Fischer, Spring Branch, and Smithson Valley.

The Canyon Dam in Texas is a rolled-earth dam on the Guadalupe River in the Hill Country. The water impounded by the dam forms Canyon Lake.