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, Hurricane Bret, Bret, 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 architecture, Beaux-Arts structure on a large green and the most prominent building in town; many county employees actually live in Kleberg County, Texas, Kleberg County 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 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.Geography
Sarita is located in northern Kenedy County at 27°13′18″N, 97°47′21″W. It is along U.S. Route 77, south of Kingsville, Texas, Kingsville, south of Corpus Christi, Texas, Corpus Christi, and north of Harlingen, Texas, 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'' said that Sarita's only landmarks were a green sign reading "Sarita", a water tower, and a blinking yellow light.Cartwright, Gary.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.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, 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.See also
*Kingsville micropolitan areaReferences
External links