Cedar Hill, Texas

Cedar Hill, Texas
City
Cedar Hill water tower
Nickname(s): The Hill Country of Dallas County
Location of Cedar Hill in Dallas County, Texas
Coordinates: 32°35′18″N 96°56′50″W / 32.58833°N 96.94722°W / 32.58833; -96.94722Coordinates: 32°35′18″N 96°56′50″W / 32.58833°N 96.94722°W / 32.58833; -96.94722
Country	United States
State	Texas
Counties	Dallas, Ellis City Type: City
Government
• Type	Council-Manager
• City Council	Mayor Rob Franke Daniel C. Haydin Jr. Stephen Mason Chris Parvin Clifford R. Shaw Jami McCain Wallace Swayze
• City Manager	Greg Porter
Area
• Total	35.9 sq mi (93.0 km2)
• Land	35.8 sq mi (92.8 km2)
• Water	0.08 sq mi (0.2 km2)  0.26%
Elevation	830 ft (253 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	45,028
• Density	1,300/sq mi (480/km2)
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP codes	75104, 75106
Area code(s)	972
FIPS code	48-13492[1]
GNIS feature ID	1332440[2]
Website	ci.CedarHill.TX.US

Cedar Hill is a city in Dallas and Ellis counties in the U.S. state of Texas. It is located approximately 16 miles (26 km) southwest of downtown Dallas and is situated along the eastern shore of Joe Pool Lake and Cedar Hill State Park. The population was 45,028 at the 2010 census.^[3]

Cedar Hill is a suburb of Dallas and is part of the Best Southwest area, which includes the nearby cities of DeSoto, Duncanville, and Lancaster.

Early in its history, Cedar Hill lay along a branch of the Chisholm Trail and served as the temporary county seat of Dallas County. In 1856, a tornado swept through the town killing nine people and destroying most of its buildings. The seat of the county was moved to Dallas not long after.

Geography

Cedar Hill is located at 32°35′18″N 96°56′50″W / 32.58833°N 96.94722°W / 32.58833; -96.94722 (32.588454, -96.947325).^[4] Adjacent cities are Grand Prairie to the southwest, west, and northwest; Dallas to the north; Duncanville to the north and northeast; DeSoto to the northeast and east; Glenn Heights and Ovilla to the southeast; and Midlothian to the south. Most of the city of Cedar Hill is in Dallas County, but a small southern section of the city spills over into Ellis County.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 35.9 square miles (93.0 km²), of which 35.8 square miles (92.8 km²) is land and 0.08 square miles (0.2 km²), or 0.26%, is water.^[5]

It is sometimes referred to as the "hill country of Dallas" (in comparison to the "hill country" surrounding Austin and San Antonio). The city is full of native eastern red cedar evergreen trees and stands at an elevation of about 800 feet (240 m) above sea level—the highest point in a straight line from the Red River at the Texas-Oklahoma border to the Gulf Coast.

Because of its elevation many local radio and TV stations have their antennas located there. Pulse-Doppler weather radar equipment for tracking tornadoes are also attached to these steel antennas that reach several thousand feet into the air and whose blinking lights appear like Christmas trees at night.

Antenna grouping in Cedar Hill

The "Austin chalk" limestone uplift on which most of Cedar Hill is spread is covered with "gumbo"-cleche-clay topsoil from a few inches to many feet. The western edge of the city, primarily the Lake Ridge neighborhood, falls below the limestone uplift on the Eagle Ford shale strata surrounding Joe Pool Lake. Home foundation problems—similar to those in Irving's Las Colinas neighborhood to the north and built on the same strata—await those who fail to take precautions in building on expansive soil lying over the Eagle Ford formation. As noted in the demographics below (and like some of the cities immediately surrounding it such as Duncanville and DeSoto), the city is significantly diverse compared to other cities around Dallas which tend to be predominantly of one ethnic origin or another. In the last few years, the city has been booming with new construction as urban sprawl spreads south of Dallas.

Demographics

Joe Pool Lake from the east shore

In 2010 Cedar Hill had a population of 45,028. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 25.8% non-Hispanic white, 51.4% non-Hispanic black, 0.5% Hispanic black, 0.5% native American, 2.0% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.1% from some other race, 2.8% reporting two or more races and 18.7% Hispanic or Latino.^[8]

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 32,093 people, 10,748 households, and 8,738 families residing in the city. The population density was 913.0 people per square mile (352.5/km²). There were 11,075 housing units at an average density of 315.1 per square mile (121.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 56.67% White, 33.61% African American, 0.50% Native American, 1.98% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 4.87% from other races, and 2.32% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.91% of the population.

