Sherman, Texas

Sherman is a city in and the county seat of Grayson County, Texas, United States. The city's estimated population as of 2009 was 38,407. It is also one of two principal cities in the Sherman-Denison Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History
The City of Sherman was named after General Sidney Sherman (July 23, 1805 – August 1, 1873), a hero of the Texas Revolution. The community was designated as the county seat by the act of the Texas legislature which created Grayson County on March 17, 1846. In 1847, a post office began operation. Sherman was originally located at the center of the county, but in 1848 it was moved about three miles (5 km) east to its current location. By 1850, Sherman had become an incorporated town under Texas law. It had also become a stop on the Butterfield Overland Mail route through Texas. By 1852, Sherman had a population of 300. It consisted of a public square with a log court house, and several business, a district clerk's office, and a church along the east side of the square.

During the 1850s and 1860s, Sherman continued to develop and it participated in the regional politics. The first flour mill was built in 1861. In 1862 the publisher of Sherman's anti-secessionist Whig newspaper, the Patriot, was murdered. During and after the Civil War, north Texas outlaw bands led by Jesse James and William Quantrill were seen in Sherman. Years later, James spent at least part of his honeymoon in Sherman, where he was photographed on horseback.

Education also developed in north Texas during this time. The Sherman Male and Female High School started accepting students during 1866, under the patronage of the North Texas Methodist Conference. It was one of three private schools in Sherman at the time. This school operated under several names (North Texas Female College and Conservatory of Music beginning in 1892 and Kidd-Key College and Conservatory beginning in 1919) until 1935. It gradually lost Methodist support, after the opening of Southern Methodist University in 1915 in Dallas, TX. In 1876, Austin College, the oldest continuously operating college in Texas, relocated from Huntsville to Sherman. Sherman Female Institute, later known as Mary Nash College, opened in 1877 under sponsorship of the Baptist Church. It continued operation until 1901 when the campus was sold to Kidd-Key College. Carr-Burdette College, a women's college affiliated with Disciples of Christ, operated there from 1894 to 1929.

While there was general depression and lawlessness during Reconstruction, Sherman remained commercially active. During the 1870s Sherman's population reached 6000. In 1875, two fires destroyed many buildings east of the square. They were rebuilt with superior materials. This included a new Grayson County Courthouse built in 1876. In 1879, Old Settlers' Association of North Texas formed and met near Sherman. The Old Settlers' Association of Grayson County incorporated in 1898 and completed purchase of Old Settlers' Park in 1909.

On May 15, 1896, a tornado measuring F5 on the Fujita scale struck Sherman. The tornado had a damage path 400 yd wide and 28 mi long, killing 73 people and injuring 200. About 50 homes were destroyed, with 20 of them being completely obliterated.

In 1901 the first electric "Interurban" railway in Texas, the Denison and Sherman Railway, was completed between Sherman and Denison, Texas. The Texas Traction Company completed a 65 mi interurban between Sherman and Dallas, Texas in 1908 and it purchased the Denison and Sherman Railway in 1911. Through the connections in Dallas and Denison, it was possible to travel to Terrell, Texas; Corsicana, Texas; Waco, Texas; Fort Worth, Texas; Cleburne, Texas; Denton, Texas; and to Durant, Oklahoma by interurban railways. One popular destination on the Interurban between Sherman and Denison was Loy Lake Park, a private amusement park at the time. By 1948, all interurban rail service in Texas had been discontinued.

During the Sherman Riot of 1930 (May 9, 1930), Sherman's elegant second courthouse was burned down by arson during the trial of an African American man, George Hughes. During the riot, Hughes was locked in the vault at the courthouse and died in the fire. After rioters retrieved Hughes' body from the vault, it was dragged behind a car, hung, and set afire. Texas Ranger Frank Hamer was in Sherman during this riot and reported the situation to Texas Governor Dan Moody. Governor Moody sent National Guard troops to Sherman on May 9 and more on May 10 to control the situation.

