Denton County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, its population was 662,614, making it the ninth-most populous county in Texas. The county seat is Denton. The 2017 Census Bureau estimate for Denton County's population is 836,210. The county, which was named for John B. Denton, was established in 1846.
Denton County is included in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 2007, it was one of the fastest-growing counties in the United States.
Video Denton County, Texas
History
Before the arrival of white settlers, various Native American peoples, including the Kichai and the Lenape, infrequently populated the area. The area was settled by Peters Colony landowners in the early 1840s. Until the annexation of Texas, the area was considered part of Fannin County. On April 11, 1846, the First Texas Legislature established Denton County. The county was named for John B. Denton, who was killed while raiding a Native American village in Tarrant County in 1841. Originally, the county seat was set at Pickneyville. This was later changed to Alton, where the Old Alton Bridge currently stands, and then moved finally to Denton.
By 1860, the population of the county had increased to 5,031. On March 4, 1861, residents of the county narrowly voted for secession from the Union, with 331 votes cast for and 264 against. The Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad reached Lewisville, located in the southern portion of the county, by the early 1880s. The Denton County Courthouse-on-the-Square was built in 1896, and today the building currently houses various government offices as well as a museum.
Maps Denton County, Texas
Geography
Lakes
- Lewisville Lake
- Lake Ray Roberts
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 953 square miles (2,470 km2), of which 878 square miles (2,270 km2) is land and 75 square miles (190 km2) (7.8%) is water. Denton County is located in the northern part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, approximately 35 miles south of the border between Texas and Oklahoma. It is drained by two forks of the Trinity River. The largest body of water in Denton County is Lewisville Lake, which was formed in 1954 when the Garza-Little Elm Reservoir was merged with Lake Dallas. The county is on the western edge of the Eastern Cross Timbers and also encompasses parts of the Grand Prairie portion of the Texas blackland prairies. Portions of Denton County sit atop the Barnett Shale, a geological formation believed to contain large quantities of natural shale gas. Between 1995 and 2007, the number of natural gas wells in the county increased from 156 to 1,820, which has led to some controversy over the pollution resulting from hydraulic fracturing.
Adjacent counties
- Cooke County (north)
- Grayson County (northeast)
- Collin County (east)
- Dallas County (southeast)
- Tarrant County (south)
- Wise County (west)
Demographics
2015 Texas Population Estimate Program
As of the 2015 Texas Population Estimate Program, the population of the county was 778,846, non-Hispanic whites 459,448 (59.0%). Black Americans 69,040 (8.9%). Other non-Hispanic 85,406 (11.0%). Hispanics and Latinos (of any race) 164,952 (21.2%).
2010 Census
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 662,614 people, 224,840 households and 256,139 housing units in the county. The population density was 754.3 people per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 75% White, 8.4% Black or African American, 0.7% Native American, 6.6% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, and 2.9% from two or more races. 18.2% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino origin. Denton County ranked twenty-ninth on the US Census Bureau's list of fastest-growing counties between 2000 and 2007, with a 41.4% increase in population.
A Williams Institute analysis of 2010 census data found there were about 5.2 same-sex couples per 1,000 households in the county.
Government and Politics
Government
Denton County, like all counties in Texas, is governed by a Commissioners Court. This court consists of the county judge (the chairperson of the Court) who is elected county-wide and four commissioners who are elected by the voters in each of four districts.
County Commissioners
County Officials
Politics
Denton County, like most suburban counties in Texas, votes reliably for Republican candidates in statewide and national elections. The last Democratic presidential candidate to win the county was Lyndon Johnson in 1964. As of the 2016 election, there are no elected Democrats representing a significant portion of the county above the municipal level.
State Board of Education members
Texas State Representatives
Texas State Senators
United States Representatives
Education
The following school districts lie entirely within Denton County:
- Argyle Independent School District
- Aubrey Independent School District
- Denton Independent School District
- Lake Dallas Independent School District
- Lewisville Independent School District
- Little Elm Independent School District
- Ponder Independent School District
- Sanger Independent School District
The following school districts lie partly within Denton County:
- Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District
- Celina Independent School District
- Era Independent School District
- Frisco Independent School District
- Krum Independent School District
- Northwest Independent School District
- Pilot Point Independent School District
- Prosper Independent School District
- Slidell Independent School District
The following private educational institutions serve Denton County:
- Denton Calvary Academy
- Coram Deo Academy
- Lakeland Christian School
- Liberty Christian School
- Selwyn College Preparatory School
The following higher education institutions serve Denton County:
- University of North Texas
- Texas Woman's University
- North Central Texas College
Transportation
The Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA) operates a bus service in the county that includes Denton, Lewisville, and Highland Village. SPAN Transit covers areas outside of Denton and Lewisville.
