Commerce, Texas
Commerce is a city in Hunt County, Texas, United States, situated on the eastern edge of North Texas, in the heart of the Texas Blackland Prairies, and the far northeastern part of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. The town is northeast of Dallas and south of the Texas/Oklahoma border. Commerce is the second-largest city in Hunt County, with a population of 9,090 at the 2020 census. The city is home to Texas A&M University–Commerce, a four-year university of more than 12,000 students that has been in the town since 1894. Commerce is one of  the smallest college towns in Texas. History. The town of Commerce was formed when two merchants named William Jernigan and Josiah Jackson established a trading post and mercantile store where the present-day downtown area is. The rural area just to the northeast was an open prairie originally known as Cow Hill. The town was established in 1872 and named "Commerce" due to the thriving economic activity among the cotton fields and ideal farm and ranch lands between the Middle and South Sulphur rivers on the rich, black gumbo prairie in northeast Hunt County. The town incorporated in 1885. Two  years later, a railroad was built through Commerce to transport merchandise from Fort Worth, and nine years later, William L. Mayo, a college educator, moved East Texas Normal College from the northeast Texas town of Cooper to Commerce after the original school in Cooper was destroyed in a fire. Mayo continued as president of the college, now known as Texas A&M University–Commerce, until his death in 1917 and is buried on the campus grounds. Commerce was named the "Bois d'Arc Capital of Texas" (pronounced "bow-dark") by the Texas Legislature because of its location in the geographic center of  the indigenous range of the bois d'arc tree. The second largest bois d'arc tree in Texas, "Big Max", recognized by the National Forests Famous and Historic Trees, is located within the city limits. Held every September, the annual Bois d'Arc Bash pays homage to the native trees which played a vital part in the frontier days, providing foundations, fences and weapons of the Native Americans. The Bash celebrates with arts & crafts vendors, food, parade, kids' game area, pageant, wine, musical entertainment, 5K run, and car & truck show. Geography. Commerce is located in northeastern Hunt County at (33.244959, −95.899957). It  is northeast of Dallas, southeast of Sherman, southwest of Paris, and northwest of Sulphur Springs. Greenville, the Hunt county seat, is southwest of Commerce via Highway 224 or via Highway 24 and I-30. According to the United States Census Bureau, Commerce has a total area of , of which are land and , or 0.94%, are water. The Middle Sulphur River, part of the Red River watershed, runs past the north side of Commerce and forms part of its northern border. Climate. Commerce's climate is part of the humid subtropical region. The temperature varies greatly throughout the year. Commerce has hot , humid and dry summers, typical of much of Texas, and above average spring temperatures. Commerce has cooler fall and winter temperatures, with higher wind chills due to its northern location and location on a natural prairie. During the spring is the strongest part of the storm season as thunderstorms are very common and tornadoes have been known to form in and around the area. Demographics. As of the 2020 United States Census, there were approximately 9,090 people and 2,853 households in the city. The population density was 1,080.85 people per square mile (417.54/km). There were 3,589 housing units at  an average density of 426.75 per square mile (164.85/km). The racial makeup of the city was 51.63% White alone, 27.71% Black or African American alone, 1.50% American Indian and Alaska Native alone, 2.79% Asian alone, 0.73% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone, 4.93% from Some Other Race, and 10.67% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.84% of the population. There were 2,853 households, out of which 18.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.2% were married couples living together, and 36.5% had a female householder with no spouse present . The average family size was 3.34. Age demographic: 6.5% under the age of 5, 18.9% under the age of 18, and 81.1% percent over the age of 18. People aged 65 or older make up 8.1% of the population. The median age was 23.9 years. The median income for a household in the city was $34,946, and the median income for a family was $52,188. About 32.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.6% of those under age 18 and 12.6% of those age 65 or over. Transportation. Commerce is served by the following highways : Commerce is the proposed terminus in the third and final stage for the proposed Blacklands Turnpike, a toll road that would run from far northeastern Dallas County, through Collin and Rockwall counties, as a faster way to get from Dallas to the major cities in Hunt County. Commerce is served by Commerce Municipal Airport. Public transit called "The Connection" serves Commerce and all of Hunt County. The Connection operates Monday through Friday from 7 am to 7 pm. Reservations have to be made one day in advance, and the transit charges $2 ($4 round trip) if the passenger  is traveling to a place within the same community or city, and $3 ($6 round trip) if the passenger is traveling from one city or community to another within Hunt County. The Connection will also take Hunt County residents to Dallas, as a round trip only: passengers are charged $34, and a minimum of three passengers is required. Education. Primary and secondary education. The city is served by the Commerce Independent School District. CISD currently operates the following schools: Post-secondary education. Commerce is home to Texas A&M University–Commerce (formerly known as East Texas State