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Mansfield, Texas

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Mansfield, Texas
City
City of Mansfield, Texas
Mansfield City Hall
Mansfield City Hall
Location of Mansfield in Tarrant County, Texas
Location of Mansfield in Tarrant County, Texas
CountryUnited StatesUnited States
StateTexasTexas
CountiesTarrant, Johnson, Ellis County
Government
 • TypeCouncil-Manager
 • City CouncilMayor David L. Cook
Brent Newsom
Stephen Lindsey
Darryl Haynes
Cory Hoffman
Wendy Burgess
Larry Broseh
 • City ManagerClayton Chandler
Area
 • Total36.5 sq mi (94.6 km2)
 • Land36.5 sq mi (94.5 km2)
 • Water0.04 sq mi (0.1 km2)
Elevation
604 ft (184 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total56,368
 • Density1,500/sq mi (600/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
76063
Area code(s)817, 682
FIPS code48-46452Template:GR
GNIS feature ID1340898Template:GR
Websitemansfield-tx.gov

Mansfield is a city located mostly in Tarrant county, with small parts in Ellis and Johnson counties in the U.S. state of Texas.It is a suburb of Fort Worth and is within the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Its location is almost equidistant to Dallas, Fort Worth and DFW Airport. As of the 2010 census, the population was 56,368.[1] The population of Mansfield is estimated to grow at 59,831 in 2012 and projected to reach 70,019 in 2017.[2]

In 2012, CNN/Money Magazine ranked Mansfield as one of the "Best Places to Live" in the United States, ranking 30th out of the top 100 places.[3]

The same magazine also ranked Mansfield in its "Best Places to Live" list, at #83 in 2007.,[4] then again in 2009, placing 24th of the 100 top places.[5]

History

The first wave of European settlers arrived in the rolling Cross Timbers country of north central Texas in the 1840s. Primarily of Scotch-Irish origins, these pioneer farmers came for the most part from southern states, following the frontier as it shifted west of the Mississippi. They entered an area where Native Americans had been living for thousands of years. The Comanche posed a serious threat to the settlers, and in 1849, the U.S. Army established Fort Worth to protect the farms along the sparsely populated frontier.

The area southeast of the fort (and of the Trinity River) was well protected and presumably fairly well settled by the early 1850s. In one well-documented case, eight related families migrated to the area in 1853 from Illinois. Three of the four Gibson brothers in this group established homesteads about 4 miles (6 km) northwest of present-day Mansfield. This settlement, which became known as the Gibson Community, included a school and a church building by 1860.

When R.S. Man and Julian Feild arrived around 1856 and built a grist mill at the crossroads that was to become the center of Mansfield, the beginnings of the community probably existed in the oak groves bordering Walnut Creek (originally called Cedar Bluff Creek). The Walnut Creek Congregation of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church had organized itself in 1854. Members met in each other's homes, so it is suspected that there was a cluster of houses in the area.

In 1856, Julian Feild purchased 540 acres (2.2 km2) in the Mansfield area. Man and Feild completed their three-story brick grist mill sometime between 1856 and 1859. The mill, which produced flour and meal, was the first built in North Texas to utilize steam power and enjoyed patronage as far south as San Antonio and as far north as Oklahoma. The location of the mill in southeastern Tarrant County perhaps reflects the advanced state of wheat cultivation in the area and the ready availability of wood to feed the mill's steam boilers.

Feild opened a general merchandise store at the same time as the mill, located across Broad Street. He built a log house for his family, which also served as an inn for travelers and customers. By 1860, the nucleus of the future city existed. The first post office was established that year, with Julian Feild as postmaster.

During the War Between the States, the Man and Feild Mill supplied meal and flour to the Confederate States Army, hauling it to Shreveport, Louisiana, and Jefferson City, Missouri. As was common practice, the owners tithed ten percent of the mill's production to the Confederacy. The small community around the mill was unique in Tarrant County in that it prospered throughout the Civil War. "Feild's Freighters", assembled in ox-drawn wagon trains, went as far as Fort Sill, Oklahoma, where a part of the Indian Wars raged in the southern plains in the late 1860s and 1870s.

The prospering community which had grown up around the Man and Feild mill took on the name of "Mansfeild", a combination of the names of the founders. Repeated misspellings over the years resulted in the acceptance of the conventional spelling of "Mansfield." The town incorporated in 1909, continuing to be a hub for the surrounding farmland.[6]

Geography

Mansfield is located at 32°34′38″N 97°7′36″W / 32.57722°N 97.12667°W / 32.57722; -97.12667 (32.577087, −97.126699)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 36.5 square miles (94.6 km²), of which 36.5 square miles (94.5 km²) is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1 km²) (0.11%) is water.

Climate data for Mansfield, Texas
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 56
(13) 		60
(16) 		67
(19) 		76
(24) 		82
(28) 		89
(32) 		94
(34) 		95
(35) 		88
(31) 		77
(25) 		66
(19) 		57
(14) 		76
(24)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 33
(1) 		37
(3) 		44
(7) 		52
(11) 		61
(16) 		69
(21) 		72
(22) 		72
(22) 		65
(18) 		54
(12) 		44
(7) 		35
(2) 		53
(12)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 2.07
(53) 		2.74
(70) 		3.63
(92) 		2.79
(71) 		4.53
(115) 		4.01
(102) 		2.42
(61) 		2.27
(58) 		3.22
(82) 		4.30
(109) 		2.58
(66) 		2.50
(64) 		37.06
(943)
Source: [7]

Demographics

In 2010, Mansfield had a population of 56,368. The median age was 34.0. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 64.4% non-Hispanic white, 14.2% black or African American, 0.6% Native American, 1.5% Vietnamese, 2.2% other Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.2% non-Hispanic from some other race, 2.8% from two or more races and 15.4% Hispanic or Latino. 5,996 of the city's population are foreign-born.[8]

According to the 2010 Census, there were 18,305 households out of which 66.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.5% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.9% were non-families. 14.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 1.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.06 and the average family size was 3.39.[9]

In the city, the population was spread out with 34.5% under the age of 19, 4.9% from 20 to 24, 34.6% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 6.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 102.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.1 males.[9]

As of 2010, the median family income in Mansfield was $100,762 and median household income of $93,906.[10] This is estimated to increase to $98,943 in 2012.[2] Males had a median income of $65,229 versus $48,578 for females. The per capita income for the city was $34,103. About 2.7% of families and 4.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.4% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.

