Ennis is a city in Ellis County, Texas, United States. The population was 16,045 at the 2000 census.
In 1871, the Houston and Texas Central Railroad (H&TC) purchased 647 acres of land in Ellis County at a price of $5.00 per acre, establishing the line’s northern terminus. On May 8, 1872 this site was established as the City of Ennis. The namesake of the town was Cornelius Ennis, an early official of the Houston and Texas Central Railroad. Ennis served as Mayor of Houston (1856-1857), was an incorporator and director of the Great Northern Railroad, and served as a director of the H&TC Railroad.
Some persons attempt to pronounce Ennis like “Enos”; the proper pronunciation is that it rhymes with “tennis,” at least for the local residents.
Ennis has the widest main street in America, possibly the world, due to the fact that it is actually two separate streets, each on opposite sides of the railroad track that runs through town.
