Kaufman County

Kaufman County is located in northeastern Texas. Terrell, the county's largest town, is thirty miles east of Dallas. The county's center lies at approximately 32°35' north latitude and 96°18' west longitude. The county comprises 788 square miles of the Blackland Prairie region of Northeast Texas. The terrain is predominantly level to gently undulating, with an elevation ranging from 300 to 550 feet above sea level. The county is on the divide between two large rivers, the Trinity and the Sabine. It is located in the Trinity River watershed and is drained, in its western half, by the East Fork of the Trinity River and its tributaries, and, in its eastern half, by Cedar Creek and its tributaries, which flow into Cedar Creek Reservoir in the southern part of the county. Prairie grasses and mesquite, oak, pecan, and elm trees grow along the streams of the county. The soils are slightly acidic, with dark to light loamy surfaces and clayey subsoils. Mineral resources include limestone, sand and gravel, oil, and gas. The climate is subtropical-humid. Temperatures range in July from an average low of 72° F to an average high of 97° and in January from 33° to 54°. Rainfall averages thirty-nine inches, and the growing season averages 245 days each year.

Adapted from the official Handbook of Texas, a state encyclopedia developed by the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). It is an authoritative source of trusted historical records.