Kaufman is a city in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

of Kaufman County,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, United States. Its population was 6,797 at the 2020 census.

History

Kaufman was founded as "Kings Fort", named after Dr. William P. King, who established the fort in 1840 after purchasing 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. Kaufman was the first place that

Bonnie Parker Bonnie Elizabeth Parker (October 1, 1910May 23, 1934) and Clyde Chestnut (Champion) Barrow (March 24, 1909May 23, 1934) were an American criminal couple who traveled the Central United States with their gang during the Great Depression. The co ...

, of

Bonnie and Clyde Bonnie Elizabeth Parker (October 1, 1910May 23, 1934) and Clyde Chestnut (Champion) Barrow (March 24, 1909May 23, 1934) were an American criminal couple who traveled the Central United States with their gang during the Great Depression. The co ...

, was incarcerated. Nearby Camp Kaufman was used as a German

POW camp A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured by a belligerent power in time of war. There are significant differences among POW camps, internment camps, and military prisons. ...

during World War II.

Geography

U.S. Route 175 U.S. Highway 175 (US 175) is a east-west United States Numbered Highway located completely within the state of Texas. It comes very close to meeting its parent route, US 75, but decommissioning and rerouting in Downtown Dallas leaves it sho ...

, a four-lane limited access highway, passes through the southwest side of the city, leading northwest to

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

and southeast to

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

Texas State Highway 34 State Highway 34 (SH 34) is a route that runs from Honey Grove to Italy just east of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. History SH 34 was originally proposed on November 19, 1917, starting in Ft. Worth travelling southeast to Ennis. On October 1 ...

passes through the south and east sides of the city, leading north to

Terrell Terrell, Terell, Terrel, or Terrelle may refer to: Places United States *Terrell, Georgia, unincorporated community *Terrell, North Carolina, unincorporated community in Catawba County, North Carolina, United States *Terrell, Texas, city in Kau ...

and southwest to

Ennis Ennis () is the county town of County Clare, in the mid-west of Ireland. The town lies on the River Fergus, north of where the river widens and enters the Shannon Estuary. Ennis is the largest town in County Clare, with a population of 25,27 ...

. State Highway 243 leads east from Kaufman to Canton. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, Kaufman has a total area of , of which , or 2.08%, is covered by water.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

, Kaufman has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

, ''Cfa'' on climate maps.

Demographics

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, 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 The Central Texas League was a minor league baseball league that played from 1914 to 1917. The Central Texas League played as a six–team Class D (baseball), Class D level league and consisted of teams based exclusively in Texas. The Central Texa ...

before the league disbanded.

Education

Public schools

Kaufman and surrounding portions of Kaufman County are served by the

Kaufman Independent School District Kaufman Independent School District is a public school district based in Kaufman, Texas, United States. In addition to Kaufman, the district serves the cities of Oak Ridge, Oak Grove, and Post Oak Bend. In 2009, the school district was rated ...

Private schools

Honors Academy operates the Legacy Academy, a grades 6–12 charter school, in Kaufman. 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 Trinity Valley Community College (TVCC) is a public community college based in Athens, Texas. It has four campuses serving five counties across the southeast and eastern parts of the state. About TVCC operates four campuses serving the Texas co ...

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

Notable people

Ted Healy Ted Healy (born Charles Ernest Lee Nash; October 1, 1896 – December 21, 1937) was an American vaudeville performer, comedian, and actor. Though he is chiefly remembered as the creator of The Three Stooges and the style of slapstick comedy th ...

, comedian, actor and discoverer of

The Three Stooges The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical farce and slapstick. Six Stooges appeared ...

, was born in Kaufman in 1896 * Stuart Spitzer, surgeon in Kaufman and former member of the

Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. As of the 2010 United States census, each member represents abou ...

Sonny Strait Sonny Strait is an American voice actor, ADR director, and writer at Funimation, known for his work on a number of English versions of Japanese anime series and as an illustrator for the independently published comic book series '' Elfquest.'' C ...

, voice actor

References

External links

Official website

Kaufman Chamber of Commerce
*
{{authority control Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex Cities in Texas Cities in Kaufman County, Texas County seats in Texas U.S. Route 175