DCTA also operates the A-train, a commuter rail service runs from Denton to Carrollton, at which station passengers can switch to the Green Line train owned and operated by Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART). Passengers can transfer to other DART lines (denominated by different colors) at the downtown Dallas DART station.
The county is home to the Denton Municipal Airport and the Northwest Regional Airport in Roanoke. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is located a few miles south of the county.
Major Highways
- I-35
- I-35E
- I-35W
- BL I-35
- US 77
- US 377
- US 380
- SH 114
- SH 121 / Sam Rayburn Tollway
- Loop 288
- Pres. George Bush Tpk.
Communities
Cities (multiple counties)
- Carrollton (partly in Dallas County and a small part in Collin County)
- Celina (mostly in Collin County)
- Coppell (mostly in Dallas County)
- Dallas (mostly in Dallas County with small parts in Collin, Kaufman, Rockwall and Denton counties)
- Fort Worth (mostly in Tarrant County with small parts in Parker, Wise and Denton counties)
- Frisco (partly in Collin County)
- Grapevine (mostly in Tarrant County and a small part in Dallas County)
- Haslet (mostly in Tarrant County)
- Lewisville (small part in Dallas County)
- Plano (mostly in Collin County)
- Southlake (mostly in Tarrant County)
Cities
Towns (multiple counties)
- Flower Mound (small part in Tarrant County)
- Hebron (small part in Collin County)
- Prosper (mostly in Collin County)
- Trophy Club (small part in Tarrant County)
- Westlake (mostly in Tarrant County)
Towns
Census-designated places
- Lantana
- Paloma Creek
- Paloma Creek South
- Savannah
Unincorporated community
- Alliance (partly in Tarrant County)
- Bolivar
- Navo
Ghost Town
- Elizabethtown
Notable people
- Pat Boone, American pop singer, briefly attended UNT
- Terry Bradshaw, former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback
- Mason Cox, Professional Australian rules footballer, playing for Collingwood in the AFL
- Phyllis George, 1971 Miss America, sportscaster and former First Lady of Kentucky
- Jim Hightower, former Texas Agriculture Commissioner
- Norah Jones, UNT Jazz major
- Gordon McLendon, radio broadcaster and pioneer, B Movie producer and conservative political financier
- Laina Morris aka Overly Attached Girlfriend
- Bill Moyers, White House Press Secretary in the Johnson Administration (1965-67)
- Anne Rice, author, attended TWU and UNT, married in Denton
- Sly Stone, musician and frontman of Sly and the Family Stone
- Rex Tillerson, former CEO of ExxonMobile and 69th United States Secretary of State.
- Von Erich family
- Charles Denton Watson, central member of the Manson Family and leader of the Sharon Tate Murder
- Joe Greene, defensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Stealers, 1969-1981; 1969 Defensive Rookie of the Year; 1972 & 1974 Defensive Player of the Year; NFL 1970s All-Decade Team; Hall of Fame
See also
- Denton County Sheriff's Office (Texas)
- List of museums in North Texas
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Denton County, Texas
- Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Denton County
References
Books
Maps
Map of Denton County and neighboring counties in the Dallas area (TxDOT)
Websites
- Census.gov QuickFacts for Denton County
- Census.gov Facts page for Denton County
External links
- Denton County government's website
- Headlines about Denton County from The Dallas Morning News
- Denton County entry in the Handbook of Texas Online at the University of Texas
- Denton County Texas Almanac Page
- Historic Denton County materials, hosted by the Portal to Texas History.
- Captain John B. Denton, preacher, lawyer and soldier. His life and times in Tennessee, Arkansas and Texas by Wm. Allen., published 1905, hosted by the Portal to Texas History
Source of the article : Wikipedia
0 Comments