County in Texas, United States
County in Texas
Kleberg County
is a
county
in the
U.S. state
of
Texas
. As of the
2020 census
, its population was 31,040.
[1]
The
county seat
is
Kingsville
.
[2]
The county was organized in 1913
[3]
and is named for
Robert J. Kleberg
, an early settler.
Kleberg County is part of the Kingsville, TX
Micropolitan Statistical Area
, which is also part of the
Corpus Christi
-
Kingsville
-
Alice
, TX
Combined Statistical Area
. Most of the county's land lies in the famed
King Ranch
, which also extends into neighboring counties.
History
[
edit
]
The county was organized in 1913
[4]
and was named for
Robert J. Kleberg
, an early settler (see below).
In 1997, the county commissioners designated "HeavenO" as the county's official greeting because of a
taboo
stemming from "Hello"'s perceived connotations of
Hell
.
[5]
[6]
Robert Justus Kleberg
[
edit
]
Robert Justus Kleberg Sr. (1803?1888), a Prussian settler, was born on September 10, 1803, in Herstelle, Westphalia. His father was a merchant.
Kleberg was educated in the classics and attended the University of Gottingen, where he received a J.D. degree. After graduating he was appointed a justice of assizes. He married Rosalie von Roeder near Paderborn, Prussia, in 1834. They emigrated to Texas that year and settled in Cat Spring in 1836.
In the
Republic of Texas
, Kleberg was associate commissioner and president of the Board of Land Commissioners (1837?38), justice of the peace (1841), and chief justice of Austin County (1846). In 1847 the Kleberg's moved to Meyersville, where Kleberg was elected county commissioner in 1848 and chief justice in 1853.
Kleberg fought in the
battle of San Jacinto
in Capt.
Moseley Baker
's company and subsequently served as one of the Texas guards for Gen. Santa Anna. After the revolution, he volunteered for six months' duty in the Texas army in a campaign against the Indians on Escondido Creek.
Kleberg supported the cause of the Confederacy. When the Civil War broke out he raised a company of militia but because of his advanced age was not received into active service. Robert and Rosa raised their own seven children in addition to several young Roeder relatives. Their youngest son, Robert Justus Kleberg Jr. married Alice Gertrudis King.
Kleberg died on October 23, 1888, near Cuero and was buried there. His grave is marked by a monument in the form of a soldier's tent with the words "Remember the Alamo" carved at the base. Kleberg County was named in his honor in 1913; a marker at his home site near Cuero was erected in 1936.
Geography
[
edit
]
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau
, the county has a total area of 1,090 square miles (2,800 km
2
), of which 881 square miles (2,280 km
2
) is land and 209 square miles (540 km
2
) (19%) is water.
[7]
It borders the
Gulf of Mexico
.
Baffin Bay
makes up a large part of the border with Kenedy County.
Major highways
[
edit
]
Adjacent counties
[
edit
]
National protected area
[
edit
]
Demographics
[
edit
]
Historical population
Census
| Pop.
| Note
| %±
|
1920
| 7,837
| | ?
|
---|
1930
| 12,451
| | 58.9%
|
---|
1940
| 13,344
| | 7.2%
|
---|
1950
| 21,991
| | 64.8%
|
---|
1960
| 30,052
| | 36.7%
|
---|
1970
| 33,166
| | 10.4%
|
---|
1980
| 33,358
| | 0.6%
|
---|
1990
| 30,274
| | ?9.2%
|
---|
2000
| 31,549
| | 4.2%
|
---|
2010
| 32,061
| | 1.6%
|
---|
2020
| 31,040
| | ?3.2%
|
---|
2020 census
[
edit
]
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.
