Karnes County Extension on the Land Conservation Assistance Network

Karnes County Extension
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last updated: August 2023

Karnes County was created and organized in 1854, from Bexar, Goliad, and San Patricio Counties. It was named for the Texas Revolutionary figure, Henry W. Karnes. The county consists of 482,000 acres or 753 square miles of land with 85 % of this acreage being utilized in farms and ranches. The county seat is Karnes City.

The terrain is level to rolling, draining to the San Antonio River, which traverses the county from north to south. Seventy-five percent of farm and ranch income is derived from cattle. Other agricultural products are corn, wheat, grain sorghum, hay, peanuts, dairy and sunflowers.

From 1990-97, the annual rate of population change was 10.2%. The population growth is due mainly to people moving in from the San Antonio area. The largest age group is 35-55 with the median age in the county being 36 years. The median family income for Karnes County is $17,448 per year and there are 4,482 households in the county. The population breakdown by the year 2000 is expected to be 54% Hispanic, 44% Anglo and 2% Black.

Karnes County has four school districts that have been recognized for outstanding educational standards. The four school districts encompass all of Karnes County along with portions of surrounding counties. Karnes County is fortunate to have a hospital and quality EMS. Both are continually striving to increase their quality and level of service.

Being a rural county, industrial development in the future will advance slowly. One bright spot for the county is in the area of recreation. More and more emphasis is being placed on marketing the outdoor experience. Karnes County is well known as a dove hunter’s paradise. More landowners are utilizing wildlife and outdoor recreation to increase income from their operations. The proximity of Karnes County to San Antonio, Austin and Corpus Christi makes it an ideal spot to market its outdoor recreation assets.

Under the guidance of county and city government and dedicated individuals, Karnes County has started an Economic Development Corporation and joined in an underground water district to protect our water rights. Karnes County is striving to progress positively into the next century and address the issues to increase the quality of living in the area.

Contact Karnes County Extension

REMINDER: This listing is a free service of LandCAN.
Karnes County Extension is not employed by or affiliated with the Land Conservation Assistance Network, and the Network does not certify or guarantee their services. The reader must perform their own due diligence and use their own judgment in the selection of any professional.