Kaufman County, Texas

Kaufman County is a county in the northeastern area of the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 145,310.[1] Its county seat is Kaufman.[2] Both the county, established in 1848, and the city were named for David S. Kaufman, a U.S. Representative and diplomat from Texas. Kaufman County is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metropolitan statistical area.

Kaufman County
County
The Kaufman County Courthouse in Kaufman
The Kaufman County Courthouse in Kaufman
Map of Texas highlighting Kaufman County
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Map of the United States highlighting Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 32°36′N 96°17′W
Country United States
State Texas
FoundedFebruary 1848
Named forDavid Spangler Kaufman
SeatKaufman
Largest cityForney
Area
 • Total808 sq mi (2,090 km2)
 • Land781 sq mi (2,020 km2)
 • Water27 sq mi (70 km2)  3.3%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total145,310 Increase
 • Density180/sq mi (70/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district5th
Websitewww.kaufmancounty.net

Western artist Frank Reaugh moved from Illinois to Kaufman County in 1876. There he was directly inspired for such paintings as The Approaching Herd (1902).[3]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 808 square miles (2,090 km2), of which 781 square miles (2,020 km2) are land and 27 square miles (70 km2) (3.3%) are covered by water.[4] Located in the northeast portion of Texas, it is bounded on the southwest by the Trinity River, and drained by the east fork of that stream.[5]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Communities

Cities (multiple counties)

Cities
Map showing cities and towns in Kaufman County

Towns

Villages

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Ghost towns

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18501,047—
18603,936275.9%
18706,89575.2%
188015,448124.0%
189021,59839.8%
190033,37654.5%
191035,3235.8%
192041,27616.9%
193040,905−0.9%
194038,308−6.3%
195031,170−18.6%
196029,931−4.0%
197032,3928.2%
198039,01520.4%
199052,22033.8%
200071,31336.6%
2010103,35044.9%
2020145,31040.6%
2021 (est.)157,7688.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]
1850–2010[7] 2020[8]
Kaufman County, Texas - Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
Race / Ethnicity Pop 2010[9] Pop 2020[8] % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 73,328 78,626 69.98% 54.11%
Black or African American alone (NH) 10,571 21,541 10.23% 14.82%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 551 623 0.53% 0.43%
Asian alone (NH) 869 2,107 0.84% 1.45%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 32 70 0.03% 0.05%
Some Other Race alone (NH) 69 435 0.07% 0.30%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) 1,382 5,743 1.34% 3.95%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 17,548 36,168 16.98% 24.89%
Total 103,350 145,310 100.00% 100.00%

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.

According to the census of 2000,[10] 71,313 people, 24,367 households, and 19,225 families were residing in the county. The population density was 91 per square mile (35/km2). Its 26,133 housing units averaged 33 per square mile (13/km2). In 2020, the population was 145,310.[8] According to the 2000 census, the racial and ethnic makeup of the county was 81.10% White, 10.53% African American, 0.61% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 5.68% from other races, and 1.61% from two or more races. About 11.11% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race. By the 2020 census, its racial and ethnic makeup was 54.11% non-Hispanic white, 14.82% African American, 0.43% Native American, 1.45% Asian American, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.30% some other race, 3.95% multiracial, and 24.89% Hispanic or Latino American of any race.

Media

Kaufman County is part of the Dallas/Fort Worth DMA. Local media outlets include 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, KYTX-TV, KFXK-TV, and KETK-TV.

Kaufman County is served by three newspapers, the Terrell Tribune, the Kaufman Herald, and the Forney Messenger. Forney, Texas, is also served by online news media outlet inForney.com, which covers breaking news for the county. 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 Athens Daily Review newspapers.

Law enforcement

The Kaufman County Sheriff's Office is Kaufman County's main police force. Smaller cities depend on the sheriff's office, along with the Texas Highway Patrol, for law-enforcement duties.

