Comal Springs was originally the Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe Mission (1756-1758). The mission was considered indefensible during the Comanche wars and was closed. The springs (Las Fontanas) and river (the Little Guadalupe) were named Comal (Spanish for "flat dish", possibly a description of the river basin) about a 100 years later.
Comal County residents voted in favor of secession, but seem to have escaped the violence between Unionists and Confederates that decimated counties to the northwest.
Possibly the most significant portion of Comal County history was made in 1964, with the creation of Canyon Lake by the Army Corps of Engineers. Flooding of the Guadalupe River valley cost the area productive land and two rural communities, while it provided opportunity which Comal County promptly developed. The county leaders focused on the possibility of a resort and tourist industry economy that added to their manufacturing and agriculture. (Mineral resources in Comal County of limestone, sand, and gravel, have triggered a construction-materials industry, also) Before the dam was completed, residential subdivisions were planned and some were being built even as the lake was filling. Waterside public parks and marinas were designed for weekend visitors, and service industries and new businesses created thriving commercial centers in Canyon City. From a rural area with an agricultural base, Canyon Lake has become one of the largest rural population centers in Central Texas. Canyon Lake and New Braunfels boast over thirty hotels and motels thriving in the resort atmosphere.
Comal County attractions include Water Sports, canoeing, rafting, swimming, sunning, picnicking, skiing and fishing; cultural activities such as Sophienburg Museum, The Children's Museum in New Braunfels, New Braunfels Museum of Art and Music; and natural wonders such as Natural Bridge Caverns, pan for gems at Texas's largest sluice
The population of Comal County expanded by 21 percent in the 1950's and again by the same percentage in the 1960's. 1980 saw a 50 percent increase from the previous census. Current (2000) population is 78,021, and Comal is again listed in the top 100 cities of the United States for population increase.
