Living in Flower Mound

Flower Mound – The Community

Centrally located in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, the Town of Flower Mound is a family-oriented community that prides itself on maintaining a small-town atmosphere while embracing and fostering a dynamic economic development environment.  The Town’s strategic central location, low tax rate, excellent school system, and unsurpassed quality of life continue to garnish national recognition. 

As a master-planned community with an emphasis on SMARTGrowth to preserve community character, these factors contribute to making Flower Mound ideal for living, working, recreation and entertainment.

History

The Town of Flower Mound derived its name from a prominent 12.5-acre mound – once covered with bluestem grasses and a variety of indigenous flowers – that rises 650 feet above sea level and stands 50 feet above the surrounding countryside.

Legend says The Mound was a sacred ceremonial ground used by Wichita Indians dating back to the early 1800s, and historians believe The Mound received its name in the 1840s because of an unusual amount of wildflowers that grew on it. This area was part of the great American Black Land Prairie that ran from Canada to the Rio Grande and from the Rockies to the Mississippi. Only 1,000 acres remain of the original 20 million acres known as the Tall Grass Prairie.

Because early pioneer settlers used The Mound as a hay meadow and never plowed it, the wildflowers were conspicuously abundant in wet springs. However, wildflowers and native prairie grasses flourish throughout the year. The non-profit Mound Foundation has identified more than 175 species of wildflowers.

The Mound is now referred to as The Flower Mound. This unusual piece of land, located near the intersection of FM 3040 and FM 2499, is now a historical site.

Location

Located in Denton County, with an area on the south boundary in Tarrant County, Flower Mound encompasses 45 square miles in the heart of the DFW Metroplex. The Town is 20 miles northwest of Dallas, 25 miles northeast of Fort Worth, and 3 miles north of DFW International Airport, making it “ten minutes from anywhere in the world.”

Uniquely located between two large lakes, Grapevine Lake on the southern border and Lake Lewisville just minutes to the north, Flower Mound is home to one of the largest natural hardwood forests in the U.S., the Cross Timbers Region, and offers a tremendous diversity of lifestyles in which to live, work and play.

Denton County

One of 254 counties in Texas, Denton County is part of the Dallas Metropolitan area and is 953 square miles of mostly rolling hills, with 45 municipalities within its boundaries. The county’s three lakes cover more than 69 square miles. Denton County’s estimated population is 1,006,492 as of 2023.

Flower Mound, Lewisville and Highland Village are just a few of the communities bringing economic and neighborhood growth to Denton County, while Grapevine Lake, Lake Lewisville and Lake Ray Roberts provide water recreation and outdoor activity.

Dallas / Fort Worth Metropolitan Area

The DFW Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) is comprised of two metropolitan divisions – Dallas on the east and Fort Worth on the west, with a combined population of 7,399,662. Flower Mound is centrally located in the DFW Metroplex between interstates 35E and 35W, making it a short drive to neighboring cities.

The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the nation’s ninth-largest metropolitan area. By nearly any measure, Dallas can claim to be the business capital and wholesale and retail market center for the southwest.

According to the Greater Dallas Chamber of Commerce, DFW has the seventh-largest concentration of high-tech jobs in the U.S.  The DFW region’s corporate powerhouse companies are distributed throughout Dallas-Fort Worth, an indication of its strength, quality of the workforce, and ease of navigation between cities and corporate centers.

State of Texas

Business leaders around the country recognize Texas’ booming business climate. According to Fortune, Texas was ranked as the No. 1 best state in America to start a new business. The reasons mirror the same things for which many publications have applauded Texas – controlled taxes and spending, reasonable regulations, an educated work force, quality of life, and infrastructure.

Texas is home to 50 of the nation’s Fortune 500 companies, 24 of them located in the DFW Metroplex. Texas also has the 10th-largest economy in the world based on GDP.

With 88 percent of its population living in metropolitan areas, Texas is predominantly urban. Adding 131,767 residents from 2017 to 2018, the DFW area gained more residents than any other metropolitan area in the country and was behind more than a third of Texas’ population growth in that period, according to the U.S. Census Bureau population estimates. 

Income

The Town of Flower Mound is made up of a young, rapidly growing and affluent populace with an average household income of $189,356 and a family size of 3.06 persons per household.

Population

The population of Flower Mound has grown from 15,527 in 1990 to 80,883 in 2023. Flower Mound’s location – in close proximity to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and Alliance Airport, at the heart of the “golden triangle” – along with development-ready land, has contributed to this phenomenal growth.

More than 67.5 percent of the Town’s residents have earned an associate’s/bachelor’s degree or higher, offering employers some of the highest skilled workers in the north Texas area. Several colleges and universities are just minutes away, helping to ensure that employers have quality training available to meet their needs.

Government

Flower Mound has a council/manager form of government, with an elected mayor and five council members serving staggered three-year terms. Residents and visitors can stay informed about activities and issues by receiving the Town of Flower Mound newsletter, calling the 972-539-SERV line, tuning in to FMTV on the local cable channel, or accessing the Town’s website at http://www.flower-mound.com/.

Denton County is governed by a Commissioners Court including a county judge elected at-large, and four county commissioners elected by precinct.

Public Safety

Flower Mound prides itself on being one of the safest communities in Texas and continues to explore ways to improve public safety through a variety of programs, partnerships and technology.

The Flower Mound Police Department provides the community with great customer service in a timely manner. In cooperation with the Town Council, the Police Department has developed a progressive approach to community policing and has provided professional, well-trained officers to address concerns and requests from citizens.

