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Rockwall, Texas
City of Rockwall
Rusk Street in Rockwall
Rusk Street in Rockwall
Location of Rockwall in Rockwall County, Texas
Location of Rockwall in Rockwall County, Texas
Country United States
State Texas
County Rockwall
Government
 • Type Council-Manager
Area
 • Total 29.97 sq mi (77.62 km2)
 • Land 29.47 sq mi (76.33 km2)
 • Water 0.50 sq mi (1.29 km2)  1.63%
Elevation
591 ft (180 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total 37,490
 • Estimate 
(2019)
45,888
 • Density 1,556.95/sq mi (601.15/km2)
Demonym(s) Rockwaller, Rockwallite, Rockwallian
Time zone UTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP codes
  • 75032
  • 75087
Area code(s) 214, 469, 945, 972
FIPS code 48-62828
GNIS feature ID 1345424

Rockwall is a city in Rockwall County, Texas, United States, which is part of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. It is the county seat of Rockwall County. The U.S. Census Bureau estimate's Rockwall's 2019 population to be 45,888. The name Rockwall is derived from a naturally jointed geological formation, which has the appearance of an artificial wall.

History

The association of Paleo-Indian artifacts with extinct Pleistocene mammal remains in various archeological sites within in the Texas Prairie-Savannah Region of eastern North Central Texas, including a site in Collin County and Clovis points recovered from the Brushy Creek Clovis Site in Hunt County, demonstrates that Rockwall region was occupied by prehistoric Native American cultures at least as far back as 13,500 to 13,000 years ago. More recently, the Rockwall region was occupied by Caddo Indians. Creek Indians moved to the area in the early 19th century.

In 1851, as the first Anglo-American settlers moved to the area, they started to dig wells. During the digging, they found large underground rock walls that were initially believed to be manmade. Later study of the wall-like features by geologists and archaeologists found them to be jointed, natural sandstone dikes that had intruded Cretaceous marl.

The town was established April 17, 1854 and named after these natural rock walls. While originally part of Kaufman County, in 1873, Rockwall County was formed with Rockwall being the county seat.

Geography

Rockwall is located at 32°55′12″N 96°27′35″W / 32.92000°N 96.45972°W / 32.92000; -96.45972 (32.920014, -96.459715).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 31.6 square miles (82 km2), of which, 22.3 square miles (58 km2) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (1.0 km2) of it (1.63%) is water.

Rockwall is on the east shore of Lake Ray Hubbard. It is on State Highways 205 & 740, north of Interstate 30.

The highest point in Rockwall is at 591 ft. at the First Baptist Church.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Rockwall has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1880 215
1890 843 292.1%
1900 1,245 47.7%
1910 1,136 −8.8%
1920 1,388 22.2%
1930 1,074 −22.6%
1940 1,318 22.7%
1950 1,501 13.9%
1960 2,166 44.3%
1970 3,121 44.1%
1980 5,939 90.3%
1990 10,486 76.6%
2000 17,976 71.4%
2010 37,490 108.6%
2019 (est.) 45,888 22.4%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 17,976 people, 6,605 households, and 5,158 families residing in the city. The population density was 806.9 people per square mile (311.5/km2). There were 7,089 housing units at an average density of 318.2 per square mile (122.8/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 91.35% White, 3.00% African American, 0.38% Native American, 1.39% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 2.57% from other races, and 1.28% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.44% of the population.

There were 6,605 households, out of which 39.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.8% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.9% were non-families. 18.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.5% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 9.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $65,411, and the median income for a family was $75,121. Males had a median income of $55,370 versus $35,139 for females. The per capita income for the city was $29,843. About 3.2% of families and 3.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.6% of those under age 18 and 3.0% of those age 65 or over.

Though Rockwall County is the smallest county in Texas, it is also one of the top five fastest-growing counties in the United States. As of the 2006 census by the North Texas Central Council of Governments, the city had a population of 29,500. In 2006, Rockwall County was the fastest-growing county in the United States by population.

Transportation

Rockwall is served by the following highways that run through the city:

  • I-30.svg Interstate 30
  • US 67.svg U.S. Highway 67 (runs concurrent with Interstate 30)
  • Texas 66.svg State Highway 66
  • Texas 205.svg State Highway 205
  • Texas 276.svg State Highway 276
  • Texas FM 549.svg Farm to Market 549
  • Texas FM 552.svg Farm to Market 552
  • Texas FM 740.svg Farm to Market 740

Ralph M. Hall/Rockwall Municipal Airport is located two miles east of the city and is used mostly by small general aviation aircraft.

Economy

According to the city's 2014 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

# Employer # of Employees
1 Rockwall Independent School District 1,556
2 Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Rockwall 592
3 Wal-Mart Superstore 492
4 Rockwall County 299
5 Texas Star Express 275
6 City of Rockwall 262
7 Hilton Bella Harbor 250
8 Costco 250
9 Special Products and Manufacturing 205
10 Target Corporation 200

Sports

Rockwall offers many different sports complexes as well as activities. Airport Road boasts baseball fields, as well as the Landing Point complex containing the Texas International Fencing Center, zipline and dance facilities. The Rockwall Indoor Sports Expo is located on South 205. Lake Ray Hubbard has several boating marinas and is used for jet skiing.

Rockwall also offers 2 different Golf Courses [1] within 17 miles of the center of Rockwall.

Education

Public schools

The city is served by the Rockwall Independent School District. There are two public high schools in Rockwall: Rockwall High School and Rockwall-Heath High School. There are eleven elementary schools, three middle schools, and two high schools in Rockwall.

Higher education

The city is home to the Higher Education Center at Rockwall, which is part of the community college district, Collin College. The campus is the District's first campus outside of Collin County itself. Texas A&M University-Commerce holds classes at the center. Texas A&M University-Commerce also has a campus located at the Rockwall Technology Park.

Notable people

  • Jason Castro, top 12 contestant on American Idol (season 7)
  • Joe Driver, Texas State Representative from 1993 to 2013
  • Allie Gonino, singer, actress, and violinist who played Laurel Mercer in The Lying Game
  • Cliff Harris, professional football safety who played for the Dallas Cowboys
  • Alex Jones, conservative radio show host and conspiracy theorist who grew up in Rockwall during the 1980s and early 1990s
  • Larry Lea, former televangelist whose ministry was based in Rockwall during the 1980s and early 1990s
  • Mason Musso, lead singer and guitarist in Metro Station
  • Mitchel Musso, actor
  • Marina Oswald Porter, widow of Lee Harvey Oswald
  • Amar Sandhu, first American-born Punjabi singer
  • Andy Tanner, former wide receiver for the New Orleans Saints
  • Travis Tedford, former child actor best known for portraying Spanky McFarland in the 1994 feature film The Little Rascals

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Rockwall para niños

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