Denton, Texas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Denton, Texas
City
Denton County Courthouse-on-the-Square
Seal
Nicknames:  Little Austin, Little D, Redbud Capital of Texas
Location of Denton in Denton County, Texas
Denton, Texas Location in Texas Show map of Texas Denton, Texas Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Denton
Incorporated	1866
Government
• Type	Council–manager
Area
• City	97.95 sq mi (253.70 km2)
• Land	96.35 sq mi (249.55 km2)
• Water	1.60 sq mi (4.14 km2)  1.527%
Elevation	659 ft (201 m)
Population  (2020)
• City	139,869
• Density	1,451.68/sq mi (560.49/km2)
• Urban	429,461 (US: 96th)
• Urban density	2,853.9/sq mi (1,101.9/km2)
Demonym(s)	Dentonian or Dentonite
Time zone	UTC−6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Zip Codes	76201–76210
Area code(s)	940, 682,817
FIPS code	48-19972
GNIS feature ID	2410323
Website	City of Denton

Denton, TX city map. Outlines and buildings updated in the year 2023.

Denton is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of Denton County. With a population of 139,869 as of 2020, it is the 20th-most populous city in Texas, the 177th-most populous city in the United States, and the 12th-most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex.

A Texas land grant led to the formation of Denton County in 1846, and the city was incorporated in 1866. Both were named after pioneer and Texas militia captain John B. Denton. The arrival of a railroad line in the city in 1881 spurred population, and the establishment of the University of North Texas in 1890 and Texas Woman's University in 1901 distinguished the city from neighboring regions. After the construction of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport finished in 1974, the city had more rapid growth; as of 2011, Denton was the seventh-fastest growing city with a population of over 100,000 in the country.

Located on the far north end of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex in North Texas on Interstate 35, Denton is known for its active music scene; the North Texas State Fair and Rodeo, Denton Arts and Jazz Festival, and Thin Line Fest attract over 300,000 people to the city each year. The city has hot, humid summers and few extreme weather events. Its diverse citizenry is represented by a nonpartisan city council, and numerous county and state departments have offices in the city. With over 45,000 students enrolled at the two universities within its city limits, Denton is often characterized as a college town. As a result of the universities' growth, educational services play a large role in the city's economy. Residents are served by the Denton County Transportation Authority, which provides commuter rail and bus service to the area.

History

Map of Denton in 1883

The formation of Denton is closely tied with that of Denton County. White settlement of the area began in the middle of the 1800s when William S. Peters of Kentucky obtained a land grant from the Texas Congress and named it Peters Colony. After initial settlement in the southeast part of the county in 1843, the Texas Legislature voted to form Denton County in 1846. Both the county and the town were named for John B. Denton, a preacher and lawyer who was killed in 1841 during a skirmish with Kichai people in what is now Tarrant County. Pickneyville and Alton were selected as the county seat before Denton was named for that position in 1857. That year, a commission laid out the city and named the first streets.

Denton incorporated in 1866; its first mayor was J.B. Sawyer. As the city expanded, it became an agricultural trade center for the mill and cottage industries. The arrival of the Texas and Pacific Railway in 1881 gave Denton its first rail connection and brought an influx of people to the area. North Texas Normal College, now the University of North Texas, was established in 1890, and the Girls' Industrial College, now Texas Woman's University, was founded in 1903. As the universities increased in size, their impact on Denton's economy and culture increased.

Denton grew rapidly from a population of 26,844 in 1960 to 48,063 in 1980. Its connection to the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex via I-35E and I-35W played a major role in the growth, and the opening of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in 1974 led to an increase in population. In the 1980s, heavy manufacturing companies like Victor Equipment Company and Peterbilt joined older manufacturing firms such as Moore Business Forms and Morrison Milling Company in Denton. The population jumped from 66,270 in 1990 to 80,537 in 2000. In May 2006, Houston-based real estate company United Equities purchased the 100-block of Fry Street and announced that several of the historic buildings would be demolished to accommodate a new mixed-use commercial center. The proposal drew opposition from some residents, who sought to preserve the area as a historic and cultural icon for the city. The Denton City Council approved a new proposal for the area from Dinerstein Cos in 2010.

Geography

Denton is located on the northern edge of the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area. These three cities form the area known as the "Golden Triangle of North Texas." According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 89.316 square miles (231.33 km²), of which 87.952 square miles (227.79 km²) is land and 1.364 square miles (3.53 km²) is water. The city lies in the northeast edge of the Bend Arch–Fort Worth Basin, which is characterized by flat terrain. Elevation ranges from 500 to 900 feet (150 to 270 m). Part of the city is located atop the Barnett Shale, a geological formation believed to contain large quantities of natural gas. Lewisville Lake, a man-made reservoir, is located 15 miles (24 km) south of the city.

