Duncanville

History

Settlement of the area began in 1845, when Illinois resident Crawford Trees purchased several thousand acres south of Camp Dallas. In 1880, the Chicago, Texas, and Mexican Central Railway reached the area and built Duncan Switch, named for a line foreman. Charles P. Nance, the community's first postmaster, renamed the settlement Duncanville in 1882. By the late 19th century, Duncanville was home to a dry-goods stores, a pharmacy, a domino parlor, and a school. Between 1904 and 1933, the population of Duncanville increased from 113 to more than 300. During World War II, the Army Air Corps established a landing field for flight training on property near the present-day intersection of Main St and Wheatland Road. Duncanville residents incorporated the city on August 2, 1947. During the postwar years, the military developed the Army's old landing field into the Duncanville Air Force Station, which was the headquarters for the four Nike-Hercules missile launch sites guarding Dallas/Fort Worth from Soviet bomber attack. It also housed the Air Force tracking radars for the region. When the town's population reached 5,000 in 1962, citizens adopted a home-rule charter with council-manager city government. Sometimes regarded as a "white flight" suburb in the 1960s and 1970s, the city is now known for its racial diversity. Its population increased from about 13,000 in 1970 to more than 31,000 in 1988. Duncanville recognizes the importance of the former Duncanville Air Force Station, which closed on July 1, 1964, but the Army continued to operate the Nike Missile air defense operations until 1969, when the facility was turned over to the city. The WWII-era barracks and some other structures were initially repurposed for civic and community use. Over time, the buildings were…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  17,997
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  14,586
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  13,917
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  12,603
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  11,351
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  10,831
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  9,777
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  9,655

Largest nearby schools

• DUNCANVILLE H S
  High · DUNCANVILLE · 4,501 students · 19.7:1 ratio
• SOUTH GRAND PRAIRIE H S
  High · GRAND PRAIRIE · 3,351 students · 16.2:1 ratio
• GRAND PRAIRIE H S
  High · GRAND PRAIRIE · 3,001 students · 15.4:1 ratio
• OAK CLIFF FAITH FAMILY ACADEMY
  Other · DALLAS · 2,473 students · 22.1:1 ratio
• LANCASTER H S
  High · LANCASTER · 2,250 students · 18:1 ratio
• DESOTO H S
  High · DESOTO · 2,216 students · 17.2:1 ratio
• CEDAR HILL H S
  High · CEDAR HILL · 2,197 students · 16.4:1 ratio
• SUNSET H S
  High · DALLAS · 2,187 students · 17.2:1 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