San Patricio County is a county in Texas, United States, on the Gulf Coast within the Corpus Christi metropolitan area. It had a population of 68,755 at the 2020 census and covers 707 square miles (1,826 km2), of which 14 square miles (36 km2) is water, centred near 28°01′N 97°31′W.
Sinton is the county seat; its postal code is 78387. The county contains six cities, two towns, thirteen census-designated places and dozens of smaller unincorporated colonias, plus the cities of Aransas Pass, Corpus Christi, Ingleside, Portland and San Patricio, all of which extend across the county line into neighboring counties. San Patricio County lies in the Central time zone.
Towns & Villages in San Patricio County
Federal gazetteers list more than 100 named places in San Patricio County, from six wholly-contained incorporated cities down to small rural colonias platted in the early-to-mid 20th century. City denotes an incorporated city; Town an incorporated town; CDP a Census Bureau-recognized but unincorporated place; Unincorp. covers the smaller platted colonias and rural subdivisions with no formal government of their own.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sinton | City · seat | 5,504 | 78387 |
| Portland | City | 20,383 | 78374 |
| Aransas Pass | City | — | — |
| Corpus Christi | City | — | — |
| Gregory | City | — | — |
| Ingleside | City | — | — |
| Ingleside On-the-Bay | City | — | — |
| Mathis | City | — | — |
| Odem | City | — | — |
| Taft | City | — | — |
| Lake City | Town | — | — |
| Lakeside | Town | — | — |
| Del Sol | CDP | — | — |
| Edgewater Estates | CDP | — | — |
| Edroy | CDP | — | — |
| Falman | CDP | — | — |
| La Paloma Addition | CDP | — | — |
| Lakeshore Gardens-Hidden Acres | CDP | — | — |
| Loma Linda | CDP | — | — |
| Morgan Farm | CDP | — | — |
| Paisano Park | CDP | — | — |
| Rancho Chico | CDP | — | — |
| St. Paul | CDP | — | — |
| Taft Southwest | CDP | — | — |
| Tradewinds | CDP | — | — |
| San Patricio | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sodville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Algodon Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bayview Estates Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bethel Estates Number 1 Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bethel Estates Number 2 Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Buena Vista Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Caruthers Cove Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cheyene Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Clearwater Cove | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Colony Estates of Sinton Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Corriente Estates Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Country Acres | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Country Estates Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Crescent Center | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Dodd Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Dodd Number 2 Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Doyle | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Doyle Addition Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Edgewater Estates Number 1 Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Edgewater Estates Number 3 Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Edroy Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Ewelder | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fifth Hidalgo Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fourth Hidalgo Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Friendswood Acres Number 1 Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Friendswood Acres Number 2 Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Garza-4th-6th Streets Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Gonzales 12 Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Heldnfelt | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hidden Acres | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hidden Acres Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hilltop Acres Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hubert | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Indian Trails Lane Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| J G Gonzales Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Kenney Lane East Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Kenney Lane West Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| La Fruta | Unincorp. | — | — |
| La Ponderosa Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lake Mathis Point Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lakeshore Gardens | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lakeshore Gardens Number 1 Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lakeshore Gardens Number 2 Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Midway | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Millsville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Mooney Lane Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Morgan Lane Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| North Lakeshore Gardens Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Nueces Bay Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Nueces Bayfront Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| O’Farrell Acres Number 1 Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| O’Farrell Acres Number 2 Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Old Ingleside Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Point Loma | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Port Ingleside | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Rancho Chico Addition Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Roosevelt Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Saint Paul Estates Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Saint Paul Number 1 Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Second Rancho Chico Addition Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Second Roosevelt Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sherwood Forest Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sun Country Estates Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sunkist Country Estates Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sunrise Acres Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Third Hidalgo Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Third Rancho Chico Addition Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Tierra Buena Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Timon and Morgan Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Tradewinds Estates Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Vahlsing | Unincorp. | — | — |
| W J Ranch Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Wendy Acres Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| West Saint Paul | Unincorp. | — | — |
| West Sinton | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Whispering Oaks Estates Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
Several cities that give San Patricio County its urban character sit only partly within its borders. Corpus Christi, Nueces County’s seat, extends a small northern arm across the Nueces Bay causeway into San Patricio County; Aransas Pass and Ingleside straddle the San Patricio–Aransas county line along Redfish Bay; and the small community of San Patricio itself, on the Nueces River northwest of Sinton, is the county’s original 1830s settlement and namesake.
