City Profiles / Small Cities / Denton, TX

Denton, Texas

As a part of the Dallas–Fort Worth greater metropolitan region, Denton, Texas, is one of the fastest growing cities in the country. Yet Denton's approach to growth seeks to mitigate harm to the environment. The city has worked to protect green space with its open space master plan, which calls for regulation of development on open and environmentally sensitive areas. On public lands, it maintains a tree preservation program, facilitates native plant growth and practices integrated pest management to avoid the use of chemical pesticides. It has a full-time environmental crimes officer with the police department as well as an urban forester on staff.

Denton's progressive recycling division provides curbside pickup of large appliances (dishwashers, refrigerators) and household hazardous waste, including paint, automotive fluid, fluorescent lights and cleaning chemicals. It also picks up yard waste regularly and composts it with recycled wastewater biosolids from the Water Utilities Beneficial Reuse Division to make "Dyno Dirt," which citizens can purchase as fertilizer.

The city is known for its active music scene and its two universities, University of North Texas and Texas Women's University, as well as its proximity to Dallas. Travel between Denton and Dallas will soon be easier, as the Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA) has approved funding to expand rail to Carrollton, with connection to the Dallas Area Rapid Transit's rail line to downtown Dallas. According to the DCTA, it is continuing to expand and soon there will be same-seat service to Dallas.