Kaufman County murders
Main article: Kaufman County murders

In December 2012, Texas officials issued a statewide bulletin warning that the Aryan Brotherhood was "actively planning retaliation against law enforcement officials" who worked to prosecute the gang's leadership.[11]

In January 2013, Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse of Kaufman County was assassinated by gunshot outside the Kaufman County courthouse.[11] On March 30, 2013, District Attorney Mike McLelland, along with his wife, were found shot and killed in their home.[12] On April 13, 2013, ex-justice of the peace Eric Williams was arrested for making terrorist threats to county officials by email. Hasse and McLelland had aggressively prosecuted Williams in a theft case. Williams was convicted, and lost his position and his law license as a result.[13] On April 17, 2013, his wife Kim Williams was arrested on capital murder charges in all three deaths.[14]

Officials did not link these arrests or events to the Aryan Brotherhood. Eric Williams was convicted at trial and sentenced to death on December 16, 2014.[15] Kim Williams pleaded guilty on December 30, 2014, and received a 40-year sentence.[16]

Politics

Prior to 1952, Kaufman County was a Democratic Party stronghold in presidential elections. From 1952 to 1980, it was still primarily Democratic, though the party's margin of victories were far lower than before. Republican Richard Nixon won the county handily in 1972 as part of his national landslide. Starting with the 1984 election, it has become a Republican stronghold, though neither of Bill Clinton's two Republican opponents managed a majority despite winning the county due to Ross Perot's strong third-party candidacy.

United States presidential election results for Kaufman County, Texas[17]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No. %No. %No. %
2020 37,624 66.34% 18,405 32.45% 689 1.21%
2016 29,587 71.70% 10,278 24.91% 1,400 3.39%
2012 24,846 71.66% 9,472 27.32% 352 1.02%
2008 23,735 67.53% 11,161 31.76% 249 0.71%
2004 21,304 70.16% 8,947 29.46% 115 0.38%
2000 15,290 66.30% 7,455 32.32% 318 1.38%
1996 8,697 48.34% 7,383 41.03% 1,913 10.63%
1992 6,578 34.51% 6,498 34.09% 5,984 31.40%
1988 8,466 53.19% 7,358 46.23% 92 0.58%
1984 9,343 62.55% 5,554 37.18% 41 0.27%
1980 5,852 47.63% 6,266 51.00% 169 1.38%
1976 3,867 37.90% 6,302 61.76% 35 0.34%
1972 5,100 64.51% 2,795 35.35% 11 0.14%
1968 2,431 30.04% 3,311 40.92% 2,350 29.04%
1964 1,922 28.71% 4,766 71.20% 6 0.09%
1960 2,717 47.10% 3,008 52.15% 43 0.75%
1956 2,816 48.97% 2,902 50.47% 32 0.56%
1952 2,964 44.05% 3,762 55.91% 3 0.04%
1948 764 15.62% 3,479 71.15% 647 13.23%
1944 430 8.37% 4,251 82.77% 455 8.86%
1940 516 8.97% 5,232 90.98% 3 0.05%
1936 229 5.49% 3,943 94.44% 3 0.07%
1932 268 6.11% 4,116 93.78% 5 0.11%
1928 1,718 39.27% 2,657 60.73% 0 0.00%
1924 884 13.54% 5,573 85.33% 74 1.13%
1920 573 12.84% 3,070 68.80% 819 18.35%
1916 427 12.63% 2,780 82.25% 173 5.12%
1912 248 9.31% 2,039 76.51% 378 14.18%

Education

School districts in the county include:[18]

It is in the service area for Trinity Valley Community College.[19]

See also

References
  1. "Kaufman County, Texas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. Kaufman County Historical Commission, History of Kaufman County (Dallas, Texas: Taylor, 1978)
  4. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
  5. Ripley, George; Dana, Charles A., eds. (1879). "Kaufman" . The American Cyclopædia.
  6. "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". US Census Bureau.
  7. "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010" (PDF). Texas Almanac. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
  8. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Kaufman County, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
  9. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Kaufman County, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
  10. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  11. "Breaking news: Texas County District Attorney and Wife Found Dead". The New York Times. March 30, 2013. Retrieved March 30, 2013.
  12. "Breaking news: Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland, wife reportedly found dead in home". The Dallas Morning News. March 30, 2013. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
  13. Eiserer, Tanya and Jana J. Pruet (April 13, 2013). "Ex-justice of peace is prime suspect in Kaufman DA slayings". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved April 17, 2013.
  14. Eiserer, Tanya (April 17, 2013). "Wife of jailed ex-Kaufman County justice of the peace is now behind bars, charged with capital murder". Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on April 18, 2013. Retrieved April 17, 2013.
  15. Eiserer, Tanya. "Ex-judge sentenced to death in Texas revenge plot". USA TODAY.
  16. "Wife of convicted Kaufman County killer sentenced to 40 years in prison". Dallas News. July 29, 2018.
  17. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  18. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Kaufman County, TX" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved June 30, 2022. - Text list
  19. Texas Education Code, Sec. 130.205. TRINITY VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.

Further reading
  • 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)

32.60°N 96.28°W / 32.60; -96.28

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