Denton is the county seat of Denton County, Texas in the United States. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, the city population was 80,537, making it the eleventh largest city in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. In July 2006, however, the United States Census Bureau estimated Denton’s population as 109,561. The same estimate names Denton as the nation’s ninth fastest-growing city among those over 100,000 people.Denton is home to two state universities, the University of North Texas, the largest university in North Texas and the fourth largest in Texas, and Texas Woman’s University, the largest state-supported university for women in the United States.
Both the city and county were named after John B. Denton, a pioneer, preacher, lawyer and Texas Militia Captain. Residents of Denton are known as “Dentonites” and the city has been known as the “Redbud Capital of Texas” since 1993. In 2006, Money magazine named Denton no. 58 out of the “Top 100 Best Places to Live in America.”
Denton was founded in 1857 because of the need for a county seat. Denton, as well as Denton County, was named after John B. Denton, a prominent Methodist lawyer and Indian fighter. The city was ultimately incorporated in 1866, when J.B. Sawyer was elected the first mayor.
