Sarita, Texas

Sarita
Unincorporated town
The Kenedy Pasture Company Headquarters in Sarita
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Kenedy
Elevation	36 ft (11 m)
Population  (2008 est.)
• Total	250
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP codes	78385
Area code	361

Sarita is an unincorporated community in and the county seat of Kenedy County, Texas, United States,Template:GR and the only settlement of note in the county.

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, 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 around 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 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.

Geography

Sarita is located at 27°13′18″N, 97°47′21″W.

Education

Sarita Elementary School (PreK-6) of the Kenedy County Wide Common School District serves Sarita.

See also

• Kingsville micropolitan area

External links

• Handbook of Texas Online article
• U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Sarita, Texas