Irving, Texas

City of Irving
—  City  —
Aerial view of the Las Colinas Urban Center in Irving

Flag
Location of Irving in Dallas County, Texas
Coordinates:
Country United States United States
State Texas Texas
County Dallas
Incorporated (city) April 14, 1914
Government
 - Type Council-Manager
 - City Council Mayor Herbert A. Gears
Thomas D. Spink
Beth Van Duyne
Allan E. Meagher
Lewis Patrick
Rose Cannaday
Rick Stopfer
Sam Smith
Joe Philipp
 - City Manager Tommy Gonzalez
Area
 - Total 67.7 sq mi (175.3 km2)
 - Land 67.2 sq mi (174.1 km2)
 - Water 0.4 sq mi (1.1 km2)
Elevation 482 ft (147 m)
Population (population_footnotes)
 - Total 205,540 (US Census Bureau)
201,927 (North Central Texas Council of Governments)
 - Density 2,896.4/sq mi (1,118.6/km2)
Time zone CST (UTC-6)
 - Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP codes 75000-75099
Area code(s) 972
FIPS code 48-37000[1]
GNIS feature ID 1338507[2]
Website http://ci.irving.tx.us
Streetscape along Las Colinas Boulevard in North Irving

Irving (pronounced 'er-ving') is a city located in the U.S. state of Texas within Dallas County. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, the city population was 191,615; the 2006 estimate was 201,927 according to the North Central Texas Council of Governments, and 196,084 according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Irving is within the Dallas–Plano–Irving metropolitan division of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan area, designated by the U.S. Census Bureau and colloquially referred to as the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.

Irving contains the Las Colinas area, which was one of the first master-planned developments in the United States and once the largest mixed-use development in the Southwest with a land area of more than 12,000 acres (49 km²). Las Colinas includes the Mustangs at Las Colinas, which is the largest equestrian sculpture in the world. A 40-acre (160,000 m2) tract in Las Colinas is also under development to become the site of the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas, which is expected to be completed in November 2010.

The Dallas Cowboys played at the now-demolished[3] Texas Stadium in Irving from 1971 to 2008. The city plans to build an extensive mixed-use project[4] that spans State Highway 114 on the site. The lead developer is Forest City Enterprises, which is rehabilitating the old Mercantile complex in downtown Dallas into a Rockefeller Center-style mixed-use project.

Part of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, which serves the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth, is inside the city limits of Irving.

Contents

History

Irving was founded in 1903 by J.O. "Otto" Schulze and Otis Brown. It is believed that literary author Washington Irving was a favorite of Netta Barcus Brown, and consequently the name of the townsite, Irving, was chosen. Irving originally began in 1889 as an area called Gorbit, and in 1894 the name changed to Kit. Irving was incorporated April 14, 1914, with Otis Brown as the first mayor.

By the late nineteenth century the Irving area was the site of churches, two cotton gins, a blacksmith shop and a general store. The Irving district public school system dates back to the 1909 establishment of Kit and Lively schools. Population growth was slow and sometimes halting, with only 357 residents in 1925, but a significant increase began in the 1930s.

By the early 1960s the city had a population of approximately 45,000. A number of manufacturing plants operated in Irving, along with transportation, retail and financial businesses. The University of Dallas in Irving opened in 1956, and Texas Stadium was completed in 1971 as the home field of the Dallas Cowboys.

Texas Stadium, the now-demolished former home of the Dallas Cowboys in Irving.

Delta Air Lines Flight 191 crashed in Irving on August 2, 1985.

Irving's population reached 155,037 in 1990 and is currently (2006) estimated at 201,927. Former Irving City Council member Mayor Herbert Gears was elected to a three-year term in June, 2005 and re-elected in May, 2008 defeating Roland Jeter and Rigo Reza.

Joseph Rice recorded the history of Irving in his 1989 book, Irving: A Texas Odyssey (Northridge, California: Windsor Publications ISBN 978-0897813006). Rice explored Irving's past and culture in his treatment of the city.

Geography

Irving is located at (32.847128, -96.966255).[5]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 67.7 square miles (175.3 km²), of which, 67.2 square miles (174.1 km²) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (1.1 km²) of it (0.65%) is water.

