Kyle is a municipality located in Hays County, Texas, within the United States.

Kyle is located in the eastern part of Hays County at coordinates 29°59′21″N 97°52′33″W. It is adjacent to San Marcos to the south and Mountain City to the northwest. Situated 21 miles southwest of downtown Austin and 58 miles northeast of San Antonio, Kyle is easily accessible via Interstate 35.

The school building that has been in continuous use the longest in Kyle was constructed in 1939 as part of the Kyle Independent School District, which was later renamed Kyle High School and is now known as Kyle Elementary School. This occurred after the construction of Jack C. Hays High School in 1964, which was named after the same person who gave the school district, now known as Hays Consolidated Independent School District, its name. Since then, high school students have attended either Jack C. Hays High School, Lehman High School (which opened in 2004), or Johnson High School in nearby Buda (which opened in 2019).

Kyle is situated just a short distance from Texas State University, with the Hays campus of the Austin Community College District also nearby. The college district’s Public Safety Training Center has been fully operational since 2014, providing students with access to top-notch education and training facilities.

Kyle is situated 25 miles (40 km) southwest of Austin–Bergstrom International Airport, 10 miles (16 km) northwest of San Marcos Regional Airport, and 53 miles (85 km) northeast of San Antonio International Airport.

The MoPac rail line passes through the city center of Kyle, but there is currently no station in Kyle. The Amtrak Texas Eagle train service includes a stop in San Marcos, which is situated 10 miles (16 kilometers) to the south of Kyle.

Major roads in the area include Interstate 35, which runs north-south and connects Buda and Austin to the north, and San Marcos, New Braunfels, and San Antonio to the south. Additionally, there are two farm-to-market roads, FM 150 and FM 1626, which provide access to nearby towns and communities. FM 150 runs northwest to Driftwood and Dripping Springs, and southeast to Uhland, while FM 1626 connects to outer areas of Buda, Hays, and Manchaca.

Kyle operates under a council-manager system of governance. The city council is made up of three members from specific districts, three at-large members, and the mayor, who is elected citywide. Every council member serves a three-year term.

Between 1892 and 1901, Kyle served as the place where Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Katherine Anne Porter spent her childhood. Several of her well-known short stories, including “Noon Wine,” are based in and around Kyle. The residence where she used to live is currently offered as a writer’s retreat and can be visited by appointment. Visiting writers often participate in readings at the Katherine Anne Porter Literary Center.

According to the 2020 census, the city was home to 45,697 individuals, 14,701 households, and 10,370 families

Kyle, Texas, has been hosting the Pie in the Sky Hot Air Balloon Festival every Labor Day weekend since 2017, as part of its effort to become the “Pie Capital of Texas.” The event draws in thousands of visitors each year, featuring morning hot air balloon launches, known as “mass ascensions,” which take place at sunrise on Saturday and Sunday. The balloons fly over Kyle, creating a picturesque scene. In the evenings, tethered hot air balloons, known as “glows,” illuminate the sky at Lake Kyle. The festival also includes two fireworks displays, one on Friday and one on Saturday night, adding to the festive atmosphere.

Annually, Pie in the Sky includes pie eating competitions, a pie baking competition, a Pie Café, a vendor market offering handmade crafts, special items, and food, drinks, live music shows all weekend, a kids’ area with various activities, and the ‘Gathering of the Kyles’ event – where the city of Kyle tries to break the Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of people with the same name since 2019.

Kyle was officially named the “Pie Capital of Texas” on June 8, 2021.

Influential individuals
Fitzhugh Andrews, renowned composer
Gary Clark Jr., talented musician
Roberto Garza, former NFL center
Otto Hofmann, skilled organ builder
Edwin Jackson Kyle, esteemed U.S. Ambassador to Guatemala (1945–48) and namesake of Kyle Field
Helen Michaelis, distinguished expert on Quarter Horses and first woman inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame
Katherine Anne Porter, acclaimed author
Cecil “Tex” Hughson, exceptional baseball pitcher for the Boston Red Sox