Flower Mound, Texas

Flower Mound is an incorporated town located in Denton and Tarrant counties in the U.S. state of Texas. Located northwest of Dallas and northeast of Fort Worth adjacent to Grapevine Lake, the town derives its name from a prominent 12.5 acre mound located in the center of town.

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 2010 United States Census, the population was 64,699, reflecting a 28% increase over the 50,702 counted in the 2000 Census. Flower Mound is the largest town in terms of population in Texas, and the only town with a population greater than 20,000.

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. The town's public schools comprise part of the Lewisville Independent School District. 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. In 2012, Flower Mound was ranked at #8 as one of the Best Dallas Suburbs according to D Magazine.

History
Settlement in the area around Flower Mound began when Presbyterians established a camp in the area in the 1840s. At first, the group held religious camps for two to three weeks at a time. By 1854, residents had established the Flower Mound Presbyterian Church southwest of Lewisville in an area commonly referred to as "Long Prairie". By 1920, the church had 126 members, and the pine-framed building was expanded in 1937. 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. William Wilkerson, who became the town's second mayor, led the incorporation effort and helped improve the town's phone service and water supply. 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. 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. The project was featured in advertisements as late as 1974, but it was abandoned after residents threatened to disannex a portion of the town to thwart the development. The disannexation effort sharply divided the town, and led to a number of strongly contested elections between 1971 and 1976. In 1976, Texas Monthly awarded the project its "Bum Steer Award" after the project lost its federal loan guarantees.

The construction of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport 4 mi 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. 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.

Geography
Flower Mound is located approximately 20 mi northwest of Dallas and 25 mi northeast of Fort Worth on the border between Denton and Tarrant counties. The town is located almost entirely in Denton County, however it has areas that extend into Tarrant County. It is situated on the basin of the Trinity River in the Eastern Cross Timbers subregion in Texas. The town borders Lewisville to the east and a number of cities and towns to the north, including Highland Village, Double Oak, and Bartonville. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 43.4 sqmi. Land comprises 41.39 sqmi (95.37%) of the total area; Denton County soils include the Silawa, Nawo, Gasil series. Water comprises 2.5 sqmi (5.76%) of the total area; Grapevine Lake and Marshall Creek form much of the town's southern boundary. Flower Mound's climate is classified as humid subtropical; the city averages 233 sunny days per year and 79 days of precipitation.

The town encourages conservation development projects to protect and preserve existing open space, vistas, and natural habitats while allowing for controlled growth. Much of the town is located on the Barnett Shale, and drilling for shale gas in close proximity to residential neighborhoods has sharply divided parts of the community. In 1994, amateur fossil collector Gary Byrd discovered a fossilized example of a Hadrosaurid dinosaur among black shale rock formations in the southwest edge of the town near Grapevine Lake. The fossilized creature from the Cenomanian age was named "Protohadros byrdi" in Byrd's honor.

The Mound
Flower Mound was named for a 12.5 acre hill approximately 50 ft in height located close to the intersection of FM 3040 and FM 2499. The formation attracted the attention of early settlers to the area, and is often simply referred to as "The Mound". Part of the Texas blackland prairies, The Mound is typically covered by big bluestem, little bluestem, and Indian grasses. During blooming seasons, dozens of varieties of flowers can grow on its slopes, often aided by the water retained by gilgai formations. Though surrounded by commercial and residential development, The Mound is owned and maintained by The Mound Foundation, a non-profit private–public partnership. The group has advocated for a controlled burn on The Mound for many years, and it expressed relief when an accidental New Year's Eve fire in late 2011 spurred the growth of wildflowers for the first time in years.

Government
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. Residents elect five at-large members to the Flower Mound Town Council and one mayor. Members serve two-year terms. 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. The program's goal was to create environmentally sensitive development and to mitigate the effects of urban sprawl. 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. In 2013, the town amended the portion of the plan pertaining to public schools; the changes spurred public debate between candidates for town council.

According to the city’s 2013-2014 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the city’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.

The structure of the management and coordination of city services is:

Parks and recreation
The Town of Flower Mound operates 54 public parks and recreation facilities on 693 acre of space, nine of which (comprising 70 acre) are undeveloped as of 2012. In June 2008, the town held the grand opening for its new $13.825 million community activity center, which includes meeting rooms, a day care facility, weight lifting equipment, an outdoor pool, and a 25 x competition indoor pool. In honor of Lance Corporal Jacob Lugo, the first military serviceman from Flower Mound to die in the line of duty, the town renamed Hilltop Park to Jake's Hilltop Park in 2008.

