Flower Mound

Flower Mound, Texas
—  Town  —
Nickname(s): The Mound, Flo Mo
Location of Flower Mound in Denton County, Texas
Coordinates: 33°1′54″N 97°4′44″W / 33.03167°N 97.07889°W / 33.03167; -97.07889Coordinates: 33°1′54″N 97°4′44″W / 33.03167°N 97.07889°W / 33.03167; -97.07889
Country	United States
State	Texas
Counties	Denton, Tarrant
Government
• Type	Council-Manager
• Town Council	Mayor Melissa Northern Steve Dixon Al Filidoro Mike Wallace Steve Lyda Tom Hayden
• Town Manager	Harlan Jefferson
Area
• Town	43.4 sq mi (112.3 km2)
• Land	69 sq mi (105.9 km2)
• Water	2.5 sq mi (6.5 km2)
Elevation	604 ft (184 m)
Population (2010)
• Town	64,669
• Density	1,582/sq mi (611.0/km2)
• Metro	6,447,615
Time zone	Central (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	Central (UTC-5)
ZIP codes	75022, 75028
Area code(s)	972
FIPS code	48-26232[1]
GNIS feature ID	1335983[2]
Website	http://www.flower-mound.com

Flower Mound is a town in Denton and Tarrant counties in the U.S. state of Texas, and a suburb of Fort Worth and Dallas. Its population was 50,702 at the U.S. Census Bureau's 2000 census, and 64,669 at the 2010 Census.^[3] The town derives its name from the prominent 12.5-acre (51,000 m²) mound located in the southern portion of the town. Named for the profusion of wild flowers that cover its slopes, it is owned by the Mound Foundation, a non-profit organization representing the citizens of Flower Mound. Though surrounded by commercial and residential development, the mound is protected from further development.

Flower Mound has a suburban mid-size city atmosphere with easy access to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. It refuses to be referred to as a "city" despite its recent growth; it bills itself as the "Town of Flower Mound" with a "Town Hall" and a "Town Council".

History

Native American habitation of what eventually became Denton County dates back to at least 4000 BC, according to archaeological surveys by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. European settlement in the Flower Mound area is reported as early as the 1840s. 19th-century settlers such as Andrew Morriss and David Kirkpatrick are still memorialized with street names in the town.

The town area remained sparsely populated for many decades after this initial settlement. Not until 1961 was the town incorporated to avoid annexation by the city of Irving. William Wilkerson, who became the town's second mayor, spearheaded the incorporation effort and helped improve the town's phone service and water supply.

As late as 1970, though, the town only numbered 1,685 residents. However, the enormous expansion of Flower Mound began as part of the growth of the area north of the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

In 1976, in response to environmental concerns over rapidly increasing automobile traffic congestion, together with a rise in the popularity of cycling, Flower Mound residents first proposed adding a system of recreational and commuter bikepaths in and around the town.^[4] Initially, funding proved elusive, but by 1989 the first three miles (5 km) of bicycle trails had been constructed, in part due to a grant from Texas Parks and Wildlife. Eventually, more than 30 miles (48 km) of paved hiking and bicycling paths would be constructed throughout the town.

In 1990 there were slightly over 15,000 people living in Flower Mound and its population had tripled during that decade.^[5]

During the 1990s the town's population was growing at a rate of nearly 13% per year. Flower Mound was the nation's 10th fastest growing community during the 1990s - growing from 15,527 to 50,702.^[6] In 2000-2002, Flower Mound was ranked 9th among the 100 fastest growing cities in United States with a population greater than 50,000.^[7] This growth has led to efforts to limit further development in the town to maintain rural characteristics, avoid low income development, and keep a more natural environment.

In 1999, the town adopted the SMARTgrowth (acronym representing "Strategically Managed And Responsible Town Growth") management plan, a smart growth initiative to manage both the rate and character of development in the community.^[8] However, Flower Mound's population continued to rise by approximately 5% per year during the 2000-2005 period. The town also encourages conservation development projects to protect and preserve existing open space, vistas and natural habitats while allowing for controlled growth. The goal is environmentally sensitive urban development and the mitigation of the ill-effects of urban sprawl and affordable housing. While more controlled growth can be seen in the central and western portion of Flower Mound open space is still slowly disappearing. Traffic continues to increase on the two lane roads and highways in Flower Mound, and especially in Northeast Flower Mound in the new retail district on the corner of FM 2499 Long Prairie RD and FM 407 Justin RD. Critics including former mayor Lori DeLuca charge that shopping centers, grocery stores, housing developments and other projects continue to replace rural land,^[9] and the current administration places less emphasis on preservation as opposed to growing the tax base.

