Ennis, Texas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ennis, Texas
City
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	535 ft (163 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)	214, 469, 945, 972
FIPS code	48-24348
GNIS feature ID	2410443

Ennis is a city in Ellis County, Texas, in the United States. About 20,159 people lived there in 2020. By 2023, the population was estimated to be around 23,686. Ennis is famous for its yearly National Polka Festival.

History of Ennis

Completed in 1916, this building was Ennis High School until 1982. It is now the Alamo Education Center.

The Moore House is one of many historic homes in Ennis.

Old City Mills, located east of Downtown Ennis.

The city of Ennis began in 1872. This was when the Houston and Central Texas Railroad (H&TC) reached the area. The city was named after Cornelius Ennis. He was an important official for the railroad. He also served as the Mayor of Houston from 1856 to 1857.

Between 1874 and 1890, the number of people living in Ennis grew a lot. It went from 300 to 3,000 residents. Many new settlers came from places affected by war, like the Confederate States of America. Others came from European countries that later became Czechoslovakia.

In 1891, the H&TC railroad chose Ennis as a main center for its northern operations. This meant that the city had to provide water for the railroad. In return, the railroad built large machine shops and a roundhouse. These places employed hundreds of men. The agreement said that as long as Ennis could provide water, the shops would stay there. To meet this need, the city built three lakes in 1892, 1895, and 1940.

The railroad also helped the cotton industry grow. It made it easier to send cotton to other parts of the country and even to other countries through the port of Houston. By 1920, Ellis County, where Ennis is located, produced more cotton than any other county in America. Over 152,601 bales of cotton were processed and shipped. Because of this, the Ennis Chamber of Commerce used the slogan "Where Railroads and Cotton Fields Meet."

The money from railroads and cotton helped Ennis grow and become a beautiful city. People built many churches and meeting places for different groups. Elegant houses were built along "the Avenue" and in other areas. Many homes were built in the Folk Victorian and Craftsman styles.

By the middle of the 1900s, Ennis had become a modern community. It had schools, three movie theaters, drugstores, banks, and car dealerships. The children and grandchildren of the first settlers started new traditions. These included the National Polka Festival and the Ennis Bluebonnet Trail. The city also became connected to Dallas in the north and Houston in the south by Interstate Highway 45. This allowed people in Ennis to enjoy both the excitement of big cities and the comfort of their own unique community.

In 2013, a tornado hit the main shopping area along Ennis Avenue. It damaged many businesses and homes. Some historic buildings were affected. However, developers bought these damaged buildings to help rebuild the downtown area. The city started a plan to bring new life to downtown. In 2015, Ennis rejoined the Texas Main Street Program. Today, the downtown area has many new businesses. There are also plans to make it more friendly for walkers and to add parks.

Geography of Ennis

Ennis is located in the eastern part of Ellis County, Texas. Interstate 45 runs along the east side of the city. You can get on or off I-45 using exits 247 through 255. This highway goes north about 35 miles to Dallas and south about 205 miles to Houston.

U.S. Route 287 goes around the south side of Ennis. It leads northwest about 15 miles to Waxahachie, which is the county seat of Ellis County. Texas State Highway 34 goes through the center of Ennis. It leads northeast about 26 miles to Kaufman and southwest about 20 miles to Italy. The city of Waco is about 73 miles to the southwest.

Ennis covers a total area of about 33.06 square miles (85.62 square kilometers). Most of this area, about 32.53 square miles (84.26 square kilometers), is land. The remaining 0.53 square miles (1.36 square kilometers), or about 1.85%, is water.

Population of Ennis

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 20,159 people living in Ennis. There were 6,642 households and 4,985 families in the city.

Arts and Culture in Ennis

Fun Events in Ennis

The National Polka Festival is a three-day event held every year during Memorial Day weekend. It started in 1967 to celebrate the city's Czech Texan history. The festival features delicious Czech cuisine and lively polka music. There is also a Memorial Day parade through downtown. People can enjoy polka dances at halls run by groups like Sokol or the Knights of Columbus. A fun competition takes place to choose the annual Duke and Duchess of Ennis. The Ennis Polka Run helps raise money for the Rotary Club and the Children's Reading Club.

The Bluebonnet Trails Festival celebrates the state flower of Texas. It highlights the beautiful wildflowers in the countryside around Ennis. The festival includes tours to see the flowers and a street fair downtown. It happens on the third weekend of April. The Bluebonnet Trails are open for the entire month. The first bluebonnet trail was marked in Kachina Prairie Park in 1938. Since 1951, the Ennis Garden Club has officially mapped out routes for these tours. These routes cover many miles of country roads east and northeast of the city. In 1997, the Texas Legislature named Ennis the "Bluebonnet City of Texas." They also declared Ennis the official "Bluebonnet Trail of Texas."

