Keller, Texas

Keller is a city in Tarrant County, Texas, United States, in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. According to the 2020 census, the city's population is 45,776, making Keller the 80th most populated city in Texas. The most recent population estimate, as of July 1, 2021, is 45,397.[2]

Keller, Texas
City
Keller City Hall
Keller City Hall
Flag of Keller, Texas
Location within Tarrant County and Texas
Location within Tarrant County and Texas
Coordinates: 32°55′39″N 97°14′10″W
Country United States
State Texas
CountyTarrant
Government
  TypeCouncil-Manager
  City CouncilMayor Armin Mizani
Mayor Pro Tem
Ross McMullin
Shannon Dubberly
Sean Hicks
Jessica Juarez
Tag Green
Chris Whatley
  Mayor
Manager
Armin Mizani
Mark Hafner
Area
  Total18.50 sq mi (47.92 km2)
  Land18.45 sq mi (47.79 km2)
  Water0.05 sq mi (0.13 km2)
Elevation
709 ft (216 m)
Population
 (2020)
  Total47,006
  Estimate 
(2021)[2]
50,000
  Density2,558.69/sq mi (987.92/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
  Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP codes
76248, 76262, 76180
Area code817 682
FIPS code48-38632[3]
GNIS feature ID1338994[4]
WebsiteCityOfKeller.com

In the early 1850s, settlers established Keller and the town became a stop on the Texas and Pacific Railway. The settlers settled around the wooded region in Keller because of Keller's proximity to the Trinity River water supply and abundant farmland. On November 16, 1955, Keller became incorporated.

Keller is mostly residential, featuring more than 300 acres (120 ha) of developed land for 11 park sites and more than 26 miles of hiking and biking trails.[5] The city prides itself as "Texas's Most Family Friendly City."[6]

History

Before establishment

Keller is in the western fringe of the Eastern Cross Timbers in northeast Tarrant County, part of the frontier of the Peters Colony settlers of the 1840s. In the mid-1840s, the area was first settled by a group of families from Missouri that homesteaded near the head-waters of Big Bear Creek. Mount Gilead Baptist Church was established on July 13, 1850. In 1859, the little log church was burned in an Indian raid. It served as the only schoolhouse in that part of the county until about 1910.[7]

Mount Gilead Baptist Church was established in 1850

The area became known as 'Double Springs' for the two large springs approximately 12 mile north of Mt. Gilead Baptist Church. In the early 1870s, the Double Springs area had a cotton gin, a grist mill, a blacksmith shop and several stores. In 1896, an artesian well was drilled in Keller; the Double Springs filled with silt over time and eventually were plugged and lost until rediscovery in 1984. Today Samantha Springs produces more than 200,000 gallons of water per day.[8][9]

Establishment of Keller

The Texas and Pacific Railway between Fort Worth and Texarkana was completed in June 1881, and the first train ran on this track on May 9, 1881, which ran parallel with parts of the old Chisholm cattle drive trail. With the advent of rail service, new villages were established all along the line. The Keller of today was one of them. On July 19, 1881, H.W. Black, a druggist of Tarrant County, set aside 40 acres (0.16 km2) out of the north end of the 62 acres (0.25 km2) deeded to him by A.C. Roberts (being a part of the Samuel Needham Survey) for a town site to be known as Athol, situated 14 miles (23 km) northeast of Fort Worth. The land was dedicated to the public for streets and alleyways, but title to the remainder of the 62 acres (0.25 km2) was held by Mr. Black. Settlers migrated to the new village, and before a year had passed the name of the town was changed from Athol to Keller, honoring John C. Keller, a foreman on the railroad. Streets were named and those in the original 40-acre (0.16 km2) site still carry the names given to them in 1881. Streets going north and south are Lamar, Main and Elm; those running east and west are Price, Taylor, Hill, Vine, Bates, Olive and Pecan.

Modern Keller

New residential development is gradually filling in open spaces, with neighboring towns affording no opportunity to expand its boundaries. The 1980 Census calculated Keller's population at 4,555; today, nearly 45,000 residents call Keller home. City facilities include Keller Town Hall on Bear Creek Parkway, the Keller Public Library and Keller Senior Activities Center on Johnson Road, the Municipal Service Center on Bear Creek Pkwy. West, and the city's recreation and aquatic center known as The Keller Pointe on Rufe Snow Drive. The city also recently renovated and expanded its police facility, which houses the Regional Jail, Regional Animal Adoption Center and regional 911 dispatch center, NETCOM, serving the cities of Keller, Colleyville, Southlake and Westlake.

