Copper Canyon is a town in Denton County, Texas, United States. Copper Canyon was founded in April 1973. Irving,Texas was the first to have their eyes set on annexing the land of what is now Copper Canyon. When the Town of Flower Mound threatened to annex the ranches and rural homesteads, residents, Bob "Shack" Shackelford, Fielding "Dutch" Schulz, and Paul Vickery were the first to recognize this threat to their simple rural living. These men convinced Bill Ferris, Bob Woodin, Tom Murray and Bob Allen to incorporate the town in an effort to preserve the rural atmosphere and freedom of the community. With the threats of the expansive ranch land being annexed into today's Flower Mound, Texas and facing increasing taxes and regulations, the founding fathers knew it was time to act. Meetings began to take place at the home of Bob and Jean Shackelford. The first mayor was Robert Woodin. The first marshal was Bob Shackelford. Council meetings were held in homes until 1978, when Bob Shackelford and Bill Ferris began planning an official town hall be constructed. Many residents chipped in materials and hard work to build the town hall, designed by Bob Shackelford and nicknamed "Moonshiner's Shack", his design reflected the traditional ranch house, and was constructed at 400 Woodland Drive. The developer of the Woodlands Addition donated the land. Bob Shackelford had a plaque made naming and honoring all the men and women who gave unselfishly both their time and devotion to creating Copper Canyon, Texas. This plaque hangs on the wall of the current town hall. The population was 1,334 at the 2010 census. Copper Canyon is adjacent to the master-planned Lantana residential development.
History
The first white settlement in the area that would become Copper Canyon occurred in the 1840s. One of the more prominent settler families was that of Elisha and Mary Chinn, who came to Texas from their original home in North Carolina in 1852. They helped establish the first church in the area, a log-cabin chapel which eventually became known as the Chinn's Chapel Methodist Church. The church is still active on what is now known as Chinn Chapel Road. The town gradually grew with cattleranching as the mainstay of the local economy. The railroad came to the area in 1881, and the first public school was constructed in 1884. The town apparently got its name from "Copperhead Canyon," a part of the area formerly known for venomous snakes. Population, never large, generally stagnated or declined in the first half of the twentieth century. After World War II the area's rural charm slowly began to attract residents from the more crowded parts of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. The town was formally incorporated in 1973. Although still rather sparsely populated, the town has grown as part of the general development of areas north of the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Census Bureau figures tell the story: 465, 978, 1,216, 1,334. Traditional ranches are still found in the area, but Copper Canyon has become primarily a bedroom community with little commercial development.
Geography
Copper Canyon is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of, of which is land and 0.22% is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,216 people, 407 households, and 354 families residing in the town. The population density was 273.0 people per square mile. There were 423 housing units at an average density of 95.0 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 96.63% White, 0.58% African American, 0.33% Asian, 0.66% from other races, and 1.81% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.03% of the population. There were 407 households, out of which 42.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 81.3% were married couples living together, 4.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 12.8% were non-families. 9.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.99 and the average family size was 3.20. In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.1% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 31.4% from 45 to 64, and 6.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 111.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $96,745, and the median income for a family was $96,524. Males had a median income of $72,321 versus $37,417 for females. The per capita income for the town was $36,827. About 2.3% of families and 2.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.7% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.
Local notes
The Town of Copper Canyon is served by the Lewisville and DentonIndependent School Districts. The town contracts with neighboring communities for most municipal services, such as fire protection from Argyle Fire Department, police services from Denton County Sheriff's Department, and ambulance service from Lewisville. The town boasts of a low tax rate and a number of horse trails maintained for local riders. Copper Canyon is also home to the Old Alton Bridge, a registered national historic site. Purportedly haunted, it is locally known as the "Goatman's Bridge".
