Hutchins is located at , approximately south of downtownDallas. It is bordered by Dallas on the north and northwest, Lancaster on the southwest, Wilmer to the south, and the Trinity River to the east. Interstate Highways20 and 45 pass through the city. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, of which is land and, or 2.35%, is water. Thomas Korosec of the Dallas Observer wrote that the main street of Hutchins had "a faded, smalltown feel" due to the shops along it.
History
The area was first inhabited by families around 1860 as a trading place for immigrants who settled along the west bank of the Trinity River and new arrivals who crossed the Trinity at Dowd's Ferry from the east. The town received its name from railroad developer William J. Hutchins, who was then President and General Manager of the Houston and Texas Central Railroad. The railway was completed through Hutchins in 1872. That same year a post office opened in the community. The population of Hutchins grew to approximately 250 residents in 1884 and topped 300 by 1890. That figure declined slightly to 204 in 1904, but had risen to 500 in 1926. Hutchins was officially incorporated in 1945. In the first census conducted after incorporation in 1950, the population stood at 743. Despite the rapid growth of Dallas County and most of its suburban communities during the latter half of the 20th century, Hutchins has grown at a much slower pace and today is one of the smallest municipalities in the county. As of 2000, the city of Hutchins had 133 businesses and a population of 2,805. Many of the businesses in the city are industrial or manufacturing related. A number of its residents are employed in the city of Dallas.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,805 people, 927 households, and 668 families residing in the city. The population density was 330.5 people per square mile. There were 1,055 housing units at an average density of 124.3/sq mi. The racial makeup of the city was 43.07% White, 37.33% African American, 0.89% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 15.44% from other races, and 3.03% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 23.99% of the population. There were 927 households, out of which 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.6% were married couples living together, 18.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.9% were non-families. 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.91 and the average family size was 3.43. In the city, the population was spread out, with 28.8% under the age of 18, 10.4% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 8.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $37,153, and the median income for a family was $39,083. Males had a median income of $28,162 versus $24,261 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,403. About 12.7% of families and 14.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.6% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.
Most of Hutchins was served by the Wilmer-Hutchins Independent School District. Until the end of the school district, C.S. Winn Elementary School was located in Hutchins. The Hutchins Academic Elementary School was also located in Hutchins. In 2004 the WHISD board voted to close Hutchins Academic, which had 82 students at the time of closure. the former students moved to C.S. Winn and Wilmer Elementary School in Wilmer in January 2005. In addition the Hutchins 5th Grade Center opened in 2000. In addition, Kennedy-Curry Middle School and Wilmer-Hutchins High School in Dallas, then under WHISD control, served Wilmer. The Dallas Independent School District took over all of WHISD for the 2005–2006 school year. WHISD closed shortly afterwards, with official termination in Spring 2006. After the closure of WHISD property values in the district increased. For the 2005–2006 school year until the 2010–2011 school year, the W-H ISD portion of Hutchins was served by several schools located in Dallas. In 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 they included J.P. Starks, Martin Weiss, and Whitney Young. From 2007–2008 to 2010-2011 the elementary schools serving Hutchins only included Martin Weiss and Whitney Young Elementary Schools. From 2005-2006 until 2010-2011 secondary schools included Hulcy and Zumwalt Middle Schools, and Carter High School and A. Maceo Smith High School. The Dallas ISD considered opening a new Wilmer-Hutchins Elementary School building, restoring the Wilmer-Hutchins High School building, and demolishing the Kennedy-Curry Middle School building as part of its 2008 bond campaign. The Wilmer Hutchins Elementary School will open in an area of the City of Dallas in 2011. In November 2010 DISD announced that three schools would open/re-open in the Wilmer-Hutchins area in 2011.
Public libraries
The Atwell Public Library serves Hutchins.
Miscellaneous
's Dallas Intermodal Terminal is located partly in the city of Hutchins and partly in the city of Wilmer .