Ennis hosts several other events throughout the year. The Unity One Blues on Main Summer Music Festival is a jazz and blues event in June. Ennis Freedom Fest is a parade and firework show for the 4th of July. The Fall Festival and Monster Mash Dash 5k Marathon happen in October. During the Christmas season in December, there is the Lights of Ennis Festival, the Parade of Lights, and the Our Lady of Guadalupe Procession.

Cool Places to Visit in Ennis

The main gate and pressbox at Texas Motorplex.

Lake Bardwell is a large lake managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It is located southwest of Ennis. This lake helps control floods in the Trinity River Basin. It also stores water for the Trinity Valley Authority. Around the lake, there are several parks. These include Big Mustang Creek Park, Little Mustang Creek Park, High View Park, Love Park, Mott Park, and Highview Marina. All these parks have boat ramps. You can enjoy hiking, horseback riding, camping, fishing, and boating at the lake and parks.

Texas Motorplex in Ennis is a special track for drag racing. It was built in 1986. It hosts the yearly NHRA FallNationals in October. Hundreds of professional and amateur drag racers come to compete there.

The Galaxy Drive-In Theatre first opened in 2004 with three screens. Sixteen years later, it had grown to seven screens. It shows the newest movies from Hollywood. All movies at the Galaxy Drive-In Theatre are shown digitally. Some are even in 3-D, which is rare for a drive-in. The Galaxy Drive-In is open every day of the year.

The Ennis Railroad and Cultural Heritage Museum is located in an old restaurant building. The museum has many items related to railroads and local culture. This includes things from the Houston and Central Texas Railroad. There is a large model of the old engine roundhouse that used to be near the museum. The museum also has a collection of rare china and an old MKT caboose.

Kachina Prairie is a city park that protects a rare type of grassland. This area is one of the last untouched examples of Texas blackland prairie. The first Ennis bluebonnet trail was created through this park in 1938.

Education in Ennis

Education in Ennis is managed by the Ennis Independent School District. This district includes two early childhood centers for young children. There are also four elementary schools, two intermediate schools, and one junior high school. The main high school is Ennis High School.

Students in secondary education can join many extra programs. These include 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 from Ennis

Many interesting people have connections to Ennis:

• Darrell Lance Abbott, a musician and songwriter, who helped start the bands Pantera and Damageplan.
• Ray Armstrong, a college and professional football player.
• Bob Banner, a producer, who co-produced The Carol Burnett Show.
• Clyde Barrow, known from the Bonnie and Clyde crime duo, lived in Ennis later in his life.
• Alfred H. Bennett, a District Judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas.
• Pam Bowers, a college women's basketball coach.
• Gary Campbell, a college football player and coach.
• Steve Collins, a college football player.
• Chase Craig, a writer and cartoonist who worked with Dell Comics and Gold Key Comics.
• Jacobs Crawley, a rodeo cowboy and saddle bronc racer.
• James "Red" Duke, a trauma surgeon and professor. He was the first surgeon to treat President Kennedy at Parkland Medical in Dallas.
• Jack Fields, a Republican representative for Texas's 8th congressional district.
• Bob Finley, an MLB catcher and football player.
• Walt Furnace, a Republican representative for the Alaska House of Representatives.
• Tanya Godsey, a musician, vocalist, and pianist.
• Graham Harrell, an NFL and college football player who lived in Ennis.
• Hattie Leah Henenberg, a lawyer and judge, appointed to the All-Woman Supreme Court.
• D. Van Holliday, a theoretical and experimental physicist and acoustician.
• Kirby Baxter Holmes, a gospel musician and pastor. He helped arrange Martin Luther King Jr.'s visit to Texas in 1959.
• Charles Hudson, an MLB starting pitcher.
• Jack Lummus, a Medal of Honor recipient and 1st Lt. in the US Marine Corps.
• Vincent Marshall, a Canadian football player.
• Hix McCanless, an architect, surveyor, and civil engineer.
• Robert Randall Onstead, a grocer and businessman who founded Randall's Food Markets.
• Ginger Rogers, a famous actress, singer, and dancer, who lived in Ennis during her childhood.
• Rabon Tarrant, a jump blues and jazz drummer, singer, and songwriter.
• Ernest Tubb, known as "The Texas Troubadour," a country music singer and songwriter.
• Mary Walker, a World Barrel Racing Champion in 2013.
• Edward Whitacre Jr., former chairman and CEO of AT&T Inc. and General Motors.

See also

In Spanish: Ennis (Texas) para niños