Carrollton, Texas

Carrollton is a city in Denton County, Dallas County and Collin County in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2005, census estimates the city's total population to be 122,699.^[3] Carrollton is a suburb of Dallas. The city of Carrollton has been named to America's 2006 Top 100 Places to Live for 2006 by Relocate America.^[4] Also, in 2006, Carrollton was selected as the 19th best place to live in the United States by Money magazine.[1] It was later named the 15th best place to live in 2008 by Money magazine. [2]

History

The area was first settled by Jared Ford in 1842 by William and Mary Larner on a site within the Peters Colony grant. In 1844, the A. W. Perry family claimed land in the area around Trinity Mills, where, in partnership with Wade H. Witt, a mill was established.^[5]

The English colony, a group of families in the northeastern area of settlement which crossed into Denton County, was home to large landowners including the Furneaux, Jackson, Morgan, and Rowe families. It is most likely that Carrollton was named for Carrollton, Illinois, the original home of many of these settlers.^[5]

Early on, Carrollton's livelihood was exclusively agricultural, but following the construction of the Dallas-Wichita Railroad through Trinity Mills in 1878, the community began to grow in its industrial significance. Carrollton's significance was further strengthened when the railroad was extended to Denton in 1880 by Jay Gould (who sold the line to the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad (the Katy) in 1881). By 1885, Carrollton had flour mills, cotton gins, two churches, a school, and a population of 150. The St. Louis Southwestern Railway (Cotton Belt) crossed the Katy in 1888 and the town became a shipping center for livestock, cotton, cottonseed, and grain, helping the town surpass Trinity Mills to the north.^[5]

In 1913 Carrollton was officially incorporated, and W. F. Vinson was elected mayor. A gravel industry that began in Carrollton in 1912 transformed the city, by the late 1940s, to a "grain and gravel" town. The city also supported a brick plant, a dairy industry, and National Metal Products established itself in the city in 1946.^[5]

Post-World War II, the city grew rapidly. In 1950 its population stood at 1,610, and it grew to 4,242 in 1960 and 13,855 in 1970. At this point, significant suburban growth began spilling out of north Dallas and the city grew tremendously between 1970 and 1980, with a documented growth of 193% to 40,595 inhabitants. By 1983, the population was 52,000, by 1990, it had reached 82,169, and by 2000 the population had grown to 109,576.^[5] 2005 estimates place the population of Carrollton at 122,699.^[3]

Geography and environment

Carrollton is located at 32°59′24″N 96°53′36″W / 32.990092°N 96.893277°W (32.990092, -96.893277).^[6]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 36.6 square miles (94.9 km²), of which, 36.5 square miles (94.5 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.5 km²) of it (0.49%) is water.

Carrollton is located in portions of three counties: Dallas County, Denton County and Collin County.

Climate

• On average, the warmest month is July.
• The highest recorded temperature was 112°F in 1980.
• The average coolest month is January.
• The lowest recorded temperature was 1°F in 1989.
• The most precipitation on average occurs in May.

Carrollton is considered to be part of the humid subtropical region.

Demographics

The estimated population as of January 2007 stands at 120,150 with 39,136 households(2000), and 28,921 (2000) families residing in the city. The population density was 3,004.7 people per square mile (1,160.1/km²). There were 40,458 housing units at an average density of 1,109.4/sq mi (428.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 71.88% White, 6.26% African American, 0.46% Native American, 10.90% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 7.71% from other races, and 2.72% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 19.53% of the population.

There are 39,136 households. Of these, 41.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.1% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.1% were non-families. 20.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.25.

In the city the population was spread out with 28.3% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 37.1% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 5.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 98.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $62,406, and the median income for a family was $68,672. Males had a median income of $45,469 versus $32,997 for females. The per capita income for the city was $26,746. About 4.1% of families and 5.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.4% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.

Carrollton has one of the largest Korean communities in Texas. Different market places, Korean-American businesses and churches are frequent in central Carrollton.

