Denison is a city in Grayson County,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, United States. It is south of the Texas–Oklahoma border. The population was 22,682 at the 2010 census. Denison is part of the

Texoma Texoma is an interstate region in the United States, split between Oklahoma and Texas. The name is a portmanteau of Texas and Oklahoma. Businesses use the term in their names to describe their intended service area. This includes 8 counties with ...

region and is one of two principal cities in the Sherman–Denison Metropolitan Statistical Area. Denison is the birthplace of US President

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

History

Denison was founded in 1872 in conjunction with the

Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad The Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railway was a Class I railroad company in the United States, with its last headquarters in Dallas, Texas. Established in 1865 under the name Union Pacific Railway, Southern Branch, it came to serve an extensive ra ...

(MKT) or "Katy"

depot Depot ( or ) may refer to: Places * Depot, Poland, a village * Depot Island, Kemp Land, Antarctica * Depot Island, Victoria Land, Antarctica * Depot Island Formation, Greenland Brands and enterprises * Maxwell Street Depot, a restaurant in ...

. It was named after the wealthy Katy vice president George Denison. Because the town was established close to where the MKT crossed the Red River (both important conduits of transportation in the industrial era), it came to be an important commercial center in the 19th century American West. In 1875,

Doc Holliday John Henry Holliday (August 14, 1851 – November 8, 1887), better known as Doc Holliday, was an American gambler, gunfighter, and dentist. A close friend and associate of lawman Wyatt Earp, Holliday is best known for his role in the event ...

had offices in Denison. Rusk Avenue looking north, Denison, Texas

During the

phylloxera Grape phylloxera is an insect pest of commercial grapevines worldwide, originally native to eastern North America. Grape phylloxera (''Daktulosphaira vitifoliae'' (Fitch 1855) belong to the family Phylloxeridae, within the order Hemiptera, bugs ...

epidemic of the mid-19th century, which destroyed the vast majority of

wine grapes This list of grape varieties includes cultivated grapes, whether used for wine, or eating as a table grape, fresh or dried (raisin, currant, sultana). For a complete list of all grape species including those unimportant to agriculture, see Vit ...

in Europe, Denison

horticulturalist Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...

T.V. Munson pioneered methods in creating phylloxera-resistant vines, and earned induction into the

French Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon B ...

, as well as

sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inter ...

status for Denison and

Cognac, France Cognac (; Saintongese: ''Cougnat''; oc, Conhac ) is a commune in the Charente department, southwestern France. Administratively, the commune of Cognac is a subprefecture of the Charente department. Name The name is believed to be formed from ...

. In 1901 the first electric "

Interurban The Interurban (or radial railway in Europe and Canada) is a type of electric railway, with streetcar-like electric self-propelled rail cars which run within and between cities or towns. They were very prevalent in North America between 1900 a ...

" railway in Texas, the Denison and Sherman Railway, was completed between Denison and

Sherman Sherman most commonly refers to: *Sherman (name), a surname and given name (and list of persons with the name) ** William Tecumseh Sherman (1820–1891), American Civil War General *M4 Sherman, a tank Sherman may also refer to: Places United St ...

. In 1915, the

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

-based evangelist

Mordecai Ham Mordecai Fowler Ham, Jr. (April 2, 1877 – November 1, 1961), was an American Independent Baptist evangelist and temperance movement leader. Racism and Anti-Semitism Ham had a reputation for racism and anti-Semitism. He believed and preached ...

held a revival meeting in Denison, which resulted in 1,100 professions of faith in

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

. Denison played host to 20th century notables such as the

Marx Brothers The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act that was successful in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in motion pictures from 1905 to 1949. Five of the Marx Brothers' thirteen feature films were selected by the American Film Institute (AFI) ...

and President

, who was born on October 14, 1890, in Denison.

Geography

Denison is located in northeastern Grayson County, with the city limits extending north to the Red River, which forms the

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

state line. It is bordered to the south by the city of

; the city centers are apart. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, Denison has a total area of , of which are land and , or 1.94%, are water.

