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 counte ...

(CDP) in, and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of,

Kenedy County, Texas Kenedy County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 350. It is the third-least populous county in Texas and fourth-least populous in the United States. Its county seat is Sarita. The coun ...

, United States. It is the only settlement of note in the county, and as of the 2010 census, had a population of 238.

History

In 1904, the town of Sarita 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. 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. In an article in 2014, Sarita was ranked the most politically liberal town in Texas.

"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 news, real news—often using social media to drive web traffic ...

called ''

National Report National Report is a fake news website that posts fictional articles related to world events. It is described by Snopes.com as a fake news site, by FactCheck.org as a satirical site, and by ''The Washington Post'' as part of a fake-news indust ...

'' published an article claiming that a militia of "over 100 armed

La Raza In Mexico, the Spanish expression ('the people'; literally: 'the race') has historically been used to refer to the mixed-race populations (primarily though not always exclusively in the Western Hemisphere), considered as an ethnic or racia ...

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 U.S.-Mexico borde ...

, south of Kingsville, south of Corpus Christi, and north of Harlingen. The

United States Border Patrol The United States Border Patrol (USBP) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and is responsible for secu ...

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. Founded in 1973 by Michael R. Levy, ''Texas Monthly'' chronicles life in contemporary Texas, writing on politics, the Natura ...

'' 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. Sarita does not have any convenience stores, shops, or cafes. The nearest grocery store is in Kingsville, though convenience stores at gas stations are in

Riviera () is an Italian word which means , ultimately derived from Latin , through Ligurian . It came to be applied as a proper name to the coast of Liguria (the Genoa region in northwestern Italy) in the form , then shortened in English. Riviera may a ...

, 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 divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

, Sarita has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

, ''Cfa'' on climate maps.

Demographics

Sarita first appeared as 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 counte ...

in the 2010 U.S. Census. As of the 2020 United States census, 205 people, 129 households, and 115 families resided in the CDP.

Education

Sarita Elementary School (prekindergarten-grade 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. All of Kenedy County is in the area of

Del Mar College Del Mar College (DMC) is a Public college, public community college in Corpus Christi, Texas. Founded in 1935, DMC encompasses three primary campuses and one campus annex. As defined by the Texas Legislature, the official service area of DMC is ...

, according to the Texas Education Code.Texas Education Code,Sec. 130.167. Sec. 130.177. DEL MAR COLLEGE-CORPUS CHRISTI JUNIOR COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.
/ref>

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