Denison is a city in Grayson County, Texas, United States. The population was 22,773 at the 2000 census, but had
increased to an estimated population of 23,957 in July 2006. It is also one of two principal cities of and is included in the
Sherman, Texas-Denison, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
The city of Denison was founded in 1872 in conjunction with the MKT or "Katy" depot. [1] It was named after the wealthy Katy vice President George Denison.[2] Because the town was established at the intersection of the MKT
and the Red River (both important conduits of transportation in the
industrial era), it came to be an important commercial center in the 19th century American
West.
During the phylloxera epidemic of the mid-1800s, which destroyed the vast majority of
wine grapes in Europe, Denison horticulturalist T.V. Munson pioneered methods in creating
phylloxera resistant vines, and earned induction into the French Legion of Honor, as
well as sister city status for Denison and Cognac, France.
[3]
In 1901 the first electric "Interurban" railway in Texas,
the Denison and Sherman Railway, was completed between Denison and Sherman, Texas.
[4]
Later, Denison played host to 20th century notables such as the Marx Brothers [5] and President Dwight D.
Eisenhower, who was born there. Denison was also the home of the Quedlinburgh Treasure, a collection of stolen 9th century
religious relics, while they were hidden in a downtown bank vault by a WWII soldier from Whitewright, Texas. The treasures ended their stay in Denison when William H. Honan [1], of the New York Times, broke the story [2]. They were displayed in the Dallas Museum of Art, then repatriated
to Germany.
In the 1990's Denison began attracting artists to its Main Street district. Artists settled into many of the 19th century
buildings along Main Street and converted them into art galleries and artists studios. Denison now is home to the work of many
artists with local, regional, and national acclaim. The Denison Arts Council [3] promotes two Fine Art Tours each year to showcase the growing talent of the area.
Many other historic buildings now house loft living spaces and specialty shops. Denison arts have been featured in Texas Highways
Magazine [4], Texas Monthly magazine
[5], Art Talk magazine [6] and others.
Geography
Denison is located at 33°44′59″N, 96°33′27″W (33.749703,
-96.557393)1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area
of 59.3 km² (22.9 mi²). 58.5 km² (22.6 mi²) of it
is land and 0.8 km² (0.3 mi²) of it (1.40%) is water.
Notable geographic features of Denison include its connection to the Red River and Lake
Texoma, its position on the Texas-Oklahoma border, and its centrality to the
Texoma vernacular region.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 22,773 people, 9,185 households, and 6,135 families residing
in the city. The population density was 389.2/km² (1,008.1/mi²). There were 10,309
housing units at an average density of 176.2/km² (456.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 84.02% White, 8.62% African American, 1.67% Native American, 0.46% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 2.19% from other races, and 2.98% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.23% of the population.
There were 9,185 households out of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.1% were married couples living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2% were
non-families. 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or
older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.6% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from
45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 88.9 males.
For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.7 males.
Education
The City of Denison is served by the Denison Independent School
District. It is also home to Grayson County College, which preserves
Denison's viticultural heritage with its T.V. Munson Viticulture & Enology Program.
[6]
Transportation
Denison is served by two U.S. Highways: U.S. 69 and U.S. 75. General aviation service is provided by
Grayson County Airport. The TTC-35 component of the planned Trans-Texas Corridor will also go through or near Denison.
Famous residents
U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower was born in Denison, and is by far the city's
most famous resident. His birthplace was purchased by the city in 1946 (six years before he became President) and is now
maintained as Eisenhower Birthplace State Historic Site. In
addition, Eisenhower State Park on Lake
Texoma is also named in his honor.
Former Texas Agriculture Commissioner and progressive
Populist Jim Hightower and actor John Hillerman, actor/model Andrew Jenkins are also from Denison.
Other famous people that were either born in or are from Denison include:
References
- ^ Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "Denison, Texas"
- ^ http://www.smalltownbigart.com/history1.htm
- ^ T.V. Munson Vidiculture Eunology Program
- ^ Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "Electric Interurban Railways" (accessed March 31,
2007)
- ^ Marx Brothers Biography
- ^ T.V. Munson Vidiculture Eunology Program
External links
Coordinates:
33.749703° N 96.557393°
W
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