Ennis, Texas

Ennis, Texas
City
Intersection of Ennis Ave. and Dallas St., Downtown Ennis
Location of Ennis, Texas
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Ellis
Government
• Type	Council-Manager
• City Council	Mayor Russell Thomas Bob Taylor Jeremie Salik Carolyn C. Frazier Tom Abram Lola Searcy Dale Holt
• City Manager	Chuck Ewings
Area
• Total	18.4 sq mi (47.7 km2)
• Land	18.0 sq mi (46.6 km2)
• Water	0.4 sq mi (1.0 km2)
Elevation	538 ft (164 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	18,513
• Density	891.7/sq mi (344.3/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP codes	75119-75120
Area code(s)	972
FIPS code	48-24348
GNIS feature ID	1335474
Website	EnnisTX.gov

Ennis is a city in Ellis County, Texas, United States, and a southeastern suburb of Dallas. The population was 18,513 at the 2010 census.

History

In 1872 the Houston and Central Texas Railroad (H&TC) arrived at the spot that then became 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.

Geography

Ennis is in the Northeastern region of Texas. The city is 39 miles (63 km) south of Dallas and 74 miles (119 km) northeast of Waco, Texas. Ennis covers 18 square miles (47 km²) of land and 0.4 square miles (1.0 km²) of water.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Ennis has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Ennis was the site of the final twister in the May 15–17, 2013 tornado outbreak. The EF1 damage impacted the National Register Historic District and many of the other businesses in town.

Government

The city of Ennis has a City Commissioner/City Manager government type with several commissions representing different departments in the city government. Ennis is home to the congressional office of US Representative Joe Barton, which is located within Texas's 6th Congressional District of which he represents. Ennis is also a part of the Texas Congressional District represented by Jim Pitts

Ennis is the only incorporated city in the United States that still elects its City Marshal. The election is held every two years with the winner being named Chief of Police by the City Council and City Manager. Currently the post is held by Chief John Erisman.

Below is a list of members of the City Administration and their position:

Department	Director
City Manager	Steve Howerton (interregnum)
City Secretary	Donna Batchler
City Attorney	Richard Wilson
Municipal Court Judge	Lee Johnson
Police Chief	John Erisman
Fire Chief	Jeff Aycock
Fire Marshal	Gary Howell
Finance Director	Cliff Copeland
Economic Development Coordinator	Marty Nelson
Director of Utilities	Robert Bolen
Director of Public Works	OPEN
Chief Building Official	Mark Richardson
Director of Health Services	Chauncy Williams, R.S.
Human Resources	Diane Kellenberger
Director of Parks & Recreation	Andy Wolfe
Library Director	Jessica Diaz
Director of Tourism	Gina Rokas

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%
Est. 2014	18,823		1.7%

As of the census of 2000, there were 16,045 people, 5,335 households, and 3,947 families residing in the city. The population density was 891.7 people per square mile (344.4/km²). There were 5,618 housing units at an average density of 312.2 per square mile (120.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 66.57% White, 14.71% African American, 0.47% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 15.93% from other races, and 2.03% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 33.19% of the population.

There were 5,335 households out of which 38.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.4% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.0% were non-families. 22.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.95 and the average family size was 3.45.

In the city the population was spread out with 30.4% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 18.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $38,923, and the median income for a family was $44,608. Males had a median income of $28,585 versus $22,855 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,677. About 10.4% of families and 13.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.3% of those under age 18 and 15.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The City of Ennis is home to 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. Sports offered in either junior high and up or exclusively high school include baseball, football, basketball, volleyball, tennis, cross country running, track, powerlifting, softball, soccer, and golf.

St. John Nepomucene Catholic Church once offered a K-12 private school, but was shut down in 2008 due to low enrollment and a lack of profit. The curriculum focused on academics infused with Catholic theological teaching. Sports included softball, baseball, basketball, and soccer – all of which were part of other sports groups competing with other private schools.

Events

The annual National Polka Festival which features Czech cuisine, polka music, dancing, and a parade is held on Memorial Day weekend. The festival started in 1967 by a group of men who thought their Czech heritage should be honored. There is also a contest to find who the Duke and Dutchess of Ennis will be for the year. During the 3 day festival, the Ennis Polka Run takes place to help fund the Rotary Club and the Children's Reading Club of Ennis.

Ennis has an annual Texas Bluebonnet festival during the month of April. During this time, thousands of tourists come to see the bloom of these wildflowers. Ennis was designated by the 1997 State Legislature as the "Official Bluebonnet City of Texas" and home to the "Official Bluebonnet Trail of Texas."

In popular culture

Scenes from the following movies were filmed in Ennis: Deadly Blessing (1981) starring Sharon Stone; On Valentine’s Day (1986); and Walking Tall:The Payback (2006) with Kevin Sorbo.

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.

Notable people

Perhaps the most notorious people to set foot in Ennis were Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow. Clyde was reared in nearby Telico and apparently maintained ties to family and friends in the area. While on the lam after a series of robberies in the early 1930s, the gangster couple returned to their native Texas, stopping in Ennis on several occasions.

"Texas Troubadour" Ernest Tubb was born on a cotton farm outside of Ennis. However, the future musician didn’t impress at least one neighbor, a rancher, who warned Ernest’s dad,“That damn guitar’s going to be the ruin of that boy.”

Hattie Leah Henenberg, a lawyer who was appointed to the All-Woman Supreme Court of 1925, was a native of Ennis.

Ginger Rogers came to Ennis in 1913, when she was still a very young child. Rogers' parents were involved in a custody dispute, when her father abducted her from Kansas City and brought her to Ennis to live with his family. Her mother tracked her down two months later. During an appearance on the Phil Donahue Show in the 1990s, Rogers remembered Ennis as “a quiet place and very pretty, just a little country place with tree-lined streets.”

Irene Castle, the ballroom dancer and silent screen star, waved to fans from her private train when it stopped in the city in 1918.

Then-future President Franklin Delano Roosevelt passed through town on a train while campaigning 1932.

Attractions

The 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 museums location; a large collection of rare china; and a MKT caboose.

The Kachina Prairie is one of the last remaining examples of Texas blackland prairies. Ennis' first bluebonnet trail was marked through this area in 1939.

The Galaxy Drive-In movie theatre opened in 2004 and draws visitors from around the area.

Ennis is home to the Texas Motorplex, a quarter-mile drag racing facility built in 1986 by former funny car driver Billy Meyer. It annually hosts the NHRA O'Reilly Fall Nationals each September, when hundreds of professional and amateur drag racers compete for over $2 million in prize money.

External links

• Official Website
• The Ennis, Texas Chamber of Commerce
• The Rotary Club of Ennis
• Ennis Independent School District
• National Polka Festival
• The Ennis Daily News
• The Ennis Journal
• The Texas Motorplex