Demographics in southwest Dallas County have changed substantially since the late 1990s. The demographics of Cedar Hill's most affluent neighborhood, Lake Ridge (a master planned community), has changed in step with the city as a whole.

As of 2000 there were 10,748 households out of which 49.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.8% were married couples living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.7% were non-families. 15.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.96 and the average family size was 3.30.

In the city the population at the 2000 census was spread out with 32.6% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 35.8% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 4.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.8 males.

The median income as of the 2000 census for a household in the city was $60,136, and the median income for a family was $63,416. Males had a median income of $41,360 versus $32,207 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,389. About 4.2% of families and 5.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.7% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The Cedar Hill Government Center, which houses the district offices

Cedar Hill High School

Most of the city is served by the Cedar Hill Independent School District. Some of it is served by Duncanville Independent School District and the Midlothian Independent School District.

The Cedar Hill ISD portion is served by Cedar Hill High School. The Duncanville ISD portion is served by Duncanville High School. The Midlothian ISD portion is served by Midlothian High School.

Life School, a public charter school, operates the K-4 Cedar Hill campus.^[9]

Trinity Christian School – Cedar Hill (affiliated with a local Assemblies of God church) also serves the area.

On December 23, 2006, the 16-0 Cedar Hill High School Longhorn football team won its first state championship, defeating Cypress Falls 51-17 at the Alamodome in San Antonio. William Cole, who would eventually sign with Oklahoma State, was the star of the game, rushing for nearly 300 yards (270 m) and 3 touchdowns. Cole earned the Offensive MVP honors, and linebacker Chris Francis brought home the Defensive MVP award.

On December 21, 2013, the football team won its second state title, defeating Katy High School 34-24 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.^[10]

On December 20, 2014, the football team won its third state title, defeating Katy High School 23-20 for Back2Back victories at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. It was the 3rd consecutive season for Cedar Hill (14-2), ranked No. 17, and Katy (14-2)ranked No. 21, to meet in the title game. Trailing 13-2 at the half, Cedar Hill drove 68 yards in 11 plays on its first possession of the 3rd quarter. Justin Mcmillan, an LSU pledge, connected with Lodge on a 26-yard touchdown throw, then went to Darris Harper on a 2-point conversion to cut the Tigers' lead to 13-10. The Katy response, a drive to the Cedar Hill 15, ended in a fumble that Longhorns defensive back D'Aundrey Bradley II recovered. Lodge, the game's offensive MVP with four catches for 101 yards, walked the chalkline to stay inbounds on a 61-yard pass and run for a 17-13 Cedar Hill lead. Katy's Hunter Sury returned the following kickoff 65 yards to set up the second of two touchdown runs for Rodney Anderson, allowing Katy start the fourth quarter with a 20-17 lead. The Longhorns grinded out a 39-yard, 11-play possession, leading to Ralph's 44-yard field goal that made it 20-20 with 8:25 remaining. With the score still tied and 3:44 remaining, Katy moved from its 25 to the Cedar Hill 49, but a holding penalty forced a punt. With the score tied 20 all and 1:42 on the clock, Cedar Hill started from its 20-yard line. The Longhorns called on sophomore Avery Davis on first down who rolled right and appeared to be hemmed in by a line of Katy defenders. But he darted left through containment and found himself in the open as he darted across the field before being forced out of bounds by Joshua Blair at the Katy 28. Davis, a reserve quarterback, weaved his way on that 52-yard run to set up Brooks Ralph's winning 25-yard field goal with two seconds remaining in Cedar Hill's 23-20 victory over Katy in the Class 6A Division II state title game before 46,289 Saturday evening at AT&T Stadium.

Northwood University is a 4-year post-secondary institution. The school is private and is nestled in the hills and woods on the east side of Joe Pool Lake.

Economic development

Since 2000, the city has added several retail outlets. The opening of The Plaza at Cedar Hill, in the fall of 2000, began the growth. This 260,000 sq ft (24,000 m²) retail center included a variety of large and small stores, including Pier 1 Imports, Macaroni Grill, David's Seafood, Chili's, Hobby Lobby and OfficeMax. Sprouts Farmers Market opened a new store in October 2009.

