Sarita is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the count ...

(CDP) in, and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

of Kenedy County,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

, United States. It is the only settlement of note in the county, and as of the 2010 census had a population of 238. Sarita has been ranked the most politically liberal town in Texas.

History

Sarita was created in 1904 as the headquarters of the Kenedy Ranch and was named by its founder, John G. Kenedy, after his daughter. The town grew to about 300 residents by 1916, when a major hurricane swept through the area and many settlers moved away. (In 1999, the largest Texas hurricane in 20 years,

Bret Bret or BRET may refer to: People and fictional characters * Bret (given name), a personal name, including a list of people and fictional characters * Bret (surname), a list of people Other uses * a regional name for either the brill or the ...

, came ashore near Sarita but did little damage.) Although the town was made county seat when Kenedy County was created in 1921, it has not grown appreciably since then. Today, Sarita is home to a Catholic church, a school, several homes, a post office, and the Lebh Shomea House of Prayer, all centered on the headquarters of the Kenedy Ranch, but no businesses are active other than the ranch. The 1921 Kenedy County Courthouse is a two-story white Beaux-Arts structure on a large green and the most prominent building in town; many county employees actually live in

Kleberg County Kleberg County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 31,040. The county seat is Kingsville. The county was organized in 1913 and is named for Robert J. Kleberg, an early settler. Kleberg County is ...

just to the north, as there is limited housing available in Sarita or Kenedy County. Across the street sits the whitewashed, two-story headquarters of the Kenedy Pasture Company, which owns most of the land in the county and employs many of Sarita's citizens. The building also houses the Kenedy Ranch Museum.

"Occupation" hoax

In 2014, a

fake news website Fake news websites (also referred to as hoax news websites) are websites on the Internet that deliberately publish fake news— hoaxes, propaganda, and disinformation purporting to be real news—often using social media to drive web traffic and ...

called '' National Report'' published an article claiming that a militia of "over one hundred armed

La Raza The Spanish expression ('the people' or 'the community'; literal translation: 'the race') has historically been used to refer to the Hispanophone populations (primarily though not always exclusively in the Western Hemisphere), considered as ...

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.

Geography

Sarita is located in northern Kenedy County at 27°13′18″N, 97°47′21″W. It is along

U.S. Route 77 U.S. Route 77 (US 77) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway which extends for in the central United States. As of 2005, Its southern terminus is in Brownsville, Texas, at Veteran's International Bridge on the Mexican border, w ...

, south of Kingsville, south of Corpus Christi, and north of Harlingen. The United States Border Patrol Sarita checkpoint on US 77 is located some south of the town of Sarita.

Cityscape

Gary Cartwright of ''

Texas Monthly ''Texas Monthly'' (stylized as ''TexasMonthly'') is a monthly American magazine headquartered in Downtown Austin, Texas. ''Texas Monthly'' was founded in 1973 by Michael R. Levy and has been published by Emmis Publishing, L.P. since 1998 and is ...

'' said that Sarita's only landmarks were a green sign reading "Sarita", a water tower, and a blinking yellow light.Cartwright, Gary.
Sarita's Secret
." ''

''. September 2004. Retrieved on October 14, 2012. Sarita has an elementary school and a Catholic church. The only lodging establishment, as of 2004, is a

bed and breakfast Bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. Bed and breakfasts are often private family homes and typically have between four and eleven rooms, wit ...

operated by justice of the peace Patti Fain. The only venue that sells soft drinks is a vending machine at the Kenedy County courthouse. 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 ''Riviera'' () is an Italian word which means "coastline", ultimately derived from Latin , through Ligurian . It came to be applied as a proper name to the coast of Liguria, in the form ''Riviera ligure'', then shortened in English. The two areas ...

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 The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system, Sarita has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

2020 census

''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 can be of any race.'' As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, 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 Kaufer is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Aaron Kaufer, American politician * Caroline Kaufer, American philanthropist * David S. Kaufer, American scholar * Evelin Kaufer, East German sprinter *Jonathan Kaufer Jonathan Davi ...

, operated by

Riviera Independent School District Riviera Independent School District is a public school district based in the community of Riviera, Texas ( USA). Located mostly in Kleberg County, Text list/ref> a very small portion of the district extends into Kenedy County. It includes the s ...

, which takes all secondary students from the KCWCSD area.

References

External links

Handbook of Texas Online article
* {{authority control Census-designated places in Texas Census-designated places in Kenedy County, Texas County seats in Texas Kingsville, Texas micropolitan area Populated places established in 1904 1904 establishments in Texas