Red Oak, Texas

Red Oak, Texas
Red Oak, Texas
City
	Location in the state of Texas
	Coordinates: 32°31′32″N 96°48′22″W / 32.52556°N 96.80611°W
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Ellis
Government
• Type	Council-Manager
• City Council	Mayor Dr. Mark Stanfill ; Mayor Pro Tem William L. Drake ; Willie G. Franklin Jr.; Ben Goodwyn ; Jeffrey Smith ; Tim Lightfoot ;
• City Manager	Todd Fuller
Area
• Total	15.38 sq mi (39.82 km2)
• Land	15.37 sq mi (39.81 km2)
• Water	0.01 sq mi (0.01 km2)
Elevation	607 ft (185 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	14,222
• Density	920/sq mi (360/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (Central)
ZIP code	75154
Area code	972
FIPS code	48-61196
GNIS feature ID	1344940
Website	www.redoaktx.org

Red Oak is a city in Ellis County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The population was 10,769 at the 2010 census,^[4] up from 4,301 at the 2000 census. The North Central Texas Council of Governments projects that number to grow to 63,329 by the year 2030,^[5] as it is on the verge of explosive suburban growth. Red Oak was one of the exterior locations for filming True Stories, directed by David Byrne of Talking Heads and released in 1986.

History

One of the first settlers to this area was James E. Patton and his family in 1844.^[6] They settled in what is now known as Ovilla, Texas, located about two miles from Red Oak.^[6] Before Red Oak was given its name in 1849, it was known as Possum Trot due to the animal that lived there.^[6] The Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad began near the Red Oak area in 1884 and was completed in 1890.^[6] This railroad allowed people to travel to Dallas and Waco.^[6] In 1949, Red Oak became an incorporated town of Ellis, County.^[6]

Geography

Red Oak is located along the northern edge of Ellis County at 32°31′32″N 96°48′22″W / 32.525607°N 96.806189°W / 32.525607; -96.806189.^[7] Adjacent cities include Glenn Heights to the northwest, Lancaster to the north, Ferris to the east, Pecan Hill to the southeast, Waxahachie to the south, and Oak Leaf to the west. It is 18 miles (29 km) south of downtown Dallas via Interstate 35E, which has two exits in Red Oak.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Red Oak has a total area of 15.0 square miles (38.8 km²), all land.^[4]

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, Red Oak has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.^[8]

Water tower in Glenn Heights, on west side of I-35E

City Department	Director
City Manager	Todd Fuller
Assistant City Manager	Jonathan Phillips
City Secretary	Caryn Stevens, TRMC
Human Resources Director	Amanda Monsivias
Fire Chief	Ben Blanton
Police Chief	Garland Wolf
Court Administrator	Taeisha Wells
Parks and Recreation Director	Kyle Kelley
Public Works Director	Scott Williams

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1960	415	—
1970	767	84.8%
1980	1,882	145.4%
1990	3,124	66.0%
2000	4,301	37.7%
2010	10,769	150.4%
2020	14,222	32.1%
U.S. Decennial Census^[9]

**Red Oak racial composition as of 2020**^[10]
(NH = Non-Hispanic)^[a]
Race	Number	Percentage
White (NH)	5,433	38.2%
Black or African American (NH)	4,481	31.51%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH)	33	0.23%
Asian (NH)	130	0.91%
Pacific Islander (NH)	8	0.06%
Some Other Race (NH)	107	0.75%
Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH)	511	3.59%
Hispanic or Latino	3,519	24.74%
Total	14,222

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 14,222 people, 4,098 households, and 3,293 families residing in the city.

Education

The city of Red Oak is served by the Red Oak Independent School District: Shields Elementary, Eastridge Elementary, Red Oak Elementary, Wooden Elementary, Russell P Schupmann Elementary, Red Oak Middle School, and Red Oak High School.

In addition Life School, a public charter school, operates the K–12 Red Oak campus.^[13]

Texas State Technical College operates a branch campus in Red Oak.

Transportation

Major highways

Interstate 35E/U.S. Route 77

Air

The city of Red Oak jointly owns the Ferris Red Oak Muni Heliport together with the city of Ferris.^[14]

Notable people

Michelle Carter, gold medal winner in the women's shot put at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro
Pinky Higgins, Major League Baseball player and manager, born in Red Oak
Sarah Jaffe, singer/songwriter
Louise Ritter, gold medal winner in the women's high jump at the 1988 Summer Olympics, graduated from Red Oak High School^[15]
Nikki Stringfield, guitarist for American heavy metal band The Iron Maiden
Demi Burnett, contestant on season 23 of The Bachelor

Geographic location

References

^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
^ ^a ^b "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001): Red Oak city, Texas". American Factfinder. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
^ NCTCOG - Research & Information Services - 2030 Demographic Forecast: Red Oak. (NCTCOG). Retrieved 22 March 2006.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f BROWN, SCOTT (June 15, 2010). "RED OAK, TX". tshaonline.org. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
^ Climate Summary for Red Oak, Texas
^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
^ https://www.census.gov/ ^{[not specific enough to verify]}
^ "About the Hispanic Population and its Origin". www.census.gov. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
^ "Contact Us Archived 2011-09-03 at the Wayback Machine." Life School. Retrieved on September 2, 2011. "950 South I-35E Lancaster, TX 75146"
^ FAA Airport Form 5010 for 12T PDF. Federal Aviation Administration. Effective 26 April 2018.
^ "THE SEOUL OLYMPICS; Last Jump Goes Ritter's Way". The New York Times.

^ 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.^[11]^[12]