San Patricio County

San Patricio County, Texas

San Patricio County, Texas

The Rialto Theatre in downtown Sinton, the seat of San Patricio County, Texas. Photocredit by Barclay Gibson via TexasEscape.com.
San Patricio County, Texas

San Patricio County, Texas

Map of San Patricio County, Texas. Map Credit: Robert Plocheck.

San Patricio County is on the lower Gulf Coast in the Coastal Prairies region, bordered on the north by Bee County, on the northeast by Refugio County, on the east by Aransas County, on the southeast by Nueces County and Corpus Christi Bay, and on the west by Jim Wells and Live Oak counties. The county's center lies at 29°03' north latitude and 97°33' west longitude. Sinton, the county seat, is just northeast of the center of the county sixteen miles north of Corpus Christi. San Patricio County covers 693 square miles of generally flat land with tall prairie grasses spotted by mesquite and live oak trees. Most of the county lies in the coastal plain, but in the far western area the surface is rolling with some caliche hills; elevations range from sea level to 200 feet. Soils consist of light to dark loam on the surface, with clayey subsoils. The area is drained by the Nueces River on the south and the Aransas River on the north, with Chiltipin Creek draining the north central portions. San Patricio County has a mild, moist climate, with an average annual rainfall of thirty-one inches. Temperatures range from an average low of 46° F in January to an average high of 93° in July. The average growing season lasts 303 days. The area supports a wide variety of wildlife species, including deer, javelina, rabbit, raccoon, and coyote, as well as wild fowl such as duck, geese, crane, and turkey. The Rob and Bessie Welder Wildlife Foundation and Refuge supports research of native fauna. In 1982, 93 percent of the county's land was in farms and ranches. About 68 percent of agricultural income derived from crops, particularly sorghum grain, cotton, and corn, and lesser acreages of vegetables and feed crops. Livestock, especially cattle and hogs, also contributed to the local economy. Natural resources include industrial sand, caliche, natural gas, and petroleum. In 1982, 37,904,000,000 cubic feet of gas-well gas, 3,648,000 barrels of petroleum, and 4,800,000 cubic feet of casinghead gas were produced in San Patricio; caliche was mined in the western part of the county.

Artifacts such as projectile points associated with the late Paleo-Indian and Early Archaic cultures have been found in the county, suggesting that the area has been inhabited by humans for at least 6,000 years, and perhaps much longer. The Karankawa Indians, linked by anthropologists to an archeological complex called the Rockport Focus, probably moved into the area about A.D. 1400. Hundreds of Indian campsites have been identified in San Patricio County. A number of Spanish and French explorers, including Alonso Álvarez de Pineda, Alonso De León, Jean Béranger, Diego Ortiz Parrilla, and José de Evia traveled through what is now San Patricio County. An expedition led by Pineda explored the bays behind Aransas Pass in 1519, while De León's expeditions of 1689 and 1691 sailed up and down the coast investigating the bays and probably entered Aransas Pass. Béranger's trips into the bays are well chronicled in his own journal. In 1712 and 1718 a party of French came ashore on St. Joseph Island, and later Ortiz Parrilla was instrumental in advancing the knowledge of the area with his explorations in the Nueces River valley. José de Evia made the field notes that turned into the Langara map, which features this area. Mexican sheepherders also camped in what is now San Patricio County before the era of colonization.

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Keith Guthrie | © 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

San Patricio County is classified as a County

Altitude Range

0 ft – 215 ft

Size

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

  • Land Area: 693.5 mi²
  • Total Area: 707.9 mi²

Temperature

January mean minimum: 44.2°F
July mean maximum: 93.4°F

Rainfall, 2019

34.3 inches

Population Count, 2019

66,730

Civilian Labor Count, 2019

29,112

Unemployment, 2019

11.1%

Property Values, 2019

$12,529,535,800 USD

Per-Capita Income, 2019

$43,945 USD

Retail Sales, 2019

$973,735,430 USD

Wages, 2019

$232,857,516 USD

San Patricio County

Highlighted:
  • San Patricio County
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Place Type Population (Year/Source) Currently Exists
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Town 8,011 (2021) Yes
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Town 150 (2014) Yes
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