Earliest signs of life in the county were estimated at 6,000 to 8,000 years ago. The earliest group were a culture named the Aransas. They were a nomadic group of hunter-gatheres, who had left the coastal region around 700-800 years ago, where the region remained uninhabited for about a century. The next group to migrate into the region were the Karankawa people, about 600 years ago, then being followed by other groups.[5]
The Indian tribes that lived in and raided the county were theLipan Apache,Karankawa,Coahuiltecan,Kickapoo, and theSeminole. The final recorded Indian raid in the county happened in April 1878, when Lipan Apache, Kickapoo, Seminole,Mexicans, and awhite man briefly entered the county and onto ranches, before returning west toLaredo.[6]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 1,166 square miles (3,020 km2), of which 838 square miles (2,170 km2) are land and 327 square miles (850 km2) (28%) are covered by water.[7] It borders theGulf of Mexico, lovated about 210 miles southwest of Houston and 145 miles southeast from San Antonio. The elevation, in the county, ranges from sea level to about 180 feet above seen level. In the county, about 61 to 70 percent of the land is ideal farmland for many agricultrual purpouses.[5]
Nueces County, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
As of thecensus[13] of 2000, 313,645 people, 110,365 households, and 79,683 families resided in the county. Thepopulation density was 375 people per square mile (145 people/km2). The 123,041 housing units averaged 147 units per square mile (57/km2). Theracial makeup of the county was 72.03% White, 4.24% African American, 0.64% Native American, 1.16% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 18.74% from other races, and 3.13% from two or more races. About 55.78% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Of the 110,365 households, 36.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.80% were married couples living together, 15.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.80% were not families. About 22.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.30.
In the county, the age distribution was 28.40% under the age of 18, 10.50% from 18 to 24, 28.90% from 25 to 44, 21.10% from 45 to 64, and 11.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.50 males. The largest perecentage of citizens is in the age group's 10-19, 20-29, and 30-39.[14]
The median income for a household in the county was $35,959, and for a family was $41,066. Males had a median income of $31,571 versus $22,324 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $17,036. About 14.70% of families and 18.20% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 24.00% of those under age 18 and 15.80% of those age 65 or over.
Historically, Nueces County leanedDemocratic in presidential elections, though in recent years has narrowly votedRepublican.Dwight D. Eisenhower in1956 became the first Republican candidate to carry the county. Prior to that year, the only times Nueces County did not vote for thenational Democratic candidate was in its first presidential election in 1848 forWhigZachary Taylor, and in 1860, supportingSouthern DemocraticJohn C. Breckinridge. Since Eisenhower's election, the only other Republicans to carry the county in the 20th century wereRichard Nixon in1972 andRonald Reagan in1984. So far,Bill Clinton remains the last Democratic candidate to win Nueces County, having done so in1996.
Since 2000, Nueces County has voted for every Republican presidential candidate, with onlyGeorge W. Bush in2004 andDonald Trump in2024 having carried it by a double digit margin, with Bush's 56.8% of the vote also the highest for any Republican in the county's history. In2016, Trump defeatedHillary Clinton in the county with a plurality of 48.6% to 47.1%, or 1,568 votes, the closest race since 1956.
Democratic strength is concentrated within the inland portion of the county, with particular strengths in center portion of Corpus Christi whereas neighborhoods that are predominately Hispanic and the city ofRobstown. Republicans performed well in areas particularly in the suburbs of the city,North Padre Island andPort Aransas.[22]
United States presidential election results for Nueces County, Texas[23]
