Kaufman, Texas

Kaufman is a city in and the county seat of Kaufman County, Texas, United States. Its population was 6,797 at the 2020 census. Kaufman was founded as "Kings Fort", named after Dr. William P. King, who established the fort in 1840 after purchasing 2.5 square miles (6.5 km) of land where the city is now located. The community was renamed "Kingsboro" after five years of growth. In 1852, Kingsboro was renamed "Kaufman" after the newly formed Kaufman County, which in turn was named after David S. Kaufman. Kaufman was the first place that Bonnie Parker, of Bonnie and Clyde, was incarcerated. Nearby Camp Kaufman was used as a German POW camp during World War II. U.S. Route 175, a four-lane, limited-access highway, passes through the southwest side of the city, leading northwest 33 miles (53 km) to Dallas and southeast 39 miles (63 km) to Athens. Texas State Highway 34 passes through the south and east sides of the city, leading north 12 miles (19 km) to Terrell and southwest 26 miles (42 km) to Ennis. State Highway 243 leads east from Kaufman 27 miles (43 km) to Canton.