Taft is on U. S. Highway 181 near the center of San Patricio County. Taft was named after Charles P. Taft of Cincinnati, half-brother of President Howard Taft. In 1909 the first dependable water supply on the Gulf Coast was discovered at Taft. The city was incorporated in 1929 with Ben Ivey as mayor. In 1935 oil was discovered north of town, and the boom that followed helped Taft survive the Great Depression. During the 1930s, when local farmers began planting vegetables, packing sheds were built in Taft along the railroad. Vegetables continued to be packed in Taft until the 1950s, when farmers, who largely plant sorghum, cotton, and a limited amount of corn. Immediately after World War II Taft enjoyed a residential boom and a growth in its school system.