Bristol

History

The area was first settled in the 1840s by Joshua Brock of Missouri. The community was first called Brockville and a post office operated under that name from 1854 to 1869. The name Brockville was a result of Joshua Brock who was the town's first postmaster general. Later, the community was unofficially known as Heelstring. The town itself was located on the banks of the Trinity River. This area is commonly referred to as the, "River Bottoms", by local residents. The town was destroyed by a fire in the late 1800's and relocated to the current location. By 1890, Bristol had grown into a farming community of approximately 200 residents. The population peaked at around 300 in the early 1930s and declined thereafter. The community continues to serve as a supply and service center for area farmers and local beef ranches. In 2010, Bristol was defined as a census-designated place (CDP) by the U.S. Census Bureau. The boundaries include the original community of Bristol and surrounding areas. Today the community holds several events including the monthly Bristol Opry, 4 July Celebration, Easter Bunny Breakfast, and Thanksgiving Dinner.

Geography

Bristol is located along Farm to Market Road 660 in northeastern Ellis County, approximately six miles northeast of Palmer and eighteen miles northeast of Waxahachie. It is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , of which is land and is water. FM 660 connects Bristol to the towns of Ennis, Palmer, and Ferris, and Union Hill Rd connects Bristol to Crip.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,436
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  2,015
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,837
• Northern Mockingbird

  Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,837
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  1,754
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,643
• Black Vulture

  Coragyps atratus (Bechstein, 1793) · Aves
  1,416
• Red-tailed Hawk

  Buteo jamaicensis (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  1,389

Largest nearby schools

• FERRIS H S
  High · FERRIS · 821 students · 13:1 ratio
• LUCY MAE MCDONALD EL
  Elementary · FERRIS · 620 students · 12.7:1 ratio
• FERRIS J H
  Middle · FERRIS · 590 students · 13.1:1 ratio
• PALMER EL
  Elementary · PALMER · 501 students · 15.2:1 ratio
• JACK LUMMUS INT
  Elementary · ENNIS · 444 students · 15.3:1 ratio
• BOWIE EL
  Elementary · ENNIS · 434 students · 15:1 ratio
• PALMER MIDDLE
  Middle · PALMER · 433 students · 15.5:1 ratio
• G W CARVER EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER
  Elementary · ENNIS · 427 students · 15.8:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 3.1 — 2024-05-01
  7 km SSW of Mansfield, Texas
• M 3.2 — 2024-05-01
  7 km S of Mansfield, Texas
• M 3.2 — 2019-10-01
  8 km SSW of Mansfield, Texas
• M 2.5 — 2019-07-08
  4 km SSE of Rendon, Texas
• M 3.4 — 2018-05-19
  8 km NW of Venus, Texas
• M 2.6 — 2017-09-14
  Northern Texas