University ), a fully accredited and ranked university that offers over 100 different majors, with an enrollment of 12,302 students, 7,808 undergraduates, and 4,494 graduate students. A&M-Commerce was founded in 1889 at its original location in Cooper, Texas, but moved to Commerce after burning down in 1894. The university is ranked #1 in the state of Texas for teaching education and 13th in the nation, in addition to having a highly ranked graduate school. The university also remains as the fifth longest continuous operating university in the state of Texas. The Texas Legislature designated Paris Junior College as the junior college  for students in most of Hunt County, including Commerce. PJC has campuses in Paris (40 miles away), Greenville (15 miles away), and Sulphur Springs (25 miles away). Sports. High school sports. Commerce High School is the only high school in Commerce. They are known as the Commerce Tigers and compete at the 3A level in UIL sports. The Tigers compete in football (boys), volleyball (girls), basketball (boys and girls), softball (boys), baseball (boys), track and field (boys and girls), cross country (boys and girls), powerlifting (boys and girls), tennis (boys and girls), and golf (boys and girls). The football team  has two state titles from 1999 and 2001. Commerce-Norris High School (defunct) won the state championship for basketball in 1964. Collegiate sports. The A&M–Commerce Lions compete in NCAA Division II sports and are a member of the Lone Star Conference. The A&M-Commerce Lions compete in football (men), volleyball (women), basketball (men and women), soccer (women), softball (women), golf (men and women), track and field (men and women), and cross country (men and women). Football is very popular among the university as well as the town, as fans from surrounding cities including Greenville and Sulphur Springs will come  out to support the A&M-Commerce Lions football team, and the average attendance at football games is over 6,000. The A&M-Commerce Lions have earned numerous conference titles in nearly every sport that they compete in. In addition to this they've also earned six national titles, men's basketball (1954–1955), men's golf (1965), football (1972, 2017), men's tennis (1972, 1978). Beginning in 2022, the athletics programs at Texas A&M University-Commerce will begin a four-year transition period to NCAA Division I and will join the Southland Conference in all sports effective July 1, 2022. Media. KETR  serves as the radio station for the city of Commerce, Texas A&M University–Commerce, Hunt County, and surrounding cities. The station was founded in 1975 at the A&M-Commerce campus where it still remains today. KETR is a 100,000 watt radio station that can reach up to 75 miles away, the radio frequency is 88.9 FM in honor of the year 1889 which is the year the university was founded. The station provides news, music, and sports for its listeners. In fact the station has two NPR talk shows. Commerce High School football games are broadcast on KETR, as well  as A&M–Commerce Lions football and basketball games. KGVL in nearby Greenville also has a strong presence due to the proximity of the two cities. Commerce is served by the Dallas/Fort Worth Television Stations on local cable and also regular programming. Commerce residents have three newspapers that serve the city, The Dallas Morning News, (Daily) The Greenville Herald-Banner, (Daily) and the Commerce Journal. (Weekly) Texas A&M University-Commerce also has its own student-led newspaper, The East Texan (weekly). Economy. Due to being a rural college town with proximity to Dallas, Commerce has an economy that remained steady  for years, with gradual increases with new businesses opening and others being renovated. Most of the bigger businesses of the town surround the local university, and the university's student body is bigger than the town itself. The downtown area is approximately one mile from the university and is the hub for town festivities. The downtown area includes bars, dining, a fashion retailer, an office supplies retailer, a thrift shop, real estate offices, tax preparation offices, an insurance agency, the Chamber of Commerce, banks, and loft-style living. Healthcare. Commerce is home to Hunt Regional Medical Center, a Level IV  Emergency Room and Trauma Center. The hospital was once part of the Dallas-based Presbyterian Health System, but changed hands around 2010. The main medical center is in nearby Greenville, and Commerce also has three primary care physicians' offices, one chiropractor, a prenatal clinic, two dental offices, and a physical therapy center. Attractions. Northeast Texas Children's Museum. The city of Commerce is home to the Northeast Texas Children's Museum. The museum provides playful and creative learning experiences for children. There are many hands-on exhibits and programs that cater to children between ages 2 through 10. Many school  districts from the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex and the Northeast Texas area visit the museum. Jim Chapman Lake. Jim Chapman Lake (formerly known as Cooper Lake) is located roughly 25 minutes east of Commerce, between Cooper and Sulphur Springs. Boating, swimming, and fishing are available at Jim Chapman Lake. Cooper Lake State Park is located along the northern shore of the lake. The park contains several picnic areas, campgrounds and a large swimming area on Jim Chapman Lake. The park also contains several hiking and equestrian trails. Notable landmark. The most notable landmark of the city of Commerce is Samuel  H. Whitley Hall, a 12-story building on the A&M-Commerce campus. It is the tallest building between Dallas and Texarkana. The building is named in honor of former university president Samuel Whitley, who served from 1924 to 1946. The building serves as a dormitory for traditional freshmen on campus.