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Denton is a city in the United States, and is the county seat of Denton County, Texas. It is home to two major universities, the University of North Texas and Texas Woman's University.
Geography Geographically, Denton is located at the at the northern edge of the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area, at the intersection of I-35, US-380, and US-377. It is here that I-35 splits into I-35E (toward Dallas) and I-35W (toward Fort Worth); they rejoin south of the Metroplex at Hillsboro. Denton is located at (33.216296, -97.129194). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 161.4 km² (62.3 mi²). 159.3 km² (61.5 mi²) of it is land and 2.1 km² (0.8 mi²) of it (1.33%) is water. Demographics Denton's population increased in its first century primarily due to its role as a local agricultural trade center and subsequently when it became host to two universities. Since the mid 1900's, Denton has grown as a result of its proximity to Dallas and Fort Worth. While according to the 2000 U.S. Census, the city's population was 80,537, by July 2005, the Census Bureau's American Community Survey, estimated the population at 104,153 *, making it one of the fastest growing cities in the United States *. As of the census of 2000, there were 80,537 people, 30,895 households, and 16,405 families residing in the city. The population density was 505.7/km² (1,309.7/mi²). There were 32,716 housing units at an average density of 205.4/km² (532.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 75.62% White, 9.12% African American, 0.58% Native American, 3.39% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 8.85% from other races, and 2.40% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race comprised 16.38% of the population. There were 30,895 households out of which 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.8% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.9% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 3.06. In the city the population consists of 20.7% under the age of 18, 25.0% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 15.7% from 45 to 64, and 7.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 27 years. For every 100 females there were 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $35,422, and the median income for a family was $51,419. Males had a median income of $33,698 versus $26,037 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,365. About 8.7% of families and 16.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.1% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over. History Denton was founded in 1856 because of the need for a county seat. Denton, as well as Denton County, was named after John B. Denton, a prominent Methodist lawyer and Native-American fighter. The city was ultimately incorporated in 1866, when J.B. Sawyer was elected the first mayor. The current mayor of Denton, as of 2006, is Perry McNeill. Culture and recreation Dentonites take pride in being part of a unique and diverse creative community, and many consider this community to be the primary value of life in Denton that separates the town from other Texas cities. Despite the lack of some metropolitan advantages afforded by larger cultural centers, such as a well-developed public transportation system (though bus service is available to downtown Dallas), or a job market better tailored to the creative class, many in Denton's creative community see Denton as the antidote lifestyle choice to the ballooning traffic and population concerns of the larger cultural center of Austin. The combination of Denton's respected music and art cultures, and the large intellectual population sustained by the town's two universities, makes the Denton Texas's only city besides Austin that can claim such a creative dominant cultural base. Historic Fry Street Once the cultural epicenter of Denton, most of the prime Fry Street real-estate has recently been bought out by a corporate entity from Houston. Currently Fry Street is home to a host of bars, restaurants, and cultural venues. On the weekends the sidewalks and street is literally packed with Dentonians. A recent extension of the current leases will allow the businesses who currently occupy the real estate on Fry Street to stay there until the winter, but after that the aforementioned corporate entity from Houston will be installing a McDonalds, CVS, and other to be determined business in what will become a "lifestyle retail center". Music The pervasive music culture that exists in Denton was originated in the University of North Texas's College of Music, a top-rated institution that draws musicians from all over the world . The college's Jazz Studies program, established in 1947, was the first of its kind in the country, and in more recent years the college's Center for Experimental Music and Intermedia (CEMI) has developed its own distinct reputation as an internationally-renowned center for teaching, research, and groundbreaking music creation. Denton's vibrant and diverse music culture, however, extends well beyond the rigorous and disciplined world of UNT's College of Music. A thriving independent music scene has emerged and gained outside notoriety separate of Denton's more civically embraced academic music establishments. The latest development of Denton's evolving status as "Music Town", has been the arrival of musicians creating work outside the University of North Texas College of Music. These Denton transplants move there simply because they are aware of Denton's reputation as a music town, but they are most familiar with the independent music, not the studied musicianship, the town has produced. They relocate to Denton with the purpose of developing their music in the town, and hope that their own musical contributions will be identified in the popular press of the outside world as originating from Denton, Texas. The city's live music venues are chiefly supported by Denton's very active music listening audience, but show attendance is often partly comprised of Dallas/Ft.Worth music listeners. Dallas's largest alternative weekly, the Dallas Observer, once even suggested Dallas music listeners drive north to Denton to hear the best local music the Metroplex has to offer. In 2004 and 2005, the roster of Denton's performing and touring music acts remained between 80 and 90, a high number considering the town's most recent population figures. Denton Arts and Jazz Festival Every spring - usually the last three days of April - Denton hosts the Denton Arts & Jazz Festival, a city-sponsored event that brings over 200,000 people per year for live music, food, drink, crafts, and recreation. Big-name performers and bands such as Arturo Sandoval and Tower of Power have performed at the Festival. Fry Street Fair Fry Street Fair is a mostly annual event held by the independent fraternity Delta Lodge in the historic Fry Street district. It is typically the biggest event of the year on Fry Street with dozens of bands performing. In 2003, the "Fry Street Fair" was moved to Deep Ellum, in Dallas, TX, much to the dismay of many Dentonites. However, in 2005, the fair returned to the Fry Street area. In addition, Denton County encompasses all or parts of three lakes: Lake Grapevine, Lake Lewisville, and Lake Ray Roberts. The Texas Motor Speedway is also located within Denton County, 18 miles south on I-35W. Education As noted above, Denton is home to two universities, the University of North Texas (UNT) and Texas Woman's University (TWU). UNT was founded in 1890 as North Texas Normal College and is now the largest university in the north Texas; TWU was originally the the Girls' Industrial college, and despite its name, is open to both sexes. Their presence gives Denton a college town feel and played a pivotal role in distinguishing it from other agricultural cities in the early 20th century. The two universities currently have a combined estimated enrollment of over 45,000 students. For K-12 education, Denton is served by the Denton Independent School District. As of 2006 the DISD has 16 Elementary Schools, 5 Middle Schools, and 4 High Schools. Major Government Activities In addition to being the county seat of Denton County, Denton is also the Region VI headquarters of FEMA. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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