The (old) Denton County Courthouse, resting place of the county's (and city's) namesake. The courthouse was listed in the
National Register of Historic Places in 1977. The surrounding buildings on the square were listed on December 28, 2000
'Denton County' is a
county located in the
U.S. state of
Texas. In 2000, its population was 432,976; in 2006 the
U.S. Census Bureau estimated that its population had reached 584,238. Part of the
Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, it is one of the fastest-growing counties in the United States. The
county seat is
Denton6. The county and the city are both named for
John B. Denton, a preacher, lawyer, and soldier.
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.
Major Highways
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Interstate 35
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Interstate 35E
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Interstate 35W
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U.S. Highway 77
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U.S. Highway 377
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U.S. Highway 380
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State Highway 114 (Texas)
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State Highway 121 (Texas)
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Texas State Highway Loop 288
Adjacent counties
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Cooke County (north)
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Grayson County (northeast)
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Collin County (east)
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Dallas County (southeast)
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Tarrant County (south)
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Wise County (west)
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 ranked thirtieth on the US Census Bureau's list of fastest growing counties between 2000 and 2006, with a 34.9% increase in population.
[1]
Cities and towns
† only a small part of the city extends into Denton County
Education
The following school districts serve Denton County:
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Argyle Independent School District
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Aubrey Independent School District
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Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District (partial)
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Celina Independent School District (partial)
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Denton Independent School District
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Era Independent School District (partial)
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Frisco Independent School District (partial)
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Krum Independent School District (partial)
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Lake Dallas Independent School District
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Lewisville Independent School District
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Little Elm Independent School District
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Northwest Independent School District (partial)
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Pilot Point Independent School District (partial)
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Prosper Independent School District (partial)
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Ponder Independent School District
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Sanger Independent School District
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Slidell Independent School District (partial)
In Popular Culture
Denton County is referenced in
Bowling for Soup's single,
Ohio (Come Back to Texas)
External links
★
Denton County government's website
★
Denton County entry in the ''
Handbook of Texas'' Online at the
University of Texas
★
Historic Denton County materials, hosted by the
Portal to Texas History.
★
''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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