The Keller Independent School District serves portions of the cities of Colleyville, Fort Worth, Haltom City, Hurst, North Richland Hills, Southlake, Watauga, and Westlake, as well as the entire city of Keller. Its 51 square miles (130 km2) encompass the third-largest land area in Tarrant County. Enrollment in the school district has doubled during the past 10 years and is expected to do the same during the next decade, making it the ninth fastest-growing school district in Texas. The U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey listed Keller as one of the "Nation's Richest Cities" with a population over 20,000 in 2021, ranked number 45 with median household income of $141,364. Neighboring Southlake was ranked number 1.[10]

Geography

Keller is located at 32°55′39″N 97°14′10″W (32.927533, −97.235995).[11] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 18.4 square miles (47.8 km2). Keller is east of Interstate 35W, south of Highway 114 and Alliance Gate Freeway.

Surrounding cities

Here is the list of cities surrounding The City of Keller, whom which are located in either Denton or Tarrant County.[12]

Fort Worth, Southlake, Roanoke

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Keller has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[13]

Keller, Texas
Climate chart (explanation)
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
 
 
2.1
 
 
57
35
 
 
2.1
 
 
60
39
 
 
3.1
 
 
68
46
 
 
3.6
 
 
76
54
 
 
4
 
 
83
64
 
 
4.1
 
 
90
71
 
 
2.3
 
 
95
75
 
 
2.3
 
 
95
75
 
 
2.7
 
 
88
67
 
 
3.3
 
 
78
56
 
 
2.1
 
 
67
46
 
 
1.9
 
 
57
37
Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation totals in inches
Source:NWS, Ft Worth TX
Metric conversion
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
 
 
54
 
 
14
2
 
 
53
 
 
16
4
 
 
78
 
 
20
8
 
 
91
 
 
24
12
 
 
101
 
 
28
18
 
 
105
 
 
32
22
 
 
58
 
 
35
24
 
 
59
 
 
35
24
 
 
69
 
 
31
19
 
 
85
 
 
26
13
 
 
52
 
 
19
8
 
 
49
 
 
14
3
Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
Precipitation totals in mm
Climate data for Keller, Texas
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 86
(30)
90
(32)
95
(35)
100
(38)
102
(39)
108
(42)
109
(43)
112
(44)
112
(44)
99
(37)
89
(32)
90
(32)
112
(44)
Average high °F (°C) 56.5
(13.6)
60.3
(15.7)
68.0
(20.0)
75.8
(24.3)
83.1
(28.4)
90.4
(32.4)
94.5
(34.7)
94.8
(34.9)
87.5
(30.8)
77.6
(25.3)
66.5
(19.2)
57.1
(13.9)
76.0
(24.4)
Average low °F (°C) 35.4
(1.9)
39.3
(4.1)
46.2
(7.9)
54.4
(12.4)
63.6
(17.6)
70.9
(21.6)
74.7
(23.7)
74.9
(23.8)
67.1
(19.5)
56.3
(13.5)
45.7
(7.6)
36.6
(2.6)
55.4
(13.0)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 2.12
(54)
2.09
(53)
3.09
(78)
3.60
(91)
3.96
(101)
4.12
(105)
2.28
(58)
2.33
(59)
2.71
(69)
3.33
(85)
2.05
(52)
1.93
(49)
33.61
(854)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 0.3
(0.76)
0.3
(0.76)
0.3
(0.76)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.1
(0.25)
1.4
(3.6)
2.4
(6.13)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 6 6 8 7 9 7 6 4 6 7 5 6 77
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 4
Source: National Weather Service Forecast Office, Fort Worth TX

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
1960827
19701,47478.2%
19804,156182.0%
199013,683229.2%
200027,34599.8%
201039,62744.9%
202045,77615.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[14]
Keller racial composition as of 2020[15]
(NH = Non-Hispanic)[lower-alpha 1]
Race Number Percentage
White (NH) 34,081 74.45%
Black or African American (NH) 1,378 3.01%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH) 180 0.39%
Asian (NH) 3,157 6.9%
Pacific Islander (NH) 26 0.06%
Some Other Race (NH) 182 0.4%
Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH) 2,076 4.54%
Hispanic or Latino 4,696 10.26%
Total 45,776

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 45,776 people, 16,383 households, and 13,148 families residing in the city.

Government

City government

The City of Keller is a full-service city, providing police, fire and emergency services, parks and recreation, library, senior center, animal control, planning, building inspection, economic development, public works, street maintenance, water, wastewater, drainage, and solid waste disposal. Organized under the Council-Manager form of government, the Keller city council has seven representatives elected at-large and responsible for enacting local legislation, setting policies and adopting Keller's annual operating budgets. Keller City Hall is located at 1100 Bear Creek Parkway in Keller Town Center. The current mayor of Keller is Armin Mizani, the city’s first mayor of Iranian and Cuban descent, and the city manager is Mark Hafner.