Denison Dam Denison Dam, also known as Lake Texoma Dam, is a dam located on the Red River between Texas and Oklahoma that impounds Lake Texoma. The purpose of the dam is flood control, water supply, hydroelectric power production, river regulation, navigati ...

, which forms

Lake Texoma Lake Texoma is one of the largest reservoirs in the United States, the 12th largest US Army Corps of Engineers' (USACE) lake, and the largest in USACE Tulsa District. Lake Texoma is formed by Denison Dam on the Red River in Bryan County, Oklaho ...

on the Red River, is north of Denison. The city is in the center of the Texoma region, encompassing parts of Texas and Oklahoma.

Climate

Denison has a

humid subtropical A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

climate.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 24,479 people, 9,361 households, and 6,038 families residing in the city.

2000 census

At the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, there were 22,773 people, 9,185 households, and 6,135 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 1,008.1 people per square mile (389.2/km). There were 10,309 housing units at an average density of 456.3 per square mile (176.2/km). The racial makeup of the city was 84.02%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 8.62%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 1.67% Native American, 0.46%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.06%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 2.19% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 2.98% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 5.23% of the population. There were 9,185 households, out of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.1% were married couples living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2% were non-families. 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.97. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.6% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $31,474, and the median income for a family was $39,820. Males had a median income of $30,459 versus $21,451 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $17,685. About 11.9% of families and 14.7% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 21.8% of those under age 18 and 11.8% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Major employers

Major employers in Denison include: * Denison Independent School District *

Ruiz Foods Ruiz Foods is an American food production and service company based in Dinuba, California, founded in 1964 by Louis Ruiz and his son, Fred. As of April 2010, it was the top seller of frozen Mexican dishes in the US and Canada. Under the brand nam ...

Texoma Medical Center Texoma Medical Center was founded in 1965 in Denison, Texas. A previous location closed and the new facility opened in 2009. It is located an hour away from Dallas, and roughly 25–30 minutes from Durant, Oklahoma. It is called Texoma Medical ...

Cigna Cigna is an American multinational managed healthcare and insurance company based in Bloomfield, Connecticut. Its insurance subsidiaries are major providers of medical, dental, disability, life and accident insurance and related products and se ...

Caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder Sym ...

Wal-Mart Stores Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...

Spectrum Brands Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc. is an American diversified company. Headquartered in Middleton, Wisconsin, it was established in 2005 as the successor company to Rayovac Corporation. It is one of the Fortune 500 companies, and among the largest of ...

Anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to short ...

* ACS Manufacturing * Denison Industries * City of Denison *

Grayson College Grayson College is a public community college in Grayson County, Texas. The main campus is in Denison and it has branch campuses in Denison (west extension, at the site of the old Perrin Air Force Base) and Van Alstyne (south campus). Histo ...

*Dialogue Direct Contact Centers *National Government Services *Champion Cooler Corporation *SignWarehouse.com

Arts and culture

The Grayson County Frontier Village in Denison contains 11 of the oldest homes in Grayson County that were moved here for preservation.

Sports

Former minor league baseball teams include the

Denison Katydids Denison may refer to: People *Denison (name) Places *Denison, Iowa *Denison, Kansas *Denison, Texas, birthplace of Dwight D. Eisenhower *Denison, Washington *Denison University, in Granville, Ohio * the English name for Kosinj, a valley and r ...

, Denison Blue Sox, Denison Champions, Denison Railroaders, and Sherman–Denison Twins. Munson Stadium seats 5,262 people and is primarily used for

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

. It is the home field of

Denison High School Denison High School is a public high school in Denison, Texas, United States and classified as a 5A school by the University Interscholastic League (UIL) . It is part of the Denison Independent School District located in north central Grayson Co ...

's football and soccer teams. The Denison High School football team won the 1984 Texas Class 4A State Championship by beating Tomball 27–13 completing a perfect 16–0 record. They also made three straight appearances in the 1995, 1996, and 1997 Class 4A Division II State Championship games, losing each time to La Marque. They are home to the longest high school football rivalry in Texas: the Battle of the Ax, against Sherman High School.

