Duval County

Duval County, Texas
Duval County is in south central Texas about fifty miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico and seventy-three miles north of the Rio Grande. It is bordered by Webb, La Salle, McMullen, Live Oak, Jim Wells, Brooks, and Jim Hogg counties. San Diego, the county seat and most populous town, is on the Texas Mexican Railroad at the intersection of State highways 44 and 359 and Farm road 1329, about fifty-two miles west of Corpus Christi and eighty miles east of Laredo. The county's center point is nine miles northwest of Benavides at 27°42' north latitude and 98°30' west longitude. State Highway 44 passes through the county from east to west, and State Highway 16 crosses from north to south. Two highways cross the county diagonally: U.S. Highway 59 and State Highway 359. The county comprises 1,795 square miles of nearly level to undulating terrain with an elevation ranging from 250 to 800 feet above sea level. The northern part of the county drains into the Nueces River, while the central and southern parts drain into the Laguna Madre through Baffin Bay. Northern Duval County is characterized by loamy cracking or crumbly clayey soils, deep to moderately deep, that overlie indurated caliche. Western Duval County is characterized by deep soils with loamy surface layers and loamy or clayey subsoils, and loamy soils with indurated caliche at shallow to moderate depths. Eastern Duval County is characterized by poorly drained loamy soils and well-drained dark soils with loamy surface layers and clayey subsoils. The vegetation consists of small trees, shrubs, and cacti, with large areas of brush. The county's mineral resources include caliche, clay, salt domes, sandstone, uranium, oil, and gas. The climate is subtropical-subhumid. The average minimum temperature is 43° F in January, and the average maximum temperature is 98° in July. The growing season averages 298 days annually. The rainfall averages about twenty-four inches. Less than 1 percent of the land in Duval County is considered prime farmland. Duval County's climate has likely remained unchanged for centuries, but beginning in the late nineteenth century cattle ranching, which was the county's main industry, and farming have had significant effects on the county's vegetation and water supply. Overgrazing led to the destruction of the watershed and clogged the springs that fed the county's streams, most of which are now intermittent, and, in combination with the suppression of grass fires, allowed mesquite to become dominant.
Adapted from the official Handbook of Texas, a state encyclopedia developed by the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). It is an authoritative source of trusted historical records.
Martin Donell Kohout | © Texas State Historical Association
Duval County at a Glance
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County Map of Texas
Duval County
- Duval County
Currently Exists
Yes
Place type
Duval County is classified as a County
Altitude Range
180 ft – 842 ft
Places of Duval County
Noteworthy | Place | Type |
---|---|---|
Benavides | Town | |
Bess | Town | |
Borjas | Town | |
Byran | Town | |
Chapa | Town | |
Concepcion | Town | |
Copita | Town | |
Crestonio | Town | |
Cruz Calle | Town | |
Dubose | Town | |
Duval | Town | |
Ella | Town | |
Freer | Town | |
Government Wells | Town | |
Gravis | Town | |
Guajillo | Town | |
Humble Government Wells Camp | Town | |
La Garcia | Town | |
Las Hermanitas | Town | |
Mazatlan | Town | |
Melvine | Town | |
Mindiette | Town | |
Noleda | Town | |
Norway | Town | |
Palangana | Town | |
Perezville | Town | |
Piedras Pintas | Town | |
Pila Blanca | Town | |
Pualetos | Town | |
Ramirez | Town | |
Rangel | Town | |
Realitos | Town | |
Reyes | Town | |
Rios | Town | |
Rosita | Town | |
Rosita Valley | Town | |
San Diego | Town | |
San Jose | Town | |
Santa Cruz | Town | |
Seago | Town | |
Sejita | Town | |
Seven Sisters | Town | |
Shaeffer | Town | |
Sweden | Town | |
Trevino | Town | |
Vera Cruz | Town |
Photos of Duval County and surrounding areas

Duval County, Texas
Duval County Courthouse in the City of San Diego, Texas. Photograph by Larry D. Moore.

Duval County, Texas
Map of Duval County, Texas. Map Credit: Robert Plocheck.

San Diego, Texas
Train at San Diego, Texas, Historical photograph 1914. Photograph is a primary source, located at UNT's The Portal of Texas History: https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth703980/ San Diego

Duval County by the Numbers
Population & Civilian Labor Counts
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Population Counts
Duval County
Pop. | Year | Source |
---|---|---|
11,157 | 2019 | United States Census Bureau |
Civilian Labor Counts
Duval County
People | Year | Source |
---|---|---|
4,960 | 2019 | Texas Workforce Commission |
Per Capita Income
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Per Capita Income (USD) | Year | Source |
---|---|---|
$36,418 | 2019 | U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis |
Property Values, Retail Sales, and Wages
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Property Values
Duval County
USD ($) | Year | Source |
---|---|---|
2,560,741,164 | 2019 | State Property Tax Board |
Retail Sales
Duval County
USD ($) | Year | Source |
---|---|---|
51,713,913 | 2019 | State Comptroller of Public Accounts |
Wages
Duval County
USD ($) | Year | Source |
---|---|---|
35,490,492 | 2019 | Texas Workforce Commission |
Unemployment
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Unemployment Percentage | Year | Source |
---|---|---|
13.8 | 2019 | Texas Workforce Commission |
Rainfall
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Rainfall (inches) | Year | Source |
---|---|---|
26.0 | 2019 | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |
Temperature Ranges
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Min. (January Average, °F) | Max. (July Average, °F) | Year | Source |
---|---|---|---|
43.1 | 97.0 | 2019 | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |
Land Area & Total Area
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Land Area
Duval County
Area (square miles) | Year | Source |
---|---|---|
1,793.5 | 2019 | United States Census Bureau |
Total Area
Duval County
Area (square miles) | Year | Source |
---|---|---|
1,795.6 | 2019 | United States Census Bureau |