Coppell, Texas


Coppell is a city in the northwest corner of Dallas County in the U.S. state of Texas. It is a suburb of Dallas and a bedroom community in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The population was 38,659 at the 2010 census. A small area in the far northern portion of the city extends into neighboring Denton County.

History

The Coppell area was settled by German and French immigrants in the 1840s. Members of the Peters Colony also settled here in the 1840s. Originally named Gibbs Station, after Barnett Gibbs, the town was renamed in 1892 for George Coppell, a wealthy English financier who came to the United States in the 1880s and was reportedly heavily involved with the final construction of the local railroad line. Popular belief is that he was an engineer, but there is little or no evidence to support that claim.
In 1955, the community was incorporated through a ballot measure that passed by a vote of 41 to 1. Spurred by the opening of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in 1974, the city was radically transformed from a tiny farming village to a large, upper-middle class suburban community in the 1980s and 1990s. By 2000, almost all of the residentially zoned land in the city was developed, and the population grew to over 35,000. In addition to suburban homes, the city has a growing commercial base of warehouses and transportation centers on the south and west sides of the city, closest in proximity to the airport.

Geography

Coppell is located at .
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, of which is land and, or 2.00%, is water.
Coppell occupies the northwest corner of Dallas County and lies in proximity to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. A portion of the airport property is within the city limits of Coppell. It is bordered on the west by Grapevine, on the north by Lewisville, on the east by Carrollton, and on the south by Irving and Dallas.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 35,958 people, 12,211 households, and 9,781 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,418.5 people per square mile. There were 12,587 housing units at an average density of 846.6 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 83.23% White, 3.26% African American, 0.34% Native American, 9.30% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.88% from other races, and 1.97% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.92% of the population.
There were 12,211 households, out of which 54.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.7% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.9% were non-families. 16.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 1.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.94 and the average family size was 3.34.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 34.7% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 39.0% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 2.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.2 males.
According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the city was $106,783, and the median income for a family was $119,229. Males had a median income of $76,681 versus $43,750 for females. The per capita income for the city was $40,219. About 1.4% of families and 1.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.9% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.

Climate

Coppell experiences a humid subtropical climate. In the United States Energy Environment Administration's "Monthly Energy Review, April 2016", Coppell was ranked number 3 in the United States for the number of trees per resident, slightly behind Sacramento, California, and Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Media

The Dallas Morning News is the Dallas citywide newspaper.
Coppell Citizens Advocate is a local community newspaper.

Sports

Gymnastics

Coppell is home to the Gymnastics club Texas Dreams Gymnastics. The club has coached the likes of Peyton Ernst and Bailie Key and has a strong team of up-coming Level 10 gymnasts. The head coach is former Olympian, and the first American "All Around" World Champion Gold Medalist 1991, Kim Zmeskal Burdette.

Economy

Coppell's economy relies largely on its proximity to DFW Airport, which is directly to its southwest and accessible by multiple highways and surface routes. As such, many corporations have shipping and distribution facilities in a large commercial zone comprising the southwestern section of the city, among them Amazon, Avaya, Nokia, IBM, The Container Store, and Mohawk Industries. In March 2010, Samsung opened a new cell phone manufacturing and distribution facility in the city.

Education

Coppell residents are served by one of three school districts.
Coppell Independent School District is responsible for the K–12 education of the majority of the City of Coppell's children. A portion of the CISD also covers parts of north Irving in the Valley Ranch area and those portions of Lewisville that fall south of the current Dallas/Denton county boundary. Its high schools are Coppell High School and the newly opened New Tech High @ Coppell.
Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD serves easternmost Coppell, south of Sandy Lake Rd. and to the east of Macarthur Blvd., including the Riverchase area, and students matriculate to Barbara Bush Middle School and Ranchview High School in Irving.
Lewisville ISD serves the northernmost section of Coppell falling in Denton County, including the Coppell Greens subdivision. This area is north of State Highway 121.
All of the elementary schools in the Coppell Independent School District are rated "Exemplary" by the Texas Education Agency, as are Coppell Middle School North and Coppell Middle School East. Coppell Middle School West, Coppell High School and the district as a whole are rated "Recognized". New Tech High @ Coppell, received an "Exemplary" ranking in its first year, the 2008–2009 school year. Riverchase Elementary is rated "Recognized". Students from that school go on to attend the Barbara Bush Middle School and Ranchview High School in neighboring Valley Ranch. They are rated "Academically Acceptable" and "Recognized" respectively.
The Coppell ISD was ranked as the #1 music program in the United States by the Music Educators Association in 2000. In August 2001, Coppell voters approved a sales tax increase to provide funding for arts in the school district. The Coppell High School Marching Band won the Texas 4A UIL championship in 1999 and finished third in 5A in 2009. The Coppell Middle School North Band won the Texas state championship in 2006, 2011 and again in 2016. The Coppell Middle School East band finished 4th in state in 2011.
Coppell High School's news program, KCBY-TV, has won several national awards for their work with video production. The KCBY Broadcast department features local stories reaching out to the community in the school as well as the community outside of school. The KCBY Sports department offers a live broadcast of all of the athletic home games, and will soon broadcast away games also, along with live commentary by the sports crew of the news program. The Head of KCBY is Irma Kennedy, who has worked with NBC prior to taking the job. In the summer of 2010, KCBY got an estimated $500,000 worth of new equipment, as it prepares to take on the challenges of a live broadcast in Spring of 2011. The news program also features a movie related segment every week featuring new upcoming movies and more.
New Tech High @ Coppell's film program, NT Fuze, has had several of its productions accepted to major film festivals, including South by South West and the Dallas International Film Festival. NT Fuze provides NTH@C learners a chance to learn the art of filmmaking and use the latest and greatest production tools. Now in its fourth year NT Fuze produces quality content not only for New Tech, and Coppell ISD, but local businesses and organizations.

Transportation

Coppell is next to the northeast corner of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. No freeways go directly through the city, but the entire perimeter is served by SH121 and the Sam Rayburn Tollway, Interstate 635, and the President George Bush Turnpike and Interstate 35E.
There is no public transportation; Coppell was a charter member of Dallas Area Rapid Transit, but voters elected to withdraw from DART in 1989. This election remains controversial today, as the city had a much smaller population in the 1980s, and the lack of membership in DART will likely prevent the city from participating in the planned Silver Line commuter rail system. But since Coppell borders DART member cities Carrollton, Dallas and Irving, it can rejoin at a later date if it wishes provided that it can assess the mandatory 1% sales tax. The future Cypress Waters station in Coppell is expected to be served by the Silver Line.

Notable people