D Magazine has consistently ranked Flower Mound in the Top 10 suburbs to live in Dallas-Ft. Worth. In 1995, it was ranked 6th, in 2004 was ranked 8th, in 2008 was ranked 10th.^[10]

In 2004, Lance Corporal Jacob Lugo became the first military serviceman from Flower Mound to die in the line of duty; 21-year-old Lugo was killed in Al Anbar during the Iraq War. In his honor, the Town renamed Hilltop Park to Jake's Hilltop Park.^[11][12][13]

Natural gas drilling in close proximity to residential neighborhoods has sharply divided the community in recent years.^[14]

Geography

Flower Mound is located at 33°01′54″N 97°04′44″W / 33.031741°N 97.078818°W / 33.031741; -97.078818 (33.031741, -97.078818).^[15] According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 43.4 square miles (112.3 km²), of which, 40.9 square miles (105.9 km²) of it is land and 2.5 square miles (6.5 km²) of it (5.76%) is water.

Although physical geography is not greatly varied in North Texas, Lake Grapevine and Marshall Creek form much of the southern boundary of Flower Mound. The town borders Lewisville to the east and a number of cities and towns to the north, including Highland Village, Double Oak, and Bartonville. The two major highways in Flower Mound are Farm to Market Roads. FM 1171, known as Cross Timbers Road, runs east to west across the entire town. FM 2499 runs north to south and furnishes access to State Highway 121 and Interstate 635 just north of DFW Airport.

Famous residents

“Mean Joe” Greene, (born September 24, 1946), a former all-pro American football defensive tackle who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL, resides in Flower Mound. Glen Titensor, former guard for the Dallas Cowboy, 1981-1988. Donald Driver, also an all-pro American football player, currently plays wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers. Former NFL players Tony Casillas and Chad Hennings also reside in Flower Mound.

Chris Brown, ice hockey center who was drafted by the Phoenix Coyotes of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

David Murphy, a Texas Rangers outfielder, currently resides on Mockingbird lane with his wife and two daughters.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 50,702 people, 16,179 households, and 14,269 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,240.4 people per square mile (479.0/km²). There were 16,833 housing units at an average density of 411.8 per square mile (159.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 90.24% White, 2.92% African American, 0.35% Native American, 3.05% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.77% from other races, 1.61% from two or more races, and Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.63% of the population.

There were 16,179 households out of which 56.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 80.6% were married couples living together, 5.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 11.8% were non-families. 9.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 1.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3,000 sq ft (300 m²). and the average family size was 3.34. Most homes (approx. 80%) were built during the population boom of the 1990s.

In the town the population was spread out with 34.8% under the age of 18, 4.2% from 18 to 24, 39.5% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 2.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 99.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.9 males.

According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household was $105,812, and the median income for a family was $112,555.^[18] Males had a median income of $69,467 versus $41,317 for females. The per capita income for the town was $34,699. About 2.2% of families and 2.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.7% of those under age 18 and 1.8% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local government

According to the city’s most recent Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the city’s various funds had $88.4 million in Revenues, $82.9 million in expenditures, $429.0 million in total assets, $153.1 million in total liabilities, and $37.5 million in cash and investments.^[19]

The structure of the management and coordination of city services is:^[19]

Education

The town is mostly served by the Lewisville Independent School District. Other parts of Flower Mound are located in the Argyle Independent School District and Northwest Independent School District. The town is home to two high schools, Edward S. Marcus High School and the newer Flower Mound High School, both part of the Lewisville district. Private schools both within town limits and further out in D/FW, including Liberty Christian School, Coram Deo Academy, Explorations Preparatory School, and The Highlands School, serve students from Flower Mound who seek private or religious education.

