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Denton County covers 911 square miles
in north central Texas. Denton borders Dallas and Tarrant counties
on the south and Cooke and Grayson counties on the north. Denton
County is one county south of Oklahoma. The western half of the
county is surfaced by the black soil of the Grand Prairie.
In 1846, the Texas legislature formed
Denton County out of a large piece of Fannin County. It was named
for John Bunyan Denton, an eastern Fannin County Methodist preacher
who was also a lawyer. He was killed in a raid against Indians on
May 22, 1841.
The first county seat, Pinckneyville,
was located near the center of the county. Although county officials
were elected in 1846, no courthouse was built. Around 1848 Alton
became the county seat. In the summer of 1856, however, county
residents voted to establish a new county seat near the center of
the county. The new town, named Denton, was established the next
year, but was not incorporated as a city until 1866.
All of the towns and cities in the
southeastern portion of the county appear to be growing most
rapidly. Lewisville, The Colony, and the part of Carrollton in
Denton County were all population centers because they were suburbs
of Dallas. Other reasons for the growth rate include all the stellar
universities in the area. The largest towns include: Denton and
Lewisville.
Attractions include Lewisville and
Grapevine lakes, the annual Jazzfest that is held every September,
and the North Texas State Fair in August.
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