The City of Kyle was founded in 1880 by nearby settlers from the communities of Blanco and Mountain City. Fergus Kyle, for whom the town was named, and the family of David Moore donated 200 acres of land for a town site when the International and Great Northern Railroad built a line from Austin to San Antonio. Lots were first sold in October 1880 at an auction held beneath a Live Oak tree at 204 Sledge Street. And thus the rich history and tradition of Kyle began.

Kyle is now a booming community and home to thousands of citizens. Straddling I-35, eight miles north of San Marcos and 20 miles south of Austin, Kyle is the second largest city in Hays County. Approximately 60 miles north of San Antonio, 200 miles west of Houston and 250 miles south of Dallas, the community of Kyle enjoys a south central location convenient to most major population centers in Texas. With a strategic location close to major highways, airports and rail, Kyle is a great community to live and conduct business.

From 1892 to 1901 Kyle was home to the Pulitzer Prize winning author, Katherine Anne Porter. Many of her most famous short stories such as Noon Wine are set in locations in and around Kyle. Her former home there is now a writer's residence open to the public by appointment. The Katherine Anne Porter Literary Center hosts readings by visiting writers. Upcoming visitors include U.S. Poet Laureate Charles Simic, National Book Award Winner Tim O'Brien, Pulitzer Prize Winner Robert Stone, and celebrated short-story author Mary Gaitskill.

Kyle was the only Texas town to have an all-woman government in the early 1940s.

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 5,314 people, 1,491 households, and 1,209 families residing in the city. The population density was 899.0 people per square mile (347.2/km2). There were 1,560 housing units at an average density of 263.9/sq mi (101.9/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 63.29% White, 8.30% African American, 0.64% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 23.45% from other races, and 3.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 52.31% of the population. As of May, 2007 the Kyle City Council set the population at just over 25,000. Kyle is the fifth fastest growing city in the state of Texas.

There were 1,491 households out of which 50.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.5% were married couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.9% were non-families. 13.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.22 and the average family size was 3.58.

In the city the population was spread out with 31.2% under the age of 18, 11.3% from 18 to 24, 39.3% from 25 to 44, 13.1% from 45 to 64, and 5.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females there were 118.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 124.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $47,534, and the median income for a family was $50,197. Males had a median income of $30,956 versus $26,868 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,252. About 4.8% of families and 7.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.1% of those under age 18 and 14.9% of those age 65 or over.

Kyle is located at 29°59′21″N 97°52′33″W (29.989080, -97.875947).[4]

This is 21 miles southwest of Austin and 53 miles northeast of San Antonio.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.0 square miles (15.5 km2), of which, 5.9 square miles (15.3 km2) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km2) of it (1.34%) is water.