The town was created in 1904 as the headquarters of the Kenedy Ranch. The town grew to about 300 residents by 1916, but in that year a serious hurricane struck and the area and many settler subsequently moved away (in 1999, the largest Texas hurricane in 20 years, Bret, came ashore near Sarita but did little damage). Although the town was made county seat when Kenedy County was created in 1921, it has not grown appreciably since then.
Today, Sarita is home to a Catholic church, a school, several homes, and a post office, but no businesses are active other than the ranch. The 1921 Kenedy County Courthouse is a two-story white Beaux Arts structure on a large green and the most prominent building in town (many county employees actually live in Kleberg County, just to the north). Across the street sits the whitewashed, two-story headquarters of the Kenedy Pasture Company, which owns most of the land in the county and employs many of Sarita's citizens.