2000 Census
[
edit
]
As of the
census
[12]
of 2000, there were 31,549 people, 10,896 households, and 7,681 families residing in the county. The
population density
was 36 people per square mile (14 people/km
2
). There were 12,743 housing units at an average density of 15 units per square mile (5.8/km
2
). The racial makeup of the county was 71.87%
White
, 3.70%
Black
or
African American
, 0.61%
Native American
, 1.47%
Asian
, 0.10%
Pacific Islander
, 19.00% from
other races
, and 3.25% from two or more races. 65.41% of the population were
Hispanic
or
Latino
of any race.
There were 10,896 households, out of which 34.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.10% were
married couples
living together, 13.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.50% were non-families. 22.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.30.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 27.30% under the age of 18, 15.70% from 18 to 24, 27.40% from 25 to 44, 19.00% from 45 to 64, and 10.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $29,313, and the median income for a family was $33,055. Males had a median income of $31,179 versus $19,494 for females. The
per capita income
for the county was $13,542. About 21.20% of families and 26.70% of the population were below the
poverty line
, including 35.50% of those under age 18 and 15.60% of those age 65 or over.
Religion
[
edit
]
68.1% of the people in Kleberg County are religious: 37.3% are
Catholics
, 9.8% are
Baptists
, 8% are
Muslims
, 3.3% are
Methodists
, 2.7% are
Pentecostals
, 2.0% are
Mormons
, 0.9% are
Lutherans
, 0.7% are
Presbyterians
, 0.6% are
Episcopalians
and 2.8% are from another
Christian
faith.
[13]
Communities
[
edit
]
Cities and towns
[
edit
]
Census-designated places
[
edit
]
Politics
[
edit
]
United States presidential election results for Kleberg County, Texas
[14]
Year
|
Republican
|
Democratic
|
Third party
|
No.
|
%
|
No.
|
%
|
No.
|
%
|
2020
|
5,504
|
50.29%
|
5,314
|
48.56%
|
126
|
1.15%
|
2016
|
4,367
|
45.55%
|
4,716
|
49.19%
|
504
|
5.26%
|
2012
|
4,058
|
45.56%
|
4,754
|
53.37%
|
95
|
1.07%
|
2008
|
4,540
|
45.97%
|
5,256
|
53.22%
|
80
|
0.81%
|
2004
|
5,366
|
53.81%
|
4,550
|
45.62%
|
57
|
0.57%
|
2000
|
4,526
|
49.23%
|
4,481
|
48.74%
|
187
|
2.03%
|
1996
|
3,391
|
37.68%
|
5,136
|
57.07%
|
472
|
5.25%
|
1992
|
3,897
|
36.89%
|
5,109
|
48.36%
|
1,558
|
14.75%
|
1988
|
4,443
|
44.67%
|
5,367
|
53.96%
|
136
|
1.37%
|
1984
|
5,712
|
53.48%
|
4,924
|
46.10%
|
45
|
0.42%
|
1980
|
4,608
|
45.84%
|
5,125
|
50.98%
|
320
|
3.18%
|
1976
|
3,771
|
39.09%
|
5,803
|
60.15%
|
73
|
0.76%
|
1972
|
5,312
|
54.19%
|
4,481
|
45.71%
|
10
|
0.10%
|
1968
|
2,713
|
33.84%
|
4,633
|
57.80%
|
670
|
8.36%
|
1964
|
1,652
|
26.52%
|
4,568
|
73.32%
|
10
|
0.16%
|
1960
|
2,092
|
35.66%
|
3,773
|
64.32%
|
1
|
0.02%
|
1956
|
2,121
|
46.39%
|
2,436
|
53.28%
|
15
|
0.33%
|
1952
|
2,037
|
38.94%
|
3,193
|
61.04%
|
1
|
0.02%
|
1948
|
697
|
24.26%
|
2,083
|
72.50%
|
93
|
3.24%
|
1944
|
421
|
21.51%
|
1,473
|
75.27%
|
63
|
3.22%
|
1940
|
429
|
20.78%
|
1,631
|
79.02%
|
4
|
0.19%
|
1936
|
156
|
9.13%
|
1,488
|
87.12%
|
64
|
3.75%
|
1932
|
198
|
10.15%
|
1,727
|
88.56%
|
25
|
1.28%
|
1928
|
751
|
51.94%
|
695
|
48.06%
|
0
|
0.00%
|
1924
|
226
|
19.57%
|
721
|
62.42%
|
208
|
18.01%
|
1920
|
172
|
25.56%
|
455
|
67.61%
|
46
|
6.84%
|
1916
|
106
|
18.34%
|
427
|
73.88%
|
45
|
7.79%
|
Kleberg County is represented in the
Texas House of Representatives
by the
Republican
J. M. Lozano
, a
restaurateur
in Kingsville, Portland, Callen, and in
Alice
, Texas.
