Rowlett, Texas

Rowlett is a city in Dallas and Rockwall counties in the U.S. state of Texas, and a suburb of Dallas. The population was 56,199 as of the 2010 census. It is a quiet, upscale bedroom community in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, located on Lake Ray Hubbard.

History
Rowlett derives its name from Rowlett Creek, which flows into Lake Ray Hubbard and is a major tributary of the east fork of the Trinity River. The creek in turn was named for a waterway running through the property of Daniel Rowlett who moved from Kentucky to Bonham, Texas, in 1835. Daniel, who was a member of the Smoot-Rowlett political family, had no direct dealings with the town that now bears his name.

The first post office opened on April 5, 1880, and it was called "Morris" after Postmaster Austin Morris.

The town was later renamed "Rowlett". The Dallas and Greenville Railway passed through the town in 1886, connecting Dallas with Greenville, Texas, and the Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad. Shortly after its opening, the line was formally sold to the MKT.

In 1921 the town was a stop on the Bankhead Highway.

The town incorporated in 1952 when its population was 250. In the 1960s the town languished as Interstate 30 bypassed Rowlett.

The town has had a building boom since the completion of Lake Ray Hubbard in 1971 – growing to 1,600 by 1973; 10,573 by 1989; 23,260 by 1990; and 44,503 by 2000.

Rowlett gained international notoriety in 1996 when local resident Darlie Routier was convicted of murdering her children as they slept.

In 2003 the town made an unsuccessful formal proposal to get the Dallas Cowboys to move to a 1000 acre “5-Point Park” on the banks of Lake Ray Hubbard when the lease for Texas Stadium expires.

In 2013 the City Council is currently in a dispute with the Metroplex Atheists regarding their invocations.

Geography
Rowlett is located at 32.90694°N, -96.5475°W (32.907020, -96.547415).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 51.7 sqkm, of which 51.5 sqkm is land and 0.2 sqkm, or 0.34%, is water.

Demographics
As of the census of 2010, there were 56,310 people, 22,875 households, and 17,275 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,509.2 people per square mile (849.4/km²). There were 19,804 housing units at an average density of 2,509.2 per square mile (278.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 78.24% White, 9.48% African American, 0.49% Native American, 3.93% Asian, 0.20% Pacific Islander, 7.75% from other races, and 1.78% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.31% of the population.

There were 19,804 households out of which 58.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 87.23% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 13.43% were non-families. 10.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.09 and the average family size was 3.33.

In the city the population was spread out with 33.5% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 36.9% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 5.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 97.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $100,872, and the median income for a family was $88,442 (these figures had risen to $88,442 and $100,872 respectively as of a 2010 estimate ). Males had a median income of $49,394 versus $35,286 for females. The per capita income for the city was $26,144. About 2.2% of families and 3.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.3% of those under age 18 and 3.8% of those age 65 or over.

Primary and secondary schools
The Dallas County portion of Rowlett is served by the Garland Independent School District, while the Rockwall County portion is a part of the Rockwall Independent School District.

Back, Stephens, Dorsey, Giddens-Steadham, Herfurth, Keeley, Pearson, Rowlett, Cullins-Lakepoint and Liberty Grove Elementary Schools, Coyle and Schrade Middle Schools, and Rowlett High School are located within the city boundaries of Rowlett.

Garland ISD has a free choice program that allows for a student to attend any school within the district.

Rockwall ISD residents are zoned to Cullins-Lake Pointe Elementary School, Williams Middle School and Rockwall High School.

Colleges and universities
Residents in Dallas County are zoned to the Dallas County Community College District.

Residents in Rockwall County are zoned to Collin College.