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Denton County, Texas facts for kids

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Denton County
County
The Denton County Courts Building, built 1998
The Denton County Courts Building, built 1998
Official seal of Denton County
Seal
Map of Texas highlighting Denton County
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Map of the United States highlighting Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Texas
Founded April 11, 1846
Named for John B. Denton
Seat Denton
Largest city Denton
Area
 • Total 953 sq mi (2,470 km2)
 • Land 878 sq mi (2,270 km2)
 • Water 75 sq mi (190 km2)  7.8%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 906,422
 • Estimate 
(2023)
 1,006,492 Increase
 • Density 951.1/sq mi (367.23/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional districts 4th, 13th, 26th, 32nd

Denton County is located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 906,422, making it the seventh-most populous county in Texas. The county seat is Denton. The county, which was named for John B. Denton, was established in 1846. Denton County constitutes part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. In 2007, it was one of the fastest-growing counties in the United States.

History

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

Before the arrival of 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 Pinckneyville. 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 currently houses various government offices, as well as a museum.

Geography

Weather chart for Denton, Texas
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Metric conversion
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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) are land and 75 square miles (190 km2) (7.8%) are covered by water. Denton County is located in the northern part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, about 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 associated with hydraulic fracturing.

Lakes

Adjacent counties

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 Johnson, Parker, Wise, and Denton counties)
  • Frisco (mostly in Collin County)
  • Grapevine (mostly in Tarrant County and a small part in Dallas and Denton counties)
  • Haslet (mostly in Tarrant County)
  • Lewisville (small part in Dallas County)
  • Plano (mostly in Collin County)
  • Southlake (mostly in Tarrant County)

Denton County only

Towns

Multiple counties

Denton County only

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Ghost towns

Demographics

Historical population
Census 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%
2020 906,422 36.8%
2023 (est.) 1,007,703 52.1%
Denton County, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 1990 Pop 2000 Pop 2010 Pop 2020 % 1990 % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 232,885 328,849 426,887 485,646 85.14% 75.95% 64.42% 53.58%
Black or African American alone (NH) 13,314 24,980 54,034 95,386 4.87% 5.77% 8.15% 10.52%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 1,326 2,093 3,143 3,582 0.48% 0.48% 0.47% 0.40%
Asian alone (NH) 6,753 17,327 43,091 92,751 2.47% 4.00% 6.50% 10.23%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) N/A 186 411 650 N/A 0.04% 0.06% 0.07%
Some Other Race alone (NH) 234 559 1,176 3,909 0.09% 0.13% 0.18% 0.43%
Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH) N/A 6,363 13,036 41,720 N/A 1.47% 1.97% 4.60%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 19,013 52,619 120,836 182,778 6.95% 12.15% 18.24% 20.16%
Total 273,525 432,976 662,614 906,422 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

According to 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 (291.2 people/km2). By the 2020 census, its population increased to 906,422, representing continued population growth among suburban communities outside of the principal metropolitan cities of Dallas and Fort Worth. Denton County ranked 29th on the U.S. Census Bureau's list of fastest-growing counties between 2000 and 2007, with a 41.4% increase in population.

In 2010, the racial makeup of the county was 75% White, 8.4% African American, 0.7% Native American, 6.6% Asian, and 3.0% from two or more races. About 18.2% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race. The 2020 census determined the racial and ethnic makeup was 53.58% non-Hispanic white, 10.52% Black or African American, 0.40% Native American, 10.23% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.43% some other race, 4.60% multiracial, and 20.16% Hispanic or Latino American of any race, reflecting state and national demographic trends of greater diversification.

Education

See also: List of museums in North Texas

K-12 schools

These 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

These 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

These private educational institutions serve Denton County:

  • Denton Calvary Academy
  • Coram Deo Academy
  • Lakeland Christian Academy
  • Liberty Christian School
  • Selwyn College Preparatory School

From around 1997 to 2015, the number of non-Hispanic white children in K-12 schools in the county increased by 20,000 as part of a trend of white flight and suburbanization by non-Hispanic white families.

Colleges and universities

University of North Texas September 2015 11 (Hurley Administration Building)
Hurley Administration Building of UNT.

According to the Texas Education Code, most of Denton County is assigned to North Central Texas College for community college. However, portions within Celina ISD, Prosper ISD, and the municipalities of Frisco and The Colony are instead assigned to Collin College (formerly Collin County Community College), and portions zoned to Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD are assigned to Dallas College (formerly Dallas County Community College District).

These four year higher-education institutions serve Denton County:

Transportation

The Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA) operates fixed-route bus services, on-demand GoZone service, and ACCESS paratransit 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 that 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

Notable people

  • Dick Armey, former U.S. House Majority Leader and a chief architect of the Contract with America.
  • Joan Blondell, film and television actress, attended UNT (then North Texas State Teacher's College) in 1926–1927.
  • Pat Boone, American pop singer, briefly attended UNT.
  • Bowling for Soup, American rock band, based in Denton since 1996 and mentioned the county in their song Ohio (Come Back to Texas)
  • 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
  • Joe Greene, defensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers, 1969–1981; 1969 defensive rookie of the year; 1972 and 1974 defensive player of the year; NFL 1970s all-decade team; Hall of Fame
  • Jim Hightower, former Texas Agriculture Commissioner
  • Norah Jones, UNT jazz major
  • Meat Loaf, American singer and actor, attended UNT
  • Gordon McLendon, radio broadcaster and pioneer, B-movie producer, and conservative political financier
  • Laina Morris - the Overly Attached Girlfriend
  • Bill Moyers, White House press secretary in the Johnson Administration (1965–67), attended UNT
  • Anne Rice, author, attended TWU and UNT, married in Denton
  • Ann Sheridan, the "Oomph Girl," popular actress and singer, born and raised in Denton
  • Sly Stone, the musician and frontman of Sly and the Family Stone
  • Rex Tillerson, former CEO of ExxonMobil and 69th United States Secretary of State, resident of Bartonville
  • Von Erich family, multigenerational professional wrestling family, known for a series of premature deaths sometimes referred to as the Von Erich curse
  • Tex Watson, central member of the "Manson family" and leader of the Tate-LaBianca murders in August 1969.

See also

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