The Keller Police Department serves the City of Keller and the Town of Westlake. The police department shares a 9-1-1 dispatch center, regional jail, regional animal services and adoption center with neighboring cities of Southlake, Colleyville and Westlake. The Keller Police Department also provides all law enforcement services for the Town of Westlake. The department consists of a five service divisions: patrol, traffic, investigations, confinement and administrative.

Keller Fire and Rescue

Keller Fire Rescue maintains three fire stations throughout the city. Firefighters and paramedics provide full-time services for Keller residents and, through mutual aid, neighboring cities. The fire department, like the police department, participates in a shared communications network with Southlake, Colleyville and Westlake. (Unlike the police department, Keller Fire-Rescue does not serve Westlake as they maintain their own fire department.)

The City of Keller is a voluntary member of the North Central Texas Council of Governments association. The member's purpose is to coordinate individual and collective local governments, assist regional solutions, eliminate unnecessary duplication, and enable joint decisions.

Politics

As a moderately wealthy suburb of Fort Worth, Keller has been and continues to be solidly Republican, on a state, local, and national level. However, like many of its surrounding cities, it shifted left between the 2016 and 2020 United States Presidential Election, though it did so by a smaller margin than many of the surrounding areas. The city remains politically uncompetetive, as of 2022.

During the 2021-2022 school year, the Keller Independent School District in Texas faced controversy over the inclusion of "Gender Queer," a controversial graphic novel, in its high school libraries. Some parents and community members raised objections to the book's depiction of gender identity and expression, leading to debates and protests. In response, the school board voted to remove the book from the curriculum.

The controversy also sparked discussions about censorship and academic freedom, and it led to a heightened interest in the school board elections that followed. Candidates with differing views on the issue ran for office, with those advocating for more parental involvement in curriculum decisions winning a majority of the seats.

State representation

Republican Representative Giovanni Capriglione of District 98 and Republican Senator Kelly Hancock of District 9 represents Keller citizens in the Texas House of Representatives and in the Texas State Senate.

Federal representation

Republican Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz represents Texas in the United States Senate. In the United States House of Representatives, Republican Representative Beth Van Duyne represents the 24th Congressional District of Texas.

Education

The Keller Independent School District has 39 campuses serving more than 34,000 students.[17] Students zoned to Keller ISD attend 23 different elementary schools, 12 different intermediate/middle schools, and 5 different high schools. Most of the schools within the district are located in northeast Fort Worth. This means Keller's school district is substantially larger than the city itself.[18]

Infrastructure

One source of Keller's bedroom-community serenity comes from having no contact with any interstate highways. U.S. Route 377, a north–south United States highway runs along Keller's western border, parallel to Interstate 35W. Davis Boulevard (FM1938), a north–south Farm to Market Road from North Richland Hills to Southlake, runs through Keller. Keller Parkway (FM 1709) runs from Interstate 35W in Fort Worth, where it is named "Golden Triangle Boulevard," to State Highway 114 (SH 114) in Southlake, where it is named "Southlake Boulevard."

In September 2004, Verizon Communications, launched their FiOS fiber-optic communications network; 9,000 customers in Keller, Texas, were the very first in the nation.[19] Verizon replaced copper wires with optical fibers, commencing service in 2005.

Keller consistently scores as a very safe city, in United States cities by crime rate (40,000–60,000) in Federal Bureau of Investigation Uniform Crime Reports statistics.[20]

Notable people

References

  1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  2. "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Keller city, Texas". Census.gov. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  3. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  4. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  5. "Keller Parks and Recreation". City of Keller. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  6. "About Us | City of Keller, TX". www.cityofkeller.com. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
  7. "Tarrant County TXGenWeb - Mount Gilead Baptist Church and Cemetery".
  8. "TSHA | Keller, TX". www.tshaonline.org.
  9. "Local Spring Water | Dallas Fort Worth, Texas". Samantha Springs.
  10. Sauter, Michael B. "America's Richest Cities". 24/7 Wall St. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  11. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". Census.gov. United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  12. "Google Maps". Google Maps.
  13. "Dallas, Texas Climate Dallas, Texas Temperatures Dallas, Texas Weather Averages". Dallas.climatemps.com. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  14. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  15. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  16. "About the Hispanic Population and its Origin". www.census.gov. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  17. "District Identity". www.kellerisd.net. Archived from the original on June 11, 2010. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  18. "2014-15 KISD Campus Locator Map" (PDF). www.kellerisd.net. Kellerisd. July 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 23, 2016. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
  19. Belson, Ken (September 25, 2005). "Verizon Introduces Fiber Optic TV Service". The New York Times. Retrieved September 27, 2013.
  20. "Crime in the United States by Metropolitan Statistical Area, 2010 (Table 6)". FBI. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  1. Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.[16]
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