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Kemp, Texas
Kemp, Texas
City
	Downtown Kemp, Texas
	Motto: Easy Livin'
	Location of Kemp in Kaufman County, Texas
	Coordinates: 32°27′14″N 96°13′33″W / 32.45389°N 96.22583°W
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Kaufman
Incorporated	May 18, 1922
Government
• Type	Type A General Law Municipality
Area
• Total	2.20 sq mi (5.69 km2)
• Land	2.13 sq mi (5.52 km2)
• Water	0.06 sq mi (0.17 km2)
Elevation	381 ft (116 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	1,129
• Density	510/sq mi (200/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	75143
Area code(s)	430, 903
FIPS code	48-38788
GNIS feature ID	2412823
Website	www.cityofkemp.org

Kemp is a city in Kaufman County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,129 in 2020.^[4]

History

The community was named for Sara Kemp, mother of Levi Noble, the first postmaster, and was officially established when the post office opened in 1851. The original townsite was located on present-day County Road 4023, 2 miles (3 km) south of present-day Texas State Highway 274. It grew slowly during its first thirty years. A Presbyterian congregation was organized in 1854, and the Kemp Academy of Learning began operation in 1867. After the Civil War, an increasing number of settlers moved to the community. In 1870, Dr. A. J. Still, hoping to profit from this growth and the possible construction of a railroad through the area, bought land just north of the community (where the current city sits) and after surveying, dividing the tract into lots, and platting it, persuaded the directors of the Southern Pacific Railroad to lay tracks across his property by offering the company a number of lots. Another early settler, Sam Parmalee, followed suit and offered the rail company right-of-way through his property. The mid-1880s witnessed the completion of the rail line through the community, the construction of a depot there, and the designation of Kemp as a terminus on the line.

The railroad attracted settlers to Kemp. Prospering with the surrounding cattle ranches and cotton farms, the community developed as a trade center for the lower part of the county. By the early twentieth century, the population had reached 513, and the Methodist and Baptist congregations had established churches. Kemp also supported a local newspaper, the Kemp News. The paper was owned and edited by Mike S. Boggess. In 1926, the town had a population of 1,200, sixty businesses, and two banks. By 1936, 46 businesses operated in Kemp. The population declined from 1,000 to 816 between the end of World War II and the mid-1960s. Businesses declined from 41 to 33. In 1965, Cedar Creek Reservoir was completed just south of the community. Kemp had a population of 1,184 and 75 businesses in 1990. Much of the land around town was still devoted to cattle production, and many residents commuted to jobs in the Dallas area. In 2000, the population was 1,133.

During the summer of 2011, the city received national attention due to its aging water utility system and complications resulting from the severe Texas drought of 2011.^[5]

Geography

Kemp is located in southeastern Kaufman County.^[6] U.S. Route 175 runs along the northeast side of the city, leading northwest 11 miles (18 km) to Kaufman, the county seat, and southeast 28 miles (45 km) to Athens.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Kemp has a total area of 2.6 square miles (6.8 km²), of which 2.5 square miles (6.5 km²) are land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²), or 4.18%, are water.^[7] It is at the northern end of Cedar Creek Lake.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1890	335	—
1930	990	—
1940	1,000	1.0%
1950	881	−11.9%
1960	816	−7.4%
1970	999	22.4%
1980	1,035	3.6%
1990	1,184	14.4%
2000	1,133	−4.3%
2010	1,154	1.9%
2020	1,129	−2.2%
U.S. Decennial Census^[8]

**Kemp racial composition as of 2020**^[4]
(NH = Non-Hispanic)^[a]
Race	Number	Percentage
White (NH)	820	72.63%
Black or African American (NH)	55	4.87%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH)	10	0.89%
Asian (NH)	1	0.09%
Some Other Race (NH)	18	1.59%
Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH)	61	5.4%
Hispanic or Latino	164	14.53%
Total	1,129

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,129 people, 368 households, and 232 families residing in the city.

Government

The city of Kemp is a Type A general law municipality with a mayor-council form of government. The mayor is the chief executive officer of the city and oversees the day-to-day operations of the city government. The mayor is elected at-large and serves a two-year term. The city council consists of five members and the mayor. Council members are elected at-large by place, and serve for two-year terms. The mayor is the presiding officer of the city council. One council member is elected annually by the other members to serve as Mayor Pro-Tem in the absence of the mayor.

The city operates a public works department including water and wastewater utilities, and the Kemp Municipal Court. The city employs a city secretary, a small administrative staff, a municipal judge/court clerk, a public works director, a small public works staff, a chief of police, a police sergeant/K9 unit, and several full-time and reserve officers. On May 9, 2012, the city council voted to disband the Kemp Police Department in favor of outsourcing to the Kaufman County Sheriff due to budget constraints.^[11] It was subsequently restored.^[12] The chief is being sued for civil rights violations. The lawsuit is on hold, while minor criminal charges against the plaintiff remain pending.^[13]

The city has chartered the Kemp Housing Authority, which operates two public housing apartment campuses, and is governed by a board of commissioners appointed by the mayor. It employs an executive director, a clerical assistant and a small maintenance staff.

The city has chartered the Kemp Economic Development Corporation, a type 4B EDC. It is funded by a $.005 sales tax for economic development purposes. The Kemp EDC has a board of directors appointed by the Kemp City Council.

The city is served by the Kemp Municipal Development District, which includes the city of Kemp and its extraterritorial jurisdiction. The Kemp MDD was created by election in May 2010 and began operations October 1, 2010. The district levies a $.0025 sales tax for economic and municipal development purposes. The Kemp City Council serves as the Kemp Municipal Development District board of directors.

Education

The city is served by the Kemp Independent School District and the Trinity Valley Community College District.

Notes

^ Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.^[9]^[10]

References

^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
^ ^a ^b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Kemp, Texas
^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
^ ^a ^b "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
^ Staff, the CNN Wire. "Heat wave: Oklahoma, Texas endure warmest months on record". CNN. Retrieved November 23, 2016. {{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)
^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
^ "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001), Kemp city, Texas". American FactFinder. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
^ https://www.census.gov/ ^{[not specific enough to verify]}
^ "About the Hispanic Population and its Origin". www.census.gov. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
^ Lillich, Cody (May 9, 2012). "ETX police department disbanded". Retrieved November 23, 2016.
^ "Jimmy Council named new Kemp police chief". January 16, 2013. Retrieved November 23, 2016.
^ "McCollom v. City of Kemp et al, No. 3:2014cv01488 - Document 28 (N.D. Tex. 2014)". Retrieved November 23, 2016.

Bibliography

Robert Richard Butler, History of Kaufman County, Texas (M.A. thesis, University of Texas, 1940).
Kaufman County Historical Commission, History of Kaufman County (Dallas: Taylor, 1978).