| Kenedy County, Texas | |
Location in the state of Texas |
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Texas's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | 1921 |
|---|---|
| Seat | Sarita |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
1,946 sq mi (5,040 km²) 1,457 sq mi (3,774 km²) 489 sq mi (1,267 km²), 25.12% |
| Population - (2010) - Density |
416 0/sq mi (0.11/km²) |
Kenedy County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. It is part of the Kingsville Micropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, its population was 416.[1] Its seat is Sarita[2], and the county is named for Mifflin Kenedy, an early rancher in the area. Kenedy County has the distinction of having the fourth lowest-population of any county in the United States, following Loving County, Texas, Kalawao County, Hawaii, and King County, Texas. It is also the easternmost and southernmost county in the United States that has more square miles than people.[3] The county was created in 1921 from parts of Hidalgo and Willacy counties. In 1999, Hurricane Bret struck the county, but damage was minimal due to the county's low population. The Peñascal Wind Power Project was built near Sarita in the early 21st Century and is expected to slightly raise the population of the area.
The King Ranch covers a large part of the county. [1]
Contents |
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,946 square miles (5,040.1 km2), of which 1,457 square miles (3,773.6 km2) is land and 489 square miles (1,266.5 km2) (25.12%) is water. The area made Kenedy the 13th largest county in Texas in total area.[4] In land area only, it is the 25th-largest county in Texas. Baffin Bay makes up much of the border with Kleberg County.
US 77 is the only highway (federal or state) in Kenedy County.
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1920 | 1,033 |
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| 1930 | 701 | −32.1% | |
| 1940 | 700 | −0.1% | |
| 1950 | 632 | −9.7% | |
| 1960 | 884 | 39.9% | |
| 1970 | 678 | −23.3% | |
| 1980 | 543 | −19.9% | |
| 1990 | 460 | −15.3% | |
| 2000 | 414 | −10.0% | |
| 2010 | 416 | 0.5% | |
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Texas Almanac: 1850-2010[6] |
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As of the census[7] of 2000, there were 414 people, 138 households, and 110 families residing in the county. The population density was 0.28 people per square mile (0.11/km²). There were 281 housing units at an average density of 0.19 per square mile (0.07/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 64.49% White, 0.72% Black or African American, 0.72% Native American, 0.48% Asian, 31.88% from other races, and 1.69% from two or more races. 78.99% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 138 households out of which 35.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.70% were married couples living together, 10.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.60% were non-families. 18.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.97 and the average family size was 3.26.
In the county, the population was spread out with 29.20% under the age of 18, 9.70% from 18 to 24, 26.30% from 25 to 44, 24.20% from 45 to 64, and 10.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 110.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $25,000, and the median income for a family was $26,719. Males had a median income of $18,125 versus $12,188 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,959. 15.30% of the population and 9.90% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 15.60% are under the age of 18 and 18.80% are 65 or older.
Kenedy County, the third least populous county in Texas, had 108 times more cattle than people in 1999.[4]
Almost all of Kenedy County is served by Sarita Elementary School (PreK-6) of the Kenedy County Wide Common School District. Of the nine Texas counties having only one school apiece, the population of Sarita Elementary School was the smallest.[4]
A small portion of Kenedy County is served by the Riviera Independent School District.
| Kleberg County | ||||
| Brooks County | Gulf of Mexico | |||
| Kenedy County, Texas | ||||
| Hidalgo County | Willacy County |
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![[1]](http://www.king-ranch.com/images/kr_map.jpg){kind=link}