Kleberg County has leaned Democratic for most of its history but has become more competitive in the 21st century. An indicator of that trend is Lozano who was originally a Democrat but switched to the Republicans in 2012. Also, Kleberg County Attorney Kira Talip Sanchez was originally elected as a Democrat in 2014, but she announced in August 2023 that she switched parties and is now a Republican.
[15]
Kleberg County has voted three times for either narrowly winning or losing Republicans (
George W. Bush
in
2000
and
2004
, and
Donald Trump
in
2020
).
Education
[
edit
]
School districts include:
Coastal Bend College
(formerly Bee County College) is the designated community college for the Kingsville, Ricardo, and Santa Gertrudis school district areas. The Riviera ISD portion is in the
Del Mar College-Corpus Christi Junior College District
.
[16]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Kleberg County, Texas"
.
United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
February 23,
2021
.
- ^
"Find a County"
. National Association of Counties. Archived from
the original
on May 31, 2011
. Retrieved
June 7,
2011
.
- ^
Columbia-Lippincott Gazetteer
, p. 959
- ^
Columbia-Lippincott Gazetteer
, p. 959.
- ^
Kelley Shannon, "
Say Goodbye to ‘Hello’ and Hello to ‘Heaven-o’
",
The Los Angeles Times
, January 19, 1997.
- ^
"
Heaven-o
",
The Chicago Tribune
, January 21, 1997.
- ^
"2010 Census Gazetteer Files"
. United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012
. Retrieved
May 2,
2015
.
- ^
"Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades"
.
US Census Bureau
.
- ^
"Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850?2010"
(PDF)
. Texas Almanac.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on October 9, 2022
. Retrieved
May 2,
2015
.
- ^
a
b
"P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Kleberg County, Texas"
.
United States Census Bureau
.
Archived
from the original on January 9, 2024.
- ^
a
b
"P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Kleberg County, Texas"
.
United States Census Bureau
.
Archived
from the original on January 9, 2024.
- ^
"U.S. Census"
.
United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
May 14,
2011
.
- ^
https://www.bestplaces.net/religion/county/texas/kleberg
- ^
Leip, David.
"Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections"
.
uselectionatlas.org
. Retrieved
July 26,
2018
.
- ^
Goldsberry, Jenny; Zimmermann, David (August 20, 2023).
"Texas county attorney leaves Democratic Party for GOP over border crisis"
.
Washington Examiner
.
Archived
from the original on August 20, 2023.
- ^
"Texas Education Code, Title 3. Higher Education, Subtitle G. Non-baccalaureate System, Chapter 130. Junior College Districts"
. Texas Constitution and Statutes.
Archived
from the original on November 3, 2023.
Sec. 130.167. Bee County College District Service Area." "Sec. 130.177. Del Mar College-corpus Christi Junior College District Service Area.
The legislation calls it "Bee County College".
External links
[
edit
]
Places adjacent to Kleberg County, Texas
|
---|
|
|
---|
|
Cities
| | Kleberg County map
|
---|
CDPs
| |
---|
Other
community
| |
---|
Footnotes
| ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
|
---|
|
27°26′N
97°40′W
/
27.43°N 97.66°W
/
27.43; -97.66