Fate is a city located in the center of Rockwall County, Texas. The 2010 National Census data identified it as the fastest-growing city in the state of Texas for the past decade, and one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation. The population in 2010 was 6,357, up from 602 in 2000; a 1,179.1% increase. Based on building permits and current utility bills, the population was over 14,206 as of 2018. This population boom is expected to continue, topping the 20,000 population mark sometime in 2021. The city operates under a Council-Manager form of government through a Home Rule Charter. The six City Council members and Mayor are elected at-large.
Geography
The city is about four miles east of Rockwall on Texas State Highway 66 and FM 551 and just north of I-30. Royse City is four miles to the northeast. The city has a total area of, of which, of it is land and of it is water.
Demographics
As of the 2010 census, there were 6,357 people, 1,756 households, and 568 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,094 people per square mile. There were 2,108 housing units, with a homeownership rate of 94.7%. The racial makeup of the city was 84% White, 6.8% African American,.8% Native American, 1.6% Asian, and 2.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14.9% of the population. In the city, the population was spread out, with 35.1% under the age of 18, 49.6% from 18 to 65, and 4.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. The distribution of women was 50.5% across the city. The median income for a household in the city was $78,071, with a housing median value of $175,000. Percent of persons age 25+ who graduated high school was 94.8%, with 34.4% of those adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher. Less than 5.6% of the population were below the poverty line.
Education
Fate is served by the Rockwall Independent School District in the southern and western portions of the city and the Royse City Independent School District in the northern and eastern portions. Royse City ISD provides two campuses in Fate; Miss May Vernon Elementary School and Harry H Herndon Intermediate School with Bobby Summers Middle School under construction and scheduled to open fall of 2020. The Rockwall ISD elementary campus is Billie Stevenson Elementary School, which opened at the start of the 2013-2014 school year. It is located in the city's WoodCreek subdivision.
The town made national news in 1965 when Marina Oswald, the widow of accused presidential assassin Lee Harvey Oswald, remarried a little more than 18 months after her husband's slaying. She and an electronics worker, Kenneth Porter, worked at eluding reporters who had learned of the engagement, and traveled to Fate to be wed by Carl Leonard Jr., a justice of the peace.
