History of Cedar Hill TX
Nestled in Cedar Mountain along the White Rock Escarpment stands the premier city of Cedar Hill, a city emblazoned with a historic heritage and a dynamic destiny. Cedar Hill is a richly textured patchwork of panoramic possibilities, and that’s not just hyperbole… Once called the ‘best-kept secret’ of North Texas, the good word is out about Cedar Hill–loud and proud. More and more folks are discovering that Cedar Hill is THE place to be, and NOW is THE time to be here!
Perched upon the highest point for over 100 miles, Cedar Hill’s trademark towers signal 36-square miles of emerald green cedar trees and lush rolling hills. With such picturesque natural beauty in this area, it’s easy to see why Cedar Hill has retained the title of ‘Crown Jewel’ of North Texas. Thousands have bolted from smog-filled, traffic-jammed cities to Cedar Hill home. With amazing growth and change of a 61% census jump in just the last decade, Cedar Hill has blossomed and matured from a rural country town to cosmopolitan ‘uptown hometown.’ Yet, Cedar Hill retains a friendly country spirit, even while boasting a plethora of business, education, and cultural opportunities.
The air quality is good and the lifestyle is excellent. Folks from the city, schools, Chamber, churches, and civic groups work diligently to give back to their community and to keep Cedar Hill the wonderful, quality home it is for its 32,093 citizens. Visitors and residents alike are captivated by the brilliant azure lure of Joe Pool Lake and Cedar Hill State Park, all just minutes from Cedar Hill’s town square. Within a stone’s throw of downtown site of legendary Bonnie and Clyde bank heist, horses leisurely graze in sunny pastures. Newcomers find friendly neighbors and easy access to museums, libraries, and community colleges and universities, as well as many churches, civic organizations, and Cedar Hill ISD, home of one of Newsweek’s top-rated high schools in America.
Real estate is prime, and business is booming with a capital ‘B.’ Businesses reap enticing tax incentives, and Chamber ribbon cutting ceremonies require a monthly calendar just to keep track. There are many wonderful restaurants, beauty salons and spas for that pampered effect, plus new sites to brush up on shopping skills!
graphicRespect for the past and ambitious plans define Cedar Hill, Texas… City leaders remain ever-protective of Cedar Hill’s rich heritage and picturesque natural beauty that render this area simply irresistible. There’s a wealth of cultural diversity, a superb physical and fiscal climate; it’s a wonderful place to work, live, play and worship! Here, you’ll truly find the best of all worlds–past, present, and future. Come see for yourself… Visit Cedar Hill, and you might just have yourself a new home!
Nince halcyon days of the Wild West and wagon trains, Cedar Hill has played a pivotal role in North Texas’ history, shouldering more than its share of travails and tests. Carefully forged and faceted by past generations, Cedar Hill’s–the ‘Crowned Jewel of the Best Southwest–dynamic destiny is deeply rooted in a rich, resplendent heritage…
Cedar Hill remains the oldest established city in the southern sector of Dallas, and it narrowly lost out as Dallas’ county seat by one vote. Historic milestones, tragedies, triumphs–and colorful characters–pepper Cedar Hill’s evolution into the premier city it now is… Along the winding roads of yesteryear, what amazing stories of a genuinely resilient, optimistic can-do spirit our founding fathers, mothers, and children could tell.
In the1800s, Cedar Hill served as an overnight Chisholm Trail campsite, a spot of respite before heading to Fort Worth. Under sparkling starry Texas skies, old-timers regaled one another with vivid stories of rough and tumble pioneer days, with a touch of history and a healthy dose of legendary ‘tall tales’ rendering timeless, entrenched legends of tenacious Texans and of all things Texana–both true and otherwise
In 1841 the Congress of the Republic of Texas authorized W.S. Peters to relocate colonist to north Texas, and many folks “just passin’” through were drawn to Cedar Hill’s rich soil, breathtaking scenery, mild climate, and business opportunities owed to its location. By the mid 1800s, Cedar Hill soon reigned as a home and trade center for farmers, settlers, and cowboys. Thanks to direct rail access to Dallas and Houston, Cedar Hill featured several stores, such as a blacksmith shop, post office, a general store, and the first known schoolhouse founded by Milton Merrifield. Also, founding families such as Hart, Penn, Rape, Anderson, Stewart and White soon arrived by covered wagons.
Cedar Hill flourished but was soon to be tested as never before–or since. In April 1856, a destructive tornado ripped through the town, leaving only two buildings standing. Nine people died, and Cedar Hill was nearly destroyed. Yet resiliency kicked in, and Cedar Hill rebuilt the town within four years. Following Cedar Hill’s rebirth, the Chicago, Texas, and Mexican Central Railroad paid $100 for some land running through the Merrifield property in 1881… And so it was, and so it is… Over a century ago, Cedar Hill’s reputation for excellence began.
Thanks to many who have gone before us, Cedar Hill, Texas evolved into a progressive, vital city with natural beauty, proud citizens–and exciting opportunities. Be it the late 1880s or 2002, the richly written historic pages continue to turn, garnering high marks. So come on out and ‘hang your hat’ in Cedar Hill. Listen for the remnants of the Wild West as the 21st Century whirls by… Cedar Hill, where legend is often true, and truth is often legendary.