Flower Mound is a city in Denton and Tarrant Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 50,702, although the U.S. Census Bureau 2006 estimate was 63,526. The city derives its name from the prominent 12.5-acre mound located in the southern portion of the city which is covered by wild flowers. The most widely accepted explanation for the mound is that it was a sacred ceremonial ground of Wichita Indians in the early 1800s. Though surrounded by commercial and residential development, the mound is privately owned so as to be protected from further development.
Flower Mound has a small-town atmosphere with easy access to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. It refuses to be referred to as a “city” despite its recent growth; it bills itself as the “Town of Flower Mound” with a “Town Hall” and a “Town Council”. The town is home to the headquarters of Time Warner Cable’s South/Southwest Division (Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida) which employs over 1,400 people and provides services to over 530,000.
Native American habitation of what eventually became Denton County dates back to at least 4000 B.C., according to archaeological surveys by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. European settlement in the Flower Mound area is reported as early as the 1840s. Nineteenth-century settlers such as Andrew Morriss and David Kirkpatrick are still memorialized with street names in the city.
The town area remained sparsely populated for many decades after this initial settlement. Not until 1961 was the town incorporated to avoid annexation by the city of Irving. William Wilkerson, who became the town’s second mayor, spearheaded the incorporation effort and helped improve the town’s phone service and water supply.
As late as 1970, though, the town only numbered 1,685 residents. It was part of the United States Army’s failed “New Town” development scheme. However, the enormous expansion of Flower Mound began as part of the growth of the area north of the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.
In 1990 there were slightly over 15,000 people living in Flower Mound and its population had tripled during that decade.
During the 1990s the town’s population was growing at a rate of nearly 13% per year. Flower Mound was the nation’s 10th fastest growing community during the 1990s - growing from 15,527 to 50,702. In 2000-2002, Flower Mound was ranked 9th among the 100 fastest growing cities in United States with a population greater than 50,000. This growth has led to efforts to limit further development in the town to maintain rural characteristics and a more natural environment.
In 1999, the town adopted the SMARTgrowth (acronym representing “Strategically Managed And Responsible Town Growth”) management plan, a smart growth initiative to manage both the rate and character of development in the community. However, Flower Mound’s population continued to rise by approximately 5% per year during the 2000-2005 period. The town also encourages conservation development projects to protect and preserve existing open space, vistas and natural habitats while allowing for controlled growth. The goal is environmentally sensitive urban development and the mitigation of the ill-effects of urban sprawl. While more controlled growth can be seen in the central and western portion of Flower Mound open space is still slowly disappearing. Traffic continues to increase on the two lane roads and highways in Flower Mound and especially in Northwest Flower Mound in the new retail district on the corner of FM 2499 Long Prairie RD and FM 407 Justin RD. Critics including former mayor Lori DeLuca charge that shopping centers, grocery stores, housing developments and other projects continue to replace rural land.
D Magazine has consistently ranked Flower Mound in the Top 10 suburbs to live in Dallas-Ft. Worth. In 1995, it was ranked 6th, in 2004 was ranked 8th, in 2006 was ranked 8th.
