Kyle, Texas

Kyle, Texas
City
Downtown Kyle
Nickname(s):  Pie Capital of Texas
Location of Kyle, Texas
Coordinates: 29°59′21″N 97°52′33″W / 29.98917°N 97.87583°W / 29.98917; -97.87583Coordinates: 29°59′21″N 97°52′33″W / 29.98917°N 97.87583°W / 29.98917; -97.87583
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Hays
Government
• Type	Council–manager government
• Mayor	Travis Mitchell
• Mayor Pro Tem	Rick Koch
• City Manager	Scott Sellers
• City Council	show Members Dex Ellison Yvo Cal Robert Rizo Ashlee Bradshaw Michael Tobias
Area [1]
• Total	31.27 sq mi (80.99 km2)
• Land	31.07 sq mi (80.48 km2)
• Water	0.20 sq mi (0.51 km2)
Elevation	728 ft (222 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	28,016
• Estimate  (2019)[2]	48,393
• Density	1,557.40/sq mi (601.32/km2)
Demonym(s)	Kyleite
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP Code	78640
Area code(s)	512 & 737
FIPS code	48-39952[3]
GNIS feature ID	1339257[4]
Website	www.cityofkyle.com

Kyle is a city in Hays County, Texas, United States. Its population was 28,016 in the 2010 census^[5] and estimated to be 48,393 in 2019.^[6] Kyle is one of the fastest-growing cities in Texas.^[7]

Geography[]

Kyle is located in eastern Hays County at

29°59′21″N 97°52′33″W / 29.989080°N 97.875947°W / 29.989080; -97.875947 (29.989080, -97.875947).^[8] It is bordered to the south by San Marcos and to the northwest by Mountain City. Kyle is 21 mi (34 km) southwest of downtown Austin and 58 mi (93 km) northeast of San Antonio on Interstate 35.^[9]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 19.3 square miles (50.0 km²), of which 19.1 sq mi (49.4 km²) are land and 0.2 sq mi (0.5 km²), or 1.06%, is covered by water.^[10] The Blanco River runs through the western side of the city, while the central and eastern parts of the city drain east to Plum Creek. Both waterways are tributaries of the San Marcos River.

Education[]

Kyle is served by the Hays Consolidated Independent School District, with high-school students attending either Jack C. Hays High School or Lehman High School. Also near Kyle, the Hays campus of the Austin Community College District has been fully operational since 2014.^[11]

Transportation[]

Austin–Bergstrom International Airport is 25 mi (40 km) northeast of Kyle, San Marcos Regional Airport is 10 mi (16 km) to the south, and San Antonio International Airport is 53 mi (85 km) to the southwest. Residents have access to I-35, SH 45 toll road, FM 150, FM 1626, SH 21, and SH 123. The MoPac rail line runs through downtown Kyle. The Amtrak passenger train has a stop 10 mi (16 km) south of Kyle in San Marcos.^[12]

Government and infrastructure[]

The city of Kyle is governed by a council-manager form of government. The city council consists of three members representing geographical districts, three at-large council members, and the mayor, who is also elected at-large. Each council member is elected to three-year terms.

State and federal representation[]

The Management and Training Corporation operates the Kyle Unit, a prison for men in Kyle, on behalf of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.^[13] In 1988, the construction of Kyle Unit, the first private prison for the TDCJ, sparked controversy. 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.^[14]

The United States Postal Service operates the Kyle Post Office.^[15]

History[]

The town was established on July 24, 1880, when David E. Moore and Fergus Kyle (for whom the town was named) deeded 200 acres for a townsite to the International-Great Northern Railroad. The new town drew residents and businesses from Mountain City, three miles west, and Blanco, four miles west. Tom Martin operated the first business in Kyle. The community's population exceeded 500 by 1882, but later declined. Kyle was incorporated in 1928 as a general-law city with a mayor and five council members. In 1937, Mary Kyle Hartson, daughter of Fergus Kyle, was elected mayor by a write-in vote. In the early 1940s, Kyle was noted as the only Texas town with an all-woman government.