Irving, Texas
Climate chart ()
J F M A M J J A S O N D
 
 
1.9
 
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2.3
 
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3.1
 
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3.5
 
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5.3
 
84
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3.9
 
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2.7
 
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4.7
 
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2.6
 
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2.5
 
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39
average max. and min. temperatures in °F
precipitation totals in inches
source: Weather.com / NWS

Climate

Irving is considered to be part of the humid subtropical region.

Demographics

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 191,615 people, 76,241 households, and 46,202 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,850.2 people per square mile (1,100.4/km²). There were 80,293 housing units at an average density of 1,194.3/sq mi (461.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 64.2% White, 10.2% African American, 0.7% Native American, 8.24% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 13.4% from other races, and 3.20% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 31.2% of the population.

There were 76,241 households out of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.1% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.4% were non-families. 31.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.19.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.2% under the age of 18, 11.9% from 18 to 24, 39.4% from 25 to 44, 17.4% from 45 to 64, and 6.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 104.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $44,956, and the median income for a family was $50,172. Males had a median income of $35,852 versus $30,420 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,419. About 8.0% of families and 10.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.2% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.

In 1980 Irving was 93% non-Hispanic white. In 2009, by contrast, Hispanics were more numerous than non-Hispanic whites.[6]

Government and infrastructure

Prior to the November 2008 elections, Irving banned the sale of alcoholic beverages in stores, making it the largest in population dry suburb in North Texas. In 2004 the pro-alcohol measure failed with 63% of voters opposing the measure. In 2006, 52% voted against the measure. On the third attempt, voters voted in favor of the measure in 2008.[7] People in favor of changing Irving's liquor laws saw the interest in the 2008 United States Presidential Election as a catalyst for changing the laws in their favor.[8]

As of 2009 Irving has a city council that is entirely at-large. While Irving has a large population of racial minorities, the entire city council and the mayor's office, as of 2009, is entirely non-Hispanic White. Manny Benavidez, a resident of Irving, filed a lawsuit against the city in federal court in November 2007, saying that the voting system was not in compliance with the 1965 Voting Rights Act. On July 15, 2009, a federal judge ruled that Irving is required to create a new electoral system so that racial minority representatives may be voted into office.[6]

According to the city’s most recent Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the city’s various funds had $344.9 million in Revenues, $301.4 million in expenditures, $1,222 million in total assets, $490 million in total liabilities, and $339.9 million in cash and investments.[9]

The structure of the management and coordination of city services is:[10]

City Department Director
City Manager Tommy Gonzalez
Animal Services Fred Sanderson
Chief Financial Officer Max Duplant, CPA
City Attorney Charles Anderson
City Secretary Janice Carroll
Code Enforcement Guy Henry
Community Services Paul Gooch
Corporate Communications Laurie Kunke
Engineering Mike Walters
Facility Development Director Casey Tate
Fire Chief Mario Molina
Housing and Human Services Vivian Ballou
Information Technology Hong Sae
Intergovernmental Services Ramiro Lopez
Irving Arts Board Richard Huff
Irving Convention and Visitors Bureau Maura Gast
Library Chris Michalski
Management Operations Director Teresa Adrian
Municipal Court David Galvan
Parks and Recreation Chris Michalski
Police Chief Larry Boyd
Planning and Inspections Gary Miller
Public Works Jim Cline
Real Estate and Development Brenda McDonald
Solid Waste Services Brenda Haney
Strategic Innovations Lynda Johnson
Strategic Resources Nancy Bartlett
Transportation Jim Driscoll
Water Utilities Todd Reck

Federal representation

The United States Postal Service operates post offices in Irving. The Irving Main Post Office is located at 2701 West Irving Boulevard.[11]

Other post offices in the city include Downtown Irving,[12] Carl Range,[13] Central Irving,[14] Las Colinas,[15] and Valley Ranch.[16]

Economy

According to the City's 2008 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[17] the top employers in the city are:

