Editing San Patricio County, Texas (section)

==History==

In 1828, 200 Irish Catholic families, recruited from Ireland and the Irish population of New York City, contracted with the Mexican government to settle on 80 leagues of land in this area. By 1836, about 500 people lived in the colony on 84 Mexican land grants. During the [[Texas Revolution]], most fled from the colony because of fighting in the area. By 1841, a small number of permanent residents had returned. When Texas was admitted by treaty to the United States in 1845, the area was stabilized by the presence of U.S. troops under General [[Zachary Taylor]]. In 1845, the county was formed (San Patricio is Spanish for [[Saint Patrick]], the primary [[patron saint]] of the colonists' home country of Ireland), and [[Corpus Christi, Texas|Corpus Christi]] was designated as the county seat. The following year, the county south of the [[Nueces River]] was reorganized as [[Nueces County, Texas|Nueces County]], and the town of [[San Patricio, Texas|San Patricio]] became the county seat of San Patricio County. In 1848, additional counties were formed out of San Patricio, which further reduced its size.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{Handbook of Texas|id=san-patricio-county|name=San Patricio County}}</ref>

The [[1850 U.S. census]] listed only 200 people in the county, including three slaves. The local economy was based on cattle raising. In the mid-1860s, more settlers moved, drawn by the cheap land. By 1870, 602 people lived in the county, and the agricultural census reported 51 farms and ranches, totaling {{convert|52000|acre|km2|abbr=on}}, in the area, with about {{convert|2400|acre|km2|abbr=on}} described as "improved". Development of the county intensified during the early 20th century, as hundreds of farmers moved in from [[North Texas]] and other states. The population reached 7,307 by 1910, and was 11,386 by 1920; 470 farms were counted in 1910, and 757 farms in 1920. Cattle ranching remained important, but vegetables and cotton also became important. The acres planted in the cotton increased from about {{convert|15000|acre|km2|abbr=on}} in 1910 to {{convert|155000|acre|km2|abbr=on}} by 1930.<ref name="autogenerated1"/><ref>{{cite book|last1=Guthrie|first1= Keith|title=The history of San Patricio County |last2=San Patricio County Historical Commission | date=1986|lccn=87108045|publisher=Eakin Publications|location=Austin, Texas|language=en|oclc=1154053506}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Stewart|first=Bennie L.|title=History of San Patricio County |date=1960|location=Kingsville, Texas|language=en|oclc=27020541}}</ref>