Flower Mound, Texas
Flower Mound is an incorporated town[Note 1] located in Denton and Tarrant counties in the U.S. state of Texas.[4][5] Located northwest of Dallas and northeast of Fort Worth adjacent to Grapevine Lake, the town derives its name from a prominent 12.5-acre (5.1 ha) mound located in the center of town.
Flower Mound, Texas
United States
February 25, 1961
- Cheryl Moore
- Adam Schiestel, Place 1
- Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Chris Drew, Place 2
- Brian Taylor, Place 3
- Janvier Werner, Place 4
- Mayor Pro Tem Ann Martin, Place 5
James Childers
44.48 sq mi (115.20 km2)
41.96 sq mi (108.67 km2)
2.52 sq mi (6.53 km2)
604 ft (184 m)
75,956
1,810.20/sq mi (698.96/km2)
48-26232[2]
1335983[3]
After settlers used the site for religious camps during the 1840s, the area around Flower Mound was first permanently inhabited in the 1850s; however, residents did not incorporate until 1961. Although an effort to create a planned community failed in the early 1970s, Flower Mound's population increased substantially when Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport opened to the south in 1974. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 75,956, reflecting a 17% increase over the 64,669 counted in the 2010 census.[6] Of the Texas municipalities that label themselves "towns", Flower Mound has the largest population. Flower Mound was the only town with a population greater than 20,000 in the 2020 census.
Flower Mound's municipal government, operating under a council–manager system, has invested in a public park system highlighted by an extensive network of trails. Lewisville Independent School District, which operates public schools, covers the majority of Flower Mound. With its moderately affluent population and proximity to the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, Flower Mound has used a smart growth system for urban planning, and has recently experienced more rapid light industrial growth to match the growing needs of the primarily residential community.
History[edit]
Settlement in the area around Flower Mound began when the Presbyterians established a camp in the area in the 1840s.[7] A log cabin, dated around 1850, was discovered preserved within the walls of a home near Liberty Elementary in 2016, providing further proof of settlement. At first, the group held religious camps for two to three weeks at a time.[8] By 1854, residents had established the Flower Mound Presbyterian Church southwest of Lewisville in an area commonly referred to as "Long Prairie".[9][10] By 1920, the church had 126 members,[11] and the pine-framed building was expanded in 1937.[12] Early settlers such as Andrew Morriss and David Kirkpatrick are memorialized with street names in the town. The area remained sparsely populated for many decades after its initial settlement.
On February 25, 1961, the town voted to incorporate to avoid annexation by the City of Irving.[13] William Wilkerson, who became the town's second mayor, led the incorporation effort and helped improve the town's phone service and water supply.[14] In 1970, when Flower Mound had 1,685 residents, Edward S. Marcus and Raymond Nasher began a planned community project with $18 million in loan guarantees from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development through their New Community program.[15] Called "Flower Mound New Town", the project included elements of the new towns movement, including collaboration with North Texas State University (now the University of North Texas) to move the school's administrative offices to Flower Mound and conduct all research for the project.[16] The project was featured in advertisements as late as 1974,[17] but it was abandoned after residents threatened to disannex a portion of the town to thwart the development.[18][19] The disannexation effort sharply divided the town, and led to a number of strongly contested elections between 1971 and 1976.[20] In 1976, Texas Monthly awarded the project its "Bum Steer Award" after the project lost its federal loan guarantees.[21]
The construction of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport 4 miles (6.4 km) south of the town in 1974 sparked a period of rapid growth. Between 1980 and 1990, Flower Mound's population increased from 4,402 to 15,896. It reached 50,702 in 2000, an average annual increase of nearly 13 percent per year during the 1990s, making it the nation's tenth fastest-growing community.[22] Between 2000 and 2002, Flower Mound was the ninth fastest-growing municipality in the United States with a population of more than 50,000, and its population continued to increase by approximately five percent each year between 2000 and 2005. Controlled growth continues in central and western Flower Mound.
Government[edit]
The Town of Flower Mound has been a home rule municipality since 1981, and it has operated under a council–manager type of municipal government since 1989.[74] Residents elect five at-large members to the Flower Mound Town Council and one mayor. Members serve two-year terms.[75] In 1999, the town adopted a Strategically Managed And Responsible Town (SMART) Growth Program to manage both the rate and character of development in the community, and in 2000, the town officially adopted its SMARTGrowth management plan.[76] The program's goal was to create environmentally sensitive development and to mitigate the effects of urban sprawl.[Note 2] Political scientist Allan Saxe and attorney Terrence S. Welch have used Flower Mound's program as an example of a municipality attempting to slow growth.[78][79] In 2013, the town amended the portion of the plan pertaining to public schools; the changes spurred public debate between candidates for town council.[80]
According to the town's 2013–2014 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the town's various funds had $114.6 million in revenues, $101.8 million in expenditures, $513.3 million in total assets, $155.9 million in total liabilities, and $68.1 million in cash and investments.[81]
The structure of the management and coordination of town services is led by a town manager, deputy town manager and other roles.[82]
The town is mostly served by the Lewisville Independent School District. the western portion of Flower Mound is divided between the Argyle, Denton and Northwest Independent School Districts and the portion of Flower Mound that falls into Tarrant County is in the Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District.[83][84]
The town is home to three separate high schools, Edward S. Marcus High School, Flower Mound High School, (both part of the Lewisville district) and Argyle ISDs new Argyle High School campus.
Private schools in the town include such educational facilities as:
ResponsiveEd, the Lewisville-based charter school operator, operates a Founders Classical Academy in Flower Mound; the campus is located in west Flower Mound at FM1171 (Cross Timbers) and Flower Mound Road.
North Central Texas College has a community college branch campus within Parker Square in the town of Flower Mound.[88] Midwestern State University has a branch facility, in conjunction with NCTC in the Parker Square location, which will offer master's degree programs amongst other services.
Infrastructure[edit]
Transportation[edit]
At the western edge of the town, U.S. Route 377 extends north–south parallel to Interstate 35W towards Denton and Fort Worth. Two of the major thoroughfares in the town of Flower Mound are farm-to-market roads: FM 1171, known in Flower Mound as the Cross Timbers Road, which runs east–west across the entire town towards Interstate 35E to the east and Interstate 35W to the west.[89] FM 2499 (which is known locally as Long Prairie) runs north–south and furnishes access to State Highway 121 and Interstate 635, north of DFW Airport.[90]
In the June 2012, the members of the Flower Mound Town Council approved a plan to develop and regulate a series of various bike lanes around the town.[91]
In the year 2012, the National Motorists Association released a poll listing Flower Mound as the "worst speed trap city" in North America with a population of over 50,002. Locals say it is not one anymore.[92]