| Denison, Texas | |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Mapsize: | 250px |
| Pushpin Map: | USA Texas#USA |
| Pushpin Label: | Denison |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Texas##Location in the United States |
| Pushpin Relief: | yes |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Grayson |
| Government Type: | Council-manager |
| Leader Title: | City Council |
| Leader Name: | Mayor Janet Gott Obie Greenleaf JC Doty Michael Baecht (mayor pro tem) VACANT Kris Spiegel |
| Leader Title1: | City manager |
| Leader Name1: | Judson Rex |
| Established Title: | Founded |
| Established Date: | 1872 |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Total Km2: | 75.27 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 29.06 |
| Area Land Km2: | 74.09 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 28.61 |
| Area Water Km2: | 1.18 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.46 |
| Area Water Percent: | 1.94 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 24479 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | auto |
| Population Blank1 Title: | Demonyms |
| Population Blank1: | Denisonite, Denisonian |
| Timezone: | Central (CST) |
| Utc Offset: | -6 |
| Timezone Dst: | CDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -5 |
| Coordinates: | 33.7497°N -96.5575°W |
| Elevation M: | 222 |
| Elevation Ft: | 728 |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP Codes |
| Postal Code: | 75020–75021 |
| Area Code: | 903, 430 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 48-19900 |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 1379652[1] |
| Area Footnotes: | [2] |
Denison is a city in Grayson County, Texas, United States, south of the Texas–Oklahoma border. Its population was 24,479 at the 2020 census, up from 22,682 at the 2010 census.[3] Denison is part of the Texoma region and is one of two principal cities in the Sherman–Denison metropolitan statistical area. Denison is the birthplace of U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Denison was founded in 1872 in conjunction with the Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad (MKT) or "Katy" depot.[4] It was named after wealthy Katy vice president George Denison.[5] Because the town was established close to where the MKT crossed the Red River (both important conduits of transportation in the industrial era), it came to be an important commercial center in the 19th-century American West. In 1875, Doc Holliday had offices in Denison.
During the phylloxera epidemic of the mid-19th century, which destroyed the vast majority of wine grapes in Europe, Denison horticulturalist T.V. Munson pioneered methods in creating phylloxera-resistant vines, and earned induction into the French Legion of Honor, as well as sister city status for Denison and Cognac, France.[6]
In 1901, the first electric "Interurban" railway in Texas, the Denison and Sherman Railway, was completed between Denison and Sherman.[7]
In 1915, Kentucky-based evangelist Mordecai Ham held a revival meeting in Denison, which resulted in 1,100 professions of faith in Jesus Christ.[8]
Denison played host to 20th-century notables such as the Marx Brothers[9] and President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was born on October 14, 1890, in Denison.[10]
Denison is located in northeastern Grayson County, with the city limits extending north to the Red River, which forms the Oklahoma state line. It is bordered to the south by the city of Sherman; the city centers are apart.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Denison has a total area of 60.7km2, of which 1.2km2, or 1.94%, are covered by water.[3]
Denison Dam, which forms Lake Texoma on the Red River, is 5miles north of Denison. The lake is in the center of the Texoma region, encompassing parts of Texas and Oklahoma.
Denison has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa in the Köppen climate classification).
| White (NH) | 16,676 | 68.12% | |
| Black or African American (NH) | 2,003 | 8.18% | |
| Native American or Alaska Native (NH) | 471 | 1.92% | |
| Asian (NH) | 188 | 0.77% | |
| Pacific Islander (NH) | 6 | 0.02% | |
| Some other race (NH) | 59 | 0.24% | |
| Mixed/multiracial (NH) | 1,851 | 7.56% | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 3,225 | 13.17% | |
| Total | 24,479 |
Major employers in Denison include:[12]
The Grayson County Frontier Village in Denison contains 11 of the oldest homes in Grayson County that were moved here for preservation.[13]
Former minor league baseball teams include the Denison Katydids, Denison Blue Sox, Denison Champions, Denison Railroaders, and Sherman–Denison Twins.
Munson Stadium seats 5,262 people and is used primarily for football. It is the home field of Denison High School's football and soccer teams.[14] The Denison High School football team won the 1984 Texas Class 4A State Championship by beating Tomball 27–13, completing a perfect 16–0 record. They also made appearances in the 1995, 1996, and 1997 Class 4A Division II State Championship games, losing each time to La Marque.[15] They are home to the longest high school football rivalry in Texas: the Battle of the Ax, against Sherman High School.[16]
Denison is served by the Denison Independent School District. The current Denison High School campus opened in 2014.
Grayson College is located in Denison. The school's T.V. Munson Viticulture and Enology Program preserves Denison's viticultural heritage.
Denison is served by two U.S. Highways—U.S. 69 and U.S. 75 (Katy Memorial Expressway) and two State Highways—State Highway 91 and Spur 503 (Eisenhower Parkway). State Highway 91, known as Texoma Parkway, is one of the main commercial strips that connects Sherman and Denison. It also extends north to Lake Texoma.
General aviation service is provided by North Texas Regional Airport.
TAPS, a regional public transportation system, offers limited service for disabled passengers.
Denison is served by Texoma Medical Center.
Walter Kinney born 1893 was a major League Pitcher for the Boston Red Sox in 1918 and The Philadelphia Athletics 1919,1920, and 1923. Played for The Denison Railroaders in 1914 and 1915 and The Dallas Submariners in 1916-1918. retired from professional baseball in the early 1930s after a long and prosperous career. This information was gathered from an estate find for the Kinney family of Denison, Texas.
In 2013, Lake Texoma and the Hampton Inn and Suites Denison were featured on a travel show entitled The Official Best of Texas, which aired on CBS and the Discovery Channel.[23]
Denison is referenced in the book Dan Gutman's From Texas with Love (Genius Files #4)[24] as the main characters drove through the town, noting the bust of President Dwight D. Eisenhower[25] on the side of U.S. Route 75.