Want to live near Dallas, Texas–without all the hassles of big-city life? Consider renting in Lewisville.
The city of Lewisville is located in Denton County, Texas. Its population according to the 2000 census is 77,737. Lewisville is a rapidly growing city; as such, its population for the 2006 census was forecast at more than 90,000. Although Lewisville was one of the first cities in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area to become incorporated (1925), it did not become a city in the traditional sense until the 1960s. Up until then, Lewisville was decidedly rural.
The first settlers of European descent arrived in the Lewisville area in the 1840s. A gentleman named Basdeal Lewis purchased the land and named the city after himself.
For the remainder of the 19th century, Lewisville grew at a very slow rate. In fact, by 1900, its population was a mere 500. The city’s oldest building, currently the Greater Lewisville Community Theater, was erected in 1885. Despite being a neophyte settlement, Lewisville residents successfully maintained a livery stable, cotton gin, and grist mill during these early years.
Other highlights in Lewisville’s history include the opening of Lewisville High School in 1897, Denton County’s first bank robbery in 1909 at the First National Bank of Lewisville, and another bank robbery in 1934 at the First National Bank. This particular robbery was the brainchild of the Barrow gang, led by the infamous Bonnie and Clyde. The city began to grow slowly as the 20th century progressed. The first traffic signal, at the intersection of Main and Mill streets remained the town’s only stoplight until the 1970s.
In 1948, construction workers broke ground on the Lewisville Dam, which expanded the Garza-Little Elm Reservoir into what is currently a 30,000 acre lake, Lewisville Lake. The project took six years to complete. Several years later, in 1963, the Lewisville Independent School District became one of the first districts in Texas to integrate. The first two African-Americans to graduate from Lewisville High School did so in 1965. The city continued to expand rapidly westward, as homes replaced family farms. Only a month after the notorious Woodstock festival, in September 1969, Lewisville hosted the Texas International Pop Festival. This event featured such superstars as B.B. King and Janis Joplin and attracted more than 250,000 guests.
A major milestone for Lewisville took place in 1974 with the opening of the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. In the following decades, the population of Lewisville and other northern suburbs of Dallas-Forth Worth grew exponentially. To illustrate, the population of Lewisville in 1980 was 24, 273. By 1990 it had climbed to 46, 521. Today, it is estimated at 95,000. Despite such rapid growth, Lewisville strives to maintain a quaint, simple, “small-town” image.
Lewisville has sprawled west to the edges of neighboring cities Flower Mound and Coppell. As such, developers are looking east of town toward the cities of Carrollton and The Colony for continued development. One example of this growth initiative is the ritzy Castle Rock subdivision. One challenge facing this new development is the fact that most of the land east of Lewisville lies in the Little Elm Fork flood plain.
An interesting Lewisville political development this year is a proposed piece of legislation declaring English the city’s official language.
Lewisville is 42.3 square miles in area, and is bordered to the east by the city of Carrollton, to the west by Flower Mound, to the south by Coppell and to the north by Lewisville Lake. Noteworthy geographical features include Lewisville Lake, the Elm Fork of the Trinity River, and a plateau called Vista Ridge. Vista Ridge is located in the southeast corner of town and now boasts a thriving retail center, including the Vista Ridge Mall.
Lewisville is relatively homogeneous, with Caucasians comprising 77.2% of the local population. Median household income is a healthy $54,771. Population is distributed evenly amongst various age groups and across gender. Lewisville apartments are a great choice for many individuals
Lewisville is home to GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Team, a professional sports car racing team.