ZIP Codes
- 78387 — Sinton (also serves West Sinton and rural addresses south of town)
- 78374 — Portland
ZIP codes for the county’s other incorporated cities and its many colonias were not independently verified for this update and are omitted rather than guessed.
Geography
San Patricio County sits on the flat Texas Gulf Coastal Plain, sloping gently southeast toward Corpus Christi and Nueces Bays. The Nueces River crosses the southern part of the county on its way to Nueces Bay, and the county’s eastern edge fronts Corpus Christi and Redfish Bays — separated from the open Gulf of Mexico by Mustang and San Jose Islands in neighboring Nueces and Aransas Counties. Inland terrain is a mix of coastal prairie and brushland used for cattle ranching and row-crop farming.
San Patricio County borders Bee County to the north, Refugio County to the northeast, Aransas County to the east, Nueces County to the southeast, Jim Wells County to the southwest and Live Oak County to the northwest.
Demographics
San Patricio County had 68,755 residents at the 2020 census, a density of about 97 people per square mile across its 707 square miles. Portland, with 20,383 residents, is by far the county’s largest community, followed by Sinton, the county seat, at 5,504. The remaining population is spread across five smaller cities, two towns, thirteen census-designated places and a large number of rural colonias, many platted decades ago as low-cost, unrestricted subdivisions. Household income in the county has historically run below the Texas median of $75,780, reflecting the mix of agricultural, industrial and service employment across its towns.
Economy & Local Life
Petrochemical and industrial plants along the Corpus Christi Bay shoreline near Portland and Ingleside anchor much of the county’s modern economy, alongside shipping and marine trades tied to the Corpus Christi Ship Channel. Sinton’s economy grew around the oil industry after the Plymouth Oil Company built its headquarters there following the 1935 discovery of the Sinton oil field, and oil and gas activity remains part of the local economy today. Away from the coast, cattle ranching, cotton and grain sorghum farming continue on the county’s inland prairie land, a pattern little changed since the early 20th century.
History
San Patricio County traces its roots to 1828, when about 200 Irish Catholic families contracted with the Mexican government to settle the area as the colony of San Patricio de Hibernia, named for Saint Patrick. The county itself was organized in 1836, one of the original counties of the Republic of Texas. The Irish settlement, alongside the neighboring colony at Refugio, makes San Patricio one of the earliest Irish communities in Texas, and the county seat later moved from the town of San Patricio to Sinton as rail and oil development shifted population growth eastward in the early 20th century.
Getting There
Interstate 37 crosses the western part of the county on its way between Corpus Christi and San Antonio, and US 77 and US 181 run through Sinton and Portland respectively, linking the county to the wider Coastal Bend highway network along with State Highways 35, 89, 188, 359 and 361 and Loop 90.
- Corpus Christi — about 20 miles south via US 77
- San Antonio — about 100 miles northwest via I-37
- Rockport — about 25 miles east via SH 35
- Beeville — about 25 miles north via US 181
Corpus Christi International Airport, roughly 25 miles south of Sinton, is the nearest commercial airport.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is San Patricio County, Texas?
It is on the Texas Gulf Coast, in the Corpus Christi metropolitan area, centred near 28°01′N 97°31′W.
What is the population of San Patricio County?
68,755 people at the 2020 census.
How big is San Patricio County?
707 square miles (1,826 km2), including 14 square miles of water.
What is the county seat of San Patricio County?
Sinton is the county seat.
How many towns and cities are in San Patricio County?
Six incorporated cities, two incorporated towns, thirteen census-designated places, and five more cities — Aransas Pass, Corpus Christi, Ingleside, Portland and San Patricio — that extend into the county from a neighboring county.
What ZIP codes are in San Patricio County?
78387 for Sinton and 78374 for Portland are the county’s two verified ZIP codes; several other towns have their own codes not independently confirmed here.
Why is San Patricio County named that?
It is named for Saint Patrick, honoring the roughly 200 Irish Catholic families who settled the San Patricio de Hibernia colony there in 1828.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Texas.