Denton County

Denton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2000, the population was 432,976 although a 2005 estimate puts the population at 554,642. Its county seat is Denton⁶ . The county is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and is one of the fastest growing counties in the United States.

The county and the city are named for John B. Denton, a preacher, lawyer, and soldier killed during a raid on a Native American camp.

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.

Demographics

As of the census ² 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 (as well as Collin County) is one of the fastest growing counties in the United States.

     * Argyle
    * Aubrey
    * Bartonville
    * Carrollton †
    * Copper Canyon
    * Corinth
    * Corral City
    * Cross Roads
    * Dallas †
    * Denton
     * DISH
    * Double Oak
    * Flower Mound
    * Fort Worth †
    * Frisco †
    * Hackberry
    * Haslet
    * Hebron
    * Hickory Creek
    * Highland Village
    * Justin
    * Krugerville
    * Krum
    * Lake Dallas
    * Lakewood Village
    * Lewisville
    * Lincoln Park
    * Little Elm
    * Marshall Creek
    * Northlake
    * Oak Point
    * Pilot Point
    * Plano †
    * Ponder
    * Roanoke
    * Sanger
    * Shady Shores
    * Southlake †
    * The Colony
    * Trophy Club
    * Westlake