Sarita, Texas

Sarita, Texas
County seat & Unincorporated community
The Kenedy Pasture Company Headquarters in Sarita
Location in Kenedy County and the state of Texas
Sarita Location in Texas and the United States Show map of Texas Sarita Sarita (the United States) Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 27°13′18″N 97°47′21″W
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Kenedy
Area
• Total	1.22 sq mi (3.17 km^2)
• Land	1.19 sq mi (3.08 km^2)
• Water	0.03 sq mi (0.09 km^2)
Elevation	36 ft (11 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	205
• Density	200/sq mi (77.3/km^2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP code	78385
Area code	361
FIPS code	48-65876
GNIS feature ID	1346706

Sarita is a census-designated place (CDP) in, and the county seat of Kenedy County, Texas, United States.^[1] It is the only settlement of note in the county, and as of the 2010 census had a population of 238.^[2]

History

In 1904, the town of Sarita, Texas was founded on land that had been part of Kenedy Ranch. John G. Kenedy named the town after his daughter Sarita Kenedy East. The town served the Kenedy Pasture Company and Kenedy Ranch and its employees. The company store, ranch offices, and ranch buildings have been located in Sarita. Most of the residents were somehow involved in the Kenedy businesses, either as employees or tenant cotton farmers from Kenedy Pasture Company.^[3] The Kenedy Ranch Museum, with art and artifacts about the history of the Kenedy family in South Texas, opened in 2003 in the newly restored Kenedy Pasture Company building.^[3]

In an article in 2014, Sarita was ranked the most politically liberal town in Texas.^[4]

"Occupation" hoax

In 2014, a fake news website called National Report published an article claiming that a militia of "over one hundred armed La Raza militants" had occupied Sarita, forcing original residents out of their homes and using the town as a base of operations. The hoax report circled on the Internet.^[5]

Geography

Sarita is located in northern Kenedy County at 27°13′18″N, 97°47′21″W. It is along U.S. Route 77, 21 miles (34 km) south of Kingsville, 61 miles (98 km) south of Corpus Christi, and 74 miles (119 km) north of Harlingen. The United States Border Patrol Sarita checkpoint on US 77 is located some 14 miles (23 km) south of the town of Sarita.

Cityscape

Gary Cartwright of Texas Monthly said that Sarita's only landmarks were a green sign reading "Sarita", a water tower, and a blinking yellow light.^[6] Sarita has an elementary school and a Catholic church. Sarita does not have any convenience stores, shops, or cafes. The nearest grocery store is in Kingsville, though there are convenience stores at gas stations in Riviera, 5 miles (8 km) to the north along US 77. The nearest major medical center is in Corpus Christi.

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, Sarita has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.^[7]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
2010	238		—
2020	205		−13.9%
U.S. Decennial Census[8] 1850–1900[9] 1910[10] 1920[11] 1930[12] 1940[13] 1950[14] 1960[15] 1970[16] 1980[17] 1990[18] 2000[19] 2010[20] 2020[21]

Sarita first appeared as a census designated place in the 2010 U.S. Census.^[20]

Sarita 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[22]	Pop 2020[21]	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	40	31	16.81%	15.12%
Black or African American alone (NH)	1	0	0.42%	0.00%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	6	3	2.52%	1.46%
Asian alone (NH)	0	0	0.00%	0.00%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	0	1	0.00%	0.49%
Other race alone (NH)	2	1	0.84%	0.49%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	1	1	0.42%	0.49%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	188	168	78.99%	81.95%
Total	238	205	100.00%	100.00%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 205 people, 129 households, and 115 families residing in the CDP.

Education

Sarita Elementary School (PreK-6) of the Kenedy County Wide Common School District serves Sarita.

Students who graduate from Sarita Elementary move on to De La Paz Middle School and Kaufer Early College High School, operated by Riviera Independent School District, which takes all secondary students from the KCWCSD area.^[23]

All of Kenedy County is in the area of Del Mar College, according to the Texas Education Code.^[24]

See also

• Kingsville micropolitan area

References

1. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
2. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001), Sarita CDP, Texas". American FactFinder. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
3. "Sarita, TX". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
4. Hunter Walker and Andy Kiersz (2014). "Here Are The Most Liberal And Most Conservative Towns In Each State". businessinsider.com. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
5. David Martin Davies, Sarita Is Safe: 'Attack' on the South Texas Town Is Fake, KERA-TV (July 15, 2014).
6. Cartwright, Gary. "Sarita's Secret Archived 2004-12-27 at the Wayback Machine." Texas Monthly. September 2004. Retrieved on October 14, 2012.
7. Climate Summary for Sarita, Texas
8. "Decennial Census by Decade". US Census Bureau.
9. "1900 Census of Population - Population of Texas By Counties And Minor Civil Divisions" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
10. "1910 Census of Population - Supplement for Texas" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
11. "1920 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Texas" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
12. "1930 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Texas" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
13. "1940 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Texas" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
14. "1950 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Texas" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
15. "1960 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Texas" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
16. "1970 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Texas" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
17. "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Texas" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
18. "1990 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Texas" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
19. "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Texas" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
20. "2010 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Texas" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
21. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Sarita CDP, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
22. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Sarita CDP, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
23. "Recruitment Plan, Events, and Timeline" (PDF). Kaufer Early College High School. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
24. Texas Education Code,Sec. 130.167. Sec. 130.177. DEL MAR COLLEGE-CORPUS CHRISTI JUNIOR COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.

External links

• Handbook of Texas Online article
• U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Sarita, Texas