Kerrville, Texas

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Kerrville, Texas
City
Kerrville City Hall
Kerrville City Hall
Location of Kerrville, Texas
Location of Kerrville, Texas
Coordinates: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Country United StatesUnited States
State TexasTexas
County Kerr
Government
 • Type Council-Manager
 • City Council Mayor Jack Pratt
Stephen Fine
Bonnie White
Gary Stork
Gene Allen
 • City Manager Todd Parton
Area
 • Total 16.9 sq mi (43.9 km2)
 • Land 16.7 sq mi (43.3 km2)
 • Water 0.2 sq mi (0.6 km2)
Elevation 1,637 ft (499 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 22,347
 • Density 1,222.5/sq mi (472.0/km2)
Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6)
 • Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP codes 78028-78029
Area code(s) 830
FIPS code 48-39040[1]
GNIS feature ID 1339058[2]
Website / Kerrvilletx.gov

Kerrville is a city in Kerr County, Texas, United States.[3] It is the county seat of Kerr County. The population was 20,425 at the 2000 census. In 2009, the population was 22,826.[4] Kerrville is named after James Kerr, a major in the Texas Revolution, and friend of settler-founder Joshua Brown, who settled in the area to start a shingle-making camp.[5]

Being nestled in the hills of Texas Hill Country, Kerrville is best known for its beautiful parks that line the Guadalupe River - which runs directly through the city, its nearby youth summer camps, hunting ranches, and RV parks. It is also the home of Texas' Official State Arts & Crafts Fair, the Kerrville Folk Festival, Mooney Aviation Company,[6] James Avery Jewelry, Kerrville Bus Company,[7] and Schreiner University. The Museum of Western Art (founded 1983) features the work of living artists specializing in the themes of the American West.

History

Kerrville around 1900.

Archeological evidence suggests that humans dwelled in the area known as Kerrville as early as 10,000 years ago. The early modern residents were successful shinglemakers whose mercantile business became a hub that served the middle and upper Hill Country area in the late 1840s. One of the earliest shinglemakers was Joshua D. Brown. With his family, Joshua Brown had led several other families on an exploration of the Guadalupe Valley. These early pioneers organized their settlements near a bluff just north of the Guadalupe River in the eastern half today's county line. The settlement was referred to as "Brownsborough," but after the area was formally platted in 1856 by James Kerr, a major in the Texas Revolution, the settlement was formally known as "Kerrville" and maintained a county seat with Texas.

Starting in 1857, a German master-miller named Christian Dietert and millwright Balthasar Lich started a large grist and saw mill on the bluff. This mill established a permanent source of power and protection from floods, and became the most extensive operation of its kind in the Hill Country area west of New Braunfels and San Antonio. Soon afterwards, Charles A. Schreiner rode Kerrville's newly found popularity, by serving Kerrville's mercantile needs. Schreiner established a family-run empire that helped build Kerrville's early prosperity by owning almost all of Kerrville's business sectors, including freighting enterprises, retail, wholesale, banking, ranching, marketing, and brokering operations. Schreiner's elegant downtown home, a Romanesque stone structure at 226 Earl Garrett Street, is the site of the Hill Country Museum in downtown Kerrville.

The Capt. Charles Schreiner Mansion Historic Site and Education Center in downtown Kerrville was originally the home of Charles Schreiner, a rancher, businessman, banker, philanthropist, and captain of the Kerr County Home Guard.

The Civil War slowed Kerrville's development, but with the start of the Reconstruction era, Kerrville's economic boom and ethnic diversification continued anew as demand grew in San Antonio for lumber, produce, and craftsmen. Kerrville's boom was also catalyzed by the combination of the cessation of Indian raids and the expansion into the business of cattle, sheep, and goat ranching. Cattle drives punctuated the boom-years of the late 1880s and the 1890s. In 1887, the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway reached Kerrville, and in 1889 the town incorporated, with an "Aldermanic" form of city government.

The Kerrville Water Works Company began to provide water for town dwellers in 1894. Telephone service was introduced in 1896, and the city began to pave streets in 1912. Kerrville adopted a "commission" form of city government in 1917, then changed to the "city-manager" form in 1928. In 1942, the town adopted a home-rule charter, while continuing with a city manager. Kerrville has displayed steady population growth throughout the 20th century, increasing from 1,423 residents in 1900 to 2,353 in 1920, 5,572 in 1940, 8,901 in 1960, and 15,276 in 1980. Its economic base has diversified and broadened through business, agriculture, light manufacturing, health care, transportation, services, education, the arts, and tourism. By the mid-1990s the Wall Street Journal described Kerrville as one of the wealthiest small towns in America. By 1995, the city's official population was still under 18,000, with another 20,000 people in relatively affluent residential areas south of the river and in the rest of the county. In 2000, the population reached 20,425. Much of the growth in population included retirees and young professionals and semiprofessionals; for many years Kerrville also experienced significant out-migration of young adults raised in the area.

