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Please add profiles of those who were born, lived or died in Willacy County, Texas.
Willacy County was formed in 1911 and was named for state senator John G. Willacy.
The Bermuda onion was introduced to Willacy County in 1912. It grew well and slowly displaced ranchland in the southern part of the county, becoming the most important crop. For many years, the town of Raymondville held an annual Onion Festival, using the tag line, "The Breath of a Nation". In 1940, the first oil wells were sunk in the county's Willamar Oil Field; today, oil production is a major part of the local economy, although increasingly eclipsed by natural gas. Also in the 1940s, sorghum was introduced to the county, gradually displacing cotton and other crops. Cattle ranching remains a substantial economic activity, as well.
In the early 2010s, wind turbines began to be built in the rural part of the county east of U.S. Highway 77, a number expanded later in 2020.
Adjacent Counties
Cities & Communities
- Lasara
- Los Angeles
- Lyford
- Lyford South
- Port Mansfield
- Ranchette Estates
- Raymondville (County Seat)
- San Perlita
- Santa Monica
- Sebastian
- Zapata Ranch
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