Karnes City, Texas

200px|left|thumb|Downtown Karnes City near dusk.

200px|left|thumb|City Hall in Karnes City.

200px|left|thumb|Karnes City National Bank is across from City Hall.

Karnes City is a city in and the county seat of Karnes County, Texas, United States. Its population was 3,111 at the 2020 census, up from 3,042 at the 2010 census. The town was named after Henry Karnes of the Texas Revolution. Karnes is southeast of Floresville and southeast of San Antonio on U.S. Highway 181.

History

In 1894, as a result of a special election, the county seat was moved from Helena to Karnes City. Ten years earlier, Colonel William G. Butler (1831–1912) had blamed Helena and its corrupt mayor for the death of his son, Emmett, who was killed on December 26, 1884, by a stray bullet from a bar fight. Butler, a wealthy rancher, retaliated by arranging for the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway, which started construction in 1885, to bypass Helena.

The railway started operation in 1886. By 1890, with no rail line, Helena was at a disadvantage for serving the county's needs. In 1890, a group of businessmen purchased land on the rail line, southwest of Helena, with the specific intent of building a new town to serve as the county seat. The new town, named for Colonel Henry Wax Karnes (1812–1840), veteran of the Texas Revolution and a leader of the Texas Rangers, was a viable settlement by 1894, when the county voted to move its seat from Helena. Karnes City continued to grow, while Helena faded into a ghost town.

The story was fictionalized in the 1969 episode "The Oldest Law" of the television series Death Valley Days. In the episode, Jim Davis played the role of Colonel Butler, while Stacy Harris played Helena's mayor.

Geography

Karnes City is located in central Karnes County at (28.8882, –97.9013). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which , or 1.37%, is covered by water. and south to Beeville. Texas State Highway 123 runs north from Karnes City to Stockdale, and State Highway 80 leads northeast to Gillett.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Karnes City had a population of 3,111 and a median age of 38.0 years. 26.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.5 males age 18 and over.

0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 1,156 households in Karnes City, of which 36.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 36.9% were married-couple households, 22.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 32.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

| White || 1,598 || 51.4%

| Black or African American || 117 || 3.8%

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 38 || 1.2%

| Asian || 10 || 0.3%

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 2 || 0.1%

| Some other race || 467 || 15.0%

| Two or more races || 879 || 28.3%

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 2,040 || 65.6%

2000 census

As of the census Karnes City Junior High School, and Karnes City High School.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen climate classification, Karnes City has a humid subtropical climate, Cfa on climate maps.

Notable people

Maria Moreno, farmworker and labor organizer