Denton County, Texas
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Denton County, Texas | |
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| Map | |
 Location in the state of Texas |
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| Statistics | |
| Formed | 1846 |
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| Seat | Denton |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
2,481 km² (958 mi²) 2,301 km² (889 mi²) 180 km² (69 mi²), 7.24% |
| Population - (2005) - Density |
554,642 241/km² |
| Website: www.co.denton.tx.us | |
Denton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2000, the population was 432,976 although a 2005 estimate puts the population at 554,642. Its county seat is Denton6. The county is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and is one of the fastest growing counties in the United States.
The county and the city are named for John B. Denton, a preacher, lawyer, and soldier killed during a raid on a Native American camp.
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[edit] Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,481 km² (958 mi²). 2,301 km² (889 mi²) of it is land and 180 km² (69 mi²) of it (7.24%) is water.
Denton County sits atop a portion of the Barnett Shale, a geological formation believed to contain large quantities of natural gas. The County has benefitted from tax revenue related to gas drilling and production, though complaints have arisen that many of the rural roads in the area (which were never designed to handle the heavy equipment used in gas drilling) have been destroyed by drilling companies.
[edit] Major Highways
Interstate 35
U.S. Highway 77
U.S. Highway 377
U.S. Highway 380
State Highway 114 (Texas)
State Highway 121 (Texas)
[edit] Adjacent counties
- Cooke County (north)
- Grayson County (northeast)
- Collin County (east)
- Dallas County (southeast)
- Tarrant County (south)
- Wise County (west)
[edit] Demographics
As of the census² of 2000, there were 432,976 people, 158,903 households, and 111,391 families residing in the county. The population density was 188/km² (487/mi²). There were 168,069 housing units at an average density of 73/km² (189/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 81.73% White, 5.86% Black or African American, 0.59% Native American, 4.03% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 5.56% from other races, and 2.19% from two or more races. 12.15% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 158,903 households out of which 39.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.90% were married couples living together, 8.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.90% were non-families. 22.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.18.
In the county, the population was spread out with 27.70% under the age of 18, 11.30% from 18 to 24, 37.00% from 25 to 44, 19.00% from 45 to 64, and 5.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 99.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.60 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $58,216, and the median income for a family was $69,292. Males had a median income of $45,835 versus $31,639 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,895. About 4.10% of families and 6.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.20% of those under age 18 and 7.10% of those age 65 or over.'
Denton County (as well as Collin County) is one of the fastest growing counties in the United States.[citation needed]
[edit] Cities and towns
† only a small part of the city extends into Denton County
[edit] Education
The following school districts serve Denton County:
- Argyle Independent School District
- Aubrey Independent School District
- Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District (partial)
- Celina Independent School District (partial)
- Denton Independent School District
- Era Independent School District (partial)
- Frisco Independent School District (partial)
- Krum Independent School District (partial)
- Lake Dallas Independent School District
- Lewisville Independent School District
- Little Elm Independent School District
- Northwest Independent School District (partial)
- Pilot Point Independent School District (partial)
- Prosper Independent School District (partial)
- Ponder Independent School District
- Sanger Independent School District
- Slidell Independent School District (partial)
[edit] External links
- Denton County government's website
- Denton County entry in the Handbook of Texas Online at the University of Texas
- Historic Photos from Denton's Courthouse on the Square Museum
- Historic Photos from the Denton Public Library
- Captain John B. Denton, preacher, lawyer and soldier. His life and times in Tennessee, Arkansas and Texas by Wm. Allen., published 1905, hosted by the Portal to Texas History
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State of Texas Texas Topics | History | Republic of Texas | Geography | Government | Politics | Economy | Texans |
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| Capital | Austin |
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| Metropolitan areas | Abilene | Amarillo | Austin–Round Rock | Beaumont–Port Arthur | Brownsville–Harlingen | Bryan–College Station | Corpus Christi | Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington | El Paso | Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown | Killeen–Temple | Laredo | Longview–Marshall | Lubbock | McAllen–Edinburg–Mission | Midland–Odessa | San Angelo | San Antonio | Sherman–Denison | Texarkana | Tyler | Victoria | Waco | Wichita Falls See also: List of Texas counties |
