Overview
Coppell is a city in Dallas County, Texas, a suburb and bedroom community
of the DFW Metroplex. The population was 35,958 at the 2000 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.
Originally named "Gibbs", the town was renamed in 1890 for George Coppell,
an engineer who brought the railroad to the area. In 1955, the community
incorporated through a ballot measure that passed by a vote of 41 to 1.
Spured by the opening of Dallas Fort Worth International Airport in 1974,
the city 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 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, thanks to its
proximity to the airport.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of
38.6 km² (14.94 mi²). 38.5 km² (14.9 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04
mi²) of it (0.20%) is water.
Coppell occupies the northwest corner of Dallas County and lies in proximity
to DFW Airport. 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 censusGR2 of 2000, there were 35,958 people, 12,211 households,
and 9,781 families residing in the city. The population density was
933.7/km² (2,418.5/mi²). There were 12,587 housing units at an average
density of 326.8/km² (846.6/mi²). 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.
The median income for a household in the city was $96,935, and the median
income for a family was $106,630. 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.
Education
Coppell ISD is planning to close down Lee Elementary in order to house a new
magnet high school.
Popular Culture
A scene in the Borat movie in which Borat terrifies a group of children with
his bear was filmed at Duck Pond Park, on Bethel School Road in Coppell.
Sports
Due to its proximity to Valley Ranch practice facilities, many athletes and
coaches on the Dallas Stars NHL team and the Dallas Cowboys NFL team live in
Coppell. Also residing in Coppell is George Dunham the voice of Texas
Stadium and a marconi nominated radio personality on 1310 The Ticket.
Coppell High School won Texas state championships in baseball (1995),
softball (2002), boy's soccer (2004), and ice hockey (2003). CHS was one of
four inaugural members of the Metroplex High School Hockey League (1997),
the first high school hockey league in Texas. CHS enjoys fine athletic
facilities, including a 10,000 seat football stadium and an indoor football
practice fieldhouse.
The city hosts the Coppell Copperheads, a Texas Collegiate League baseball
team that won league championships in 2004 and 2007.
The city also hosts the Coppell High School Marching Band who got 7th in
preliminaries and 3rd in finals in 2007 at the UIL State Marching Band
Contest.