Region: South Texas Plains
Seat of Jim Wells County. First called Bandana, then Kleberg, the town was finally named Alice after the daughter of Capt. Richard King, who established the King Ranch. When the Texas Mexican Railroad and the San Antonio & Aransas Pass Railroad intersected the city, the community became the world's largest cattle shipping point from 1888 to 1895. Town is a dividing point between brush country to the west and coastal plains to the east; also between the border region and rest of Texas. Oil was discovered in 1930s, and town became hub for petroleum business and continues to serve in this capacity for agribusiness, tourism, and as a distribution center for South Texas. Beefmaster cattle breed was developed here.
Town's lifestyle is outdoor oriented. Eleven city parks offer sports fields, tennis courts, swimming pools and 18-hole municipal golf course. Outdoor band concerts on summer evenings. Hunters seek white-tailed deer, javelina, wild turkey, quail and dove.
Annual extravaganzas include the Fiesta Bandana, celebrating the first settlement of the town when it was known as Bandana, held in early May, the Hispanic Heritage Festival in September and the Jim Wells County Fair in October.