Copper Canyon is a town in Denton County,

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, United States. The population was 1,731 in 2020. Copper Canyon is adjacent to the master-planned

Lantana ''Lantana'' () is a genus of about 150 species of perennial plant, perennial flowering plants in the verbena family, Verbenaceae. They are native to tropics, tropical regions of the Americas and Africa but exist as an introduced species in num ...

residential development.

History

The first European settlement in the area that would become Copper Canyon took place in the 1840s. One of the more prominent settler families was that of Elisha and Mary Chinn, who came to Texas from their original home in

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

in 1852. They helped establish the first church in the area, a log-cabin chapel which eventually became known as the Chinn's Chapel

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

Church. The church is still active on what is now known as Chinn Chapel Road. The town gradually grew with

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...

ranching A ranch (from /Mexican Spanish) is an area of land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of farm. These terms are most often applied to li ...

as the mainstay of the local economy. The

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

came to the area in 1881, and the first public school was constructed in 1884. The town apparently took its name from " Copperhead Canyon," a part of the area formerly known for venomous snakes. Population, never large, generally stagnated or declined in the first half of the twentieth century. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

the area's rural charm slowly began to attract residents from the more crowded parts of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. The town was formally incorporated in 1973. Although still rather sparsely populated, the town has grown as part of the general development of areas north of the

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport Dallas Fort Worth International Airport is the primary international airport serving the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex and the North Texas region, in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the largest hub for American Airlines, which is headquartere ...

. Census Bureau figures tell the story: 465 (1980), 978 (1990), 1,216 (2000), 1,334 (2010). Traditional ranches are still found in the area, but Copper Canyon has become primarily a

bedroom community A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

with little commercial development.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and 0.22% is water.

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,731 people, 553 households, and 513 families residing in the town.

Local notes

The Town of Copper Canyon is served by the Lewisville and Denton Independent School Districts. The town contracts with neighboring communities for most municipal services, such as fire protection from Argyle Fire Department, police services from Denton County Sheriff's Department, and ambulance service from Lewisville. The town boasts of a low

tax A tax is a mandatory financial charge or levy imposed on an individual or legal entity by a governmental organization to support government spending and public expenditures collectively or to regulate and reduce negative externalities. Tax co ...

rate and a number of horse trails maintained for local riders. Copper Canyon is also home to the Old Alton Bridge, a registered national historic site. Purportedly haunted, it is locally known as the "Goatman's Bridge".

Education

Most of Copper Canyon is in the

Lewisville Independent School District Lewisville Independent School District (LISD) is a 127-square mile school district based in Lewisville, Texas, Lewisville, Texas (United States, USA) covering all of Lewisville, Texas, Lewisville, The Colony, Texas, The Colony, Highland Village, ...

, while a portion to the west is in the Denton Independent School District. Most of Denton ISD Copper Canyon is zoned to Adkins Elementary School, while small parcels are zoned to Blanton Elementary School. All of the Denton ISD part is zoned to Harpool Middle School, and Guyer High School.

Notable person

Dick Armey Richard Keith Armey (; born July 7, 1940) is an American economist and politician. He was a United States House of Representatives, U.S. Representative from Texas's (1985–2003) and Party Leaders of the United States House of Representatives, ...

, former

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from Texas' (1985–2003) and House Majority Leader (1995–2003)

Notes

References

External links

Town of Copper Canyon official website
{{authority control Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex Towns in Denton County, Texas Towns in Texas Populated places established in 1973