Sarita, Texas
| Sarita, Texas | |
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| Census-designated place | |
| City of Sarita | |
The Kenedy Pasture Company Headquarters in Sarita
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 Location in Kenedy County and the state of Texas. |
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 Sarita, Texas
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| Coordinates: 27°13′18″N 97°47′21″W / 27.22167°N 97.78917°WCoordinates: 27°13′18″N 97°47′21″W / 27.22167°N 97.78917°W | |
| Country | United States of America |
| State | Texas |
| County | Kenedy |
| Elevation | 36 ft (11 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 238 |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP codes | 78385 |
| Area code(s) | 361 |
Sarita is a census-designated place (CDP) in, and the county seat of Kenedy County, Texas, United States. It is the only settlement of note in the county, and as of the 2010 US Census had a population of 238. Sarita has been ranked the most politically liberal town in Texas.
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 on 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.
On July 11, 2014, the satirical news website National Report reported that approximately 100 illegal immigrants occupied Sarita, forcing original residents out of their homes and using the town as a base of operations. The article garnered thousands of likes and shares on Facebook despite being entirely fictional.
Sarita is located at 27°13′18″N, 97°47′21″W.
Sarita is along U.S. Route 77, 20 miles (32 km) south of Kingsville and 70 miles (110 km) south of Corpus Christi. The United States Border Patrol Sarita checkpoint on U.S. Route 77 is located some 14 miles (23 km) south of the town of Sarita.
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