Economy

Flower Mound recognizes two areas of current economic development, the Lakeside Business District and the Denton Creek District. Over $25 million has been spent to provide the two business districts with transportation thoroughfares and other public improvements.^[20] Due to this spending and the town's proximity to the DFW Airport and major highways, many businesses have recently moved some local operations to the town, including Home Depot, Stacy's Furniture, Best Buy's service center, and Stryker Corporation.^[21] In 2007, FUNimation Entertainment signed a 10-year lease to move its headquarters to the Lakeside Business District in Flower Mound from nearby North Richland Hills;^[22] the company, best known for its anime Dragon Ball series was valued at over $100 million when it was acquired by Navarre Corporation in 2005.^[23]

According to the town's 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,^[24] the top employers in the town are:

Approximately 960 businesses are located in Flower Mound as of 2007,^[21] with Lewisville Independent School District easily the largest employer, at nearly 1,700 employees. The Town itself employs the second-most number of employees, at over 400, and 21 other businesses each employ at least 50 people.^[21]

75% of Flower Mound's labor pool is in its labor force, of whom 95% are employed. Thirty percent of the employed are engaged in management, business, and financial duties, twenty-eight percent in sales and office duites, and twenty-five percent in professional and related occupations.^[21] Most people living in the town work in the wider metroplex.

Flower Mound currently continues to expand as many new businesses transfer to the new Highland Village outdoor shopping centre. Besides the shopping off of FM 407, there are two malls located roughly 10–15 minutes away from Flower Mound. Grapevine Mills houses the Rainforest Cafe, the AMC 30, and an assortment of shops. The other mall, Vista Ridge, is home to many of the main department stores and also an assortment of shops.

References

External links

Dallas portal

• Official Flower Mound Town Website
• Flower Mound at the Handbook of Texas Online
• Flower Mound Chamber of Commerce
• Flower Mound / Lewisville info site
• The Town of Flower Mound informational site
• Headlines about Flower Mound from The Dallas Morning News

v d e Municipalities and communities of Dallas County, Texas, United States County seat: Dallas Cities Balch Springs Carrollton‡ Cedar Hill‡ Cockrell Hill Combine‡ Coppell‡ Dallas‡ DeSoto Duncanville Farmers Branch Ferris‡ Garland‡ Glenn Heights‡ Grand Prairie‡ Grapevine‡ Hutchins Irving Lancaster‡ Lewisville‡ Mesquite‡ Ovilla‡ Richardson‡ Rowlett‡ Sachse‡ Seagoville‡ University Park Wilmer Wylie‡ Towns Addison Highland Park Sunnyvale Unincorporated communities Alpha Sand Branch Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

v d e Municipalities and communities of Denton County, Texas, United States County seat: Denton Cities Argyle Aubrey Carrollton‡ Celina‡ Coppell‡ Corinth Dallas‡ Denton Fort Worth‡ Frisco‡ Grapevine‡ Haslet‡ Highland Village Justin Krugerville Krum Lake Dallas Lakewood Village Lewisville‡ Oak Point Pilot Point Plano‡ Roanoke Sanger Southlake‡ The Colony Towns Bartonville Copper Canyon Corral City Cross Roads DISH Double Oak Flower Mound‡ Hackberry Hebron‡ Hickory Creek Lincoln Park Little Elm Northlake Ponder Prosper‡ Providence Village Shady Shores Trophy Club‡ Westlake‡ Unincorporated communities Alliance‡ Bolivar Lantana Navo Paloma Creek Savannah Ghost towns Alton Elizabethtown Mustang Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

v d e Municipalities and communities of Tarrant County, Texas, United States County seat: Fort Worth Cities Arlington Azle‡ Bedford Benbrook Blue Mound Burleson‡ Colleyville Crowley‡ Dalworthington Gardens Euless Everman Forest Hill Fort Worth‡ Grand Prairie‡ Grapevine‡ Haltom City Haslet‡ Hurst Keller Kennedale Lake Worth Mansfield‡ Newark‡ North Richland Hills Pelican Bay Reno‡ Richland Hills River Oaks Saginaw Sansom Park Southlake‡ Watauga Westworth Village White Settlement Towns Edgecliff Village Flower Mound‡ Lakeside Pantego Trophy Club‡ Westlake‡ Westover Hills CDPs Briar‡ Pecan Acres‡ Rendon Unincorporated community Alliance‡ Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

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