# Employer # of Employees
1 Verizon 6,500
2 Citigroup, Inc. 6,430
3 Citigroup Credit Company 3,795
4 Nokia 2,500
5 Central Freight Lines 2,000
6 Abbott Laboratories 1,500
7 Aegis Communications 1,500
8 Baylor Medical Center 1,500
9 First Horizon Home Loans 1,500
10 Accenture, LLP 1,400

Several large businesses have headquarters in Irving, including Chuck E. Cheese's,[18] Commercial Metals, ExxonMobil,[19] Gruma, Kimberly-Clark,[17] La Quinta Inns and Suites,[20] Michaels Stores,[17] Omni Hotels,[21] Southern Star Concrete, Inc., Xero Hour, Zale Corporation,[17] Fluor Corporation,[17] NCH Corporation,, Schnee-Morehead Inc , and LXI Enterprise Storage.. Freedom Airlines, a regional airline and Mesa Air Group subsidiary, is headquartered in Irving.[22] The city is also home to the national headquarters of the Boy Scouts of America.[23]

Subsidiaries of foreign companies

Mexicana de Aviación operates an office in Suite 200 at 5215 North O'Connor Boulevard.[24] China Airlines operates the Dallas Mini Office in Suite 205 at 4425 West Airport Freeway.[25]

The headquarters of Nokia America[17] and NEC America[17] are located in Irving.

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Public schools

Most of Irving is served by the Irving Independent School District (IISD). Other portions are served by the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District (CFBISD), and Coppell Independent School District (CISD).[26]

The major high schools serving the Irving area are:

The North Hills Preparatory, an Uplift Education public charter school, is also located in Irving.

Winfree Academy Public Charter School is also located in Irving.

Private schools

Irving is home to Cistercian Preparatory School, a university-preparatory school for boys, grades 5 through 12. It is considered one of the best private schools in the state. Irving is also home to The Highlands School, a university-preparatory school for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. Two Catholic Pre-K through 8th grade schools, St. Luke's, StoneGate Christian Academy, North Hills Prep and Holy Family of Nazareth, are also located in Irving. Irving also is home to the Islamic School of Irving (ISI)(Pre-K to 12)

Colleges and universities

The city is the site of the University of Dallas and North Lake College, a campus of the Dallas County Community College District. Both University of Phoenix and DeVry University have a campus in Irving, as well.

Sports

Irving was the home of Texas Stadium, the former home stadium of the Dallas Cowboys. The stadium was demolished on April 11, 2010. Irving Independent School District (IISD) high schools play football and other sports at Irving Schools Stadium. Irving sponsors a citywide high-school age ice hockey team, the Irving Wolfpack of the D/FW Junior Varsity GOLD league. Also, in the spring, the Four Seasons Resort in Las Colinas hosts the HP Byron Nelson Championship, an annual PGA Tour event.

Transportation

Irving is traversed by numerous highways. The Airport Freeway, SH 183, runs east-west in the center of the city, while LBJ Freeway or I-635 crosses the northern edge of the city in the same direction. John Carpenter Freeway, SH 114, and the President George Bush Turnpike create an X running northwest-to-southeast and southwest-to-northeast respectively. The Las Colinas area is centered near the intersection of 114 and the Bush turnpike.

Irving is one of 13 member-cities of the Dallas region's transit agency, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART). Currently, Irving is served by numerous bus routes and has two stops along the Trinity Railway Express route. In addition, DART is constructing the Orange Line through Irving and Las Colinas to DFW Airport. This will connect northern Irving with Dallas through rail in addition to existing bus routes.

The Las Colinas Urban Center is served by the Las Colinas APT System, a people mover connecting businesses and entertainment areas.

