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Irving, Texas
Clockwise from top left: Urban Towers at Las Colinas, the former Texas Stadium, Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas, Downtown Las Colinas Skyline, The Mustangs at Las Colinas
Clockwise from top left: Urban Towers at Las Colinas, the former Texas Stadium, Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas, Downtown Las Colinas Skyline, The Mustangs at Las Colinas
Flag of Irving, Texas
Flag
Motto(s): 
"Delivering Exceptional Services"
Location within Dallas County
Location within Dallas County
Irving, Texas is located in Texas
Irving, Texas
Irving, Texas
Location in Texas
Irving, Texas is located in the United States
Irving, Texas
Irving, Texas
Location in the United States
Country United States
State Texas
County Dallas
Incorporated (city) April 14, 1914
Government
 • Type Council-Manager
Area
 • City 67.97 sq mi (176.04 km2)
 • Land 66.98 sq mi (173.48 km2)
 • Water 0.99 sq mi (2.57 km2)
Elevation
482 ft (147 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • City 216,290
 • Estimate 
(2019)
239,798
 • Rank (US: 94th)
 • Density 3,580.20/sq mi (1,382.32/km2)
 • Urban
5,121,892 (6th)
 • Metro
6,810,913 (4th)
 • CSA
7,206,144 (7th)
Time zone UTC−06:00 (CST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−05:00 (CDT)
ZIP Codes
75000–75099
Area code(s) 214, 469, 972, 682, 817
FIPS code 48-37000
GNIS feature ID 1338507
Website cityofirving.org

Irving is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. Located in Dallas County, it is also an inner ring suburb of Dallas. The city of Irving is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. According to a 2019 estimate from the United States Census Bureau, the city population was 239,798 making it the thirteenth-most populous city in Texas, and 93rd most populous city in the U.S. Irving is noted for its racial and ethnic diversity, and has been ranked as one of the most diverse cities in the United States. Irving includes the Las Colinas mixed-use master-planned community and part of the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

History

Texas Stadium
Texas Stadium, the now-demolished former home of the Dallas Cowboys in Irving.

Irving was founded in 1903 by J.O. "Otto" Schulze and Otis Brown. It is believed that literary author Washington Irving was a favorite of Netta Barcus Brown, and consequently the name of the town site, Irving, was chosen. Irving originally began in 1889 as an area called Gorbit, and in 1894 the name changed to Kit. Irving was incorporated April 14, 1914, with Otis Brown as the first mayor.

By the late nineteenth century the Irving area was the site of churches, two cotton gins, a blacksmith shop and a general store. The Irving district public school system dates back to the 1909 establishment of Kit and Lively schools. Population growth was slow and sometimes halting, with only 357 residents in 1925, but a significant increase began in the 1930s.

By the early 1960s the city had a population of approximately 45,000. A number of manufacturing plants operated in Irving, along with transportation, retail and financial businesses. The University of Dallas in Irving opened in 1956, and Texas Stadium was completed in 1971 as the home field of the Dallas Cowboys.

Delta Air Lines Flight 191 crashed in Irving on August 2, 1985.

Irving's population reached 155,037 in 1990 and the United States Census estimated 236,607 residents in 2016, a 3.5 percent population increase over 2013 census estimates.

Joseph Rice recorded the history of Irving in his 1989 book, Irving: A Texas Odyssey (Northridge, California: Windsor Publications ISBN 978-0-89781-300-6). Rice explored Irving's past and culture in his treatment of the city.

Geography

Weather chart for Irving, Texas
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temperatures in °F
precipitation totals in inches
source: Weather.com / NWS

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 67.7 square miles (175 km2), of which 67.2 square miles (174 km2) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (1.0 km2) of it (0.65%) is water.

Climate

The warmest month on average is July, and the highest recorded temperature was 112 °F (44 °C) in 1980. The average coolest month is January, and the lowest recorded temperature was −8 °F (−22 °C) in 1899. Irving is considered to be part of the humid subtropical region.

May is the average wettest month.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1920 357
1930 731 104.8%
1940 1,089 49.0%
1950 2,621 140.7%
1960 45,985 1,654.5%
1970 97,260 111.5%
1980 109,943 13.0%
1990 155,037 41.0%
2000 191,615 23.6%
2010 216,290 12.9%
2019 (est.) 239,798 10.9%
U.S. Decennial Census
2018 Estimate

Irving has been noted for its racial and ethnic diversity. A 2012 study by the real estate website Trulia found that Irving's 75038 zip code was the most diverse zip code in the United States, while Irving was ranked as the ninth-most diverse city in the United States with over 200,000 residents according to a Diversity Index developed by Brown University's American Communities Project. The same survey said Irving was the eighth-most diverse city at a neighborhood level (again among cities with over 200,000 residents); Irving was the highest-ranked city in Texas at the city level and behind only Garland, TX at the neighborhood level.

