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South Texas’s Duval County has San Diego as its county seat and is known for its ranching and political history, once infamous for powerful local political machines. Established in 1858, it remains a rural, sparsely populated county, with brush country dominating the landscape. Other communities include Freer and Benavides. Larger cities nearby are Laredo (about an hour west) and Corpus Christi (about 90 minutes east). Housing includes modest single-family homes, ranch properties, and manufactured housing. Prices for existing homes are generally $90,000–$160,000, while ranchland popular for deer hunting and oil leases sells $2,500–$5,000 per acre.