Aubrey

City of Aubrey, Denton County, Texas

City of Aubrey, Denton County, Texas

Downtown section of the City of Aubrey in Denton County, Texas. Photograph by Renelibrary.
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Aubrey is in the Cross Timbers region twelve miles northeast of Denton and forty miles north of Dallas in northeastern Denton County. The site was originally named Onega (Ornega, Ornego) when the Texas and Pacific Railway built a section house there in 1881. The same year the name Aubrey was drawn from a hat to replace the name Onega, which was not popular, and a charter for a post office, to be operated in the railroad depot, was granted. Although the Key Schoolhouse settlement, established in 1858 by Dr. George Key, was only about a mile from what became the downtown part of Aubrey, Lemual Noah Edwards, a Civil War veteran from Alabama, is given credit for founding the town. He built the town's second house, a large, imposing, two-story structure, of lumber hauled from Jefferson in 1867. After the first businesses, east of the railroad tracks, burned in 1887, the town was rebuilt west of the tracks, partially on land donated by Edwards. He also helped the town grow by giving each of his ten children land on which to build a home as a wedding present. By 1920 Aubrey had more than thirty businesses and a population of 700. The automobile, the boll weevil, and the Great Depression contributed to the decline of the population over the next several years. By the 1980s peanuts had replaced cotton as the number-one crop; an annual average of 3,000 tons is processed in the local drying plant. The sandy, fertile land and the moderate climate have attracted many horse ranchers to the area, which, according to some, is becoming the "horse capital" of Texas. Other farm products include cattle, hay, fruits, and vegetables. A number of cabinet shops are also located in the area. In 1980 Aubrey had a population of 948. In 1986 Ray Roberts Dam was completed nearby on the Elm Fork of the Trinity River. In 1990 Aubrey had a population of 1,138. By 2000 the population was 1,500.

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Jackie Balthrop Fuller | © TSHA

Handbook of Texas Logo

Adapted from the official Handbook of Texas, a state encyclopedia developed by Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). It is an authoritative source of trusted historical records.

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Adoption Status:
This place has been adopted and will not be available until March 15, 2025
Adopted by:
Jesse J Jacobs
Dedication Message:
"Preserve our past, to enrich our future"

Belongs to

Aubrey is part of or belongs to the following places:

Currently Exists

Yes

Place type

Aubrey is classified as a Town

Associated Names

  • (Onega)

Location

Latitude: 33.30414260
Longitude: -96.98398800

Has Post Office

Yes

Is Incorporated

Yes

Population Count, 2021 View more »

6,490