The city got its name because it was the lone settlement of white colonizers amid several Native American villages in the Fort Worth area in the Texas Republic territory in the 1840s. On October 14, 2005, city leaders, citing hurdles in attracting businesses, announced a plan to have local voters decide on a possible name change for the town from White Settlement to West Settlement. In the November 8 election, the name change was overwhelmingly rejected by a vote of 2,388 to 219. The oldest street in White Settlement is White Settlement Road. This original trail led from the fort to the "white settlement" about eight miles west into Native American territory. The area was called "white" because it was a settlement of white homesteaders, as opposed to other settlements in the vicinity that were composed of both white and Native American residents. As the Native Americans were forced from the area and the settlement moved westward, the road followed. This was the only public road in White Settlement's early history. Two members of the city's West Freeway Church of Christwere killed by a gunman on December 29, 2019, during a morning service. The shooter was in turn killed by a church member, Jack Wilson, who shot him in the head. Wilson is a firearms instructor and a former reserve deputy sheriff, who is on the church's volunteer security team.
Geography
White Settlement is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, all of it land.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 14,831 people, 5,614 households, and 3,789 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,043.9 people per square mile. There were 6,027 housing units at an average density of 1,237.0 per square mile.
Race and ethnicity
The racial makeup of the city was 85.8% White, 4.1% African American, 0.6% Native American, 1.5% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 4.5% from other races, and 3.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.6% of the population. There were 5,614 households, out of which 34.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.3% were married couples living together, 16.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.5% were non-families. 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.08.
Median age
In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.3% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.3 males.
Median income
The median income for a household in the city was $32,598, and the median income for a family was $36,338. Males had a median income of $28,363 versus $22,250 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,440. About 11.2% of families and 15.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.9% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.
Religion
57.3% of the people in White Settlement are religious.19.3% are Baptist, 0.3% are Episcopalian, 11.7% are Catholic, 0.9% are Lutheran, 6.4% are Methodist, 1.7% are Pentecostal, 0.7% are Presbyterian, 1.3% are Mormon, 12.0% are another Christian faith, 0.2% practice Judaism, 0.5% are an eastern faith, and 2.3% affilitate with Islam.
Culture
White Settlement is also the winter home of several groups of Irish Travellers. The majority of White Settlement residents identify as Protestant Christians, however there is also a Mormon church as well as a Buddhist temple within the city limits.
