Kaufman, Texas

Kaufman is a city in, and the county seat of, Kaufman County, in the State of Texas, USA.^[5][6] Its population was 6,797 at the 2020 census.^[7]

Kaufman, Texas
City
Maples Block in downtown Kaufman (2022)
Motto(s):  "Progress, Tradition"[1]
Location of Kaufman in Kaufman County, Texas
Coordinates: 32°35′27″N 96°21′28″W
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Kaufman
Area [2]
• Total	9.22 sq mi (23.88 km2)
• Land	9.05 sq mi (23.45 km2)
• Water	0.17 sq mi (0.43 km2)
Elevation [3]	446 ft (136 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	6,797
• Density	740/sq mi (280/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	75142
Area codes	214, 469, 945, 972
FIPS code	48-38488[4]
GNIS feature ID	2410167[3]
Website	www.kaufmantx.org

History

Kaufman was founded as "Kings Fort", named after Dr. William P. King, who established the fort in 1840 after purchasing 2.5 square miles (6.5 km²) of land where the city is now located. The community was renamed "Kingsboro" after five years of growth. In 1852, Kingsboro was renamed "Kaufman" after the newly formed Kaufman County, which in turn was named after David S. Kaufman.^[6][8]

Kaufman was the first place that Bonnie Parker, of Bonnie and Clyde, was incarcerated.^{[citation needed]}

Nearby Camp Kaufman was used as a German POW camp during World War II.^[9]

Geography

U.S. Route 175, a four-lane limited-access highway, passes through the southwest side of the city, leading northwest 33 miles (53 km) to Dallas and southeast 39 miles (63 km) to Athens. Texas State Highway 34 passes through the south and east sides of the city, leading north 12 miles (19 km) to Terrell and southwest 26 miles (42 km) to Ennis. State Highway 243 leads east from Kaufman 27 miles (43 km) to Canton.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Kaufman has a total area of 8.5 square miles (22.1 km²), of which 0.2 square miles (0.5 km²), or 2.08%, is covered by water.^[10]

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen climate classification, Kaufman has a humid subtropical climate, Cfa on climate maps.^[11]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	490		—
1890	1,282		161.6%
1900	2,378		85.5%
1910	1,959		−17.6%
1920	2,501		27.7%
1930	2,279		−8.9%
1940	2,654		16.5%
1950	2,714		2.3%
1960	3,087		13.7%
1970	4,012		30.0%
1980	4,658		16.1%
1990	5,238		12.5%
2000	6,490		23.9%
2010	6,703		3.3%
2020	6,797		1.4%
2023 (est.)	9,201		35.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[12]

^[13]

The Greenslade Drug Store in Kaufman

Kaufman racial composition as of 2020^[7]
(NH = Non-Hispanic)^[a]

Race	Number	Percentage
White (NH)	3,266	48.05%
Black or African American (NH)	621	9.14%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH)	18	0.26%
Asian (NH)	63	0.93%
Pacific Islander (NH)	5	0.07%
Some other race (NH)	11	0.16%
Mixed/multiracial (NH)	259	3.81%
Hispanic or Latino	2,554	37.58%
Total	6,797

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 6,797 people, 2,177 households, and 1,427 families residing in the city.

Sports

Kaufman was home to minor league baseball. The 1915 Kaufman Kings played as members of the Class D level Central Texas League before the league disbanded.^{[citation needed]}

Education

Public schools

Kaufman and surrounding portions of Kaufman County are served by the Kaufman Independent School District.^[15]

Private schools

Honors Academy operates the Legacy Academy, a grades 6–12 charter school, in Kaufman.^[16]

In addition, Kaufman Christian School, a church-run school with classes from prekindergarten to 12th grade, also serves the area.

Colleges and universities

Trinity Valley Community College operates its Health Science Center in Kaufman. (The college offers other nonmedical general-education courses at other TVCC campuses.)

Transport

Hall Airport was a privately owned public use airport located about 6.8 miles southeast of Kaufman's central business district. The airport had one runway, designated "17/35", with a turf surface measuring 2,585 by 40 feet (788 x 12 m).^{[17][18][better source needed]}

Notable people

• Craig Birdsong, NFL defensive back for the Houston Oilers
• Ted Healy, comedian, actor, and discoverer of The Three Stooges
• Sonny Strait, voice actor
• Bonnie Parker was incarcerated first here

See also

• List of World War II prisoner-of-war camps in the United States

Notes

1. Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.^[14]