Kinney

Formed January 1, 1850 (85^th county)

Kinney County (3,598), Brackettville (1,688)                

The stately looking domed Beaux Arts courthouse of Kinney County was built in 1910.  It is sited at the intersection of James and Ann streets in Brackettville.  United States Highway 90 skirts the community five blocks south of the courthouse.  Three courthouses have served the county, all in Brackettville, since the January 1, 1850 county organizing.  The county was cut from Bexar County as the 85^th county.  L. L. Thurman designed the current tan brick courthouse.  Kinney County is named for Henry L. Kinney.  He founded Corpus Christi and was a delegate to the state constitutional convention.  Brackettville gets its name from Oscar B. Brackett who was a supplier at Fort Clark, which lies across United States Highway 90 from Brackettville. 

Kinney County government consists of a sheriff, a County Judge, and 4 Commissioners.  One District Court Judge serves Kinney, Edwards, Terrell, and Val Verde counties and One County Court Judge serves Kinney County.  The county is located in south Texas with the Rio Grande serving as its southwest border with Mexico.  San Antonio, Texas is east of the county and Laredo, Texas is south.  The county center is 1.1 miles West of Brackettville.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Edwards, Uvalde, Zavala, and Maverick counties and Mexico and Val Verde County. 

The area of the county is 1365 square miles.  It is 29 out of 254 in the state.  It ranks 218 out of 254 in population in the state.  It has a density of 2.64 persons per square mile making it 227 out of 254 in the state.  Kinney County has 49.6% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 90 enters from Uvalde County on the east and exits into Val Verde County on the west.  United States Highway 277 crosses the southwest corner from Val Verde County to Maverick County.  The county is basically rectangular with Brackettville close to the county center.  Brackettville is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 46.9% of the county population.