Living in Ricardo, TX: what to set up and who to call
Ricardo has no town government of its own, so Kleberg County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Ricardo Independent School District. Ricardo WSC reported one health-based violation to EPA in the last five years: disinfection byproducts (TTHM), beginning Oct 2024.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Ricardo, and who provides it. Tap an answer for the details and where they come from.
Power, water and internet
Who to call to start service at a new address in Ricardo.
Power comes from Nueces Electric Cooperative
Nueces Electric Cooperative (Nueces Electric Cooperative), a cooperative utility, serves all of Ricardo. Its homes paid an average of 11.3¢ per kWh in 2025, about $149 a month (its average across Texas).
Start or move service: nueceselectric.org · (800) 632-9288
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Ricardo WSC
Ricardo WSC supplies almost all of Ricardo. It buys treated surface water (EPA lists South Texas Water Authority as seller) and serves 3,396 people in all.
1 health-based violation reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026: disinfection byproducts (TTHM), beginning Oct 2024. 80% of the 5,012 systems serving 3,301–10,000 people had none.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2023–Dec 2025, was 1.3 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 1.6 ppb. That’s higher than 56% of similar systems’ latest results.
The system’s full record: EPA ECHO report
EPA SDWIS via Envirofacts (violations pulled Oct 9, 2026) and ECHO (lead samples, 2026Q3); service area: EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3.0. Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. TX1370006.
Which providers serve Ricardo
This card will list the home internet providers the FCC’s National Broadband Map shows in Ricardo, the share of addresses that can get 100/20 Mbps and the share with fiber, with the map’s “as of” date.
Source to come: FCC Broadband Data Collection.
We don’t have Ricardo’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Ricardo.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Ricardo is in Ricardo Independent School District.
A−School gradeSee Schools →U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.
No town hall: the county runs things
Ricardo is unincorporated, so Kleberg County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jun 2023; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ricardo is in ZIP code 78363
ZIP codes where Ricardo residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Ricardo | ZIP’s residents in Ricardo |
|---|---|---|---|
| 78363 | Kingsville, TX | 100% | 4% |
Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, by census block; post office names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). ZIPs created since 2020 are missing.
Getting around, the ER and the library
One line each; the subject pages have the rest.
ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Ricardo
Who supplies Ricardo’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Ricardo WSC (EPA ID TX1370006). It reported 1 health-based violation to EPA in the five years to October 2026: disinfection byproducts (TTHM). 80% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 1.3 ppb (Jan 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Ricardo?
Nueces Electric Cooperative (Nueces Electric Cooperative), a cooperative utility. Its homes paid about 11.3¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What ZIP codes are in Ricardo?
78363. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Ricardo in?
Ricardo Independent School District.
How do I register to vote in Ricardo?
Texas has no online registration; you can register in person until 30 days before Election Day or by mail (postmarked 30 days before). Elections here are run by the Kleberg County Early Voting Clerk. Check your registration at teamrv-mvp.sos.texas.gov.
Sources & dates
Every answer above names its source. Here they are with their dates.
- Water: EPA SDWIS (Envirofacts, pulled Oct 9, 2026), ECHO SDWA 2026Q3, EPA CWS Service Area Boundaries v3.0.
- Power: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map Aug 2023); EIA-861 final 2025.
- Trash: OpenStreetMap, Geofabrik extract of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
- ZIP codes: Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files; GeoNames postal codes (CC BY 4.0).
- Schools: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25.
- Registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024 (read Oct 10, 2026). Official sites and area codes: Wikidata.
- Election office: FVAP local election office directory (fetched Oct 10, 2026; each record dated), EAC EAVS 2024 jurisdictions; registration and lookup links from vote.gov’s state data, checked Oct 10, 2026.
- Internet (FCC): pending.