Nueces

Formed March 1, 1846 (51^st county)

Nueces County (353,170), Corpus Christi (317,863)

The Modern high-rise structure of the county courthouse was built in 1977.  It is located two blocks south of Interstate Highway 37 at 901 Leopard Street.  Smyth & Smyth, Kipp & Winston, Wisznia & Peterson and Bennett, Martin & Solka combined on the courthouse designs.  Corpus Christi has been the location for all five courthouses the county has had since it was created on March 1, 1846, the previous one built in 1915.  The county was originally part of San Patricio County and the 51^st county.  Nueces County is Spanish for “nuts” and refers to the pecan trees in the area.  Corpus Christi is named for the festival day on which Corpus Christi Bay was found.  The city derived its name from the bay. 

Nueces County government consists of a sheriff, a County Judge, and 4 Commissioners.  One District Court Judge serves Nueces, Kenedy, and Kleberg counties and Seven District Court Judges and Six County Court Judges serve Nueces County.  The county is in far south-central Texas on the Gulf of Mexico.  The Nueces River is the northern border and the Gulf of Mexico is the entire east side of the county.  The northern part of the famous Padre Island is in the county.  The county center is in Corpus Christi 6.7 miles West-Southwest of the city center.  The county is surrounded clockwise by San Patricio and Aransas counties and the Gulf of Mexico and Kleberg and Jim Wells counties. 

The area of the county is 836 square miles.  It is 190 out of 254 in the state.  It ranks 16 out of 254 in population in the state.  It has a density of 422.5 persons per square mile making it 17 out of 254 in the state.  Nueces County has 95.0% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 37 enters from San Patricio County on the northwest and terminates in the county.  United States Highway 77 comes from San Patricio County, north, and exits into Kleberg County, south.  United States Highway 181 enters from San Patricio, northeast, and terminates in Nueces County.  A flat left triangle shape describes the county starting from the Corpus Christi Bay extending west.  Corpus Christi is in the northeast corner of the county and extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio counties.  The city limits of Corpus Christi extend into the bay.  Corpus Christi is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 90.0% of the county population.  The county is pronounced NUE-ACES.  The county seat is pronounced KOR-PUS KRIS-TEE.  This county is in the Corpus Christi Metropolitan Statistical Area.