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Denton County, Texas

Denton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 432,976; in 2007 the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that its population had reached 612,357. Part of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, it is one of the fastest-growing counties in the United States. The county seat is Denton. The county and the city are both named for John B. Denton, who was a preacher, lawyer, and soldier.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 958 square miles (2,481 km²), of which, 889 square miles (2,301 km²) of it is land and 69 square miles (180 km²) of it (7.24%) is water.

Denton County sits atop a portion of the Barnett Shale, a geological formation believed to contain large quantities of natural gas. The County has benefited from tax revenue related to gas drilling and production, though complaints have arisen that many of the rural roads in the area (which were never designed to handle the heavy equipment used in gas drilling) have been destroyed by drilling companies.

Major highways

Interstate 35

Adjacent counties

Cooke County (north)
Grayson County (northeast)
Collin County (east)
Dallas County (southeast)
Tarrant County (south)
Wise County (west)

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 432,976 people, 158,903 households, and 111,391 families residing in the county. The population density was 487 people per square mile (188/km²). There were 168,069 housing units at an average density of 189 per square mile (73/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 81.73% White, 5.86% Black or African American, 0.59% Native American, 4.03% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 5.56% from other races, and 2.19% from two or more races. 12.15% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 158,903 households out of which 39.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.90% were married couples living together, 8.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.90% were non-families. 22.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.18.

In the county, the population was spread out with 27.70% under the age of 18, 11.30% from 18 to 24, 37.00% from 25 to 44, 19.00% from 45 to 64, and 5.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 99.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $58,216, and the median income for a family was $69,292. Males had a median income of $45,835 versus $31,639 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,895. About 4.10% of families and 6.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.20% of those under age 18 and 7.10% of those age 65 or over.'

Denton County ranked twenty-ninth on the US Census Bureau's list of fastest growing counties between 2000 and 2007, with a 41.4% increase in population.