Kleberg County

Kleberg County, Texas

Kleberg County, Texas

The Kleberg Conty Courthouse is located in Kingsville, the county seat. Photograph by Larry D. Moore.
Kleberg County, Texas

Kleberg County, Texas

Map of Kleberg County, Texas. Map Credit: Robert Plocheck.

Kleberg County is south of Corpus Christi on U.S. Highway 77 in the Rio Grande Plain region of South Texas. The county's center is at approximately 27°50' north latitude and 98°00' west longitude. Situated on a grassy plain with elevations ranging from sea level to 150 feet, part of the county's 853 square miles lies on the mainland, while the remainder is on Padre Island. A number of creeks, including San Fernando, Santa Gertrudis, Escondido, and Los Olmos, flow into the Callo del Grullo and Baffin Bay in the southeastern section. The county's clay and loam soils are covered in places with such brush as huisache, mesquite, and ebony. Temperatures range from an average January minimum of 48° to an average July maximum of 96°, and the average annual rainfall is 26.5 inches. The growing season is ordinarily 314 days.

When the Spaniards came to the area they found it inhabited by Karankawa and Coahuiltecan Indians, who had occupied the territory for centuries. These groups were primitive food gatherers who subsisted on roots, mesquite beans, prickly pear, and any animals they could kill. The future Kleberg County was part of the Spanish province of Nuevo Santander, which encompassed the area between Tampico, Mexico and the Guadalupe River in Texas. In 1747, Joaquín de Orobio y Basterra led a small party of soldiers across the area that is now Kleberg County, gleaning the first information on the county. A few years later, Spanish authorities founded a number of towns on the banks of the lower Rio Grande, and much of the land north of the river was granted to ranchers from those communities, including large tracts in the future Kleberg County. After Mexico secured her independence in 1821, additional land in the county was granted to various individuals. In 1846, American troops commanded by Gen. Zachary Taylor went through Kleberg County on their way to the Rio Grande. Shortly after the army reached the river, the land that is now in Kleberg County was designated a part of Nueces County; it remained so for many years.

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George O. Coalson | © TSHA

Handbook of Texas Logo

Adapted from the official Handbook of Texas, a state encyclopedia developed by Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). It is an authoritative source of trusted historical records.

Currently Exists

Yes

Place type

Kleberg County is classified as a County

Altitude Range

0 ft – 165 ft

Size

Land area does not include water surface area, whereas total area does

  • Land Area: 881.3 mi²
  • Total Area: 1,090.2 mi²

Temperature

January mean minimum: 45.8°F
July mean maximum: 95.1°F

Rainfall, 2019

30.4 inches

Population Count, 2019

30,680

Civilian Labor Count, 2019

13,189

Unemployment, 2019

9.6%

Property Values, 2019

$2,300,350,748 USD

Per-Capita Income, 2019

$38,997 USD

Retail Sales, 2019

$445,841,584 USD

Wages, 2019

$131,212,773 USD

Kleberg County

Highlighted:
  • Kleberg County
Place Type Population (Year/Source) Currently Exists
Town
Town
Town
Town 191 (2014) Yes
Town 25,069 (2021) Yes
Town 195 (2014) Yes
Town
Town 1,041 (2021) Yes
Town 675 (2021) Yes
Town 155 (2014) Yes
Town
Town 25 (2014) Yes

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