Geography

Kerrville is located at Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found..[8] This is 58 miles (93 km) northwest of San Antonio and 85 miles (137 km) west of Austin.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 16.9 square miles (44 km2). 16.7 square miles (43 km2) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2) of it (1.36%) is covered by water.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1880 156 —
1890 1,044 569.2%
1900 1,423 36.3%
1910 1,843 29.5%
1920 2,353 27.7%
1930 4,546 93.2%
1940 5,572 22.6%
1950 7,691 38.0%
1960 8,901 15.7%
1970 12,672 42.4%
1980 15,276 20.5%
1990 17,384 13.8%
2000 20,425 17.5%
2010 22,347 9.4%
Est. 2014 22,905 [9] 2.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[10]

As of the census[1] of 2000, 20,425 people, 8,563 households, and 5,411 families resided in the city. The population density was 1,222.5 people per square mile (471.9/km2). The 9,477 housing units averaged 567.2 per square mile (219.0/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 85.89% White, 2.99% African American, 0.55% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 8.20% from other races, and 1.73% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 22.73% of the population.

Of the 8,563 households, 8.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.8% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.8% were not families. About 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.79.

In the city, the population was distributed as 21.0% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 21.3% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 29.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 87 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.0 males.[11]

The median income for a household in the city was $32,085, and for a family was $38,979. Males had a median income of $27,555 versus $19,923 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,193. About 11.7% of families and 15.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.8% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.[11]

Culture

Kerrville Folk Festival is an annual summer festival which features folk musicians from around the country and Canada.[12]

Infrastructure

Nonprofit/service organizations

The TaxExemptWorld.com website, which compiles Internal Revenue Service data, reported that in 2013, 465 distinct, active, tax exempt/nonprofit organizations in Kerrville, excluding credit unions, had a total income of $414.4 million and assets of $958.8 million.[13] One example of a performing arts nonprofit organization in Kerrville would be Art 2 Heart.

Transportation

Bridge over the Guadalupe River in Kerrville

Interstates

State highways

  • Texas 16.svg SH 16 (Medina Highway, Sidney Baker Highway, Fredericksburg Road)
  • Texas 27.svg SH 27 (Junction Highway, Main Street, Broadway Avenue)
  • Texas 173.svg SH 173 (Bandera Highway)

Loops

Farm-to-Market roads

Bicycle routes

Adventure Cycling Association Southern Tier Bicycle Route[14]

Events

Kerrville is home to the annual Texas State Arts and Crafts Fair which features artisans and entertainers from around the state.[15] The Texas Lions Camp and Echo Hill Ranch Summer Camp are also located in Kerrville.

Kerrville also hosted the Olympic Trials for shooting sports for the 2012 Summer Olympics at the Hill Country Shooting Center.[16]

Education

Main building on Schreiner University campus

Kerrville is served by the Kerrville Independent School District, which maintains four elementary schools (Tally, Nimitz, Starkey, and Daniels), two middle schools (BT Wilson 6th Grade and Peterson), and two high schools (Hill Country High School and Kerrville (TX) Tivy).[17] Our Lady of the Hills Catholic High School[18] and Notre Dame Catholic School[19] and Grace Academy of Kerrville [20] are also located in Kerrville, serving as the primary alternative to the public school system.

Kerrville is home to Schreiner University, a private four-year college university which was established in 1923 by an ex-Texas Ranger, Captain Charles Schreiner. The school is consistently listed as one of the top regional liberal arts colleges in the Western U.S. by U.S. News & World Report's America's Best Colleges Guide.[21]

Schreiner University is also home to Greystone Preparatory School. Greystone offers a one-year preparatory course to help individuals prepare for an appointment to one of the five federal service academies.[22]

Notable people

Sports

Entertainment

Business

Others

Points of interest

Kerr Arts and Cultural Center in Kerrville

.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Kerrville has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[41]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Kerrville at City-Data
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ http://www.usashooting.org/news/2011/9/29/90-us-olympic-trials-for-shotgun-skeet-and-double-trap-preview
  17. ↑ About Kerrville ISD
  18. ↑ Our Lady of the Hills Catholic High School
  19. ↑ Notre Dame Catholic School
  20. ↑ grace academy of kerrville
  21. ↑ http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/college/items/3610
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ databaseFootball - Mike Dyal
  24. ↑ databaseFootball - William Fifer
  25. ↑ Mahaffey Takes Southwestern
  26. ↑ databaseFootball - Jesse Stokes
  27. ↑ databaseFootball - John Teltschik
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ Bio-drama and 'blue yodeling'
  30. ↑ Sony Music - Jimmie Rodgers Biography
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 13th Floor Elevators
  32. ↑ Center Point, Texas
  33. ↑ *Asa Elmer (Ace) Reid, Jr. (1925-1991) at Handbook of Texas OnLine
  34. ↑ James Avery Jewelers - About James Avery
  35. ↑ H-E-B History
  36. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  37. ↑ http://www.mamacitas.com/index.html
  38. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  39. ↑ Ray A. Laird obituary, Kerrville Daily Times, October 7, 1986
  40. ↑ Lou H. Rodenberger (1926 - 2009)
  41. ↑ Climate Summary for Kerrville, Texas

External links

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