There were 19,106 housing units in the city as of the 2010 Census, with average home value of $197,559 and average new home value of $243,000.[2] About 91% of the population has attained high school or higher, and there were 5,524 companies located in the city.

Religion

Over 55% of Mansfield residents affiliate themselves to religions, of which 21% are Baptists. Over 11% of them said they are Catholics, almost 12% belong to other Protestant churches except Methodists (6%).[11] Notable large churches in Mansfield include First Baptist Church, Walnut Ridge Baptist Church, Bethlehem Baptist Church, St.Jude Catholic Church, St.Gregory Episcopal Church, St.John Lutheran Church and First United Methodist Church.

Education

Mansfield Legacy High School

Students living in the Tarrant County portion of Mansfield, as well as most of those living in the Johnson County portion, are served by the Mansfield Independent School District with total enrollment of 32,638 students, and the remainder being served by Midlothian Independent School District.[2] The high schools in the district are Mansfield High School, Mansfield Summit High School, Mansfield Timberview High School, Mansfield Legacy High School, Frontier High School, Mansfield Lake Ridge High School, and the Alternative Education Center consisting of the ACE program and the BIC program. There are 22 elementary schools, 6 intermediate schools, and 6 middle schools. The 23rd elementary school- Judy Miller, is under construction. All district schools except high schools are named after Mansfield district's notable past teachers and educators.

The district's athletic facilities are the Vernon Newsom Stadium and MISD Natatorium which make up the MISD Multi-Purpose Athletics Complex and the RL Anderson Football Stadium located near downtown. The recently opened Center for Performing Arts consists of two venues: the 5,500-seat Claude H. Cunningham Performance Hall and the John Washington Professional Development Center which accommodates 500.

Vernon Newsom Stadium

Beginning in the fall semester of 2011, Frontier High School opened its doors to students who applied and were accepted to the school. Frontier High School, located within the Ben Barber Career Tech Academy, will feature state-of-the-art technology with individual laptops provided for each student enrolled in its programs. The focus of the campus is to provide students with a college experience by allowing technology to be more easily integrated into the classroom. Cellphones are allowed to be used throughout the entire campus and in the classroom at teacher discretion. The library has also been turned into a student area referred to as the "cube". Designed as an area for students to do work, Frontier students have found that it is severely overcrowded and concerns have been voiced.

The district also has programs with Tarrant County College to provide students with dual credit options to allow them to gain college hours in high school.

Mansfield School Desegregation Incident

See Mansfield School Desegregation Incident

Entertainment and attractions

Established in 1917, Farr Best Theater is the city's historical venue for concerts, musical revue and live performances. For softball and baseball tournaments, the Big League Dreams has eight replica fields and an indoor soccer pavilion. Mansfield Historical Museum chronicles the city's history from a prairie outpost in the past to a thriving community now. The Hawaiian Falls Water Park is a popular 10-acre destination during the hot summer months; while Historic Downtown is being revitalized to be a year-round destination. Downtown hosts annual festivals like the Historic Music and Arts, Christmas Parade and St. Paddy's Pickle festival. Mansfield also has an extensive park system consisting of 11 parks, 3.5 miles of hiking/biking trail, an activity center, four athletics fields and the Mansfield National Golf Course, one of the two golf courses in the city. The other one is the Walnut Creek Country Club.

Katherine Rose Park and its pecan groves in late winter

Healthcare

Mansfield has one acute-care hospital, Methodist Mansfield Medical Center, a 200+-bed hospital of the Methodist Health System in Dallas. Mansfield also has five nursing homes, two urgent care centers with a third under construction,Kindred Hospital- an acute care rehab hospital, Baylor Surgicare at Mansfield—a day surgery center, three assisted living/senior apartments, Bumps N' Bruises Pediatric Urgent Care, two Cook Children's clinics and a Cook Children's Specialty Care Facility under construction.

Methodist Mansfield Medical Center

Highways

US 287 South at Broad Street
A typical Mansfield water tower

Notable people

References

  1. ^ "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Mansfield city, Texas". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Retrieved November 30, 2011.
  2. ^ a b c d "Demographics". Demographics Estimatives. Mansfield Texas Economic Development. {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)
  3. ^ http://money.cnn.com./magazines/moneymag/best-places/2012/snapshots/PL4846452.html
  4. ^ http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/moneymag/0707/gallery.BPTL_top_100.moneymag/83.html
  5. ^ "Best Places To Live". CNN. Retrieved 2011-06-19.
  6. ^ Hart, Jan. "MANSFIELD, TX". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
  7. ^ "Monthly Averages for Mansfield, TX (76063)". Weather.com. Retrieved March 20, 2012.
  8. ^ 2010 general profile of population and housing characteristics of Mansfield from the US Census
  9. ^ a b http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_DP_DPDP1
  10. ^ http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_11_5YR_DP03
  11. ^ http://www.bestplaces.net/religion/city/texas/mansfield
  12. ^ Griffin, John Howard. Black Like Me. Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin Company.
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