Dallas County

Dallas County, Texas

Dallas County, Texas

Dallas County Courthouse is housed at a historic building also known as Old Red, in Dallas, Texas. Photograph by Leaflet.
Dallas County, Texas

Dallas County, Texas

Map of Dallas County, Texas. Map Credit: Robert Plocheck.

Dallas County, in north central Texas, is bordered by Kaufman and Rockwall counties to the east, Tarrant County to the west, Denton and Collin counties to the north, and Ellis County to the south. Dallas is the county seat and largest city. The county's center point is at 32°46' north latitude and 96°48' west longitude. Dallas County comprises 902 square miles of the primarily flat, heavy Blackland Prairie. Elevations in the county range from 382 to 850 feet above sea level. The Elm Fork and West Fork of the Trinity River meet near downtown Dallas. The county is drained by the Trinity River and its tributaries, including White Rock, Mountain, Fivemile, Tenmile, Muddy, Duck, Turtle, and Mesquite creeks. These streams feed reservoirs for municipal water and recreational use, including Lake Ray Hubbard, Lake North, Joe Pool, Mountain Creek and White Rock Lakes. The terrain is generally undulating. The eastern two-thirds of the county and the land along the western border is surfaced by slightly acidic clayey soils with loamy topsoil. The rest of the county's soil is alkaline and loamy. The county has tall grasses with pecan and oak trees along streams and mesquite on the prairies. Though the rich soil is the main mineral resource of Dallas County, gravel and sand have been mined from the Trinity floodplain, cement has been made from the local soft limestone, and bricks have been manufactured from the county's clay. Temperatures range from an average high of 95° F in July to an average low of 36° in January. The average rainfall is thirty-six inches a year. The growing season lasts 235 days. Interstate highways 20, 30, 35E, and 635 and U.S. highways 67, 75, 80, and 175 cross the county, in addition to other prominent roads, and the area is also served by several railroad lines, including the Union Pacific, the Burlington Northern Santa Fe, and the Kansas City Southern

The primary Indians in the region were the Anadarkos, a Caddoan group, who settled in villages along the Trinity River. Probably the first European contact with the area occurred when the Moscoso expedition entered the northeastern corner of the future Dallas County in 1542. In the eighteenth century French explorers and traders were in the vicinity. In 1760 a missionary from Nacogdoches, José Francisco Calahorra y Saenz, made treaties with the Indians throughout the area. In 1819 or 1820 sixty Cherokee warriors and their families arrived from Arkansas under the leadership of Chief Bowl, a Scots-Indian. After a three-year battle with prairie tribes, during which the Cherokees lost a third of their warriors, the Cherokees withdrew. In 1837 rangers from an expedition under the command of Lt. A. B. Van Benthuysen camped on Turtle Creek after an engagement with Indians fifty miles to the north. By 1840 American explorers had begun to enter the area. The first to remain was John Neely Bryan, who arrived in November 1841 with his dog and a Cherokee friend, Ned.

Continue Reading

Lisa C. Maxwell | © 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.

Currently Exists

Yes

Place type

Dallas County is classified as a County

Altitude Range

350 ft – 870 ft

Size

Land area does not include water surface area, whereas total area does

  • Land Area: 871.3 mi²
  • Total Area: 908.6 mi²

Temperature

January mean minimum: 37.3°F
July mean maximum: 96.0°F

Rainfall, 2019

37.6 inches

Population Count, 2019

2,635,516

Civilian Labor Count, 2019

1,368,022

Unemployment, 2019

8.9%

Property Values, 2019

$293,207,253,090 USD

Per-Capita Income, 2019

$58,993 USD

Retail Sales, 2019

$49,142,694,624 USD

Wages, 2019

$32,384,232,494 USD

Dallas County

Highlighted:
  • Dallas County
Loading...
Place Type Population (Year/Source) Currently Exists
Town 17,012 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 27,160 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town 2,247 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 133,251 (2021) Yes
Town
Town 48,557 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 3,719 (2021) Yes
Town
Town 2,358 (2021) Yes
Town 42,221 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town 1,288,457 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 55,729 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town 39,797 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 36,442 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 242,035 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 17,127 (2021) Yes
Town
Town 197,347 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 8,747 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 5,566 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town 254,198 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Lake Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Lake Yes
Town
Town 40,728 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 147,691 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Lake Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Lake Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 4,349 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 116,382 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 63,671 (2021) Yes
Town
Town 29,042 (2021) Yes
Town 400 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 18,805 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 8,062 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 24,849 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Lake Yes
Town 5,332 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town 59,394 (2021) Yes
Town
Town

Proud to call Texas home?

Put your name on the town, county, or lake of your choice.


Search Places »