The department is responsible for the protection of lives and property and the preservation of social order and public peace. It is the hope of the Flower Mound Police Department that, through a spirit of cooperation, the Town’s citizens and the Police Department can make the community a safer place to live and work.

The mission of the Flower Mound Fire and Emergency Services Department is to protect life and property and fulfill the needs and expectations of the community by providing the highest quality fire suppression, emergency medical, rescue, fire prevention, and emergency management services. The department maintains an ISO (Insurance Services Office)/PPC (Public Protection Classification) rating of a 02/2x, equating to lower insurance rates for property owners.

The 911 Emergency Communications Center ensures rapid response by EMS, Fire and Police units.

Transportation

DFW International Airport, the second-busiest airport in the world, is 3 miles south of Flower Mound, providing direct service to more than 200 destinations around the world. The country’s first industrial airport, Alliance Airport, is a mere 5 miles west of Flower Mound, making global distribution just a liftoff away.

Long Prairie Road (FM 2499), the north/south corridor of Flower Mound, is the primary route to both downtown Dallas and Fort Worth, connecting with highways 635, 121 and 114. This major artery goes from the DFW Airport, through Flower Mound, to Denton.

The main east/west corridor, FM 1171, allows access to both interstates 35W and 35E. FM 1171  is a six-lane divided roadway with curbs and medians from FM 2499 to 35E. The other east/west corridor is FM 3040, a six-lane road, divided from Lewisville to FM 2499. FM 407 is a four-lane divided roadway from Lewisville to FM 1830.

Lakeside Parkway is a four-lane divided thoroughfare between FM 2499 and SH 121, providing another route to relieve FM 3040 and a second point of access to SH 121.

Interstate Highway 35E, approximately two miles from the eastern border of Flower Mound, is a 1,500-mile roadway that runs north and south from the Mexican border to the Canadian border, known as the NAFTA highway.

With continued growth comes the need for new infrastructure. Flower Mound is committed to providing the highest quality streets, roads, water and wastewater services to its businesses and residents.

Recreation and Amenities

Located between Grapevine Lake and Lewisville Lake, and blessed with heavily wooded hills, panoramic views and an abundance of creeks and shorelines, Flower Mound offers unlimited recreational and leisure activities. Residents and visitors enjoy sailing, water sports, fishing, hunting, camping and hiking at these and other area lakes.

Home to two nationally-recognized golf courses, Tour 18 and Bridlewood Golf Club, golf enthusiasts enjoy year-round play. In addition, there are approximately 150 private and municipal golf courses in the DFW area.

The Town’s trail system has grown, from the first 3 miles constructed in 1989, to more than 59 miles of 8’ paved hike/bike trails currently located throughout Flower Mound.  Some trails are located within the boundaries of individual parks, and other trial systems connect a series of parks along natural greenway corridors or through existing subdivisions.  There are also 11 miles of equestrian trails, numerous youth and adult baseball/softball fields, soccer fields and tennis courts. The Town’s Parks and Recreation facilities also include a system of parks encompassing more than 980 acres, offering a variety of playgrounds, covered picnic shelters, cooking grills, multi-purpose trails, basketball play pads and ball fields.

Sports enthusiasts enjoy youth and adult softball, baseball, soccer, tennis, basketball and flag football leagues throughout the year, and a lighted ball field complex at Gerault Park.

The Flower Mound Performing Arts Theatre produces a full season of plays and musicals annually, and has an outstanding youth educational program. The Flower Mound Chamber Orchestra was founded in 1994 to provide a vehicle for the performance and enjoyment of classical music. The orchestra is composed of local musicians who volunteer their time and talents for the benefit of cultural awareness in the community, and for their own enjoyment of playing.

Flower Mound’s proximity to the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex also opens a wealth of recreational opportunities including Six Flags and Hurricane Harbor, Texas Stadium, Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, and the symphony halls and art museums of Dallas and Fort Worth.

If professional sports are your game, the Dallas Cowboys, Dallas Mavericks, Texas Rangers, Dallas Stars and the Dallas Burn are all competing for attention. The Texas Motor Speedway is located within minutes of Flower Mound and hosts two NASCAR events a year, as well as several other sanctioned races.

Community Activity Center

Flower Mound’s Community Activity Center (CAC) is an 80,000 square-foot facility that offers an abundance of recreational opportunities including indoor basketball courts, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, indoor track and fitness facilities, senior and youth activities, numerous art, dance and fitness classes, and meeting rooms available to Flower Mound residents.

Awards and Recognition

Flower Mound continues to garner national attention as a great community with a history of accolades –

For the second year in a row, Flower Mound has been named the No. 1 “Most Livable Small City in the U.S.,” according to a study by SmartAsset, an online personal finance company.  Flower Mound is the only Texas community in the top 10.

In 2018, CNN Money Magazine named Flower Mound No. 16 on the publication’s annual “Best Places to Live List,” which chooses 50 cities from the country to make the prestigious list.  Flower Mound is one of only two Texas cities to make the list, following Frisco at No. 1.  CNN Money Magazine said Flower Mound, “has ultra-high school graduation rates, and modest home prices” in addition to plenty of indoor and outdoor activities, including water-skiing, camping, and biking.

 Flower Mound is the No. 4 “Best Cities for Families,” according to a recent study by ApartmentList, a real estate website.  The study ranked 552 U.S. cities on four key factors: safety, housing affordability, education quality, and child friendliness.  Flower Mound received an overall score of 92.785 and is the top Texas city on the list.

According to SafeWise, a community-focused security organization, Flower Mound is ranked No. 16 on its “Texas’s 50 Safest Cities of 2019” list.  They used the most recent FBI crime data from 2017 and population data to analyze and rank each city.