Denton County, Texas

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Denton County, Texas
Denton County Courts Building.jpg
The new Denton County Courthouse, built 1998
Map of Texas highlighting Denton County
Location in the state of Texas
Map of the U.S. highlighting Texas
Texas's location in the U.S.
Founded April 11, 1846
Seat Denton
Largest city Denton
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water
958 sq mi (2,481 km²)
878.43 sq mi (2,275 km²)
74.55 sq mi (193 km²), 7.82%
PopulationEst.
 - (2012)
 - Density
707,304
754.3/sq mi (291/km²)
Congressional districts 26th, 24th
Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5
Website www.co.denton.tx.us

Denton County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, its population was 662,614.[1] Part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex (and including small parts of both cities), it is one of the fastest-growing counties in the United States.[2] The county seat is Denton. The county, which was named for John B. Denton, was established in 1846.

Contents

History [edit]

See also: National Register of Historic Places listings in Denton County, Texas

Before the arrival of white settlers, various Native American peoples, including the Kichai and the Lenape, infrequently populated the area.[3] The area was settled by Peters Colony landowners in the early 1840s.[4] Until the annexation of Texas, the area was considered part of Fannin County.[5] On April 11, 1846, the First Texas Legislature established Denton County.[6] The county was named for John B. Denton, who was killed while raiding a Native American village in Tarrant County in 1841.[7] 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.[8] On March 4, 1861, residents of the county narrowly voted for secession from the Union, with 331 votes cast for and 264 against.[9] The Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad reached Lewisville, located in the southern portion of the county, by the early 1880s.[4] 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.[10]

A 2010 documentary, Gasland, claims that a small town in Denton County has been polluted extensively by natural gas drilling.

Geography [edit]

Denton, Texas
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D
 
 
2.1
 
56
33
 
 
2.9
 
60
36
 
 
3.2
 
68
44
 
 
3.3
 
76
52
 
 
5.1
 
83
63
 
 
3.6
 
91
70
 
 
2.4
 
95
74
 
 
2.1
 
96
73
 
 
3.1
 
88
66
 
 
5
 
78
55
 
 
2.9
 
66
44
 
 
2.6
 
57
35
Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation totals in inches
Source: [11]

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.[12] According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 952.98 square miles (2,468.2 km2), of which 878.43 square miles (2,275.1 km2) is land and 74.55 square miles (193.1 km2) (7.82%) is water. 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.[13]

Transportation [edit]

The northern intersection of Interstate 35 East and West, which branches the two portions of the highway towards Dallas and Fort Worth, is located in Denton County, in the city of Denton near the campus of the University of North Texas. In 1931, the paving of US Highway 77 through Lewisville, which connected Denton and Dallas, was finished.[14] The entirety of Farm to Market Road 3040 is located in Denton County, running from its intersection with Farm to Market Road 2499 in Flower Mound to Hebron Parkway in Carrollton.

The Denton County Transportation Authority operates a bus service in the county that includes Denton, Lewisville, and Highland Village. It also operates the A-train, a commuter rail service that has terminals in Denton and Carrollton.

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.

Education [edit]

See also: List of museums in North Texas

The following school districts lie entirely within Denton County:

The following higher education institutions serve Denton County:

Demographics [edit]

Historical population
Year Pop.   ±%  
1850 641 —    
1860 5,031 +684.9%
1870 7,251 +44.1%
1880 18,143 +150.2%
1890 21,289 +17.3%
1900 28,318 +33.0%
1910 31,258 +10.4%
1920 35,355 +13.1%
1930 32,822 −7.2%
1940 33,658 +2.5%
1950 41,365 +22.9%
1960 47,432 +14.7%
1970 75,633 +59.5%
1980 143,126 +89.2%
1990 273,525 +91.1%
2000 432,976 +58.3%
2010 662,614 +53.0%
Source: [15]

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.[1] 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.[2]

Politics [edit]

United States presidential election, 2012: Denton County
Party Candidate Votes Percentage
Republican Mitt Romney 157,579 64.9%
Democratic Barack Obama 80,978 33.5%

Notes [edit]

  1. ^ a b Quickfacts 2012.
  2. ^ a b Census 2007.
  3. ^ Bridges 1978, pp. 1–26.
  4. ^ a b Odom 2010.
  5. ^ Bates 1918, p. 2.
  6. ^ Bolz & Bolz 2010, p. 7.
  7. ^ Bates 1918, pp. 18–24.
  8. ^ Hervey 2002, p. 9.
  9. ^ Bridges 1978, p. 96.
  10. ^ Bolz & Bolz 2010, p. 9.
  11. ^ Weather 2012.
  12. ^ Cowling 1936, p. 1.
  13. ^ Sales 2007, pp. 4–5.
  14. ^ Odom 1996, p. 69.
  15. ^ Almanac 2010.

References [edit]

Books
Maps
Websites

External links [edit]

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Coordinates: 33°12′N 97°07′W / 33.20°N 97.12°W / 33.20; -97.12

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