Little Elm is a city in Denton County, Texas, United States. It is part of the larger Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex area. Little Elm is a growing suburb of Denton. In 2020, its population was 46,453 people. The city has grown a lot, from just 3,646 people in 2000 to over 55,000 by 2022. This makes Little Elm one of the fastest-growing cities in Texas.

Discovering Little Elm's Past
Exploring Little Elm's Location
- Little Elm's Climate
Understanding Little Elm's Population
Learning in Little Elm: Schools and Districts
Little Elm's Economy: How People Work
Awards and Special Recognitions
Parks and Outdoor Fun in Little Elm
Getting Around: Little Elm's Transportation
Where People Live: Housing in Little Elm
Famous People from Little Elm
See also

Discovering Little Elm's Past

Little Elm was founded in 1844 by C.C. "Kit" King. He named the community after the elm trees growing along the creek banks. King helped set up the first post office in Denton County in 1852. For many years, only a few people lived there.

In 1966, Little Elm officially became a town. The first count of its population in 1970 showed 363 residents. On March 2, 2023, a strong storm hit North Texas. It caused damage, including to a supermarket in Little Elm.

Exploring Little Elm's Location

Little Elm is mostly found along the northern and eastern shores of Lewisville Lake. It is located where major roads like Eldorado Parkway, FM 720, and FM 423 meet. Parts of U.S. Highway 380 also run through the city.

Little Elm has many neighbors. To the east is Frisco. To the south are The Colony and Hackberry. North of Little Elm are Prosper, Aubrey, Savannah, and Providence. To the west, you'll find Oak Point, Cross Roads, Hickory Creek, Lake Dallas, and Lakewood Village.

The city is about 33 miles north of Dallas. It is 53 miles north of Fort Worth. The Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is about 23 miles away. Little Elm is also 20 miles east of Denton, which is the main city of Denton County.

The total area of Little Elm is about 18.6 square miles (48.3 km²). About 14.6 square miles (37.7 km²) of this is land. The remaining 4.1 square miles (10.5 km²), or 21.83%, is covered by water. Little Elm is about 545 feet above sea level.

Little Elm's Climate

Little Elm has a humid subtropical climate. This type of climate is common in Northeast Texas. It means the area has hot, humid summers and mild winters.

v t e Climate data for Little Elm, TX
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average precipitation inches	2.1	2.8	2.4	4.3	4.7	3	2.1	2	3	2.6	2.7	1.9	33.5
Average precipitation mm	53	71	61	110	120	76	53	51	76	66	69	48	850
Source: WeatherBase

Understanding Little Elm's Population

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1880	116	—
1970	363	—
1980	926	155.1%
1990	1,255	35.5%
2000	3,646	190.5%
2010	25,898	610.3%
2020	46,453	79.4%
2023 (est.)	58,496	125.9%
U.S. Decennial Census 2010 2020

The population of Little Elm has grown very quickly. In 2010, there were 25,898 people. By 2020, this number had jumped to 46,453. Experts believe the city could eventually have about 90,000 residents.

**Little Elm city, Texas - Demographic Profile**
(*NH = Non-Hispanic*)
Race / Ethnicity	Pop 2010	Pop 2020	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	14,326	19,422	55.32%	41.81%
Black or African American alone (NH)	3,621	8,420	13.98%	18.13%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	148	184	0.57%	0.40%
Asian alone (NH)	885	4,511	3.42%	9.71%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	12	27	0.05%	0.06%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	69	265	0.27%	0.57%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)	609	2,407	2.35%	5.18%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	6,228	11,217	24.05%	24.15%
Total	25,898	46,453	100.00%	100.00%

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 can be of any race.

Learning in Little Elm: Schools and Districts

Little Elm ISD Athletic Complex Stadium in Little Elm, Texas

Little Elm is served by three main school districts. These are Little Elm ISD, Frisco ISD, and Denton ISD. A small part of the city is also served by Aubrey ISD.

Most of the older parts of Little Elm are in the Little Elm Independent School District. This district is one of the fastest-growing in Denton County. In 2006, the district built its athletic stadium. It can seat 7,500 people and has a modern press box. The district plans to keep just one high school. However, two new middle schools opened in 2020-2021. Most students in this area go to Walker Middle School. Some go to Strike Middle School.

A section of Little Elm is part of the Frisco Independent School District. Robertson Elementary is located in Little Elm. Stafford Middle School also serves parts of the city. Lone Star High School serves most of the city that is in Frisco ISD.