Trail system
In 1976, in response to environmental concerns and automobile traffic congestion, Flower Mound residents proposed adding a system of recreational bike paths around the town. Initially, funding proved elusive, but by 1989 the first 1.3 mi of multi-use trails had been constructed, partly funded by a grant from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. In 2010, the town maintained 33 mi of paved hiking and bicycling paths and 2 mi of equestrian trails. Additionally, the United States Army Corps of Engineers maintains 14 mi of natural surface trails and 9 mi of equestrian trails within the town limits, most of which are located around Grapevine Lake.

Demographics
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 64,669 people and 14,269 families residing in 21,570 housing units in Flower Mound. The population density was 1,562 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 83.9% White, 3.2% African American, 0.1% Native American, 8.6% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, and 2.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.4% of the population. The average household size was 3.07 persons. According to a 2011 American Community Survey estimate, the median income for a household was $118,763, and the median income for a family was $126,336. Males had a median income of $95,284 versus $56,692 for females. The per capita income for the town was $44,042. About 2% of families and 3.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.5% of those under age 18 and 1.1% of those age 65 or over.

In 2006, author Bert Sperling named Flower Mound one of the "Best of the Best" in his book Best Places to Raise Your Family. He also named the city among the "best places for big houses on a budget". The town's population is often noted for its moderately affluent, yet relatively transient residents. Although Flower Mound has the second-highest percentage of residents making over $100,000 in the nation, Journalist Peter T. Kilborn named Flower Mound a "Reloville", a title used to describe suburban communities where management employees often relocate frequently; as of 2006, 57% of residents were born in another state or country.

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 in the town include:
 * Coram Deo Academy
 * Explorations Preparatory School (located in south Flower Mound, on the campus of Flower Mound Presbyterian Church)
 * Lewisville Christian School (located in central Flower Mound near the border with Lewisville, on the campus of Garden Ridge Church of Christ)
 * Grace Christian Academy (located in central Flower Mound, operated by Grace Baptist Church, an Independent Baptist congregation)
 * Temple Christian Academy (located in southwest Flower Mound, operated by Temple Baptist Church, an Independent Baptist congregation)

ResponsiveEd, the Lewisville-based charter school operator, operates a Founders Classical Academy in Flower Mound; the company is building a new facility in west Flower Mound at FM1171 (Cross Timbers) and Flower Mound Road.

North Central Texas College has a community college branch campus in Parker Square in Flower Mound. Midwestern State University is building a branch facility in conjunction with NCTC in the Parker Square location, which will offer masters degree programs.

Transportation
At the western edge of the town, U.S. Route 377 extends north–south parallel to Interstate 35W towards Denton and Dallas. Two major thoroughfares in Flower Mound are farm-to-market roads: FM 1171, known in Flower Mound as Cross Timbers Road, runs east–west across the entire town towards Interstate 35E to the east and Interstate 35W to the west. FM 2499 (Long Prairie) runs north–south and furnishes access to State Highway 121 and Interstate 635, north of DFW Airport.

In June 2012, the Flower Mound Town Council approved a plan to develop and regulate a series of bike lanes around the town.

In 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 50,000.

Economy
Due to the town's proximity to DFW Airport and major highways, a number of businesses have recently moved some local operations to the town, including Best Buy and Stryker Communications. Lewisville Independent School District is the largest employer in the town, employing 1,647 (4.8% of the town's total employment). The Town of Flower Mound employs 455. Between 2000 and 2009, the city experienced job growth of 26.53%.

The town recognizes two major areas of current economic development: the Lakeside Business District and the Denton Creek District. The 265 acre Lakeside Business District includes land zoned for various commercial and residential uses at the southern edge of town near Grapevine Lake. The project filed for bankruptcy in 2010, but in February 2012, Realty Capital unveiled a $1 billion plan for a mixed-use development project in the district. The town council voted to approve the project in November 2012, and development of the 150 acre project is scheduled in six phases. Construction on the first phase, which includes 45000 sqft of commercial space, 170 loft apartments, and 170 home lots, began in April 2013. In 2006, the town began to consider mixed-use development plans for the 1500 acre Denton Creek District at the western edge of the town. In 2010, the town began to provide infrastructural support to the area. Additionally, developers broke ground on a 158 acre mixed-use riverwalk project in August 2013. Residents are scheduled to vote on whether to approve public funding for the district for the 2013 general election.

Top employers
According to Flower Mound’s 2014 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

People from Flower Mound
Famous and influential residents and people from Flower Mound include:
 * Kennedy Baker
 * Hockey player Chris Brown
 * Colleen Clinkenbeard
 * James Hanna
 * Politician Tom Hayden
 * Sarah Huffman
 * Brandon Jefferson
 * Emma Malabuyo
 * Jane Nelson
 * Ryan Pace
 * Rod Pampling
 * Tan Parker
 * Dennis and Darlene Pendery, founders of Magnablend and influential conservative political donors
 * Quarterback Chris Sanders
 * Brighton Sharbino
 * Marcus Smart
 * Paul Stankowski
 * Nick Stephens
 * Colby Bond