Ennis, Texas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ennis, Texas
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg) |
|
Location of Ennis, Texas
|
|
 |
|
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Texas |
| County | Ellis |
| Founded | 1871 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council-Manager |
| Area | |
| • Total | 33.06 sq mi (85.62 km2) |
| • Land | 32.53 sq mi (84.26 km2) |
| • Water | 0.53 sq mi (1.36 km2) |
| Elevation | 538 ft (164 m) |
| Population
(2020)
|
|
| • Total | 20,159 |
| • Estimate
(2023)
|
23,686 |
| • Density | 609.77/sq mi (235.447/km2) |
| Demonym(s) | Ennisite |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP codes |
75119-75120
|
| Area code(s) | 972 |
| FIPS code | 48-24348 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1335474 |
Ennis (/ˈɛnɪs/) is a city in eastern Ellis County, Texas, United States. The population is 20,159 according to the 2020 census, with an estimated population of 23,686 in 2023. Ennis is home to the annual National Polka Festival.
Contents
History
In 1872 the Houston and Central Texas Railroad (H&TC) arrived at the spot that would become Ennis. The city is named for Cornelius Ennis, an official of the railroad. Ennis served as Mayor of Houston (1856–57), and as a director of the Houston Tap and Brazoria Railway and H&TC.
Between 1874 and 1890, the population grew from 300 to 3,000. Many of the settlers came from the war-torn Confederate States of America and others came from the war-ravaged European nations that later became Czechoslovakia.
In 1891, the H&TC chose Ennis as its northern division headquarters in an agreement requiring that Ennis provide water for the railroad. The machine shops and roundhouse employed several hundred men. One condition of the agreement was that as long as Ennis was able to furnish water the shops could not be moved from the community. The city built the first of three lakes for this purpose in 1892, followed by another in 1895, and the last in 1940
The railroad also led to the expansion of the cotton industry, providing access to foreign and domestic markets through the port of Houston. By 1920, a total of 152,601 bales of cotton were ginned and shipped from Ellis County, the most of any county in America. The Ennis Chamber of Commerce adopted the slogan 'Where Railroads and Cotton Fields Meet."
Railroads and cotton produced the wealth that could be seen in the residential development of the city. Residents built beautiful churches of many different denominations and numerous fraternal organizations met regularly. Elegant houses along “the Avenue” and north were accompanied by dozens of Folk Victorian houses and Craftsman style bungalows.
By mid-twentieth century Ennis had become a modern community with schools, three movie theaters, several drugstores, banks and automobile dealerships. The sons and daughters of early settlers had developed new traditions like the National Polka Festival and the Ennis Bluebonnet Trail. Moreover, the city was connected to Dallas to the north and Houston to the South by Interstate Highway 45. Since then, citizens of Ennis have been able to experience the best of two worlds, participation in the attractions of a large, dynamic city and the familiar street-scape of a unique, nurturing community.
The commercial strip along Ennis Ave. between Downtown and Interstate 45 was hit by a tornado in the May 15–17, 2013 tornado outbreak, rendering 4 homes uninhabitable and damaging as many as 55 businesses. The damage caused by the EF1 impacted the National Register Historic District and many of the other businesses in town, some of which are pending demolition. However, these damaged buildings were purchased by developers in the hopes of revitalizing the Downtown Historical District. These revitalization plans were implemented in the Downtown Comprehensive Plan, and the city was re-admitted to the Texas Main Street Program in January 2015. Today, the downtown area is home to several successful start-ups, with future plans calling for further emphasis on local business, pedestrian friendliness, and the development of parks, plazas, and new urbanist development along the outskirts of the district.
Geography
Ennis is in the northeastern region of Texas, in eastern Ellis County. Interstate 45 passes through the east side of the city, with access from Exits 247 through 255. I-45 leads north 35 miles (56 km) to Dallas and south 205 miles (330 km) to Houston. U.S. Route 287 curves around the south side of Ennis and leads northwest 15 miles (24 km) to Waxahachie, the Ellis County seat. Texas State Highway 34 passes through the center of Ennis, leading northeast 26 miles (42 km) to Kaufman and southwest 20 miles (32 km) to Italy. Waco is 73 miles (117 km) to the southwest.