Later that year, The Cedar Hill Crossing was built. The retail area includes anchors Home Depot, Kohl's and Staples. A few years later, in 2003, Cedar Village, 70-acre (280,000 m²), was built to include linking a new city hall and historic Main Street district to retail, residential, office and entertainment developments. The Village includes retail frontage along US Hwy 67, restaurants, office space, a stand-alone 100,000 sq ft (9,300 m²) J. C. Penney, and an Ultimate Electronics, which was later changed to a 24 Hour Fitness.

The Pleasant Run Towne Crossing was built in 2003 with 409,000 sq ft (38,000 m²) of retail including anchors like SuperTarget, Sports Authority, and Bed Bath & Beyond. Restaurants nearby include Joe's Crab Shack, Saltgrass Steak House and Panera Bread. A couple of years later, Cedar Hill Pointe was built, which opened in 2005, with Best Buy, Rooms to Go Beds, Wolf Camera and other retail stores.

Cedar Hill is home of the Boxcar Club, a restaurant and bar that is partially constructed from an old railroad box car. The club hosts many charitable events and has annual crawfish boils and pig roasts. The club is the starting point for the annual "Dicky Bob's Frog Run", which had over 200 participants in 2007.

Hillside Village (formerly Uptown Village at Cedar Hill), Cedar Hill's upscale lifestyle center, opened in March 2008. The 615,000-square-foot (57,100 m²) lifestyle shopping center includes three anchor stores (Dillard's, Barnes & Noble, and Dick's Sporting Goods), 65 additional stores, and numerous restaurants. Some of the stores include Hollister Co., American Eagle Outfitters, Coldwater Creek, Old Navy, Victoria's Secret, Aéropostale, Finish Line, Foot Locker, Champs Sports, Rue21, Charming Charlie, and GameStop. Some of the restaurants include Matt's Rancho Martinez, Avocado California Roll & Sushi, Black-Eyed Pea, and Which Wich?. Uptown Village is bounded by Highway 67 to the east, FM 1382 on the south, Pleasant Run Road on the north, and Cedar Hill Road on the west.

The Uptown Village development was awarded the 2006 Best Real Estate Deal in Retail/Hospitality by Dallas Business Journal.

Uptown Village has since experienced troubles in lack of business planning and over speculating. Restaurants that have also closed or moved to other suburbs include Matt’s Rancho Martinez, Italia Express, éclair bistro and the Bakery on a Hill. At 85 percent, Uptown Village’s occupancy rate is below both national and local averages.^[11] As part of the new management's rebranding process and $38.3 million renovation of the property, Uptown Village was renamed Hillside Village in the spring of 2015. The new name and corresponding new brand were selected to reflect the garden-like look and feel planned in the multi-million dollar property renovation as well as paying homage to the community in which it lies.^[12][13]

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Cedar Hill has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.^[14]

References

External links

• City of Cedar Hill official website
• Cedar Hill Chamber of Commerce
• Cedar Hill Economic Development Corporation
• Cedar Hill Independent School District
• Cedar Hill ISD Education Foundation
• Uptown Village
• Handbook of Texas Online article about Cedar Hill
• Cedar Hill State Park
• Joe Pool Lake
• Historical documents of the antenna farm

Municipalities and communities of Dallas County, Texas, United States County seat: Dallas‡ Cities Balch Springs Carrollton‡ Cedar Hill‡ Cockrell Hill Combine‡ Coppell‡ Dallas‡ DeSoto Duncanville Farmers Branch Ferris‡ Garland‡ Glenn Heights‡ Grand Prairie‡ Grapevine‡ Hutchins Irving Lancaster Lewisville‡ Mesquite‡ Ovilla‡ Richardson‡ Rowlett‡ Sachse‡ Seagoville‡ University Park Wilmer Wylie‡ Towns Addison Highland Park Sunnyvale Unincorporated communities Sand Branch Historical communities Alpha Buckingham Duck Creek East Dallas Embree Fruitdale Hatterville Hord's Ridge Kleberg La Reunion Liberty Grove Long Creek New Hope Oak Cliff Pleasant Grove Preston Hollow Renner Rylie Scyene Trinity Mills Tripp Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

Municipalities and communities of Ellis County, Texas, United States County seat: Waxahachie Cities Bardwell Cedar Hill‡ Ennis Ferris‡ Grand Prairie‡ Glenn Heights‡ Mansfield‡ Maypearl Midlothian Ovilla‡ Pecan Hill Red Oak Waxahachie Towns Alma Garrett Italy Milford Oak Leaf Palmer Venus‡ CDP Bristol Unincorporated communities Auburn Avalon Forreston Ike India Rankin Rockett Telico Ghost town Crisp Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties