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Rockwall, Texas

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City of Rockwall, Texas
City
Location of Rockwall in Rockwall County, Texas
Location of Rockwall in Rockwall County, Texas
CountryUnited StatesUnited States
StateTexasTexas
CountyRockwall
Government
 • TypeCouncil-Manager
 • City CouncilMayor David Sweet
David White
Mark Russo
Bennie Daniels
Cliff Sevier
Michelle Smith
Margo Nielsen
 • City ManagerJulie Couch
Area
 • Total
22.6 sq mi (58.7 km2)
 • Land22.3 sq mi (57.7 km2)
 • Water0.4 sq mi (1.0 km2)  1.63%
Elevation
591 ft (180 m)
Population
 (2000)
 • Total
25,976
 • Density806.9/sq mi (311.5/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP codes
75032, 75087
Area code972
FIPS code48-62828Template:GR
GNIS feature ID1345424Template:GR
Websitehttp://www.rockwall.com/

Rockwall is a city in Rockwall County, Texas, United States, and a suburb of Dallas. It is part of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. The population was 17,976 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Rockwall CountyTemplate:GR. Rockwall County is the second wealthiest county in the state of Texas in terms of median income. The majority of its residents enjoy a relatively high standard of living. The name Rockwall is derived from a naturally jointed geological formation, which has the appearance of an artificial wall.

History

The area of Rockwall was originally occupied by Caddo Indians. Creek Indians moved to the area in early 19th century. The origin of Rockwall also is related to the selection of its name. In 1851, as the first Anglo-American settlers moved to the area, they started to dig wells. During the digging, they found large underground rock walls that were initially believed to be manmade. Later study of the wall-like features by geologists and archaeologists found them to be jointed, natural sandstone dikes that had intruded Cretaceous marl.[1][2] The town was established April 17, 1854 and named after these natural rock walls. While originally part of Kaufman County, in 1873, Rockwall County was formed with Rockwall being the county seat. The current mayor is David Sweet.

Geography

Rockwall is located at 32°55′12″N 96°27′35″W / 32.92000°N 96.45972°W / 32.92000; -96.45972Invalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (32.920014, -96.459715)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 22.6 square miles (58.7 km²), of which, 22.3 square miles (57.7 km²) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (1.0 km²) of it (1.63%) is water.

Rockwall is on the east shore of Lake Ray Hubbard. It is on State Highways 205 & 740, north of Interstate 30.

The highest point in Rockwall is at 591 ft. at the First Baptist Church.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 17,976 people, 6,605 households, and 5,158 families residing in the city. The population density was 806.9 people per square mile (311.5/km²). There were 7,089 housing units at an average density of 318.2 per square mile (122.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.35% White, 3.00% African American, 0.38% Native American, 1.39% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 2.57% from other races, and 1.28% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.44% of the population.

There were 6,605 households out of which 39.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.8% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.9% were non-families. 18.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.5% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 9.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 95.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $65,411, and the median income for a family was $75,121. Males had a median income of $55,370 versus $35,139 for females. The per capita income for the city was $29,843. About 3.2% of families and 3.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.6% of those under age 18 and 3.0% of those age 65 or over.

Though Rockwall County is the smallest county in Texas, it is also one of the top five fastest growing counties in the United States. As of the 2006 census by the North Texas Central Council of Governments, the city had a population of 29,500. In 2006, Rockwall County was the fastest growing county in the United States by population.

Economy

According to the City's 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, :[3] the top employers in the city are:

# Employer # of Employees
1 Rockwall Independent School District 1,667
2 Texas Star Express 484
3 Wal-Mart Superstore 450
4 Presbyterian Hospital 419
5 Rockwall County 253
6 City of Rockwall 256
7 Special Products 205
8 Target Corporation 200
9 Rockwall Nursing Home 160
10 Kohl's Department Store 140

Government

Local government

According to the city’s most recent Comprehensive Annual Financial Report Fund Financial Statements, the city’s various funds had $36.6 million in Revenues, $57.2 million in expenditures, $32.3 million in total assets, $3.6 million in total liabilities, and $25.5 million in investments. [4]

The structure of the management and coordination of city services is:[5]

Department Director
City Manager Julie Couch
Assistant City Manager Rick Crowley
Director of Finance Mary Smith,
Director of Administrative Services Chery I Dunlop
Chief of Police Mark Moeller
Fire Chief Mark Poindexter
Director of Community Development Robert LaCroix
City Engineer/Director of Public Works Chuck Todd
Director of Building Inspections & Code Enforcement Jeffrey Widmer
Director of Parks, Recreation and Rights-of-Way Brad Griggs

State government

Rockwall is represented in the Texas Senate by Republican Bob Deuell, District 2, and in the Texas House of Representatives by Republican Jodie Anne Laubenberg, District 89.

Federal government

At the Federal level, the two U.S. Senators from Texas are Republicans John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchison; Rockwall is part of Texas' US Congressional 4th District, which is currently represented by Republican Ralph M. Hall.

Education

Public Schools

The city is served by the Rockwall Independent School District. There are two high schools in Rockwall. The older is Rockwall High School and the newer is Rockwall-Heath High School built in 2005.

Higher Education

The city is home to the Higher Education Center at Rockwall, which is part of the community college district, Collin College. The campus is the District's first campus outside of Collin County itself. Texas A&M University-Commerce holds classes at the Center.

Transportation

Rockwall is served by the following highways that run through the city:

Ralph M. Hall Rockwall Airport serves general aviation flights.

Sports

Rockwall offers many different sports complexes as well as activities. For example, Lake Ray Hubbard has several boating marinas and is used for jet skiing.

Rockwall also offers 22 different Golf Courses [1] within 17 miles of the center of Rockwall.

Notable residents

References

  1. ^ Monroe, J.N., 1950, Origin of the clastic dikes in the Rockwall area, Texas. Field and Laboratory. v. 18, no. 4, pp. 133-143.
  2. ^ Ellwood, B.B., J. Payne, and G.J. Long, 1989, The Rockwall, Texas: A study of unusual natural magnetic effects in geoarcheological surveys produced by mineral oxidation. Geoarchaeology. v. 4, no. 2, pp. 103-118.
  3. ^ City of Rockwall 2009 CAFR retrieved 2010-11-17
  4. ^ City of Rockwall 2009 CAFR retrieved 2010-11-17
  5. ^ City of Rockwall 2009 CAFR retrieved 2010-11-17
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