In 2016, Denton ISD finished building Braswell High School. This school helps serve the quickly growing northern part of Little Elm. Other Denton schools also serve this area. Navo Middle School and Union Park Elementary are in the city. Bell Elementary, Paloma Creek Elementary, Providence Elementary, and Rodriguez Middle School serve parts of Little Elm too, even if they are outside the city limits.

Little Elm's Economy: How People Work

Near Beard Park in Little Elm, Texas.

Little Elm is sometimes called a "bedroom community." This means many people live there but work in other nearby cities. However, several large employers are in Little Elm. Little Elm ISD employs 853 people. The Town of Little Elm employs 311 people. Other major employers include Kroger, Lowe's Home Center, and Retractable Technologies.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the unemployment rate in Little Elm was 3.7%. People in Little Elm work in many different jobs. These include retail (stores), finance (banks), scientific services, construction, and education.

The original downtown area, called "The Lakefront," has seen many new businesses. Restaurants and entertainment spots have opened there. New apartments have also been built. This has made the downtown area more lively and popular.

Awards and Special Recognitions

Little Elm has received several awards for its efforts in city planning and safety.

The Arbor Day Foundation named Little Elm a Tree City USA community for three years (2011–2013). This award recognizes cities that care for their urban forests.

The Texas Chapter of the American Planning Association gave Little Elm its Certificate of Achievement for Planning Excellence award. This happened in 2007, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014.

In 2013, the Cross Timbers Urban Forestry Council gave Little Elm the Bronze Leaf Award. This was for its work in urban forestry.

Little Elm was named the safest city in Texas in 2013 by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was also ranked the 18th-safest city in the nation for cities with over 25,000 people. In 2016, the FBI ranked Little Elm as the 13th safest city in Texas for towns with over 10,000 people.

Parks and Outdoor Fun in Little Elm

Little Elm has five main community parks. These are Little Elm Park, Cottonwood Park, Beard Park, McCord Park, and Union Park. Cottonwood Park is in the Lakefront area and has the Cottonwood Creek Marina.

Entrance to Beard Park in Little Elm, Texas

Sunset at Paloma Creek's entrance in Little Elm

Beard Park will be the new home for Little Elm's Farmers Market. McCord Park is a large, wooded park with trails. It also has a disc golf course and a fishing dock. The disc golf course was designed by John Houck, a famous designer.

McCord Park was given to the city by developers. It helps connect Little Elm's trails to other cities. This means residents can travel to Dallas by trail without stopping.

Getting Around: Little Elm's Transportation

Little Elm is connected to the wider Dallas-Fort Worth area by several important roads. The Dallas North Tollway is only a 5-minute drive east. This road helps residents reach major job and shopping areas in North Dallas. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is about 30 minutes away by car. Love Field Airport is about 35 minutes away.

Eldorado Parkway is a main road in Little Elm. It has six lanes and connects to U.S. 75 and I-35E. It also links to the Lewisville Lake Toll Bridge.

FM 423 forms the eastern border of Little Elm. This six-lane road connects to SH 121 in The Colony and U.S. 380. U.S. 380 is in northern Little Elm. It connects the county seats of McKinney and Denton.

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) plans to make U.S. 380 a six-lane road. This project aims to improve safety and make it easier to reach businesses.

The Lewisville Lake Toll Bridge opened in 2009. It helps people cross Lewisville Lake.

Little Elm does not have public transportation like buses or trains. The closest train stations are a drive away. The DART Green Line station is about 19 miles from Little Elm City Hall. The DCTA station is about 12 miles away.

Where People Live: Housing in Little Elm

Most people in Little Elm live in single-family homes. These homes are usually in planned neighborhoods built from the late 1990s to the late 2010s. Because Lewisville Lake surrounds central Little Elm, more apartments and townhomes are being built there. These offer more housing options close to restaurants, shops, and entertainment.

Famous People from Little Elm

Little Elm is home to several well-known individuals.

Politicians

Curtis Cornelious: He is the current and first African American Mayor of Little Elm. A mayor is the elected leader of a city government.
Lillian Salerno: She is a state director for USDA Rural Development. This government agency helps rural areas.

Athletes

Cole Beasley: A former American football player.
R.J. Hampton: A basketball player for the Orlando Magic.
Weston McKennie: A soccer player for Juventus, a famous team.
Ryan Watts: An American football player for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Entertainers, Artists, and Celebrities

Marsai Martin: An actress known for the movie Little and the TV show Black-ish.
Trevante Rhodes: An American actor.

Little Elm, Texas facts for kids

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