STARR COUNTY
Situated on the Rio Grande border with Mexico, Starr County comprises 1,229 square miles ranging in elevation from 125 to 531 feet above sea level. Soil in the county varies from alluvial along the Rio Grande to clay, loam, and sandy in other parts. Temperatures reach average lows of 43 in January and average highs of 99 in July and rainfall is about 22 inches in a typical year. County population is projected to grow from 53,597 in 2000 to 82,311 in 2020 (Texas State Demographer, mid-range assumptions). Its largest city and county seat, Rio Grande City, has about 12,000 inhabitants followed closely by Roma with about 10,000 population.
Indians lived in what is now Starr County as long as 11,000 years ago following a hunter-gatherer mode of living. The first know Spanish exploration was in 1638 but settlements were not begun for over 100 years. Mexico and the Republic of Texas, and later the United States, all claimed this area until the Mexican War resolved sovereignty. The county was created in 1848. Part of its territory went to Hidalgo County in 1852 and another was taken by Zapata County in 1860. In 1911 Starr again lost a portion of its land, this time to Brooks County.
After settlement by Mexicans and Anglo-Americans, early residents engaged in sheep and cattle ranching. By 1900 cotton had become an important crop but sheep ranching had fallen dramatically. Today vegetable packing is a mainstay of the economy along with oil and gas.
Starr County is one of the poorest in the country with one of the highest percentages of Hispanic population. Many thousands of Hispanics live outside Rio Grande City in colonias.