Castroville is a small city in Medina County, Texas, set along the Medina River about 25 miles west of downtown San Antonio along the US 90 corridor. Founded in 1844 by Henri Castro and families from the Alsace region of France, it is widely known as the "Little Alsace of Texas," and its European roots remain visible in the town's streets, buildings, and identity more than 180 years later. The 2020 census counted 2,954 residents, and the community is part of the San Antonio–New Braunfels metropolitan statistical area. The town's founding story is unusual for Texas. Henri Castro, an empresario, brought Alsatian colonists to a land grant along the Medina River, and their building traditions shaped a streetscape of distinctive 19th-century European architecture that survives today. The Steinbach Haus, a 17th-century Alsatian home dismantled in France and reassembled in Castroville, serves as the visitors center, while the Landmark Inn State Historic Site and St. Louis Catholic Church anchor the historic core. Castroville pairs its historic character with the practical advantages of San Antonio's western edge. Residential growth has added newer subdivisions around the original town, and Medina Valley Independent School District—whose high school and elementary campus sit in town—serves the area. The community draws commuters who work in San Antonio but prefer a small town, as well as history-minded residents who value the preserved Alsatian heritage. Day-to-day life revolves around the Medina River and the outdoors. Castroville Regional Park offers more than a dozen trails for hiking and biking, river access for swimming and fishing, birding, a butterfly garden, and courts and fields for tennis, pickleball, soccer, and basketball. The Alsatian Golf Club provides an additional recreational draw. With its blend of preserved heritage and modern growth, Castroville offers a distinctive alternative to suburban San Antonio living.