King Ranch, located in
South Texas between
Corpus Christi and
Brownsville near Kingsville, is one of the largest
ranches in the world. The King Ranch comprises and was founded in 1853 by Captain
Richard King and Gideon K. Lewis, includes portions of six Texas counties, including most of
Kleberg County and much of
Kenedy County, with portions extending into
Brooks,
Jim Wells,
Nueces, and
Willacy Counties. The ranch does not consist of one single contiguous plot of land, but rather four large sections called divisions. The divisions are the Santa Gertrudis, the Laureles, the Encino and the Norias. Only the first two of the four divisions border each other, and that border is relatively short. The ranch was designated a
National Historic Landmark in 1961.