Ennis has a total area of 28.2 square miles (73.0 km2), of which 27.6 square miles (71.6 km2) is land and 0.54 square miles (1.4 km2), or 1.85%, is water.
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 1,351 | — | |
| 1890 | 2,171 | 60.7% | |
| 1900 | 4,919 | 126.6% | |
| 1910 | 5,669 | 15.2% | |
| 1920 | 7,224 | 27.4% | |
| 1930 | 7,069 | −2.1% | |
| 1940 | 7,087 | 0.3% | |
| 1950 | 7,815 | 10.3% | |
| 1960 | 9,347 | 19.6% | |
| 1970 | 11,046 | 18.2% | |
| 1980 | 12,102 | 9.6% | |
| 1990 | 14,278 | 18.0% | |
| 2000 | 16,454 | 15.2% | |
| 2010 | 18,513 | 12.5% | |
| 2020 | 20,159 | 8.9% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 23,686 | 27.9% | |
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (NH) | 7,891 | 39.14% |
| Black or African American (NH) | 2,765 | 13.72% |
| Native American or Alaska Native (NH) | 33 | 0.16% |
| Asian (NH) | 115 | 0.57% |
| Pacific Islander (NH) | 82 | 0.41% |
| Some Other Race (NH) | 45 | 0.22% |
| Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH) | 546 | 2.71% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 8,682 | 43.07% |
| Total | 20,159 |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 20,159 people, 6,642 households, and 4,985 families residing in the city.
Arts and culture
Events
The National Polka Festival is a three-day festival that has been hosted annually since 1967 during the Memorial Day weekend to commemorate the city's historic Czech Texan history and heritage. The festival features Czech cuisine, polka music, a Memorial Day parade through downtown, and polka dances hosted at event halls operated by fraternal organizations such as Sokol or the Knights of Columbus. There is a homecoming-like competition among residents and community-based fraternal organizations to crown the annual Duke and Duchess of Ennis. The Ennis Polka Run takes place to help fund the Rotary Club and the Children's Reading Club of Ennis.
The Bluebonnet Trails Festival celebrates the state flower of Texas and the vibrant bloom of wildflowers in the surrounding countryside. The festival includes sightseeing excursions and a street fair in downtown. The festival is held on the third weekend of April, and the Bluebonnet Trails are hosted for the entire month. First hosted in Kachina Prairie Park in 1938, the Bluebonnet Trails have since expanded into a route of several dozen miles along rural farm roads throughout the surrounding countryside east and northeast of the city. The routes for these sightseeing excursions have been officially hosted and mapped out by the Ennis Garden Club since 1951. To commemorate the popularity of the Bluebonnet Trails Festival and the efforts made to celebrate and preserve the state flower of Texas, the Texas Legislature designated Ennis the "Bluebonnet City of Texas" and also declared Ennis the official "Bluebonnet Trail of Texas" in 1997.
The city hosts several other events throughout the year. Unity One Blues on Main Summer Music Festival is a jazz and blues festival hosted in June; Ennis Freedom Fest is a parade and firework show celebrating the 4th of July; the Fall Festival and Monster Mash Dash 5k Marathon are hosted in October; and the Lights of Ennis Festival, the Parade of Lights, and Our Lady of Guadalupe Procession are hosted in December during the Christmas season.
Attractions
.jpg)
Lake Bardwell is a reservoir managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, located southwest of Ennis. It is a flood-control reservoir in the Trinity River Basin and a conservation pool in the Trinity Valley Authority. Surrounding the lake is a park system consisting of Big Mustang Creek Park, Little Mustang Creek Park, High View Park, Love Park, Mott Park, and Highview Marina, all of which offer boat ramps. The lake and parks offer hiking, horseback riding, camping, fishing, and sport boating.
Texas Motorplex in Ennis is a quarter-mile drag racing facility built in 1986 by former funny car driver Billy Meyer. It hosts the annual NHRA FallNationals in October, when hundreds of professional and amateur drag racers compete.
Galaxy Drive-In Theatre Galaxy Drive-In Theatre first opened in 2004, it was with only three screens. Sixteen years later, they had expanded to seven screens, featuring the newest films Hollywood has to offer. All the films shown at the Galaxy Drive-In Theatre are projected digitally and, in certain instances, in 3-D, a rarity in the world of drive-in cinema. Galaxy Drive-In is open seven days a week, 365 days a year.