Climate

With its hot, humid summers and cool winters, Denton's climate is characterized as humid subtropical and is within USDA hardiness zone 8a. The city's all-time high temperature is 113 °F (45 °C), recorded in 1954. Dry winds affect the area in the summer and can bring temperatures of over 100 °F (38 °C), although the average summer temperature highs range from 91 to 96 °F (33 to 36 °C) between June and August. The all-time recorded low is −3 °F (−19 °C), and the coolest month is January, with daily low temperatures averaging 33 °F (1 °C). Denton lies on the southern end of what is commonly referred to as "Tornado Alley"; the National Weather Service occasionally issues tornado watches, although tornadoes rarely form in the city. The city receives approximately 37.7 inches (96 cm) of rain per year. Flash floods and severe thunderstorms are frequent occurrences during spring months. Average snowfall in Denton is similar to the Dallas–Fort Worth average of 2.4 inches (6.1 cm) per year.

Demographics

Along with much of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, Denton has grown rapidly since the beginning of the 21st century, becoming the seventh-fastest growing city in the U.S. with a population over 100,000 between 2010 and 2011. The median income for a household was $60,018 in 2020. The per capita income was $29,109. About 15.7% of the population were below the poverty line. Denton fares above the national average with 90.4% of the population high school graduated or higher and 38.9% with a bachelor's degree or higher. According to the 2020 United States census, there were 139,869 people, 47,777 households, and 28,430 families residing in the city. Denton's population made it the 197th largest city in the United States and the 27th largest in Texas per the 2020 census.

The United States Census Bureau defines an urban area of northern Dallas-area suburbs that are separated from the Dallas–Fort Worth urban area, with Denton and Lewisville as the principal cities: the Denton–Lewisville, TX urban area had a population of 429,461 as of the 2020 census, ranked 96th in the United States.

Economy

The educational services, health and social services, manufacturing, and general retail sectors employ over 20,000 people in Denton. The city's three largest educational institutions, including the University of North Texas, Denton Independent School District, and Texas Woman's University, are the largest employers, employing almost 12,000 people. The University of North Texas is the city's largest employer, with 7,764 employees comprising 12.59% of the workforce. The City of Denton also employs more than 1,334 people. Wholesale trade and hospitality jobs also play major roles. Notable businesses headquartered in Denton include truck manufacturer Peterbilt, beauty supplier Sally Beauty Company, and jewelry producer Jostens. Golden Triangle Mall, the city's largest shopping complex with over 90 specialty shops, is a major source of retail trade.

Top employers

According to the city's 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in Denton were:

Arts and cultural life

Denton is home to several annual artistic and cultural events that cater to residents and tourists. The annual North Texas State Fair and Rodeo began in 1928 and promotes Texas's cowboy culture. In addition to a rodeo, the event features several local country rock performances, pageants, and food contests. Hosted by the North Texas State Fairgrounds since 1948, the fair brings in over 150,000 people during its nine-day run.

The Denton Municipal Airport has hosted the annual Denton Airshow since 1998. The event includes aerial demonstrations and airplane exhibits; it attracted over 10,000 attendees in 2012. Other events in the city include an annual Redbud Festival, the Fiesta on the Square, the Thin Line Fest, and the Day of the Dead Festival. Denton houses the largest community garden in the nation, Shiloh Field Community Garden, which covers 14.5 acres.

Music

Denton's independent music scene has emerged alongside its academic music establishments, including the University of North Texas College of Music. The city's live music venues are largely supported by Denton's college-town atmosphere, although show attendance is bolstered by area residents. Since 1976 the Denton Community Band and Jazz Ensemble has provided performance opportunities at local concerts and holiday festivals for the many talented amateur musicians incubated in Denton's rich environment of music education. The Dallas Observer features a column on Denton's music scene. In 2007 and 2008, Denton's music scene received feature attention from The Guardian, Pop Matters, and The New York Times. Paste Magazine named Denton's music scene the best in the nation in 2008. In 2014, the Huffington Post listed Denton as Texas's top emerging cultural hot spot, calling Denton "practically an indie band factory at this point".

The city-sponsored Denton Arts and Jazz Festival attracts over 200,000 people each year for live music, food, crafts, and recreation at Civic Center Park. With hopes to create a live music event like South by Southwest, Denton held the first North by 35 Music Festival, later renamed 35 Denton, in March 2009. The festival ceased in 2017 after running annually for several years. The city has also hosted the annual film and music festival Thin Line Fest annually since 2007. It is Texas's longest-running documentary film festival and attracts thousands of tourists over a few days each year.

