San Isidro

San Isidro is at the intersection of Farm roads 1017 and 2294 in northeastern Starr County. Santiago Peña, the first settler in the area in 1877, named the town for San Isidro (St. Isidore of Seville), the patron saint of farmers. A statue of the saint was ordered from Spain. The old Catholic church was built about 1900, a half-mile back from the present road. A post office operated at San Isidro from 1904 to 1913, but the community had only a population of ten and one business in 1933 and 1940. A new church and parish hall were built in 1963, under the direction of longtime pastor Fortunato Herrero, O.M.I. The twelve-grade school, with housing for teachers, consolidated the rural schools of northern Starr County as one of the three county systems and led to the establishment of the present post office in 1948. In 1990 a State Highway Department office, a volunteer fire department, a dozen businesses, a small Baptist church, the consolidated school system, the post office, dry-land farming and neighboring gas and oilfields made San Isidro the leading community in the north part of the county. The population was 300. In 2000 the population was 270.