Ennis Railroad and Cultural Heritage Museum is housed in the former Van Noy restaurant building. The museum's collections include: railroad and cultural memorabilia including items related to the Houston and Central Texas Railroad; a large diorama of the old engine roundhouse that once existed just north of the museum's location; a large collection of rare china; and a MKT caboose.
Kachina Prairie is a city park preserving one of the last remaining examples of untouched Texas blackland prairie. The first Ennis bluebonnet trail was marked through this area in 1938.
Education
Education is administered by the Ennis Independent School District, which consists of two early childhood centers, four elementary schools, two intermediate schools, one junior high, and Ennis High School. Secondary education offers several extracurricular programs, such as UIL (University Interscholastic League) Academics and Sports, TSA (Technology Student Association), and the National FFA Organization. Junior high and high school sports include baseball, football, basketball, volleyball, tennis, cross country, track, powerlifting, softball, soccer, and golf.
Notable people
- Darrell Lance Abbott, musician and songwriter, co-founder of Pantera and Damageplan
- Ray Armstrong, college and professional football player
- Bob Banner, producer, writer and director, co-producer of The Carol Burnett Show
- Clyde Barrow, Depression-era criminal, partner in Bonnie and Clyde crime duo. Born in nearby Telico, Texas, but frequented and resided in Ennis later in life
- Alfred H. Bennett, District Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
- Pam Bowers, college women's basketball coach
- Gary Campbell, college football player and coach
- Steve Collins, college football player
- Chase Craig, writer-cartoonist. Worked with Dell Comics and Gold Key Comics
- Jacobs Crawley, rodeo cowboy, saddle bronc racer
- James "Red" Duke, trauma surgeon, professor, host of Dr. Red Duke's Health Report, first surgeon to receive President Kennedy at Parkland Medical in Dallas
- Jack Fields, Republican representative of Texas's 8th congressional district
- Bob Finley, MLB catcher, Southwest Conference and AFL official, NFL referee
- Walt Furnace, Republican representative of the Alaska House of Representatives
- Tanya Godsey, musician, vocalist, and pianist
- Graham Harrell, NFL and college football player, quarterback, coach, offensive coordinator. Lived in Ennis, attended and played football at Ennis High School
- Hattie Leah Henenberg, lawyer, judge, appointed to the All-Woman Supreme Court
- D. Van Holliday, theoretical and experimental physicist, acoustician
- Kirby Baxter Holmes, gospel musician and pastor. Instrumental in Martin Luther King Jr.'s first touring visit to Texas in 1959
- Charles Hudson, MLB starting pitcher
- Jack Lummus, Medal of Honor recipient, 1st Lt. of the US Marine Corps, player for the New York Giants
- Vincent Marshall, Canadian football player
- Hix McCanless, architect, surveyor, civil engineer. Longtime resident, designed multiple homes in Ennis
- Robert Randall Onstead, grocer and businessman, founder of Randall's Food Markets
- Ginger Rogers, actress, singer, dancer. Briefly lived in Ennis during childhood. In an appearance on the Phil Donahue Show, she describes Ennis as "a quiet place and very pretty, just a little country place with tree-lined streets."
- Rabon Tarrant, jump blues and jazz drummer, singer and songwriter. Composer of blues standard "Blues with a Feeling"
- Ernest Tubb, The "Texas Troubadour", country music singer and songwriter, Country Music Hall of Fame inductee. Born in nearby Crisp, Texas
- Mary Walker, World Barrel Racing Champion, 2013 National Cowgirl Hall of Fame inductee
- Edward Whitacre Jr., former chairman and CEO of AT&T Inc., General Motors, former national president of the Boy Scouts of America
In popular culture
Scenes from the following movies were filmed in Ennis: Deadly Blessing (1981) starring Sharon Stone; On Valentine’s Day (1986) starring Hallie Foote and Michael Higgins; and Walking Tall: The Payback (2007) with Kevin Sorbo and Haley Ramm.
Scenes from the documentary Flight of the Butterflies (2012) were filmed on Ennis' bluebonnet trails.
In March 21, 2009, the TV show Pinks: All Out hosted a contest at the Texas Motorplex.
See also
In Spanish: Ennis (Texas) para niños
