Macdona, Texas

Macdona is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Bexar County, Texas, United States.^[1] As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 559.^[2] Macdona lies along the Union Pacific rail line near Loop 1604 in southwest Bexar County. It is part of the San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Macdona, Texas
Coordinates: 29°19′14″N 98°41′50″W
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Bexar
Elevation [1]	630 ft (190 m)
GNIS feature ID	2586958[1]

History

Macdona was named for George Macdona, an Englishman, who owned the townsite.^[3] The first recorded sale of town lots was dated July 7, 1886.^[3] The Macdona post office (78054) opened in 1886. On September 1, 1909, the Artesian Belt opened a 42-mile (68 km) line between Macdona and Christine.^[4] In 2000, Macdona was reported to have 297 persons. The town is part of the 210 and 726 area code districts.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
2010	559		—
2020	464		−17.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[5] 1850–1900[6] 1910[7] 1920[8] 1930[9] 1940[10] 1950[11] 1960[12] 1970[13] 1980[14] 1990[15] 2000[16] 2010[17] 2020[18]

Macdona first appeared as a census designated place in the 2010 U.S. Census.^[17]

Macdona CDP, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.

Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2010[19]	Pop 2020[18]	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	106	68	18.96%	14.66%
Black or African American alone (NH)	5	7	0.89%	1.51%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	0	1	0.00%	0.22%
Asian alone (NH)	3	5	0.54%	1.08%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)	0	0	0.00%	0.00%
Other race alone (NH)	0	6	0.00%	1.29%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	1	8	0.18%	1.72%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	444	369	79.43%	79.53%
Total	559	464	100.00%	100.00%

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Macdona has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.^[20]

2004 train derailment and chlorine gas poisoning

On June 28, 2004, a crash between BNSF and Union Pacific Railroad trains in Macdona resulted in the release of 9,400 US gallons (36,000 L; 7,800 imp gal) of liquid chlorine, which immediately vaporized into a cloud of chlorine gas that spread over a radius of at least 700 feet (210 m). Three people, the UP train conductor and two residents, died and at least 40 others were injured.^[21]