Government

Local Government

According to the city’s most recent Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the city’s various funds had $164.0 million in Revenues, $149.2 million in expenditures, $693.2 million in total assets, $228.0 million in total liabilities, and $96.5 million in cash and investments.^[7]

Economy

According to the City's 2008 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,^[7] the top employers in the city are:

The city houses headquarters for

• FASTSIGNS International, Inc.
• Heelys, Inc.
• Jokari
• Woot.com
• Sam Pack Ford
• Home Interiors and Gifts Inc.
• Accor North America
• Sandy Lake Amusement Park

Carlson Restaurants has its headquarters in Carrollton.^[8]

Halliburton has North America operations for Easywell in Carrollton.^[9]

STMicroelectronics has its regional U.S. headquarters in Carrollton; the company had acquired the Carrollton office in 1987. In December 2009 the company announced that it would move its U.S. headquarters to Coppell, near Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. After the move occurs in the second quarter of 2010, the company plans to close the Carrollton office.^[10]

Law and government

The City of Carrollton has a City Council that consists of seven members and a Mayor, the current Mayor of Carrollton is Ron Branson^[11]. The City Council is responsible for establishing city policies, considering city resolutions and ordinances, appointing citizens to various city boards and commissions, adopting the city's Comprehensive Plan and annual budget, approving or rejecting zoning changes, and meets on the first and third Tuesday of every month.^[12]

Education

Most of Carrollton is a part of the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District. Dallas Independent School District also serves a small portion of Carrollton in the south, along with the Lewisville Independent School District in the north.

The DISD portion is served partially by Jerry R. Junkins Elementary School, Walker Middle School, and W. T. White High School.

Notable residents

• Robert Matthew "Vanilla Ice" Van Winkle - attended R. L. Turner High School
• Deron Williams - Attended Arbor Creek M.S. - Point Guard - Utah Jazz
• Travis Wilson - Attended Creekview H.S. - Wide Receiver - Cleveland Browns [3]
• Jason Maxiell - Attended Newman Smith High School [4] - Power Forward- Detroit Pistons
• Taylor Teagarden - Attended Creekview High School - Catcher - Texas Rangers [5]
• Melissa Rycroft - Attended Newman Smith High School
• Helen Johnson - Act event services

References

1. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
3. ^ ^{a b} American FactFinder - U.S. Census Bureau - Carrollton, Texas. Retrieved 4 February 2007.
4. ^ Relocate America - Carrollton, Texas. Retrieved 8 November 2006.
5. ^ ^{a b c d e} Carrollton, Texas from the Handbook of Texas Online. By Joan Jenkins Perez. Retrieved 4 February 2007.
6. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
7. ^ ^{a b} City of Carrollton CAFR Retrieved 2009-07-20
8. ^ "About Carlson Restaurants." Carlson Restaurants. Retrieved on April 1, 2010.
9. ^ "Easywell Offices." Hallburton. Retrieved on April 3, 2009.
10. ^ "STMicroelectronics Moves US Headquarters Closer to DFW Airport." PR Newswire. December 15, 2009. Retrieved on January 10, 2010.
11. ^ Sandoval, Stephanie (2008-05-11). "Challenger Ron Branson ousts Becky Miller in Carrollton mayor's race". Dallas Morning News. http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/city/carrollton/stories/051108dnmetcarroltonmayor.ea136ab2.html. Retrieved 2008-05-12.
12. ^ Mayor/City Council

External links

• City of Carrollton official website
• ThisWeekInCarrollton.com
• Carrollton, Texas from the Handbook of Texas Online
• Money Magazine: 100 Best Places to Live of 2008
• Headlines about Carrollton and Farmers Branch from The Dallas Morning News

Categories: Carrollton, Texas | Dallas • Fort Worth Metroplex | Cities in Texas | Collin County, Texas | Dallas County, Texas | Denton County, Texas