Kenedy, Texas
City in the United States in Karnes County
About Kenedy
Kenedy is a city in Karnes County, Texas, United States, named for Mifflin Kenedy, who bought 400,000 acres (1,600 km2) and wanted to develop a new town that would carry his name. The population was 3,473 at the 2020 census, up from 3,296 at the 2010 census.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How Kenedy is governed
Form of government not yet listed.
0 of 14 positions listed. Gray dashed boxes are placeholders waiting for a name.
Residents of Kenedy
Registered voters elect the officials below.
-
Mayor
Executive
Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this
The city's chief elected official. Presides over the executive branch, proposes the budget and represents the city.
-
City Manager / Administrator
Executive
Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this
The professional administrator who runs day-to-day operations (in some cities appointed by the council instead of the mayor).
-
Police Chief
Administration & departments
Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this
Leads the police department.
-
Fire Chief
Administration & departments
Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this
Leads the fire and emergency services department.
-
Public Works Director
Administration & departments
Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this
Streets, water, sewer, and city buildings.
-
Finance Director
Administration & departments
Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this
The budget, taxes, and city accounts.
-
Planning & Zoning Director
Administration & departments
Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this
Land use, zoning, building permits.
-
Parks & Recreation Director
Administration & departments
Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this
Parks, programs, and public facilities.
-
-
-
City Council
Legislative
Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this
The elected body that passes ordinances, sets the tax rate and approves the budget.
-
City Clerk
Administration & departments
Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this
Keeps the official records, runs meeting agendas and, often, local elections.
-
City Attorney
Administration & departments
Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this
The city's lawyer; advises officials and prosecutes ordinance violations.
-
Boards & Commissions
Legislative
Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this
Citizen advisory bodies, such as planning, zoning appeals and library boards.
-
-
Municipal Court
Judicial
Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this
Hears traffic, ordinance and other minor cases.
-
Municipal Judge
Judicial
Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this
Presides over the municipal court.
-
- Website
- kenedytx.gov
Looking for your county, state and federal representatives too? See who represents 78119 or everyone in Texas.
Population over time
From 3,296 in 2010 to 3,473 in 2020 (+5.4%).
Show the numbers
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 3,473 |
| 2010 | 3,296 |
History
In the early 1900s many of Kenedy's gunfighter shootings caused the town to be nicknamed "Six Shooter Junction".
In 1901, Gregorio Cortez and his brother Romaldo were tenant farmers on the W. A. Thulmeyer Ranch, approximately ten miles west of Kenedy. While investigating a reported horse theft, Karnes County Sheriff W. T. "Brack" Morris and his deputies questioned several Kenedy residents before traveling to the ranch. A confrontation there, complicated by misunderstandings in translation, resulted in Morris wounding Romaldo and Cortez shooting and killing Morris. Cortez subsequently fled, beginning a widely publicized manhunt.
The incident became the subject of El Corrido de Gregorio Cortez, one of the best-known Mexican-American corridos of the period. The story was later examined by Américo Paredes in his 1958 book With His Pistol in His Hand and adapted into the 1982 film The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez, starring Edward James Olmos.
During World War II, the Kenedy Alien Detention Camp was located near the outskirts of the town, on a former Civilian Conservation Corps site. Though it later served as a prisoner of war camp, it started as an internment camp for people of German, Italian, and Japanese ancestry deported from Latin America, as well as some who were long-term residents of the U.S. The camp opened in April 1942, when the first group of Latin American deportees arrived: 456 Germans, 156 Japanese and 14 Italians. Despite State Department prisoner exchanges, in which German and Japanese Latin Americans were "repatriated" and traded for U.S. citizens in Axis custody, Kenedy's population swelled to 2,007 by October 1943: 1,168 Germans, 705 Japanese, 72 Italians, and 62 "miscellaneous". The 705 of Japanese descent included U.S. civilians. In 1944, the remaining internees were transferred to other facilities, and by September it had been converted to a German POW camp; beginning in July 1945, the camp was also used to house Japanese POWs. The camp was closed at the end of the war, in September 1945.
The John B. Connally Unit, a state prison, is located 2 miles (3 km) south of the city limits. On December 13, 2000, a group called the Texas Seven escaped from that prison. They would go on a deadly crime spree before being caught.
On July 24, 2019, the Karnes Countywide Newspaper featured a story on a Kenedy house with ties to a world famous San Antonio landmark. Blueprints by Hugman-Silber Architects were discovered in the cedar closet of the house. The blueprints were drawn and traced by Robert H.H. Hugman, the acknowledged visionary behind the San Antonio River Walk.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.