Education

Denison is served by the Denison Independent School District. Denison High School opened in 2014.

is located in Denison. The school's T.V. Munson Viticulture and Enology Program preserves Denison's

viticultural Viticulture (from the Latin word for ''vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ran ...

heritage.

Media

Magazine

* ''Texoma Living!'' Magazine

Newspaper

* ''

The Herald Democrat ''The Herald Democrat'' is a daily newspaper located in the twin cities of Sherman and Denison, Texas, in the United States. The ''Herald Democrat'' serves all of Grayson and Fannin County, Texas; parts of Collin, Cooke, Denton, Delta, La ...

Radio stations

* KMAD Mad Rock 102.5 * KMKT Katy Country 93.1 * KDOC HOT 107.3 FM

Television stations

KTEN KTEN (channel 10) is a television station licensed to Ada, Oklahoma, United States, serving the Sherman, Texas–Ada, Oklahoma market as an affiliate of NBC, The CW Plus, and ABC. The station is owned by Lockwood Broadcast Group, and maintain ...

– Channel 10 (NBC) *

– DT Channel 10.2 (The Texoma CW) *

– Channel 10.3 (ABC Texoma) *

KXII KXII (channel 12) is a television station licensed to Sherman, Texas, United States, serving the Sherman, Texas–Ada, Oklahoma market as an affiliate of CBS, MyNetworkTV, and Fox. Owned by Gray Television, the station maintains studios on Te ...

– Channel 12 (CBS) *

– DT Channel 12.2 (My Texoma) *

– DT Channel 12.3 (Fox Texoma)

Infrastructure

Transportation

Denison is served by two

U.S. Highways The United States Numbered Highway System (often called U.S. Routes or U.S. Highways) is an integrated network of roads and highways numbered within a nationwide grid in the contiguous United States. As the designation and numbering of these h ...

— U.S. 69 and U.S. 75 (Katy Memorial Expressway) and two

State Highways A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...

— State Highway 91 and

Spur 503 Spur 503, also known locally as Eisenhower Parkway is state highway spur route in southern Denison, Texas. The highway is a limited access freeway from US 75 to SH 91. The rest of the route is a surface street to its terminus at US 69. The en ...

(Eisenhower Parkway). State Highway 91, known as Texoma Parkway, is one of the main commercial strips that connects

and Denison. It also extends north to

. General aviation service is provided by

North Texas Regional Airport North Texas Regional Airport / Perrin Field is a county-owned airport in Grayson County, Texas between Sherman and Denison. Formerly Grayson County Airport, the airport was renamed in November 2007. Several buildings are occupied by businesses, ...

. TAPS, a regional public transportation system, offers limited service for disabled passengers.

Health care

Denison is served by

Notable people

Bill Anoatubby Bill Anoatubby (born November 8, 1945) is the Governor of the Chickasaw Nation, a position he has held since 1987. From 1979 to 1987, Anoatubby served two terms as Lieutenant Governor of the Chickasaw Nation in the administration of Governor Overt ...

, governor of the Chickasaw Nation *

Clora Bryant Clora Larea Bryant (May 30, 1927 – August 25, 2019) was an American jazz trumpeter. She was the only female trumpeter to perform with Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker and was a member of the International Sweethearts of Rhythm. Early life B ...

, jazz trumpeter *

Joie Chitwood George Rice Chitwood (April 14, 1912 – January 3, 1988), nicknamed "Joie", was an American racecar driver and businessman. He is best known as a daredevil in the Joie Chitwood Thrill Show. Background Chitwood was born in Denison, Texas; he was ...

(1912–1988), race car driver and businessman *

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

; was born in Denison in 1890, and to date is the city's most notable resident. His birthplace was purchased by the city in 1946 (six years before he was elected President) and is now maintained as

Eisenhower Birthplace State Historic Site The Eisenhower Birthplace State Historic Site is located at 609 S. Lamar Avenue in Denison, Grayson County, in the U.S. state of Texas. President Dwight D. Eisenhower was born in the house on October 14, 1890, the first United States President ...

