Kendall County is a county in Texas, United States, on the Edwards Plateau in the Texas Hill Country. It had a population of 44,279 at the 2020 census and covers 663 square miles (1,720 km2), of which 662 square miles is land and 0.6 square miles is water, centred near 29°57′N 98°42′W.
Boerne is the county seat, and its postal code is 78006. The county has two incorporated cities and several unincorporated communities, no civil townships, and sits in the Central time zone.
Towns & Villages in Kendall County
Kendall County has 15 named places on record: two incorporated cities (Boerne and Fair Oaks Ranch), one census-designated place (Comfort), and a dozen unincorporated communities scattered through the Hill Country ranch country west and north of Boerne. Most of the unincorporated names below are crossroads or historic German settlement sites without their own census count.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boerne | City · seat | 17,850 | 78006 |
| Fair Oaks Ranch | City | 9,833 | 78015 |
| Comfort | CDP | — | 78013 |
| Bergheim | Unincorp. | — | 78004 |
| Kendalia | Unincorp. | — | 78027 |
| Sisterdale | Unincorp. | — | 78013 |
| Waring | Unincorp. | — | 78074 |
| Welfare | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Ammans Crossing | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bankersmith | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Kreutzberg | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lindendale | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Nelson City | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Oberly Crossing | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Walnut Grove | Unincorp. | — | — |
Fair Oaks Ranch’s 9,833-resident count is the whole city, which straddles Kendall, Bexar and Comal counties — only part of the city sits inside Kendall. Comfort, on the county’s northwest edge along the Guadalupe River, is split by the Kendall–Kerr county line, with most of its built-up area on the Kendall side.
ZIP Codes
- 78006 — Boerne (also serves the largest share of the county’s rural south)
- 78015 — Boerne / Fair Oaks Ranch
- 78013 — Comfort (also serves Sisterdale)
- 78004 — Bergheim
- 78027 — Kendalia
- 78074 — Waring (PO Box delivery only)
Welfare and the smaller crossroads communities have no ZIP code of their own and use a neighboring town’s postal address.
Geography
Kendall County sits on the Edwards Plateau, a limestone-cap Hill Country landscape of steep cedar- and oak-covered hills cut by spring-fed creeks. The Guadalupe River crosses the county’s northwest corner near Comfort, and Cibolo Creek runs through Boerne on its way south toward the San Antonio River. Elevations range from roughly 1,000 feet along the creek bottoms to over 2,000 feet on the county’s western ridgelines.
Kendall County borders Gillespie County to the north, Blanco County to the northeast, Comal County to the southeast, Bexar County to the south, Bandera County to the southwest, and Kerr County to the west. (Comal and Bexar counties do not yet have their own pages on this site.)
Demographics
Kendall County had 44,279 residents at the 2020 census, up sharply from the 2010 count as San Antonio’s northwest suburbs pushed into the county. Boerne and Fair Oaks Ranch together account for roughly two-thirds of the population; the rest lives in Comfort, on ranch acreage, or in one of the small Hill Country communities. The county’s median household income runs well above the Texas median of $75,780, reflecting its position as one of the state’s more affluent commuter counties. Population density is about 67 people per square mile, low by suburban standards and typical of a Hill Country ranch county.
Economy & Local Life
Tourism, ranching, and commuting to San Antonio and the I-10 corridor drive the local economy. Boerne’s historic downtown, built by 19th-century German immigrants, draws weekend visitors with antique shops, wineries, and Cave Without a Name and the Cibolo Nature Center nearby. The Boerne Village Band, founded in 1860, bills itself as the oldest continuously organized German band outside Germany and still performs at the town’s Main Plaza gazebo. Guadalupe River outfitters and dude ranches anchor Comfort and the county’s rural west.
History
Kendall County was organized in 1862 from parts of Kerr and Blanco counties and named for journalist and Mexican–American War correspondent George Wilkins Kendall, who ranched sheep in the area but never lived to see the county named for him. German immigrants settled Boerne, Comfort, and Sisterdale in the 1840s and 1850s, and the region became a stronghold of Union sympathy during the Civil War; the Treue der Union monument in Comfort commemorates German Unionists killed by Confederate troops at the 1862 Battle of the Nueces. Boerne itself was first platted in 1849 as Tusculum before being renamed in 1852 for German satirist Ludwig Börne.
Getting There
Interstate 10 crosses the county through Boerne and Fair Oaks Ranch, linking the area to San Antonio to the southeast and the Hill Country to the northwest. U.S. Highway 87 and Ranch Road 473 serve the county’s smaller communities.
- San Antonio — 31 miles southeast
- Fredericksburg — 30 miles northwest
- Kerrville — 27 miles west
- New Braunfels — 33 miles southeast
San Antonio International Airport, about 25 miles southeast of Boerne, is the nearest commercial airport.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Kendall County, Texas?
It is in the Texas Hill Country on the Edwards Plateau, northwest of San Antonio.
What is the population of Kendall County?
44,279 at the 2020 census.
How big is Kendall County?
663 square miles (1,720 km2), of which 662 square miles is land.
What is the county seat of Kendall County?
Boerne is the county seat.
How many towns are in Kendall County?
Two incorporated cities (Boerne and Fair Oaks Ranch), one census-designated place (Comfort), and about a dozen smaller unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Kendall County?
78006 and 78015 (Boerne/Fair Oaks Ranch), 78013 (Comfort), 78004 (Bergheim), 78027 (Kendalia), and 78074 (Waring).
What is Kendall County named after?
Journalist George Wilkins Kendall, a Mexican–American War correspondent and Texas sheep rancher.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Texas.