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Jim Wells County TX
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ORANGE GROVE, TEXAS


Jim Wells County, South Texas

27°57'22"N 97°56'21"W (27.956224, -97.939077)

TX Hwy 359 and FM 624
18 miles NE of Alice the county seat
12 miles S of Mathis
ZIP code 78372
Area code 361
Population: 1,302 Est. (2019)
1,318 (2010) 1,288 (2000) 1,175 (1990)

Book Hotel Here › Alice Hotels

Orange Grove Tx - St. John Of The Cross Catholic Church
St. John Of The Cross Catholic Church
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, December 2006

More Texas Churches

History in a Pecan Shell

Once part of the huge Ventana Ranch, the town began in 1889 with the arrival of the SAAP (San Antonio and Aransas Pass) Railroad. Ranch owners donated 51 acres of land to insure the railroad would provide a spur for the ranch’s use.

In 1908 2,500 more acres of the ranch (and adjoining Miller’s Ranch) were subdivided in hopes of luring a population. Word spread throughout German communities in Texas and many families flocked to the new town optimistically named Orange Grove.

A post office was granted in 1909 and the town saw the opening of the first store. The population was 200 in 1914 and the town was served by four general stores, a gin, a bank and even a newspaper.

In 1914 the railroad finally kept its promise for a spur to the ranch – including its own station. By 1925 Orange Grove hit 300 residents and before the effects of The Great Depression were felt, it peaked with 1,000 residents in 1931.

Being a closely-knit community, the decline in population wasn’t as drastic as in other parts of Texas. The 1939 population was 750 which climbed to 906 by the early 1940s.

After a 10% increase in the 1960s, it was back to 1,000 in the 1970s. It has remained at that level (more or less) ever since – reaching a new high of 1,288 for the 2000 census.

Orange Grove TX Information center area museum
Orange Grove Information Center
TE photo


Orange Grove Tx Downtown Building
Downtown Building
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, December 2006


Orange Grove Tx Post Office
Post Office
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, December 2006
More Texas Post Offices


Museum - Orange Grove TX
Museum
TE photo


Orange Grove TX Building
Orange Grove
TE photo


Orange Grove Rifle ClubTX
Orange Grove Rifle Club
TE photo


Texas - Rio Grande Citrus Orchard
Citrus Orchard in the Rio Grande Valley
Postcard courtesy www.rootsweb.com/%7Etxpstcrd/



The Beginnings of Orange Grove TX



The Beginnings of Orange Grove TX

"Written by my paternal grandmother, Ida Duevel Boehm, for the Bicentennial in 1976, about the beginnings of Orange Grove TX in Jim Wells County." - Marva Mason



Take a road trip
South Texas

Orange Grove, Texas Nearby Towns:
Alice the county seat
Mathis
See Jim Wells County

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