Kyle, Texas
Encyclopedia
Kyle is a town in Hays County
, Texas
, United States
. The population was 5,314 at the 2000 census; it was 26,103 in the 2008 census estimate, making Kyle one of the fastest growing cities in Texas.
Austin
, and 53 miles northeast of San Antonio
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 6 square miles (15.5 km²), of which, 5.9 square miles (15.3 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (1.34%) is water.
From 1892 to 1901 Kyle was home to the Pulitzer Prize
winning author, Katherine Anne Porter
. Many of her most famous short stories such as Noon Wine are set in locations in and around Kyle. Her former home
there is now a writer's residence open to the public by appointment. The Katherine Anne Porter Literary Center hosts readings by visiting writers. Upcoming visitors include U.S. Poet Laureate Charles Simic, National Book Award Winner Tim O'Brien, Pulitzer Prize Winner Robert Stone, and celebrated short-story author Mary Gaitskill.
of 2000, there were 5,314 people, 1,491 households, and 1,209 families residing in the city. The population density
was 899.0 people per square mile (347.2/km2). There were 1,560 housing units at an average density of 263.9 per square mile (101.9/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 63.29% White, 8.30% African American, 0.64% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 23.45% from other races
, and 3.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 52.31% of the population. As of May, 2007 the Kyle City Council set the population at just over 25,000. Kyle is the fifth fastest growing city in the state of Texas.
There were 1,491 households out of which 50.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.5% were married couples
living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.9% were non-families. 13.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.22 and the average family size was 3.58.
In the city the population was spread out with 31.2% under the age of 18, 11.3% from 18 to 24, 39.3% from 25 to 44, 13.1% from 45 to 64, and 5.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females there were 118.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 124.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $47,534, and the median income for a family was $50,197. Males had a median income of $30,956 versus $26,868 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $15,252. About 4.8% of families and 7.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.1% of those under age 18 and 14.9% of those age 65 or over.
operates the Kyle Unit, a prison for men in Kyle, on behalf of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice
(TDCJ). In 1988 the construction of Kyle Unit, the first private prison for the TDCJ, sparked controversy. Some residents protested for getting the prison built, and some residents protested against the prison. The three city council members who favored the unit's construction were re-elected. The Kyle Unit became the second largest employer in Kyle, after the Hays Consolidated Independent School District
. In 1989 the prison had a $50,000 weekly payroll, with much of it going to the city's residents.
The United States Postal Service
operates the Kyle Post Office.
Hays County, Texas
Hays County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2010, its official population had reached 157,107. It is named for John Coffee Hays, a Texas Ranger and Mexican-American War officer. The seat of the county is San Marcos....
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 5,314 at the 2000 census; it was 26,103 in the 2008 census estimate, making Kyle one of the fastest growing cities in Texas.
Geography
Kyle is located at 29.989080°N 97.875947°W (29.989080, -97.875947). The city is about 22 miles (35.4 km) south of DowntownDowntown Austin
Downtown Austin is the central business district of Austin, Texas. Downtown is located on the north bank of the Colorado River. The approximate borders of Downtown include Lamar Boulevard to the west, 11th Street and sometimes Martin Luther King, Jr...
Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, and 53 miles northeast of San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 6 square miles (15.5 km²), of which, 5.9 square miles (15.3 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (1.34%) is water.
History
Kyle was founded in 1881 by Captain Fergus Kyle. The site was chosen due to its proximity to the International – Great Northern Railroad line.From 1892 to 1901 Kyle was home to the Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
winning author, Katherine Anne Porter
Katherine Anne Porter
Katherine Anne Porter was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist, essayist, short story writer, novelist, and political activist. Her 1962 novel Ship of Fools was the best-selling novel in America that year, but her short stories received much more critical acclaim...
. Many of her most famous short stories such as Noon Wine are set in locations in and around Kyle. Her former home
Katherine Anne Porter House
The Katherine Anne Porter House is a historic house located in Kyle, Texas. It was built in 1890 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. The house is the childhood home of writer Katherine Anne Porter. It was restored and turned into a museum at the instigation of Tom...
there is now a writer's residence open to the public by appointment. The Katherine Anne Porter Literary Center hosts readings by visiting writers. Upcoming visitors include U.S. Poet Laureate Charles Simic, National Book Award Winner Tim O'Brien, Pulitzer Prize Winner Robert Stone, and celebrated short-story author Mary Gaitskill.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 5,314 people, 1,491 households, and 1,209 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 899.0 people per square mile (347.2/km2). There were 1,560 housing units at an average density of 263.9 per square mile (101.9/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 63.29% White, 8.30% African American, 0.64% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 23.45% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 3.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 52.31% of the population. As of May, 2007 the Kyle City Council set the population at just over 25,000. Kyle is the fifth fastest growing city in the state of Texas.