2010 Census

As of the census of 2010, there were 216,290 people, 82,538 households, and 51,594 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,218.6 people per square mile (1,242.1/km2). There were 91,128 housing units at an average density of 1,356 per square mile (523.3/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 53.1% White (30.8% Non-Hispanic white), 12.3% African American, 0.9% Native American, 14.0% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 16.2% from other races, and 3.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 41.1% of the population.

There were 82,538 households, out of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.1% were married couples living together, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.5% were non-families. 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.31.

In the city, 29% of the population was under the age of 19, 8% was between ages 20 to 24, 35.8% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 6.9% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.6 males.

The 2012 median income for a household in the city was $49,303, and the median income for a family was $54,755. Males had an estimated median income of $40,986 versus $36,518 for females. The per capita income for the city was $26,970. About 13.2% of families and 16.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.5% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.

Foreign-born population

As of 2007, about 33% of Irving's population was not born in the United States.

Major ethnic groups

In 2010, 41% of the city's population was of Hispanic or Latino origin. The largest group is those of Mexican origin, while those of Salvadoran heritage form the second largest group; in 2009 they formed 11.8% of those born outside of the United States. The Hispanic and Latino residents have moved into eastern Irving, which contains older neighborhoods than other areas of Irving.

The largest Asian ethnic group in Irving is the Asian Indians. As of 2009 the Indians have mainly settled in proximity to high technology companies, into an area in western Irving along Texas State Highway 114, To absorb the Indian population, dense condominium and rental properties have opened in western Irving.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Irving June 2019 01 (Downtown Irving-Heritage Crossing station)
Downtown Irving/Heritage Crossing station in Irving

Several highways transverse Irving. The Airport Freeway, SH 183, runs east-west in the city center, while LBJ Freeway or I-635 crosses the city's northern edge in the same direction. John Carpenter Freeway, SH 114, and the President George Bush Turnpike create an X running northwest-to-southeast and southwest-to-northeast respectively. The Las Colinas area is centered near the intersection of 114 and the Bush turnpike.

Irving is one of 13 member-cities of the Dallas region's transit agency, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART). Currently, Irving is served by numerous bus routes and has two stops along the Trinity Railway Express commuter rail route. In addition, DART's Orange Line through runs through Irving and Las Colinas to DFW Airport. This connects northern Irving with Dallas through rail in addition to bus routes.

In 2015, 4.5 percent of Irving households lacked a car, which increased to 4.9 percent in 2016. The national average was 8.7 percent in 2016. Irving averaged 1.75 cars per household in 2016, compared to a national average of 1.8 per household.

The Las Colinas Urban Center is served by the Las Colinas APT System, a people-mover that connects businesses and entertainment areas.

Sister cities

Irving has a sister city relationship with six cities:

Economy

Envoy Air HQ
Envoy Air headquarters

According to the city's 2017–2018 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the city's top employers are:

# Employer # of Employees
1 Citigroup, Inc. 7,500
2 Verizon Communications 3,260
3 Irving Mall 2,100
4 DFW International Airport 1,700
5 Allstate Insurance 1,650
6 Pioneer Natural Resources 1,400
7 Microsoft 1,351
8 Neiman Marcus Direct 1,339
9 Health Management Systems (HMS) 1,299
10 7-Eleven 800

Several large businesses have headquarters in Irving, including Nexstar Media Group, Aeroxchange, Caliber Home Loans, Nautilus Hyosung America, Inc., Chuck E. Cheese, Cicis, Commercial Metals, Envoy Air (formerly American Eagle), ExxonMobil, Gruma, H.D. Vest, Kimberly-Clark, La Quinta Inns and Suites, Michaels Stores, 7-Eleven, Southern Star Concrete, Inc., Stellar, a global contact center provider, Zale Corporation, Fluor Corporation, Flowserve, NCH Corporation, ITW Polymers Sealants North America, Celanese Corporation, a leading producer of specialty chemicals, Vistra Energy and its subsidiary TXU Energy, and LXI Enterprise Storage. In 2022 ExxonMobil announced it would move its headquarters to Harris County, Texas.

