In 1876 the farm "Patentie" of 3000 morgen was awarded to David Keyser jnr. In 1852 the farm was sud-divided and in 1858 Patensie was declared a town. The name Patensie has a Hottentot origin and means "lêplek van die beeste" (where the cattle lie). At first, because all of Patensie was privately owned, town development was difficult and the Citrus and Tobacco co-ops had to develop their own residential areas.

The first oranges were exported in 1907 by Mr Bean and in 1929 the Patensie Citrus Co-op. was founded. The first packing facility was built in 1937. The Co-op is today known as the PSB company and is the biggest citrus packing facility in the area. Export citrus is the main crop of the Patensie area and the season runs from April to October.  

The Tabacco co-op. was founded in 1936 and is still a vital part of the tobacco farming in the area.

The narrow guage railline which was extended from Loerie to Patensie in 1914, the improvement of access roads and the construction of the Kouga dam in the sixties, sped up the development of Patensie through the stimulation of agriculture and supporting industries.

Despite the ever present threat of flooding, the community is thriving and apart from citrus, vegetables, chichory and tobacco are also planted.  Game farming is growing into a lucrative business and the area is fast becoming a big tourist attraction