Will Slade
My
Home Town
Denton, Texas has
been my hometown since I moved there with my family in 1991. It is situated nearly equidistant from three
key landmarks: 40 miles south of the Red River, which marks the Oklahoma-Texas
border, 40 miles northwest of Dallas, and 40 miles northeast of Fort Worth. Its
population is growing rapidly, with currently over 121,000 people, which is
twice what it was when my family first moved there 23 years ago.
The culture and
identity of Denton is not simple to nail down.
Local residents often call it Little D, in relation to Dallas, and we
assert that it is the northern point of the “Golden Triangle” with Dallas and
Fort Worth even if residents of those bigger cities may not think of us as true
members of their club. Many Dentonites,
when traveling, will not even say they are from Denton. They collapse our fair city into what is
known as the DFW Metroplex, or simply Dallas.
In that way, we
resemble a suburb. That identity that is both real and imagined; we have a sprawling
area towards Dallas with cookie cutter houses, few trees, and many cars with
which families commute into Dallas. My family’s house is on the border of this
area, in a more unique and treed neighborhood with spiraling streets, but my
dad does the hour-long commute to his office with IBM in northern Dallas every
day.
However, the
sector that many Dentonites claim with pride is its “mini-Austin” identity. Its
universities and the people who surround them promote a vibrant intellectual
and cultural life. The University of North Texas is a bastion of jazz and
classical music, with a diverse student population from all over the world and
a cutting edge environmental science program.
Texas Women’s University used to be all women, but is now co-ed; it has
a beautiful campus and really strong programs in theater, occupational therapy,
and education. Both of these campuses
border a charming downtown with an old-fashioned courthouse and lots of quaint
shops.
Denton also
extends into the countryside, with ranchers and cowboy types who have a strong
drawl and fit a Texas stereotype from movies and TV. I went to school with kids from this
background, but did not identify much with them and do not have a very nuanced
understanding of their lives.
As most cities in the
United States, Denton has a history of racial segregation. Black Dentonites
have a sad history of being re-located from one part of town to another due to
racism and unfair power structures. In
response to that, much of Southeast Denton has grown strong and connected
through African American churches, sports, and clubs, which have grown in
influence and prominence in institutions throughout the city. However, racism
persists and many of the inequalities in terms of educational attainment,
incarceration rates, and joblessness rates continue to plague our communities
of color. In turn, such injustices are
toxic for all of us who participate in them.
Also, in the past
30 years, a large Mexican and Central American populations have moved to and
grown in Denton. According to the census
data, Hispanics now make up 21.2 % of the total population and 22.4 % of
Dentonites speak a language other than English at home. Much of this community is diverse and
transforming. Schools are attempting to
implement Dual Language programs to serve families and help children maintain
their home language as well as gain access to the job benefits and local
prestige of English. The music, food,
and cultural celebrations of Latinos are becoming more ubiquitous in Denton, as
the population integrates and grows.
My Denton
straddles all of these cultures. I feel a lot of affection for my town. Would I move back? Sometimes I think I’d love to. But the majority of my next few blog posts
will attempt to explore the unique elements of Austin that have kept me here so
far. Dentonite? Austinite?
I will claim both for now.