There were 1,491 households out of which 50.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.5% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.9% were non-families. 13.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.22 and the average family size was 3.58.
In the city the population was spread out with 31.2% under the age of 18, 11.3% from 18 to 24, 39.3% from 25 to 44, 13.1% from 45 to 64, and 5.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females there were 118.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 124.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $47,534, and the median income for a family was $50,197. Males had a median income of $30,956 versus $26,868 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $15,252. About 4.8% of families and 7.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.1% of those under age 18 and 14.9% of those age 65 or over.
Government and infrastructure
In 2011 the city council of Kyle voted 6-1 to ban the making and usage of synthetic cannabis products like K2 and spice.State and federal representation
The Management and Training CorporationManagement and Training Corporation
Management and Training Corporation or MTC is a Utah-based contractor that manages private prisons and provides vocational training. It is involved in the U.S. Job Corps program. The company made headlines in 2010 after three convicted murderers escaped from one of its prisons.-History:MTC was...
operates the Kyle Unit, a prison for men in Kyle, on behalf of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice is a department of the government of the state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails and private correctional facilities, funding and certain...
(TDCJ). In 1988 the construction of Kyle Unit, the first private prison for the TDCJ, sparked controversy. Some residents protested for getting the prison built, and some residents protested against the prison. The three city council members who favored the unit's construction were re-elected. The Kyle Unit became the second largest employer in Kyle, after the Hays Consolidated Independent School District
Hays Consolidated Independent School District
Hays Consolidated Independent School District is a public school district based in Kyle, Texas . In addition to Kyle, the district serves the cities of Buda, Hays, Mountain City, Uhland, and part of Niederwald. Located mostly in Hays County, small portions of the district extend into Travis and...
. In 1989 the prison had a $50,000 weekly payroll, with much of it going to the city's residents.
The United States Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
operates the Kyle Post Office.
Notable residents
- Fitzhugh AndrewsFitzhugh AndrewsFitzhugh Lee Andrews was an American teacher, composer and performer of both classical and popular works for the piano.Andrews was born in Buda, Texas, the son of Jason Lindsey Andrews and Crissie Crawford Andrews...
— composer - Brandon DarbyBrandon DarbyBrandon Darby was an informant for the FBI and previously a co-founder of Common Ground Relief, a non-profit relief organization that provided supplies and assistance to New Orleanians in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina...
, social and political activist, FBI informant - Edwin Jackson KyleEdwin Jackson KyleEdwin Jackson Kyle was the U.S. Ambassador to Guatemala from 1945—1948. He was also the first Texan to advocate agricultural teaching in state schools successfully...
— U.S. Ambassador to GuatemalaGuatemalaGuatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
(1945–48); namesake of Kyle FieldKyle FieldKyle Field is the football stadium located on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. It has been the home to the Texas A&M Aggie football team in rudimentary form since 1904, and as a complete stadium since 1927. It is known as The Home of the 12th Man... - Helen MichaelisHelen MichaelisHelen Michaelis was a key figure in the organization and development of the modern Quarter Horse...
— renowned expert on Quarter Horses; first woman inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of FameAmerican Quarter Horse Hall of FameThe American Quarter Horse Association has created a Hall of Fame in Amarillo, Texas to honor both people and horses who contributed to the growth of the American Quarter Horse. Any one may nominate either people or horses to be considered. Nominations from the membership are due by October 1. They... - J. Milton NanceJ. Milton NanceJoseph Milton Nance, known as J. Milton Nance , was an American historian who specialized in the study of his native Texas. He was affiliated with Texas A&M University in College Station from 1941 until his retirement in 1979...
— historian at Texas A&M UniversityTexas A&M UniversityTexas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school... - Katherine Anne PorterKatherine Anne PorterKatherine Anne Porter was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist, essayist, short story writer, novelist, and political activist. Her 1962 novel Ship of Fools was the best-selling novel in America that year, but her short stories received much more critical acclaim...
— author - Joseph Fenity — national news correspondent at Sirius XM Radio
External links
- The Official Kyle, Tx Fair and Music Festival Web Site
- The Official Kyle Web Site
- The official Kyle Texas Tourism Web Site
- The official Kyle Texas Chamber of Commerce web site
- Katherine Anne Porter Literary Center
- Michaelis Ranch History - Early history of Kyle, and one of the oldest surviving ranches in the area