Notable current and former residents

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  2. ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  3. ↑ "Texas Stadium leveled in successful implosion". Associated Press. April 11, 2010.
  4. ↑ http://www.ci.irving.tx.us/news/querystring.asp?aNewsID=440
  5. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Mann, Dave. "White Man’s Burden." Texas Observer. August 21, 2009. Retrieved on August 25, 2009.
  7. ↑ Formby, Brandon. "Irving goes wet - narrowly." The Dallas Morning News. Wednesday November 5, 2008. Retrieved on November 28, 2008.
  8. ↑ Kesmodel, David. "Irving, Texas, Alcohol Ban Faces Nov. 4 Challenge." The Wall Street Journal. November 2, 2008. Retrieved on November 28, 2008.
  9. ↑ City of Irving CAFR Retrieved 2009-07-20
  10. ↑ City of Irving Retrieved 2009-07-20
  11. ↑ "Post Office Location - IRVING MAIN OFFICE." United States Postal Service. Retrieved on May 6, 2009.
  12. ↑ "Post Office Location - DOWNTOWN IRVING." United States Postal Service. Retrieved on May 6, 2009.
  13. ↑ "Post Office Location - CARL RANGE." United States Postal Service. Retrieved on May 6, 2009.
  14. ↑ "Post Office Location - CENTRAL IRVING." United States Postal Service. Retrieved on May 6, 2009.
  15. ↑ "Post Office Location - LAS COLINAS." United States Postal Service. Retrieved on May 6, 2009.
  16. ↑ "Post Office Location - VALLEY RANCH." United States Postal Service. Retrieved on November 26, 2009.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 17.5 17.6 City of Irving Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the Fiscal Year Ending September 30, 2008 Retrieved 2009-07-20
  18. ↑ "Investor Information" (PHP). Chuck E. Cheese's Official Site. CEC Entertainment, Inc. http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=72589&p=irol-irhome. Retrieved 2009-03-03. 
  19. ↑ "Contact us - business headquarters." ExxonMobil. Retrieved on January 26, 2009.
  20. ↑ "Fact Sheet." La Quinta Inns & Suites. Retrieved on March 24, 2010.
  21. ↑ "We'd Love to Hear From You." Omni Hotels. Retrieved on February 9, 2009.
  22. ↑ "Certlist.htm." United States Department of Transportation. Retrieved on August 11, 2009.
  23. ↑ "Terms and Conditions." Boy Scouts of America. Retrieved on November 26, 2009.
  24. ↑ "USA/Canada Offices." Mexicana de Aviación. Retrieved on January 28, 2009.
  25. ↑ "Branch Offices North America." China Airlines. Retrieved on January 25, 2009.
  26. ↑ "City & State Links." City of Irving.
  27. ↑ ZZ Top has deep Dallas roots, Dallas Morning News, July 28, 2008
  28. ↑ http://www.filmreference.com/film/31/Jim-Beaver.html
  29. ↑ http://www.mahalo.com/Peter_MacNicol
  30. ↑ Hill, Gladwyn. "Evidence Against Oswald Described as Conclusive; Dallas Police Describe the Evidence Against Oswald as Enough to 'Clinch' the Case OFFICIAL EXPECTS NEW INFORMATION But Prosecutor Is Confident of Data for a Conviction-- Suspect Still Questioned Reports Photographs Had Rifle in Garage Wants to Talk Questioning Resumed." The New York Times. Sunday November 24, 1963. Retrieved on February 13, 2009.
  31. ↑ http://www.cityofirving.org/news-articles/03-16-07.html
  32. ↑ http://www.brian-bosworth.biographyinfo.org/
  33. ↑ http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=woodke02
  34. ↑ http://www.akinayodele.net/biography.php
  35. ↑ http://www.usatoday.com/graphics/sports/gra/hshistory/1999.htm
  36. ↑ http://www.houstontexans.com/team/player.asp?player_id=27
  37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 http://www.irvingisd.net/nimitzsports/facilities/
  38. ↑ http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=5879536
  39. ↑ J.R.'s Latest Q&A, http://www.jrsbarbq.com/, August 29, 2008
  40. ↑ http://trackfield.teamusa.org/athlete/athlete/302
  41. ↑ El Paso Music Scene, June 28, 2005, http://www.elpasomusicscene.com/interviews/david-garza.html
  42. ↑ A Trip to Zany 'Boo', Backstage, July 21, 2008
  43. ↑ http://www.geocities.com/minorshogs/bios/lesstories.html
  44. ↑ ""Gwyn Shea"". cemetery.state.tx.us. http://www.cemetery.state.tx.us/pub/user_form.asp?step=1&pers_id=7184. Retrieved October 12, 2009. 

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