The city is also home to the national headquarters of the Boy Scouts of America.

Subsidiaries of foreign companies

The headquarters of Nokia America and NEC Corporation of America are in Irving. The American headquarters of BlackBerry was in Irving.

Perhaps as a result of the Nokia-Irving connection, Irving is twinned with Nokia's headquarters city, Espoo in Finland.

Irving is also the Headquarters of OSG USA INC., which is the North American Subsidiary of OSG Corporation in Japan. OSG is a leading provider of high end cutting tools used in industries such as automotive and aerospace.

Sports

Irving serves as the headquarters city for two college athletics conferences: the Big 12 Conference and Conference USA.

Irving Independent School District (IISD) high schools play football and other sports at the Joy and Ralph Ellis Stadium (formerly Irving Schools Stadium). The stadium is located between Lee Britain Elementary School and Bowie Middle School at 600 E 6th St.

History

Irving was the home of Texas Stadium, the former home stadium of the Dallas Cowboys. The stadium was demolished on April 11, 2010. The city was also formerly the site of the Cowboys training facility for over 30 years. The National Football League's Dallas Cowboys played in Irving at Texas Stadium from 1971 to 2008, and the team maintained its headquarters in Irving's Valley Ranch neighborhood from 1985 to 2016.

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Public

The Irving Independent School District (IISD) serves most of Irving. Other areas are served by the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District (CFBISD), and Coppell Independent School District (CISD).

The major high schools that serve Irving are:

  • Irving High School (IISD)
  • MacArthur High School (IISD)
  • Nimitz High School (IISD)
  • Jack E. Singley Academy (IISD) formerly The Academy of Irving ISD
  • Ranchview High School (CFBISD)
  • Coppell High School (CISD).

In 2014, 3,821 of CFBISD's 26,239 students resided in Irving.

In 2019 the Dallas Independent School District (DISD) opened North Lake Early College High School, which has a campus for students in grades 9–10 at North Lake South. The school is not within DISD's boundaries but DISD is allowed to operate it as such under Texas law.

Uplift Education, a charter school operator, has its administrative offices in Irving. Uplift has two charter school campuses in Irving: Infinity Preparatory (K–12) and North Hills Preparatory (K–12).

Winfree Academy Charter School and Manara Academy Elementary are in Irving.

Private

Irving is home to Cistercian Preparatory School, a university-preparatory school for boys, grades 5 through 12. Irving is also home to The Highlands School, a university-preparatory school for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade.

One Catholic Pre-K–8th grade school, Holy Family Catholic Academy, is in Irving. Irving is also home to the Islamic School of Irving (Pre-K–12). The Sloan School (Pre-K–5) and StoneGate Christian Academy (K4–12) are Christian private schools in Irving.

Colleges and universities

The city is the site of the University of Dallas and North Lake College, a campus of the Dallas County Community College District. In addition, DeVry University has a campus in Irving.

Notable people

Sims 20171004
Odyssey Sims
  • "Gentleman" Chris Adams, English-born pro wrestler
  • Larry D. Alexander, artist/writer
  • Akin Ayodele, professional football player
  • Frank Beard, drummer for musical group ZZ Top
  • Jim Beaver, actor/writer
  • Brian Bosworth, professional football player
  • Demarcus Faggins, professional football player
  • David Garza, musician
  • Paul Hill, Director of Mission Operations, NASA
  • Michael Huff, professional football player
  • Gary Lakes, opera singer
  • Les Lancaster, professional baseball
  • Peter MacNicol, actor
  • Taylor Mays (born 1988), American NFL football player
  • Gus Malzahn, Former Auburn Coach
  • Lee Harvey Oswald, suspected assassin of U.S. President John F. Kennedy
  • Play-N-Skillz, record production duo
  • Matt Rinaldi, attorney, Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives from Dallas County, and Irving resident
  • Gwyn Shea, former Texas secretary of state (2002–2003) and a member of the Texas House of Representatives (1983–1993)
  • Odyssey Sims, professional basketball player
  • Trevor Story, professional baseball player
  • Tyson Thompson, professional football player
  • Rex Tillerson, CEO Exxon Mobil, 69th United States Secretary of State
  • Beth Van Duyne , Congresswoman from Texas' 24th congressional district, former mayor of Irving, Texas, and former HUD official
  • Jeremy Wariner, 400m sprinter, three-time Olympic gold medalist, five-time world champion
  • Kerry Wood, professional baseball player

Images for kids

See also

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