Overview
Farmers Branch is a city in Dallas County, Texas (USA). The city is a
suburb of Dallas and is part of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. The
population was 27,508 at the 2000 census. On May 12, 2007, voters in this
Dallas suburb became the first in the nation to prohibit landlords from
renting to most illegal immigrants. Enforcement of that ban is currently on
hold pending the outcome of its legal battle.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of
31.1 km² (12 sq mi). 31.1 km² (12 sq mi) of it is land and 0.08% is water.
Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 27,508 people, 9,766 households, and
6,933 families residing in the city. The population density was 885.1/km²
(2,291.9/mi²). There were 10,115 housing units at an average density of
325.5/km² (842.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 78.38% White, 2.40%
African American, 0.55% Native American, 2.92% Asian, 0.03% Pacific
Islander, 13.01% from other races, and 2.71% from two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino of any race were 37.23% of the population.
There were 9,766 households out of which 32.1% had children under the age of
18 living with them, 56.5% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a
female householder with no husband present, and 29.0% were non-families.
22.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.6% had someone
living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size
was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.31.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.6% under the age of 18,
9.5% from 18 to 24, 31.4% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who
were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100
females there were 101.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there
were 99.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $54,734, and the median
income for a family was $57,531. Males had a median income of $34,791 versus
$27,372 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,921. About
4.0% of families and 6.3% of the population were below the poverty line,
including 8.5% of those under age 18 and 4.2% of those age 65 or over.
About
The city is home to a large number of corporations that have attained
frontage along Interstate 635, the Dallas North Tollway, and Interstate 35E.
Its Dallas North Tollway segment is part of the Platinum Corridor and its
land along Interstate 635 is an extension of the lengthy Irving prairie
office park.
Farmers Branch in the news
Immigration measures
In November 2006, the city of Farmers Branch entered the national spotlight
when its council became the first in Texas to pass anti-illegal immigration
measures, proposed by Councilman Tim O'Hare, which include fining landlords
that rent to illegal aliens, and allowing local authorities to screen
illegal aliens in police custody. The measures also included a provision
making English the official language of the city. The original discussions
in August 2006 additionally considered punishing employers who hire illegal
immigrants and eliminating subsidies for illegal immigrants in the city's
youth programs. After initially being set aside in favor of a resolution
calling for the federal government to increase immigration-law enforcement,
the rental, police, and official-language measures were adopted by the
council on November 13, 2006[3] Following disputes over whether closed-door
discussions of the measures violated the state's open-meetings law, a
petition was circulated by opponents in order to force the council either to
repeal the measures or to hold a special election to allow voters to decide
the issue directly; the petition was certified in late December 2006,
leading to the scheduling of a vote in May, until which time the measures
would not be enforced.
On May 12, 2007, the referendum passed by a margin of 68% to 32% despite
last-minute opposition from mayor Bob Phelps and many city employees. O'Hare
spoke from the headquarters of the proponents of the bill, challenging
anyone who might be thinking of filing a lawsuit to prevent the
implementation of the ordinance with countersuits. He also said that Farmers
Branch would be willing to take the case all the way to the Supreme Court if
necessary. On the same day, voters elected to the City Council two
candidates who had supported the measures. In response to two acts of
vandalism against Phelps' house, one after he announced his opposition to
the measures, federal agents advised him to abandon his 20-year tradition of
spending election night at City Hall and leave town instead until after
elections were over.
On May 21, 2007, Judge Sam A. Lindsay of the U.S. District Court for the
Northern District of Texas granted a temporary restraining order enjoining
the city from enforcing the ordinance—one day before it was due to go into
effect—until the court rules on several plaintiffs' motions for a permanent
restraining order. Just prior to a June 5 hearing over the preliminary
injunction, the same judge dismissed from one of the lawsuits a group of
business plaintiffs who had said they suffered business losses and
simultaneously denied the request of the national organization Federation
for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) to participate in the lawsuit on
behalf of the defendants.
Education
Most of Farmers Branch is a part of the Carrollton-Farmers Branch
Independent School District. Dallas Independent School District also serves
a small portion of Farmers Branch. Farmers Branch is home to Dallas
Christian College, a four-year Bible college, and Brookhaven College, a
community college of the Dallas County Community College District (DCCCD).
Transportation
Farmers Branch was one of fifteen cities to approve services of Dallas Area
Rapid Transit in 1983 by levying a 1 cent sales tax. The city currently
receives DART bus service, with service to downtown Dallas (by both regular
route and express bus), the adjacent suburb of Carrollton and crosstown
routes as well. By the year 2010, the city is scheduled to receive light
rail transit service with a station near the northeast corner of Interstates
635 and 35E on the Green Line, which will run from Pleasant Grove in
southeast Dallas through downtown Dallas following I-35E up to Carrollton at
Frankford Road.
The City is also nestled between Interstate 35E to the west, the Dallas
North Tollway on the east and Interstate 635 to the south.