From 1892 to 1901, Kyle was the childhood home of 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 is now a writer's residence open to the public by appointment. The Katherine Anne Porter Literary Center hosts readings by visiting writers.

Demographics[]

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1890	779		—
1910	742		—
1920	744		0.3%
1930	606		−18.5%
1940	874		44.2%
1950	888		1.6%
1960	1,023		15.2%
1970	1,629		59.2%
1980	2,093		28.5%
1990	2,225		6.3%
2000	5,314		138.8%
2010	28,016		427.2%
2019 (est.)	48,393	[2]	72.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[16]

As of the census of 2010, 28,016 people, 8,759 households, and 6,905 families were residing in the city. Of the 9,226 housing units, 467, or 5.1%, were vacant. The racial makeup of the city was 74.5% White, 5.6% African American, 0.8% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0.04% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 14.3% some other race, and 3.6% from two or more races. About 46.3% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.^[17]

Of the 8,759 households, 54.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.8% were married couples living together, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.2% were not families. About 14.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.15, and the average family size was 3.51; 391 persons in the city lived in group quarters rather than households.^[17]

In the city, the age distribution was 33.7% under 18, 7.4% were from 18 to 24, 37.1% from 25 to 44, 17.6% from 45 to 64, and 4.2% were 65 or older. The median age was 30.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.0 males.^[17]

For 2012–2016, the estimated median annual income for a household was $72,191, and for a family was $76,992. Male full-time workers had a median income of $50,235 versus $39,474 for females. The per capita income for the town was $25,348. About 6.8% of the population and 5.4% of families were below the poverty line; 7.3% of the population under the age of 18 and 7.7% of those 65 or older were living in poverty.^[18]

Pie in the Sky Hot Air Balloon Festival[]

The Kyle Pie in the Sky Hot Air Balloon Festival has been an annual event in Kyle on Labor Day weekend since 2017 and attracts thousands of visitors from all over the state and outside of Texas. The event features morning hot air balloon "mass ascensions” where balloons take off at sunrise flying over Kyle on Saturday and Sunday morning, as well as “glows” in the evenings, where tethered hot air balloons glow against the evening sky at Lake Kyle. Aside from glows and morning flights, the festival will also light up the night sky with two fireworks shows on Friday and Saturday night.  

Every year, Pie in the Sky also features pie eating contests, a pie baking contest, a Pie Café, a vendor market with artisan crafts, unique products and food, libations, live music performances throughout the weekend, a children’s zone with activities and the Gathering of the Kyles — the city of Kyle’s annual attempt at the Guinness World Record for the most people with the same name in one place.

Notable people[]

• Fitzhugh Andrews, composer
• Gary Clark Jr., musician^[19]
• Otto Hofmann, organ builder
• Edwin Jackson Kyle, U.S. Ambassador to Guatemala (1945–48), namesake of Kyle Field
• Helen Michaelis, expert on Quarter Horses, first woman inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame
• Katherine Anne Porter, author

Gallery[]

• 

  The old D.A. Young Building, built 1881, is the oldest commercial building in Kyle.

• 

  Historic Kyle City Hall, built 1912

• 

  Texas Pie Company

References[]

Further reading[]

• Strom, Ann (1981). The Prairie City: A History of Kyle, Texas, 1880–1980. Nortex Press. ISBN 978-0-89015-313-0.

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kyle, Texas.

• City of Kyle official website
• Kyle from the Handbook of Texas Online
• Kyle Area Chamber of Commerce & Visitor's Bureau
• Kyle Economic Development
• Kyle tourism website
• Kyle Fair, Bull Ride, and Music Fest
• Katherine Anne Porter Literary Center
• Michaelis Ranch History - Early history of Kyle, and one of the oldest surviving ranches in the area