Route description

FM 649 begins in the Rio Grande Valley

Rio Grande Valley

The Rio Grande Valley or the Lower Rio Grande Valley, informally called The Valley, is an area located in the southernmost tip of South Texas...

 at a junction with in Garceno

Garceno, Texas

Garceno is a census-designated place in Starr County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,438 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Garceno is located at ....

. The route travels northward through sparsely populated sections of Starr County

Starr County, Texas

Starr County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2010, its population was 60,968. Its county seat is Rio Grande City. The county is named for James Harper Starr, who served as Secretary of the Treasury of the Republic of Texas. It is part of the Rio Grande City-Roma, TX,...

 before entering Jim Hogg County. In the vicinity of the unincorporated community of Randado

Randado, Texas

Randado is an unincorporated community in Jim Hogg County, Texas, United States. It is located at the junction of State Highway 16 and FM 649 in west central Jim Hogg County, approximately 25 miles southwest of Hebbronville. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had an estimated...

, FM 649 has a brief concurrency with before resuming its northward journey. The highway enters Webb County

Webb County, Texas

Webb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. The official 2010 population for the county is 250,304. In 2000, its population was 193,117, and in 2006 its population had been estimated to have reached to 231,470. Its county seat is Laredo...

 and passes through Mirando City

Mirando City, Texas

Mirando City is a census-designated place in Webb County, Texas, United States. The population was 493 at the 2000 census. The town gets its name from Nicolás Mirando, a Spanish land grantee. The population of Mirando City was highest in 1929, at an estimated 1500...

 before reaching its northern terminus at west of Oilton

Oilton, Texas

Oilton is a census-designated place in Webb County, Texas, United States. The population was 310 at the 2000 census. The community is within the boundary of Webb Consolidated Independent School District and it is home to the Oilton Elementary School....

.

History

FM 649 was originally designated in Starr County in 1945. Its southern terminus has always been at US 83 in Garceno; its original north end was at the Starr–Jim Hogg county line. In 1948, it was extended northward into Jim Hogg County, to FM 496 at Randado; this section of FM 496 would become SH 16 in 1965. In 1954, the northern segment into Webb County was added, to what was then near Oilton; that section of US 59 became SH 359 in 1959.

Major intersections