Venus is a town in

Johnson Johnson is a surname of Anglo-Norman origin meaning "Son of John". It is the second most common in the United States and 154th most common in the world. As a common family name in Scotland, Johnson is occasionally a variation of ''Johnston'', a ...

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 ...

. The population was 4,361 in 2020.

History

The town was originally named "Gossip" until its development in the late 1880s. A man by the name of J.C. Smythe purchased of abandoned cornfields in the northeastern corner of Johnson County and began to plan a townsite. He named his new town "Venus" after the daughter of a local doctor. By 1888 the new town had a post office and a population of around 10 residents. Being at the junction of two major railroads, Venus prospered and for a time was one of the fastest-growing communities in Johnson County. By the 1920s, Venus had its own schools (including a small college), several businesses, a weekly newspaper (the ''Venus Express''), and a population that exceeded 800. 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 ...

had massive negative impact, however, and in the 1930s the town began to decline. Growth of the

Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex The Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, officially designated Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, is a conurbated metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Texas encompassing 11 counties and anchore ...

just to the north hastened its decline, with many of its residents relocating to the growing urban area in search of work. By 1940 the population had fallen to 200, and the only remaining operating business was the drug store. Venus began to recover somewhat in the late 1940s, and the population soon increased back to over 300. Growth was slow but steady throughout the remainder of the 20th century; by 1990 there were 977 residents and the town had spread into neighboring Ellis County. The 2000 census listed the population as 910, but the population more than tripled to 2,960 in 2010, due largely to the southward expansion of the Metroplex.

Geography

Venus is located in northeastern Johnson County at (32.429383, –97.107022). 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 town has a total area of , all of it land.

U.S. Route 67 U.S. Route 67 is a major north–south U.S. highway which extends for 1,560 miles (2,511 km) in the Central United States. The southern terminus of the route is at the United States-Mexico border in Presidio, Texas, where it continues so ...

passes through the town north of its center; the highway leads northeast to the center of

Midlothian Midlothian (; gd, Meadhan Lodainn) is a historic county, registration county, lieutenancy area and one of 32 council areas of Scotland used for local government. Midlothian lies in the east-central Lowlands, bordering the City of Edinburgh, ...

and west to Alvarado. Downtown

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

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 ...

are each away, Dallas to the northeast and Fort Worth to the northwest.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. 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, Venus 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.

Demographics

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 4,361 people, 909 households, and 740 families residing in the town. Venus_Texas

Education

Venus is served by

Venus Independent School District Venus Independent School District is a public school district based in Venus, Texas ( USA). It consists of 3 separate school buildings with 200 Staff members: Venus Primary School (grades pre-k through 1st grade), Venus Elementary School (grades 2 ...

www.venusisd.net
, with grades K–1 attending Venus Primary School, 2–5 attending Venus Elementary, 6–8 attending Venus Middle School, and 9–12 attending Venus High School. The small portion of Venus that lies in Ellis County is served by the

Midlothian Independent School District Midlothian Independent School District is a public school district based in Midlothian, Texas, Midlothian, Texas, United States. In addition to Midlothian, the district serves parts of Cedar Hill, Texas, Cedar Hill, Mansfield, Texas, Mansfield, ...

Maypearl Independent School District Maypearl Independent School District is a public school district based in Maypearl, Texas (USA). Schools *Maypearl High School Maypearl High School is a public high school located in Maypearl, Texas (USA) and classified as a 3A school by ...

Notable people

Judith Barrett Judith Barrett (born Lucille Kelley, February 2, 1909 – March 10, 2000), also known as Nancy Dover, was an American film actress of the late 1920s and through the 1930s, up until 1940. Early life Born and raised in Venus, Texas, Barrett was on ...

, actress

References

External links

City of Venus official website
{{authority control Towns in Johnson County, Texas Towns in Ellis County, Texas Towns in Texas Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex Populated places established in the 1880s