Denton
Come visit Denton's historic square
Denton County, Texas
City of Denton, Texas
Denton, the county seat of Denton County, is on Interstate Highway 35 where it forks to become 35E to Dallas and 35W to Fort Worth near the center of the county. Less than forty miles north of the cities, Denton has become closely associated with the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. The city was not an early settlement. It was founded in 1857 in order to become the county seat, because residents wanted one located near the center of the county. Hiram Cisco, William Woodruff, and William Loving donated 100 acres as the site for the town, which, like the county, was named in honor of John B. Denton. A commission composed of Otis G. Welch, sometimes known as the "Father of Denton," county surveyor Charles C. Lacy, and Joseph A. Carroll laid out the city. Although it was established in 1857 and a courthouse was built on the north side of the square, Denton was not incorporated until 1866. The charter provided for election of a mayor and five aldermen. J. B. Sawyer was elected the first mayor.
In its early years Denton grew slowly from 361 persons, thirty-two of whom were Black, in 1870, to 1,194 in 1880. But in the decade of the 1880s the city experienced its largest percentage growth in any decade up to the 1980s. The population more than doubled, to 2,558 in 1890, as the Texas and Pacific Railway from Sherman to Fort Worth and the Missouri, Kansas and Texas to Dallas, both completed in 1881, gave the city a rail outlet. The Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe, built in 1887 across western Denton County through Valley View, Krum, and Sanger, missed Denton and was not connected to it until about seventy years later. Since Denton had only north-south rail connections, the town did not develop as a manufacturing and wholesale center.
E. Dale Odom | © TSHA
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.
- ✅ Adoption Status:
Adopted by:
Alan Berggren
I just wanted to a adopt a town.
Until: July 2nd, 2024
Belongs to
Denton is part of or belongs to the following places:
Date of Origin
1857 (166 years ago)Currently Exists
Yes
Place type
Denton is classified as a Town
Associated Names
- (Pinckneyville)
Location
Latitude: 33.20519790Longitude: -97.14575900
External Websites
- Denton County (Official Website)
Has Post Office
Yes
Is Incorporated
Yes
Population Count, 2021 View more »
148,146
Places of Denton
Place | Type | Population (Year/Source) | Currently Exists |
---|---|---|---|
College or University | – | Yes | |
College or University | – | Yes |
Photos Nearby:
Mary Evelyn Blagg-Huey Library on the campus of Texas Woman's University in Denton, TX
Photo by Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Music building on UNT Campus, Denton, TX
Photo by Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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