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Kingsville, Texas
Clockwise from top: Kingsville City Hall, T-45 Goshawk assigned to Naval Air Station Kingsville, Downtown Kingsville, John B. Ragland Mercantile Company Building, College Hall at Texas A&M University-Kingsville, and the Kleberg County Courthouse
Clockwise from top: Kingsville City Hall, T-45 Goshawk assigned to Naval Air Station Kingsville, Downtown Kingsville, John B. Ragland Mercantile Company Building, College Hall at Texas A&M University-Kingsville, and the Kleberg County Courthouse
Kleberg Kingsville.svg
Kingsville, Texas is located in Texas
Kingsville, Texas
Kingsville, Texas
Location in Texas
Kingsville, Texas is located in the United States
Kingsville, Texas
Kingsville, Texas
Location in the United States
Country  United States
State  Texas
County Kleberg
Settled July 4, 1904
Incorporated 1911
Named for Richard King
Government
 • Type Council-Manager
Area
 • City 13.91 sq mi (36.02 km2)
 • Land 13.88 sq mi (35.96 km2)
 • Water 0.02 sq mi (0.06 km2)
Elevation
59 ft (18 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • City 26,213
 • Estimate 
(2019)
25,315
 • Density 1,823.45/sq mi (704.04/km2)
 • Metro
34,367
Demonym(s) Kingsvillian
Time zone UTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP codes
78363-78364
Area code(s) 361
FIPS code 48-39352
GNIS feature ID 1374386

Kingsville is a city in the southern region of the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Kleberg County. Located on the U.S. Route 77 corridor between Corpus Christi and Harlingen, Kingsville is the principal city of the Kingsville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of the larger Corpus Christi-Kingsville Combined Statistical Area. The population was 26,213 at the 2010 census, and in 2019 the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the population at 25,315.

Named in honor of Richard King, the city was founded to provide infrastructure for the adjacent King Ranch, as well as serve as the headquarters of the newly founded St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway. In 1904, the first tracks were laid and the first buildings constructed for the planned city. In 1911, the city was incorporated. It is home to Texas A&M University-Kingsville, a member of the Texas A&M University System, and Naval Air Station Kingsville, one of the U.S. Navy's three locations for jet aviation training.

Geography

Kingsville is located at 27°30′54″N 97°51′56″W / 27.51500°N 97.86556°W / 27.51500; -97.86556 (27.515024, -97.865507).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.9 square miles (36 km2), of which 13.8 square miles (36 km2) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) (0.22%) is water.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1920 4,770
1930 6,815 42.9%
1940 7,782 14.2%
1950 16,898 117.1%
1960 25,297 49.7%
1970 28,995 14.6%
1980 29,949 3.3%
1990 25,276 −15.6%
2000 25,575 1.2%
2010 26,213 2.5%
2019 (est.) 25,315 −3.4%
U.S. Decennial Census

In 2009, the population density of Kingsville was 1,848.8 inhabitants per square mile (713.8/km2). There were 10,427 housing units, with an average density of 753.8 per square mile (291.1/km2).

The following statistics come from the American Community Survey 2007-2011 five year estimate.

There were 25,994 residents in 9,103 households, and 5,837 families living in the city. 1,192 housing units were vacant. The rental vacancy rate was 9.3 percent while the homeowner vacancy rate was 3.9 percent. 57.1 percent of all housing units were built between 1950 and 1979. Only 9.9 percent were built in 2000 or later. The median value of an owner-occupied unit was $69,500.

Of the 9,103 households, 36.5 percent had children under the age of 18. 40.6 percent were married couples living together, 17.5 percent had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9 percent were non-families. 25.0 percent of all households were made up of single individuals, and 8.5 percent had someone living alone who was aged 65 or above. The average household size was 2.67, and the average family size was 3.26.

The racial makeup of the city was 83.3 percent White, 4.7 percent African American, 2.8 percent Asian, 0.6 percent Native American, 0.1 percent Pacific Islander, 6.8 percent from other races, and 1.7 percent from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race made up 72.4 percent of the population.

The population was spread out, with 30.1 percent under 20 years of age, 39.2 percent aged 20 to 44, 18.9 percent aged 45 to 64, and 11.9 percent aged 65 or above. The median age was 27.6. For every 100 females, there were 106.5 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 107.3 males. For every 100 females aged 18 to 64, there were 114.1 males. For every 100 females aged 65 and over, there were 74.2 males.

