[4] San Felipe Springs, about 8 mi (13 km) east of the Rio Grande on the U.S. side of the border, has historically produced 90×10^6 US gal (340,000 m3) of water a day.

The initial investors (William C. Adams, Joseph M. Hudson, John P. Grove, Donald Jackson, John Perry, Joseph Ney, Randolph Pafford, A. O. Strickland, and James H Taylor) formed the San Felipe Agricultural, Manufacturing, and Irrigation Company in 1868.

Local lore among the Tejanos said the name came from early Spanish explorers, who offered a mass at the site on St. Philip's Day, 1635.

Like many border communities, Del Rio has been affected in the early 21st century by migrants arriving from Mexico, Central and South America.

[5] The United States Border Patrol moved many to a camp underneath the Del Río–Ciudad Acuña International Bridge.

[6] Del Rio lies on the northwestern edges of the Tamaulipan mezquital, also called the South Texas brush country.

It is also near the southwestern corner of the Edwards Plateau, which is the western fringe of the famous, oak savanna-covered Texas Hill Country; that area is dotted with numerous small springs; one of these is the San Felipe Springs, which provides a constant flow of water to San Felipe Creek.

The Del Rio region, to just west of the Pecos River, has a mix of desert shrub and steppe vegetation depending on soil type, with the gray-leafed cenizo (Leucophyllum spp.

High dewpoint temperatures occur during much of the warmer months, due to the terrain and prevailing surface winds from the southeast.

This occurs due to the uplift of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico which is channeled along the Rio Grande, combined with intense heating of lowland areas or frontal and dryline activity.

It is one of the major employers in the Del Rio area and meets standards required by state and federal guidelines.

A cultural melting pot, Del Rio is home to people of a mix of ethnic and racial backgrounds, including Hispanic, Black Seminole, Mestizo, and Tejano.

The Casa de la Cultural is a non-profit organization that has provided community-focused outlets for the youth and adults in Del Rio for over 40 years.

[18][19] The area is home to various religious groups including: Christian, Baptist, Catholic, Episcopal, Evangelical, Lutheran, Methodist, Non-Denominational, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Spirit-Filled, Judaism, Seventh Day Adventist, and many more.

[27] In 2020, The 830 Times, a local news website covering Del Río and the wider region of Southwest Texas, launched its print and online newspaper.

There are multiple radio stations licensed to the area in and around Del Rio including, KDLK-FM, KTDR, KVFE, KWMC, KDRN, KTPD, KDLI.

In 2014, KVFE, a Christian station owned by Inspiracom, was launched to fill one of the ministry's remaining gaps on the US–Mexico border.

American Airlines has operated flights twice daily between Del Rio and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in the past.

Del Rio features prominently (though scenes were shot elsewhere) in No Country for Old Men, the 2007 neo-Western thriller film directed, written, and edited by Joel and Ethan Coen, based on the Cormac McCarthy novel of the same name.

Del Rio also served as a filming location and was featured in Leningrad Cowboys Go America, the 1989 Road Movie directed and written by acclaimed Finnish filmmaker Aki Kaurismaki.

Eastside: Named by locals after the school on the corner of Bedell & 7th Street, the neighborhood is also home to Star Park.

Surrounded by Veterans Boulevard to the west and E. Gibbs to the south, the neighborhood is home to the Val Verde Regional Medical Center.

Residents living within the Qualia area reference the neighborhood as "the one by the Winery," Many historical markers are located within the vicinity.

Westside: Home to Del Rio International Airport, the neighborhood is surrounded to the north by W. 15th, 18th, and 17th Streets, to the east by Veterans Blvd., and to the south by W. Gibbs bordering Chihuahua.

Comalia: A neighborhood isolated by the Woodlawn cemetery and a bridge that leads to the U.S.-Mexico border crossing, it can be found by traveling down W. 2nd Street.