Beeville became the county seat of Bee County in 1858. The town was named
after the county, which was in turn named to honor Colonel Bernard Elliot Bee,
who was Sam Houston's Secretary of War during his presidency of the Republic of
Texas. Today, Beeville is the center of agricultural business in southern Texas,
and is a popular region for hunting and saltwater fishing.
Bee County
Population: 27,659 (up 10 percent from 1990)
County seat: Beevile (population 14,284)
Location: Northwest of Refugio County, north of San Patricio County
and east of Live Oak County.
Size: 880.3 square miles
Climate: Mean July maximum temperature - 94; mean January minimum temperature
- 41; annual precipitation - 32.1 inches.
History: Karankawa, Apache, Pawnee and Comanche tribes' territory. Spanish
land grant in 1789. Irish settlers moved in, 1826-1829. County organized in 1858.
County named for General Barnard Bee, Sam Houston's secretary of War.
Economy: Oil supplies, state prisons. Agricultural production includes
cow/calf operations, horses, feedlots, grain sorghums, corn, wheat and cotton.
Statistics: Crimes per 1,000 residents (1998) - 31.139; Pregnancies
per 1,000 women ages 15-44 (1997) - 84.1; Voter turnout (1998) - 44.05 percent;
Per capita income (1998) - $15,007.
