Kerr

Formed January 1, 1856 (108^th county)

Kerr County (52,594), Kerrville (24,292)

The Beaux Arts structure in Kerrville is the 1926 version of the five courthouses used by Kerr County.  The county was formed on January 1, 1856 with Kerrville being the county seat for all but two years of that time.  Comfort was the county seat from 1860-1862.  Kerr County was originally part of Bexar County and the 108^th county.  Adams and Adams were the architects of the current tan brick and concrete courthouse.  It is on the square at Main (Texas State Highway 27) and Sidney Baker (Texas State Highway 16).  The building was enlarged in 1977.  James Kerr gave his name to the county and county seat.  Mr. Kerr was a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence and was one of the original settlers on the Guadalupe River.  The river crosses the county from west to southeast. 

The area of the county is 1106 square miles.  It is 49 out of 254 in the state.  It ranks 63 out of 254 in population in the state.  It has a density of 47.6 persons per square mile making it 79 out of 254 in the state.  Kerr County has 49.6% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 10 enters and exits the county twice going southeast to northwest, from Kendall County into Gillespie County, back to Kerr County, and out to Kimble County.  United States Highway 83 goes north to south in from Kimble County, into Edwards County, back into Kerr County, and out into Real County.  United States Highway 87 enters from Kendall County and exits back into Kendall County.  The county is shaped like an old tin coffeepot lying with the spout down.  Kerrville is in the eastern half of the county just south of the border with Gillespie County.  Kerrville is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 46.2% of the county population. 

Kerr County government consists of a sheriff, a County Judge, and 4 Commissioners.  One District Court Judge serves Kerr and Bandera counties, One District Court Judge serves Kerr and Gillespie counties, and Two County Court Judges serve Kerr County.  Kerr County is northwest of San Antonio, Texas and southwest of Austin, Texas.  The county center is 7.9 miles Northwest of Kerrville nearer Ingram.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Gillespie, Kendall, Bandera, Real, Edwards, and Kimble counties.  This county is in the Kerrville Micropolitan Statistical Area.