Refugio County is a county in Texas, United States, on the Coastal Bend between Corpus Christi and Victoria. It had a population of 6,741 at the 2020 census and covers 818 square miles (2,120 km2) centred near 28\u00b019\u2032N 97\u00b010\u2032W.<\/p>\n
Refugio is the county seat and its postal code is 78377. The county has three incorporated towns, one census-designated place, and two recognized ghost towns; Texas has no civil townships, so places here are organized only as cities, towns, or unincorporated communities. The county sits in the Central time zone, and its FIPS code is 48391.<\/p>\n
Refugio County has three incorporated towns, one census-designated place (CDP), and a handful of unincorporated communities and former settlements. CDPs are Census Bureau statistical areas with no city government; Unincorp. places have neither.<\/p>\n
| Place<\/th>\n | Type<\/th>\n | Pop.<\/th>\n | ZIP<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n |
|---|---|---|---|
| Refugio<\/td>\n | City · seat<\/td>\n | 2,712<\/td>\n | 78377<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Woodsboro<\/td>\n | City<\/td>\n | 1,319<\/td>\n | 78393<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Austwell<\/td>\n | City<\/td>\n | 118<\/td>\n | 77950<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Tivoli<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | 419<\/td>\n | 77990<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Bayside<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 78340<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Bonnie View<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Cranell<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Inari<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Maudlowe<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Quintana<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Ryanville<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Vidaurri<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Copano<\/td>\n | Ghost town<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| St. Mary’s of Aransas<\/td>\n | Ghost town<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n Old Saint Marys and St. Mary’s of Aransas refer to the same abandoned town near Copano Bay, once the county’s original seat before it was destroyed by an 1886 hurricane; both entries above describe that one site.<\/p>\n ZIP Codes<\/h2>\nBonnie View, Cranell, Inari, Maudlowe, Quintana, Ryanville, and Vidaurri are unincorporated crossroads with no ZIP code of their own; mail there is typically routed through Refugio or Woodsboro.<\/p>\n Geography<\/h2>\nRefugio County lies on the Gulf Coastal Plain a few miles inland from Copano Bay and Aransas Bay, with the Mission River and Aransas River crossing the county on their way to the coast. Terrain is flat to gently rolling, mixing rangeland, farmland, and coastal prairie; about 48 square miles are water, including bay margins and river bottoms. The county borders Victoria County to the north, Calhoun County to the northeast, Aransas County to the southeast, San Patricio County to the south, Bee County to the west, and Goliad County to the northwest.<\/p>\n Demographics<\/h2>\nThe 2020 census counted 6,741 residents. Refugio and Woodsboro are the two largest communities, together holding well over half the county’s population. Median household income in Refugio County runs below the Texas median of $75,780, reflecting the county’s dependence on oil, gas, and ranching income rather than urban wage work. Population density is roughly 8.7 people per square mile of land.<\/p>\n Economy & Local Life<\/h2>\nOil and gas have driven the county’s economy for a century; the Tom O’Connor field, discovered in 1934 just north of Refugio, is one of the largest oil fields ever found in Texas, and the Greta field and other Refugio County discoveries from the 1920s through the 1950s added to that base. Cattle ranching and row-crop farming (cotton, grain sorghum, corn) remain the other pillar of the local economy, and commercial and recreational fishing out of Bayside and the bay-side communities add a coastal component.<\/p>\n History<\/h2>\nThe county traces its name to Nuestra Se\u00f1ora del Refugio, a Spanish mission founded in 1793 near present-day Refugio, the last mission established in Texas. The area organized as a municipality of Mexico in 1834 and became a county of the Republic of Texas in 1837. The original county seat, a settlement near Copano Bay historically remembered as St. Mary’s of Aransas (or Old Saint Marys\/Copano), was largely destroyed by a hurricane in 1886, after which county government consolidated at Refugio.<\/p>\n Getting There<\/h2>\nUS Highway 77, US Highway 183, and State Highway 35 are the main routes through the county. The nearest commercial airport is Corpus Christi International Airport.<\/p>\n Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\nWhere is Refugio County?<\/strong> What is the population of Refugio County?<\/strong> How big is Refugio County?<\/strong> What is the county seat of Refugio County?<\/strong> How many towns are in Refugio County?<\/strong> |