Denison

History

Denison was founded in 1872 in conjunction with the Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad (MKT) or "Katy" depot. It was named after 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 had offices in Denison.

During the phylloxera epidemic of the mid-19th century, which destroyed the vast majority of wine grapes in Europe, Denison horticulturalist T.V. Munson pioneered methods in creating phylloxera-resistant vines, and earned induction into the French Legion of Honor, as well as sister city status for Denison and Cognac, France.

In 1901, the first electric "Interurban" railway in Texas, the Denison and Sherman Railway, was completed between Denison and Sherman.

In 1915, Kentucky-based evangelist Mordecai Ham held a revival meeting in Denison, which resulted in 1,100 professions of faith in Jesus Christ.

Denison played host to 20th-century notables such as the Marx Brothers and President Dwight D. Eisenhower, 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 state line. It is bordered to the south by the city of Sherman; the city centers are 11 miles (18 km) apart.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Denison has a total area of 23.4 square miles (60.7 km2), of which 0.46 sq mi (1.2 km2), or 1.94%, is covered by water.

Denison Dam, which forms Lake Texoma on the Red River, is 5 miles (8 km) north of Denison. The lake is in the center of the Texoma region, encompassing parts of Texas and Oklahoma.

Climate

Denison has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa in the Köppen climate classification).

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Denison had a population of 24,479. The median age was 40.3 years, 23.0% of residents were under the age of 18, and 19.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 90.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 86.7 males age 18 and over.

As of the 2020 census, there were 9,712 households and 6,038 families, of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 41.2% were married-couple households, 18.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 33.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

As of the 2020 census, there were 10,981 housing units, of which 11.6% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.8%.

As of the 2020 census, 95.2% of residents lived in urban areas, while 4.8% lived in rural areas.

Economy

Major employers

Major employers in Denison include:

Denison Independent School District

Ruiz Foods

Texoma Medical Center

Cigna

Caterpillar

Wal-Mart Stores

Spectrum Brands

Anthem

ACS Manufacturing

Denison Industries

City of Denison

Grayson College

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 Blue Sox, Denison Champions, Denison Railroaders, and Sherman–Denison Twins.

Munson Stadium seats 5,262 people and is used primarily for football. It is the home field of Denison High School'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 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. The current Denison High School campus opened in 2014.

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

Media

Magazine

Texoma Living!

Newspaper

The Herald Democrat

Radio stations

KCBN 102.5

KMKT Katy Country 93.1

KDOC HOT 107.3 FM

Television stations

KTEN – Channel 10 (NBC)

KTEN – DT Channel 10.2 (The Texoma CW)

KTEN – Channel 10.3 (ABC Texoma)

KXII – Channel 12 (CBS)

KXII – DT Channel 12.2 (My Texoma)

KXII – DT Channel 12.3 (Fox Texoma)

Infrastructure

Transportation

Denison is served by two U.S. highways—U.S. 69 and U.S. 75 (Katy Memorial Expressway) and two state highways—State Highway 91 and Spur 503 (Eisenhower Parkway). State Highway 91, known as Texoma Parkway, is one of the main commercial strips that connects Sherman and Denison. It also extends north to Lake Texoma.

General aviation service is provided by North Texas Regional Airport.

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

Health care

Denison is served by Texoma Medical Center.

Notable people

Bill Anoatubby, governor of the Chickasaw Nation

Clora Bryant, jazz trumpeter

Joie Chitwood (1912–1988), race car driver and businessman

Dwight D. Eisenhower, President of the United States; was born in Denison in 1890, and to date is the city's most notable resident.

Booker Ervin, jazz musician who played tenor saxophone

Michael Haynes, NFL Hall of Fame player

Jim Hightower, former commissioner of Texas Department of Agriculture and a liberal commentator and author, born in Denison in 1943

John Hillerman, the actor who played Higgins on Tom Selleck's Magnum, P.I.

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

Aaron Hunt and Reggie Hunt, brothers and professional football players in Canadian Football League

Viola Van Katwijk, composer and pianist

Thomas Volney Munson, horticulturalist

Clifford Noe, international confidence man and swindler

Beatrice Pearson, actress

SoMo, singer

Chesley Burnett "Sully" Sullenberger, airline pilot

Sister city

Cognac, France

In popular culture

In 2013, Lake Texoma and the Hampton Inn and Suites Denison were featured on a travel show titled The Official Best of Texas, which aired on CBS and the Discovery Channel.

Denison is referenced in the book Dan Gutman's From Texas with Love (Genius Files #4) as the main characters drove through the town, noting the bust of President Dwight D. Eisenhower on the side of U.S. Route 75.