The median household income in the city was $33,785, and that for a family was $43,167. Males had a median income of $44,854 versus $26,447 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,271. About 20.0 percent of families and 27.7 percent of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.7 percent of those under 18 and 12.0 percent of those aged 65 or over. The unemployment rate expressed as a percentage of persons aged 16 and over, was 6.7 percent. The unemployment rate, when expressed as a percentage of labor force participants aged 16 and over, was 11.4 percent.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Highways

  • US 77.svg U.S. Highway 77 I-69E.svg (Future Interstate 69E)
  • Texas 141.svg State Highway 141

Air travel

  • Kleberg County Airport (in Kingsville)
  • Corpus Christi International Airport (in Corpus Christi)

Railway

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, Kingsville has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.



Economy

The main economic driving forces in the city and the surrounding region are agriculture, oil and natural gas production, chemical refining, tourism, and the military. Westwater Resources owns and operates one of only a handful of uranium mines in Texas in Kingsville. The mine, called the Kingsville Dome mine and processing plant, has operated on and off between 1989 and 2009, and produced nearly 4.2 million pounds of uranium through an in situ recovery process, pulling uranium from groundwater. NAS Kingsville has had a large economic impact on the city since it opened in 1942. Today, an estimated one in seven residents of the Kingsville area are in some way associated with the base. The base employs just over 1,600 residents.

Education

CollegeHalltower001
Bell tower atop College Hall, Texas A&M University-Kingsville

The main campus of Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK) is located in the northwest portion of the city. Additionally, the Irma Lerma Rangel College of Pharmacy (part of the Texas A&M Health Science Center) is located on the campus of TAMUK. Coastal Bend College has a campus in Kingsville offering several certificate and associate degree programs.

Public primary and secondary schools are operated by the Kingsville Independent School District (KISD) and the Santa Gertrudis Independent School District (SGISD). There are two high schools serving Kingsville students, Henrietta M. King High School operated by KISD, and Academy High School operated by SGISD. Other KISD schools include Memorial Middle, John S. Gillett Intermediate, and A.D. Harvey, Alice G.K. Kleberg, Jesus R. Perez, and N.M. Harrel elementary schools. Additionally, KISD operates the Pogue Options Alternative Academy. SGISD operates one primary school, the Santa Gertrudis School. In 2018, KISD received an 'F' rating from the Texas Education Agency, and no grade for 2019, due to data integrity. Conversely, SGSID received a grade of 'A' for both 2018 and 2019. Private schools include the St. Gertrude School, Epiphany Episcopal School, Christian Life Academy, and the Presbyterian Pan American School.

Due to the structure and zoning of Texas Independent School districts, many students residing in Kingsville also attend schools in both the Riviera Independent School District and Ricardo Independent School District, south of the city, as well as the Bishop Consolidated Independent School District to the north.

Notable people

  • Lynn Adams, golfer, a one-time winner on the LPGA Tour
  • Ronnie Bull, professional football player
  • Jeff & Greg Burns, composers of electronic and orchestral music
  • Laura Canales, Tejano musician
  • Brothers Lauro Cavazos and Richard E. Cavazos. Lauro served as Secretary of Education and was the first Hispanic to serve in the United States Cabinet. Richard was the U.S. Army's first Hispanic four-star general and served as head of the U.S. Army Forces Command
  • Chuck Clements, quarterback for the New York Jets
  • Kennedy M. Crockett, U.S. Ambassador to Nicaragua from 1967 to 1970
  • Matthew Dear, music producer, D.J. and electronic avant pop artist
  • Steve Denton, professional tennis player, and tennis coach at Texas A&M University
  • M. Stanton Evans, journalist, author and educator
  • Roberto Garza, a football player for the Chicago Bears
  • Darrell Green, professional football player for the Washington Redskins
  • Donald Hollas, professional football player
  • Zona Jones, country music singer, and attorney
  • Richard M. Kleberg, a seven-term member of U.S. House of Representatives and an heir to King Ranch
  • Eva Longoria, an actress, and model
  • J. M. Lozano, member of the Texas House of Representatives since 2011 from Kingsville
  • Jack Mildren, an All-American quarterback at The University of Oklahoma, professional football player, oil company owner, 13th Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma, and bank executive
  • Jim Morrison, musician
  • Dwayne Nix, football player elected to the College Football Hall of Fame
  • Luke Patterson, professional football player
  • Kit Pongetti, actress, singer, and writer
  • John Randle, professional football player for the Minnesota Vikings
  • Irma Rangel, lawyer and state representative from Kingsville
  • Kimberly Scott, actress
  • Heath Sherman, professional football player for the Philadelphia Eagles
  • Gene Upshaw, professional football player for the Oakland Raiders
  • Reality Winner (born 1991), American intelligence specialist pled guilty to felony transmission of national defense information
  • Willie Wood, a professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour, Nationwide Tour, and Champions Tour

Images for kids

See also

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