Geography
Sherman is located at °N, °W (33.641077, -96.609991). The city has a total area of 38.6 square miles (100.0 km²), of which, 38.5 square miles (99.8 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (0.18%) is water.

Climate
Sherman's considered to be part of the humid subtropical area.

Demographics
As of the 2000 census, there were 35,082 people, 13,739 households, and 8,820 families residing in the city. The population density was 910.0 people per square mile (351.4/km²). There were 14,926 housing units at an average density of 387.2/sq mi (149.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 78.46% White, 11.23% African American, 1.33% Native American, 1.06% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 5.26% from other races, and 2.62% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.14% of the population.

There were 13,739 households out of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were married couples living together, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.8% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.6% under the age of 18, 13.1% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 92.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $34,211, and the median income for a family is $42,528. Males have a median income of $31,828 versus $23,363 for females. The per capita income for the city is $18,717. About 9.6% of families and 13.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.7% of those under the age of 18 and 11.7% of those 65 and older.

Government and infrastructure
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) operates the Sherman District Parole Office in Sherman.

The United States Postal Service operates the Sherman Post Office.

Magazine

 * Texoma Living! Magazine
 * Online Magazine and Directory for Sherman
 * La Voz Hispana

Newspaper

 * The Herald Democrat

Television Stations

 * KTEN Channel 10 - (NBC)
 * KTEN DT Channel 10.2 - (The CW Texoma)
 * KTEN DT Channel 10.3 - (ABC)
 * KXII Channel 12 - (CBS)
 * KXII DT Channel 12.2 (My Texoma)
 * KXII DT Channel 12.3 (Fox Texoma)

Notable natives and residents

 * William Jefferson Blythe, Jr. - Father of former President Bill Clinton
 * Light Townsend Cummins
 * William J. Durham
 * Edna Gladney
 * Frank James - Outlaw, Confederate guerrilla and brother of Jesse James.
 * Charlie Johnson - Super Bowl XLI Champion
 * Kay Kimbell
 * Candace Kita - actress and model
 * Jerry B. Lincecum
 * Frank W. Mayborn - former publisher of the Sherman Democrat newspaper
 * Olive Oatman - Yavapai Indian captive
 * Buck Owens - Famous Country and Western Singer
 * Joe Rollins - prominent Houston attorney; practiced in Sherman early in his career
 * Hunter Smith - Super Bowl XLI Champion
 * Buddy Tate (musician) - Jazz saxophone and clarinet player (Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton)
 * Ray Wehba
 * Sam Coomes Musician
 * Tom Virtue Actor
 * Zach Blair Musician - Rise Against
 * Vernon Holland The first NFL player from Sherman, Texas

Transportation
Sherman is served by two U.S. Highways: US 75 (Sam Rayburn Freeway) and US 82 (the latter is locally designated as the Buck Owens Freeway after the famous musician who was born in Sherman). It is also served by three Texas State Highways, which extend beyond Grayson County: State Highway 11, State Highway 56 and State Highway 289 which now extends to Lake Texoma.General aviation service is provided by Sherman Municipal Airport and North Texas Regional Airport/Perrin Field. The TTC-35 component of the planned Trans-Texas Corridor will also go near Sherman. TAPS Public Transit is the sole transit provider for Sherman, with two fixed routes (the Roo and Viking Routes), and curb to curb paratransit for all residence. TAPS Public Transit also provides routes connecting Sherman to Dallas (via the DART Plano Park-and-Ride), to DFW International Airport, and other cities in the Texoma region. Sherman is served by one 24 hour taxi cab service provided locally by Yellow Cab. 

Education
Most children in Sherman are zoned to the Sherman Independent School District. Some parts are in Denison Independent School District or Howe Independent School District.

Austin College a private, Presbyterian, liberal arts college relocated to Sherman in 1876. Founded in 1849, it is the oldest college or university in Texas operating under its original charter. Grayson County College, based in neighboring Denison, operates a branch campus in Sherman.