Denton Square

Denton Historic Town Square

The Denton Square, bordered by Oak, Hickory, Locust, and Elm Streets, is a cultural and political hub of the city. At its center is the Denton County Courthouse-on-the-Square, which includes local government offices and a museum showcasing area history and culture.

Listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, the former county courthouse was restored for the Texas Sesquicentennial in 1986. The positive response to the renovation sparked a downtown revitalization program that generated new jobs and reinvestment capital. The downtown square is populated by local shops and restaurants, some of which have been in business since the 1940s. Each year, the downtown square is adorned with lights and spotlighted during the Denton Holiday Lighting Festival.

In 1918, the Daughters of the Confederacy erected the Denton Confederate Soldier Monument, a 12-foot tall (3.7 m) granite, arched monument topped with a statue of a Confederate soldier, in the Denton Square on the courthouse lawn. The monument was controversial, and Denton County Commissioners unanimously approved its removal on June 9, 2020.

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Denton Independent School District (DISD) provides the public primary and secondary educational system in the majority of the city. The district comprises four comprehensive high schools (Braswell, Denton, Guyer, and Ryan), two alternative high schools, and multiple elementary and middle schools. Small portions of the city extend into the Argyle, Krum, Ponder, and Sanger school districts. The respective comprehensive high schools of these districts are: Argyle, Krum, Ponder, and Sanger.

Denton is also host to several private schools with religious affiliations and alternative education models. According to the 2010 United States Census, 35.1% of all adults over the age of 25 in Denton have obtained a bachelor's degree, as compared to the state average of 25.8%, and 86.1% of residents over the age of 25 have earned a high school diploma, as compared to the state average of 80%.

The high school residential program Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science, for gifted students, is in Denton.

The Roman Catholic Immaculate Conception Catholic School, a K–8 school of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth, opened in 1995. Construction on the current facility started on July 15, 2001, with its opening on August 19, 2002.

The charter school operator Life's Beautiful Educational Centers Inc. (closed 1999) operated the school L.O.V.E. in Denton.

Public libraries

Denton is served by the Denton Public Library, which has three branches: Emily Fowler Central Library, North Branch Library, and South Branch Library.

University of North Texas

The University of North Texas is the second largest university in North Texas.

The University of North Texas (UNT) in Denton is the flagship university of the University of North Texas System, which also includes the UNT Health Science Center in Fort Worth, the University of North Texas at Dallas, UNT Dallas College of Law, and a satellite campus in Frisco. With an enrollment of over 42,000, it's the fifth largest university in Texas. The university is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). Its College of Music, the first school to offer a degree in the field of jazz studies, is internationally recognized and known for producing successful artists.

Texas Woman's University

Texas Woman's University (TWU) is a public university system in Denton with two health science center campuses in Dallas and Houston. Founded in 1901, the university enrolls more than 13,000 undergraduates and graduates. Men have been admitted to TWU since 1972 but make up less than ten percent of the university. TWU's College of Nursing is the second largest in Texas and in the top 20 of largest nursing programs in the United States, and the school's nursing doctoral program is the largest in the world.

FSB Exchange at NCTC Denton

North Central Texas College (NCTC) is a public community college based in Gainesville, Texas. Starting in the 2019–2020 school year, North Central Texas College partnered with First State Bank to open a branch campus in downtown Denton. Located in the former Denton Record-Chronicle building, the campus focuses on accounting, business, biology, early childhood education, kinesiology, psychology, and general studies.

Media

Since 1899, the Denton Record-Chronicle has been the newspaper of record for Denton. When it was acquired by Belo Corporation in 1999, the newspaper had a circulation of 16,000. The North Texas Daily and The Lasso provide daily and weekly news to students at the University of North Texas and Texas Woman's University. The city's public television station, Denton TV (DTV), covers city council meetings, restaurant scores, high school football, and educational programming. UNT's television station, ntTV, is broadcast on local channels provided by Charter Communications and Verizon Communications. ntTV News is broadcast live Monday through Thursday. KNTU 88.1 FM is UNT's official radio station. First aired in 1969, the station primarily plays a mixture of jazz and blues and covers local sports and news.

Infrastructure

Fracking ban

In response to the previously mentioned, 2014 city referendum prohibiting hydraulic fracturing (fracking) that passed with 59% of the vote, Texas enacted a law specifying "the exclusive jurisdiction of this state to regulate oil and gas operations in this state and the express preemption of local regulation of those operations", though it allows some "commercially reasonable" rules. Denton's city council put out a statement affirming it will "continue to enforce our current regulations to protect the health and safety of our residents, but we do not know how the operators or courts will react".

