Brooks County, Texas

Brooks County
The Brooks County Courthouse in Falfurrias
The Brooks County Courthouse in Falfurrias
Map of Texas highlighting Brooks County
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Map of the United States highlighting Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 27°02′N 98°13′W / 27.04°N 98.21°W / 27.04; -98.21
Country United States
State Texas
Founded1911
Named forJames Brooks
SeatFalfurrias
Largest cityFalfurrias
Area
 • Total944 sq mi (2,440 km2)
 • Land943 sq mi (2,440 km2)
 • Water0.3 sq mi (0.8 km2)  0.03%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total7,076
 • Density7.5/sq mi (2.9/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district15th
Websitewww.co.brooks.tx.us

Brooks County is a county in Texas, United States, and Falfurrias is its county seat.[1] Its population was 7,076, approximately 88% Latino per the 2020 census.[2] It is one of Texas's poorest counties.[3]

The county is named for James Abijah Brooks, one of the “Four Captains” who modernized the Texas Rangers. He retired to Falfurrias, served two terms as state representative, lobbied successfully for the county's creation, and served thirty years as county judge.

Brooks County has several large ranches, including Mariposa Ranch[4] and the King Ranch, both in the east. The county's largest employer is the Falfurrias Border Patrol interior checkpoint on US 281, built in 1994 outside the city limits and significantly enlarged in 2019.[5]

  1. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  2. ^ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Brooks County, Texas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Going was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Mariposa Ranch". Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  5. ^ Sanchez, Sandra (September 5, 2019). "Border Patrol's most trafficked checkpoint gets new state-of-the-art station". Border Report. Archived from the original on December 1, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2021.