Denton was founded in 1857 near the geographical center of Denton County, which was formed in 1846. Growth was slow until the Texas and Pacific Railway and the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway arrived in 1881. Yet, despite these connections, Denton did not develop as a commercial or manufacturing center. The town plan, focused on a courthouse square, is unusual. Shallow blocks, each one lot deep, flank the square, giving the commercial buildings street frontage at both front and rear.
Two colleges, the North Texas Normal College (DD13) and the Girls Industrial College (DD8), founded in 1890 and 1901, respectively, had a pronounced effect on Denton’s growth and character. A major factor has been its proximity to the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex, especially after the opening of the Dallas–Fort Worth International Airport (AW6), which is as close to Denton as to many parts of the Metroplex. As a virtual continuation of the northern suburbs of Fort Worth, Denton is the northernmost star in a halo of seven historic old towns that bask in the economic radiance of that city. No other comparable economic, cultural, and historical geographical symbiosis exists elsewhere in Texas.
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