Overview
The town of Little Elm is a suburb of Dallas located in Denton County,
Texas, United States. The population was 3,646 at the 2000 census. Current
estimates show the population to be 21,800, making Little Elm one of the
fastest growing municipalities in Texas since 2000 in terms of percentage.
Town Logo for Little Elm, TX
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of
12.6 km² (4.9 mi²). 12.6 km² (4.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²)
of it (0.41%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 3,646 people, 1,210 households, and
965 families residing in the town. The population density was 290.3/km²
(751.5/mi²). There were 1,302 housing units at an average density of
103.7/km² (268.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 79.24% White, 2.96%
African American, 0.63% Native American, 0.74% Asian, 0.05% Pacific
Islander, 14.15% from other races, and 2.22% from two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino of any race were 22.96% of the population.
There were 1,210 households out of which 47.9% had children under the age of
18 living with them, 63.1% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a
female householder with no husband present, and 20.2% were non-families.
15.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.6% had someone
living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size
was 3.01 and the average family size was 3.34.
In the town the population was spread out with 32.5% under the age of 18,
9.9% from 18 to 24, 38.4% from 25 to 44, 15.2% from 45 to 64, and 4.0% who
were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100
females there were 104.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there
were 102.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $50,281, and the median
income for a family was $51,803. Males had a median income of $35,533 versus
$26,604 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,362. About
8.8% of families and 12.1% of the population were below the poverty line,
including 17.0% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.
The population of Little Elm grew by an estimated 498% between 2000 and
2007, ballooning from 3,646 to 21,793 making the town one of the fastest
growing in not only the state of Texas but also the United States.
Roads
The high rate of growth in recent years has caused traffic problems during
morning and evening rush hour. Little Elm has two main arteries that run
though the middle of the town. Eldorado Parkway going east towards Frisco,
TX and north/northwest to Hwy 380, and FM 423 going north to Hwy 380 and
south to Texas 121 in The Colony, TX. FM 423 is two lanes southbound from
Stonebrook Parkway south and one lane north from The Colony city limit;
Eldorado Parkway is four lanes through Little Elm from FM 423 to FM 720, but
is two lanes west of FM 720, thus exacerbating the traffic problem.
Current traffic projects include widening of Eldorado Parkway, widening of
FM 423 and a bridge crossing Lake Lewisville to link Little Elm to
Interstate 35 in Lake Dallas. Eldorado Parkway and FM 423 are state projects
and are expected to be complete about 2011. The Lewisville Lake Toll Bridge
is a North Texas Tollway Authority project and is expected to be complete in
2009.
The North Texas Tollway Authority has recently completed the Dallas North
Tollway Extension Phase III, in September 2007.
Appeal
Residential growth in Little Elm has been fueled by low costs for new
housing. For the past decade, large scale suburban development has been
approaching from the south and east. As land prices in the adjacent cities
of The Colony and Frisco climbed, development in Little Elm has soared.
Little Elm also retains a small-town atmosphere. Little Elm provides close
access to fishing and watersports on Lake Lewisville with one of the few
free boat ramp access points on the Lake.
Education
Little Elm Independent School District serves most of Little Elm. The Little
Elm Independent School District is one of the fastest growing in Denton
County. The school district just finished building its state of the art high
school athletic stadium in 2006 located at the intersection of Hart Road and
Eldorado Pkwy. The stadium is also one of the largest in the area. Some
parts of Little Elm are also served by The Frisco Independent School
District.