Denton, Texas

Denton, Texas
City
Denton County Courthouse-on-the-Square
Seal
Nicknames:  Little Austin,[1] Little D,[2] Redbud Capital of Texas[3]
Location of Denton in Denton County, Texas
Denton Show map of Texas Denton Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 33°12′59″N 97°7′45″W / 33.21639°N 97.12917°W / 33.21639; -97.12917
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Denton
Incorporated	1866
Government
• Type	Council–manager
• City Council	Mayor Gerard Hudspeth Mayor Pro Tem Brian Beck (Dist 2) Vicki Byrd (Dist 1) Paul Meltzer (Dist 3) Joe Holland (Dist 4) Chris Watts (at-large) Brandon Chase McGee (at-large) [4]
• City Manager	Sara Hensley [5]
• City Attorney	Mack Reinwand[6]
Area [7]
• City	97.95 sq mi (253.70 km2)
• Land	96.35 sq mi (249.55 km2)
• Water	1.60 sq mi (4.14 km2)  1.527[9]%
Elevation [10]	659 ft (201 m)
Population  (2020)
• City	139,869
• Density	1,451.68/sq mi (560.49/km2)
• Urban	429,461 (US: 96th)[8]
• Urban density	2,853.9/sq mi (1,101.9/km2)
Demonym	Dentonian or Dentonite
Time zone	UTC−6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Zip Codes	76201–76210
Area code(s)	940, 682,817[11]
FIPS code	48-19972[12]
GNIS feature ID	2410323[10]
Website	City of Denton

Denton is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of Denton County. With a population of 139,869 as of 2020,^[12] it is the 20th-most populous city in Texas, the 177th-most populous city in the United States, and the 12th-most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex.

A Texas land grant led to the formation of Denton County in 1846, and the city was incorporated in 1866. Both were named after pioneer and Texas militia captain John B. Denton. The arrival of a railroad line in the city in 1881 spurred population, and the establishment of the University of North Texas in 1890 and Texas Woman's University in 1901 distinguished the city from neighboring regions. After the construction of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport finished in 1974, the city had more rapid growth; as of 2011, Denton was the seventh-fastest growing city with a population of over 100,000 in the country.

Located on the far north end of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex in North Texas on Interstate 35, Denton is known for its active music scene; the North Texas State Fair and Rodeo, Denton Arts and Jazz Festival, and Thin Line Fest attract over 300,000 people to the city each year. The city has hot, humid summers and few extreme weather events. Its diverse citizenry is represented by a nonpartisan city council, and numerous county and state departments have offices in the city. With over 45,000 students enrolled at the two universities within its city limits, Denton is often characterized as a college town. As a result of the universities' growth, educational services play a large role in the city's economy. Residents are served by the Denton County Transportation Authority, which provides commuter rail and bus service to the area.