Kaufman County, Texas

Kaufman County, Texas
Location in the state of Texas
Texas's location in the U.S.
Founded	February 1848
Seat	Kaufman
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	807 sq mi (2,090 km²) 786 sq mi (2,036 km²) 21 sq mi (54 km²), 2.57%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	103,350 131.4/sq mi (51/km²)
Website	www.co.kaufman.tx.us

Kaufman County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, its population was 103,350. Its seat is Kaufman, and the county is part of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.

Both the county, established in 1848, and the city were named for David Spangler Kaufman, a diplomat and U.S. congressman from Texas who was the first Jewish person to serve in Congress from Texas. Western artist Frank Reagh moved from Illinois to Kaufman County in 1876 to draw inspiration for his paintings such as The Approaching Herd (1902).

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 807 square miles (2,090 km²). 786 square miles (2,035.7 km²) is land and 21 square miles (54.4 km²) (2.57%) is water. Located in the northeast portion of Texas, it is bounded on the southwest by Trinity River, and drained by the east fork of that stream.

Major highways

• Interstate 20
• U.S. Highway 80
• U.S. Highway 175
• State Highway 34
• State Highway 205
• State Highway 243

Adjacent counties

• Hunt County (north)
• Van Zandt County (east)
• Henderson County (south)
• Ellis County (southwest)
• Dallas County (west)
• Rockwall County (northwest)

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1850	1,047		—
1860	3,936		275.9%
1870	6,895		75.2%
1880	15,448		124.0%
1890	21,598		39.8%
1900	33,376		54.5%
1910	35,323		5.8%
1920	41,276		16.9%
1930	40,905		−0.9%
1940	38,308		−6.3%
1950	31,170		−18.6%
1960	29,931		−4.0%
1970	32,392		8.2%
1980	39,015		20.4%
1990	52,220		33.8%
2000	71,313		36.6%
2010	103,350		44.9%
U.S. Decennial Census Texas Almanac: 1850-2010

As of the census of 2000, there were 71,313 people, 24,367 households, and 19,225 families residing in the county. The population density was 91/sq mi (35/km²). There were 26,133 housing units at an average density of 33/sq mi (13/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 81.10% White, 10.53% Black or African American, 0.61% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 5.66% from other races, and 1.61% from two or more races. 11.11% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 24,367 households out of which 39.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.10% were married couples living together, 11.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.10% were non-families. 17.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.87 and the average family size was 3.24.

In the county, the population was spread out with 29.20% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 29.50% from 25 to 44, 22.40% from 45 to 64, and 10.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 97.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $44,783, and the median income for a family was $50,354. Males had a median income of $35,537 versus $26,494 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,827. About 7.80% of families and 10.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.30% of those under age 18 and 11.80% of those age 65 or over.

Local media

Kaufman County is part of the Dallas/Fort Worth DMA. Local media outlets are: KDFW-TV, KXAS-TV, WFAA-TV, KTVT-TV, KERA-TV, KTXA-TV, KDFI-TV, KDAF-TV, KFWD-TV, and KDTX-TV Other nearby stations that provide coverage for Kaufman County come from the Tyler/Longview/Jacksonville market and they include: KLTV-TV, KYTX-TV, KFXK-TV, KCEB-TV, and KETK-TV.

Kaufman County is served by three newspapers. The Terrell Tribune, The Kaufman Herald and the Forney Messenger. A quarterly magazine called Kaufman County Life is produced by The Terrell Tribune. The Kemp and Mabank areas are included in coverage by The Monitor and Cedar Creek Pilot newspapers.

Cities and towns

Map showing cities and towns in Kaufman County

Ables Springs (u) Combine † Cottonwood Crandall Dallas * Elmo (u)

Forney Grays Prairie Heartland (u) Kaufman Kemp Mabank** Mesquite***

Oak Grove Oak Ridge Poetry (u) Post Oak Bend City Rosser

Scurry Seagoville**** Seven Points Talty Terrell

† - a part of Combine extends into Dallas County.
* - only a small portion of Dallas extends into Kaufman County.
** - a portion of Mabank extends into Henderson County.
*** - only a small portion of Mesquite extends into Kaufman County.
**** - only a small portion of Seagoville extends into Kaufman County.
(u) - unincorporated.

Law Enforcement

The Kaufman County Sheriff's Office is the main police force in Kaufman County. Several smaller cities have smaller police departments but depend on the Sheriff's Office along with the Texas Highway Patrol for Law Enforcement duties.

See also

• List of museums in North Texas
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Kaufman County, Texas

Other sources

• Butler, Robert Richard History of Kaufman County, Texas (M.A. thesis, University of Texas, 1940)
• Keller, Mabel Covington History of Kaufman County, Texas (M.A. thesis, North Texas State College, 1950)
• Clausen, C. A. ed., The Lady with the Pen: Elise Wærenskjold in Texas (Northfield, Minnesota: Norwegian-American Historical Association, 1961)

External links

• Kaufman County government's website