Citrus City is a census-designated place (CDP) in Hidalgo County, Texas. The population was 2,321 at the 2010 United States Census. It is part of the McAllen–Edinburg–Mission Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town was founded in 1943 by Howard Moffitt, a builder known for his vernacular Moffitt cottage architectural style, as part of a planned regional orange and grapefruit growing community. The local irrigation system proved to be too saline for fruit production, and the plans for a large town were revised.