Starr County

Starr County is in South Texas, bordered by Hidalgo County to the east, Brooks County to the northeast, Jim Hogg County to the north, and Zapata County to the west. The Rio Grande serves as its boundary with Mexico to the south. The county seat is Rio Grande City, which is on U.S. Highway 83 and the Border Pacific Railroad. The center of the county is at 26°34' north latitude and 98°44' west longitude. Starr County is part of the Rio Grande Plain region and comprises 1,226 square miles with elevations from 200 to 400 feet above sea level. The northeastern part of the county has sandy or light-colored and loamy soils over very deep, reddish or mottled clayey subsoils. Soils in the central part of the county are light-colored, deep to moderately deep, and well drained. In the southwest soils are gray to black cracking clay. Limestone can be found within forty inches of the surface. Along the river, brown to red loams cover cracking clayey soils. Starr County is in the South Texas Plains vegetation region, characterized by mid and short grasses, thorny shrubs, mesquite, cacti, and live and post oak. In 1982, 80 percent of the land was in farms and ranches, with 17 percent of the farmland under cultivation and 19 percent irrigated. Less than 1 percent of the land in the county was considered prime farmland. The primary crops were sorghum and hay. Vegetables were also grown, and the county was second in the state for onions, cantaloupes, lettuce, bell peppers, and honeydew melons and fourth for cabbage. Primary fruits were oranges, and the primary livestock was cattle. Natural resources included caliche, clay, and gravel, oil, and gas. Gas and oil production is significant. Starr County has a subtropical, subhumid climate with mild winters and hot summers. Temperatures range from an average minimum of 44° F in January to an average maximum of 99° F in July. The average annual temperature is 74° F. Rainfall averages twenty-two inches a year, and the growing season lasts 305 days.

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.