Transportation

DCTA A-train station at Downtown Denton Transit Center

I-35E and I-35W, which split in Hillsboro south of the Metroplex and come north through Dallas and Fort Worth respectively, rejoin near the University of North Texas campus in the southwest part of Denton to form Interstate 35 as it continues north on its way to Oklahoma. Loop 288 partially encircles the city; it passes through the northern limits of the city by C. H. Collins Athletic Complex and the eastern side near Golden Triangle Mall. Highway 77 and 377 go through the historic town square and Highway 380 connects Denton to Frisco and McKinney in the east and Decatur in the west. Denton Enterprise Airport is a public airport located 3 miles (4.8 km) west of the central business district (CBD) of Denton. This airport serves as home to various cargo and charter operators as well as two flight schools. A new terminal opened in 2008, but as of June 2008 no scheduled commuter service is in place.

Mass transit

Denton is served by the Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA), which operates local bus service, on-demand GoZone service, and regional rail to Lewisville and Carrollton, with connections to Dallas' DART rail system. In 2011, Downtown Denton Transit Center and Medpark Station opened as commuter rail stations on DCTA's A-train, which now has five stations and connects to the Green Line of Dallas Area Rapid Transit's (DART) Green Line at Trinity Mills Station. The two transit companies, along with the Trinity Rail Express (TRE) of Fort Worth, offer regional passes to be used on any of the three systems. As of August, 2017 (no deadline announced), rides between the first two (DDTC and Medpark) and the last two (Hebron and Trinity Mills) are "fare-free," though any ride to or through the 3rd stop (Lewisville Lake) will require a paid pass. DCTA states this will relocate downtown parking needs to the underutilized space at Medpark station, and enhance mobility in Downtown Denton, including for students, as well as for residents of Hebron who connect to the DART system one stop away at Trinity Mills.

DCTA also operates the Connect local bus service within Denton, special university shuttles, and on-demand GoZone services in partnership with TransitTech provider Via Transportation. All Connect services (not the A-train) are free of charge for students at the University of North Texas who swipe their ID at the bus entrance. Special Programs for Aging Needs (SPAN), a non-profit organization, offers paratransit service for senior citizens and people with disabilities of all ages.

Notable people

Denton, Texas, city limit sign

Politicians and activists

• Amber Briggle, activist and business owner
• Bob Castleberry, former mayor and sweepstakes winner (born in Denton)

Artists, entertainers, and celebrities

• Michael Lee Aday, also known as Meat Loaf, singer and actor
• Aaron Aryanpur, stand-up comedian (grew up in Denton)
• Memphis May Fire, metal band
• Shirley Cothran, 1975 Miss America (born in Denton County, Texas and Denton High graduate)
• Herschel Evans, jazz musician (born in Denton)
• Phyllis George, 1971 Miss America, First Lady of Kentucky (1979–1983); businesswoman, actress, and sportscaster
• Andrew Savage, painter, Grammy-nominated musician, co-frontman of Parquet Courts (born in Denton)
• Sarah Jaffe, American singer-songwriter
• Ralph Kirshbaum, classical cellist (born in Denton, raised in Tyler, Texas)
• Jason Lee, actor, skateboarder
• Xander Mobus, voice actor
• Ray Peterson, 1950s/1960s pop singer (born in Denton)
• Robert Ray "Rocky" Shahan, actor, stuntman (born and died in Denton)
• Ann Sheridan, actress (born in Denton)
• Sly Stone, Sly & The Family Stone founder (born in Denton)
• Mike Wiebe, musician (The Riverboat Gamblers), actor and stand-up comedian
• Tommy Taylor, American Musician (born in Denton)
• Livingston, singer-songwriter (born and raised in Denton)
• Leila Rahimi, American television sports anchor WMAQ-TV, reporter WSCR-AM (born and raised in Denton)

Athletes

• Mario Bennett, former NBA player from 1995 to 2000 (born in Denton)
• Jim Chamblee, former MLB player (born in Denton)
• Brandon Erwin, racing driver (born in Denton)
• Carl Garrett, NFL player (born in Denton)
• Abner Haynes, former NFL player (born in Denton)
• Austin Jackson, MLB player (born in Denton)
• Corey Knebel, MLB player (born in Denton)
• Jarvis Moss, NFL player (born in Denton)
• Jalen Wilson, NBA player (born in Denton)
• The Von Erich wrestling family

See also

In Spanish: Denton (Texas) para niños