Ferris is a city in

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

and

Ellis Ellis is a surname of Welsh and English origin. Retrieved 21 January 2014 An independent French origin of the surname is said to derive from the phrase fleur-de-lis. Surname A * Abe Ellis (Stargate), a fictional character in the TV series ' ...

counties in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

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 ...

. It is south of downtown

. The population was 2,788 in 2020.

History

Settlement of the area began in the early 1870s. On September 28, 1874, a local family deeded approximately of land to four trustees for the establishment of a town and railway station.The Story of Ferris, Texas
– Ellis County TXGenWeb. Judge Justus Wesley Ferris of

Waxahachie Waxahachie ( ) is the seat of government of Ellis County, Texas, United States. Its population was 41,140 in 2020. Etymology Some sources state that the name means "cow" or "buffalo" in an unspecified Native American language. One possible ...

handled the transaction, and the community was named for him. Within ten years, Ferris had a population of 300 with a post office, gristmills, cotton gins, four churches, and a school.Ferris, Texas
– Handbook of Texas. On September 18, 1882, an election was held to incorporate the community. A total of 47 votes were cast, 34 (72%) in favor of incorporation and 13 (28%) against. The results were verified by the Ellis County Judge on September 30, and Ferris officially became a town. By 1900, the town was home to 904 residents. In 1910, that number had increased to 1,233 residents. Fifty businesses, including six brick plants that benefitted from the area's mineral rich soil, were operating in 1914. The population rose to 1,586 by 1925 but declined during the 1930s and 1940s as a result of the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

.Ferris, Texas
– Texas Escapes Online Magazine. Ferris thrived during the early post-war years. Four brick plants operated during the 1950s, and the community was known locally as the "Brick Capital of the Nation". Ferris also has a second nickname – "The City that Bricked the World" – which is still commonly used to date. In 1952, the population had risen to 1,734 and 1,807 by 1964. The Ferris Annual Brick Festival is held every year at the end of April. The expansion of the

–

Fort Worth Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. According ...

Metropolitan Area A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually com ...

and the construction of

Interstate 45 Interstate 45 (I-45) is a major Interstate Highway located entirely within the US state of Texas. While most Interstate routes which have numbers ending in "5" are cross-country north–south routes, I-45 is comparatively short, with the ...

aided the growth of Ferris in the latter half of the twentieth century. Although the number of businesses decreased during the 1980s, the population continued to grow. It stood at 2,212 in 1990, 2,175 in 2000, and 2,436 in 2010. In 1994, Ferris won the 3-A State Championship in men's

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

Geography

Ferris is located at (32.535144, −96.667038). 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 ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Most of the city lies within Ellis County, with only a small portion in Dallas County.

Climate

According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system, Ferris has a

humid subtropical climate 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° ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Ferris was on July 18/20, 2022, while the coldest temperature recorded was on December 22, 1989 and February 15–16, 2021.

Demographics

Per 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 2,788 people, 956 households, and 803 families residing in the city. In 2010, Ferris had a population of 2,436. The racial and ethnic composition of the population in 2010 was 42.7% non-Hispanic white, 17.5% non-Hispanic black, 1% Hispanic black, 0.3% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 1.8% from two or more races and 38.4% Hispanic or Latino. At the 2020 census, its racial and ethnic composition was 32.64% non-Hispanic white, 16.93% Black or African American, 0.07% Native American, 0.43% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.18% some other race, 2.55% multiracial, and 47.17% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Education

Pupils in Ferris are served by the

Ferris Independent School District Ferris Independent School District is a public school district based in Ferris, Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), a ...

. Some areas in Dallas County not within the Ferris city limits but with Ferris addresses are served by the

Dallas Independent School District The Dallas Independent School District (Dallas ISD or DISD) is a school district based in Dallas, Texas (USA). It operates schools in much of Dallas County and is the second-largest school district in Texas and the seventeenth-largest in the U ...

. The areas were served by the Wilmer-Hutchins Independent School District until it closed during the 2005–2006 school year. The designated community college for Ellis County is

Navarro College Navarro College is a public community college in Texas with its main campus in Corsicana and branches in Fairfield, Mexia, Midlothian, and Waxahachie. The college has an annual student enrollment of more than 9,000 students. The Corsica ...

. The designated community college for Dallas County is

Dallas College Dallas College is a public community college with seven campuses in Dallas County, Texas. It serves more than 70,000 students annually in degree-granting, continuing education, and adult education programs. Dallas College offers associate d ...

(formerly Dallas County Community College District or DCCCD).Texas Education Code Sec. 130.176. DALLAS COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA. Sec. 130.189. NAVARRO COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.
- The assigned community college depends on the county.

Transportation

Major highways

Air

The city of Ferris jointly owns the Ferris Red Oak Muni Heliport together with the city of

Red Oak The genus Oak, ''Quercus'' contains about 500 species, some of which are listed here. The genus, as is the case with many List of the largest genera of flowering plants, large genera, is Taxonomic rank#Ranks in botany, divided into subgenus, subgen ...

.. Federal Aviation Administration. Effective 26 April 2018. Ferris is also served by the privately owned Dallas South Port Airport.. Federal Aviation Administration, Effective 26 April 2018.

Notable people

Guilherme Marchi Guilherme Marchi (pronounced Gih-lare-mee Mar-chee) (born July 22, 1982) is a Brazilian former professional rodeo cowboy who specialized in bull riding, and competed in the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) circuit. He was the 2008 PBR World Champi ...

, Professional bull rider and 2008

PBR PBR may refer to: Science and technology * Passive bistatic radar * Partition boot record * Pebble bed reactor, a type of nuclear reactor * Peripheral benzodiazepine receptor, another name for translocator protein * Phosphorus bromide * Photobio ...

world champion * Homer P. Rainey, Former University of Texas president; briefly attended Ferris High School

References

External links

City of Ferris official website

Read the Ferris Wheel newspaper
1896–1897, hosted by th
Portal to Texas History
{{authority control Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex Cities in Dallas County, Texas Cities in Ellis County, Texas Cities in Texas Populated places established in 1874 1874 establishments in Texas