. In addition, Eisenhower State Park on

is named in his honor. *

Booker Ervin Booker Telleferro Ervin II (October 31, 1930 – August 31, 1970) was an American tenor saxophone player. His tenor playing was characterised by a strong, tough sound and blues/gospel phrasing. He is remembered for his association with bassi ...

, jazz musician who played tenor saxophone * Michael Haynes, NFL Hall of Fame player *

Jim Hightower James Allen Hightower (born January 11, 1943) is an American syndicated columnist, Progressivism in the United States, progressive political activist, and author. From 1983 to 1991 he served as the elected commissioner of the Texas Department of ...

, former commissioner of

Texas Department of Agriculture The Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) is a state agency within the state of Texas, which is responsible for matters pertaining to agriculture, rural community affairs, and related matters. It is currently headed by Agriculture Commissioner S ...

and a liberal commentator and author, born in Denison in 1943 *

John Hillerman John Benedict Hillerman (December 20, 1932 – November 9, 2017) was an American actor best known for his starring role as Jonathan Quayle Higgins III on the television series ''Magnum, P.I.'' that aired from 1980 to 1988. For his role as ...

, the actor who played Higgins on

Tom Selleck Thomas William Selleck (; born January 29, 1945) is an American actor. His breakout role was playing private investigator Thomas Magnum in the television series ''Magnum, P.I.'' (1980–1988), for which he received five Emmy Award nominations f ...

's ''

Magnum, P.I. ''Magnum, P.I.'' is an American crime drama television series starring Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum, a private investigator (P.I.) living on Oahu, Hawaii. The series ran from December 11, 1980 to May 8, 1988 during its first-run broadcast on ...

'' * John Henry "Doc" Holliday, gunfighter, gambler and western legend, maintained a dental practice in Denison *

Aaron Hunt Aaron Hunt (born 4 September 1986) is a German former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He spent most of his career at Werder Bremen, making his first-team debut at the age of 18. In the Bundesliga, he also repres ...

and

Reggie Hunt Reggie Hunt (born October 14, 1977) is a former professional gridiron football linebacker. He most recently played for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League. He was signed by the Scottish Claymores as a street free agent in 2001. H ...

, brothers and professional football players in

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

* Viola Van Katwijk, composer and pianist *

Thomas Volney Munson Thomas Volney Munson (September 26, 1843 – January 21, 1913), often referred to simply as T.V. Munson, was a horticulturist and breeder of grapes in Texas. In 1888, Munson was the second American, after Thomas Edison, to be named a Chevalie ...

* Clifford Noe, international conman and swindler * Beatrice Pearson, actress *

SoMo Somo, SoMo, or SOMO may refer to: Places ;In the United States *Somo, Kentucky, unincorporated community *Somo, Wisconsin, town ;Elsewhere *Somo, Mali, commune Rivers *Somo River, river in Wisconsin, United States Music *SoMo (born 1987), Ameri ...

, singer * Chesley Burnett "Sully" Sullenberger, airline pilot * Jordan Taylor, NFL wide receiver, Super Bowl 50 champion with the Denver Broncos. * Zeb Terry, Major League Baseball infielder * Fred Washington, NFL defensive tackle for

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

1990 NFL Draft The 1990 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 22–23, 1990, at the Marriott Marq ...

Round 2, Pick 7 *

Harold Wertz Harold Wertz (August 3, 1927 – November 21, 1999) was an American child actor. Early years Wertz was born in Denison, Texas, and raised in Long Beach, California. He attended Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach. Our Gang Back in 19 ...

, 1927–1999, "Bouncy" of Our Gang Comedies (1932–1933)

In popular culture

In 2013 Lake Texoma and the Hampton Inn and Suites Denison were featured on a travel show entitled ''The Official Best of Texas'' which aired on CBS and the Discovery Channel.Website http://www.theofficialbestof.com

References

External links

City of Denison official website

Denison Chamber of Commerce
* {{authority control Cities in Texas Cities in Grayson County, Texas Populated places established in 1872 1872 establishments in Texas