US Census Bureau Fact Sheet - General, Social, Economic, and Housing Characteristics.

 

 

History

 

KENDALIA, TEXAS. Kendalia is on Farm Road 473 twenty-five miles northeast of Boerne in east Kendall County. The community was probably named for George Wilkins Kendall, who established a ranch and introduced sheep ranching in the area in the 1840s. Although there were some settlers in the vicinity and in the nearby Curry's Creek settlement before the 1880s, Kendalia was first surveyed by D. W. Grady in 1883 for early settler Carl Gustav Vogel, who built a gin and gristmill at the town. In 1895 the post office records were transferred from Curry's Creek to Kendalia. Around the beginning of the twentieth century Kendalia had a general store, a post office, a drugstore, and two churches. Over the following years three schools served Kendalia. The community had several family cemeteries, including those of the Edge, Jones, Lawhon, and Schmidt families. Throughout most of the twentieth century Kendalia had a ranching economy that subsisted in various cattle, goat, and sheep ranches in the area. In 1940 the population was about 100. Kendalia was associated with nearby Edge Falls on Curry Creek, a popular recreational spot, until the 1970s, when the falls were closed to the public. In the 1980s through 2000 Kendalia had a population of seventy-six. Many residents worked in San Antonio or Blanco. In 2000 the town had a general store and post office, a community center, a library, and a Methodist church.

Kendalia is an unincorporated community in northeastern Kendall County, Texas, United States. It lies along FM 473 / 3351 northeast of the city of Boerne, the county seat of Kendall County.  Although Kendalia is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 78027; the ZCTA for ZIP Code 78027 had a population of 374 at the 2000 census.

Likely named for early nearby settler George Wilkins Kendall, the community was surveyed in 1883, although a post office was not established until 1895. The local economy has long been dependent primarily on ranching, although many residents today work in cities such as Blanco or San Antonio.

 

Kendall County History

 

Kendall County is in south central Texas, 170 miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico, and is bordered by Gillespie, Blanco, Comal, Bexar, Bandera, and Kerr counties. Boerne, the county seat, is on Cibolo Creek at the intersection of U.S. Highway 87 and Farm Road 475, thirty miles northwest of San Antonio. Kendall County comprises roughly 663 square miles of rolling to hilly terrain in the Edwards Plateau region, with elevations ranging from 1,000 to 2,000 feet above sea level. Vegetation native to the alkaline soils of the region consists primarily of tall grasses, live oak, juniper, and mesquite. Most of the area is drained by the Guadalupe River, which crosses the county from west to east. Two other important water courses rise in Kendall County: the Blanco River in the north and Cibolo Creek in the south. Wildlife in the area includes deer, javelina, coyote, bobcat, beaver, badger, fox, raccoon, weasel, squirrel, and a variety of small birds, fish, and reptiles. Among the county's mineral resources are dolomite and limestone. 

  

The county is named for George Wilkins Kendall, a journalist and Mexican-American War correspondent. Progressive Farmer rated Kendall County fifth in its list of the "Best Places to Live in Rural America" in 2006. It is part of the San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area.

 

 

Demographics

 

As of the census of 2000, there were 23,743 people, 8,613 households, and 6,692 families residing in the county. The population density was 36 people per square mile (14/km²). There were 9,609 housing units at an average density of 14 per square mile (6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 92.86% White, 0.56% Native American, 0.35% Black or African American, 0.23% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 4.41% from other races, and 1.55% from two or more races. 17.89% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

 

There were 8,613 households out of which 36.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.20% were married couples living together, 7.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.30% were non-families. 19.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.09.

 

In the county, the population was spread out with 27.20% under the age of 18, 6.10% from 18 to 24, 26.40% from 25 to 44, 26.40% from 45 to 64, and 13.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 95.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.40 males.

 

The median income for a household in the county was $49,521, and the median income for a family was $58,081. Males had a median income of $39,697 versus $28,807 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,619. About 7.90% of families and 10.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.60% of those under age 18 and 9.40% of those ages 65 or over.  

 

 

Geography 

 

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Kendall county has a total area of 663 square miles (1,717 km²), of which, 662 square miles (1,716 km²) of it is land and 1 square miles (2 km²) of it (0.09%) is water.  Its elevation is 1,384 feet (422 m), and it is located at 29°58′9″N 98°31′20″W / 29.96917, -98.52222 (29.9691024, -98.5222441).