Ferris, Texas

History

Settlement of the area began in the early 1870s. On September 28, 1874, a local family deeded approximately 100 acre of land to four trustees for the establishment of a town and railway station. Judge Justus Wesley Ferris of Waxahachie handled the transaction, and the community was named for him. Within ten years, Ferris had a population of 300 with a post office, gristmills, cotton gins, four churches, and a school.

On September 18, 1882, an election was held to incorporate the community. A total of 47 votes were cast, 34 (72%) in favor of incorporation and 13 (28%) against. The results were verified by the Ellis County Judge on September 30, and Ferris officially became a town. By 1900, the town was home to 904 residents. In 1910, that number had increased to 1,233 residents.

Fifty businesses, including six brick plants that benefitted from the area's mineral rich soil, were operating in 1914. The population rose to 1,586 by 1925 but declined during the 1930s and 1940s as a result of the Great Depression and World War II.

Ferris thrived during the early post-war years. Four brick plants operated during the 1950s, and the community was known locally as the "Brick Capital of the Nation". Ferris also has a second nickname – "The City that Bricked the World" – which is still commonly used to date. In 1952, the population had risen to 1,734 and 1,807 by 1964. The Ferris Annual Brick Festival is held every year at the end of April.

The expansion of the Dallas–Fort Worth Metropolitan Area and the construction of Interstate 45 aided the growth of Ferris in the latter half of the twentieth century. Although the number of businesses decreased during the 1980s, the population continued to grow. It stood at 2,212 in 1990, 2,175 in 2000, and 2,436 in 2010. In 1994, Ferris won the 3-A State Championship in men's basketball.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.4 sqkm, of which 12.0 sqkm is land and 0.4 sqkm is water. Most of the city lies within Ellis County, with only a small portion in Dallas County.

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Ferris has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Ferris was 112 F on July 18/20, 2022, while the coldest temperature recorded was -1 F on December 22, 1989, and February 15–16, 2021.

|Jan record high F = 84 |Feb record high F = 96 |Mar record high F = 94 |Apr record high F = 100 |May record high F = 102 |Jun record high F = 110 |Jul record high F = 112 |Aug record high F = 111 |Sep record high F = 111 |Oct record high F = 99 |Nov record high F = 92 |Dec record high F = 87

|Jan avg record high F = 76.4 |Feb avg record high F = 80.8 |Mar avg record high F = 84.2 |Apr avg record high F = 88.3 |May avg record high F = 93.2 |Jun avg record high F = 97.8 |Jul avg record high F = 103.0 |Aug avg record high F = 103.8 |Sep avg record high F = 99.2 |Oct avg record high F = 92.8 |Nov avg record high F = 83.0 |Dec avg record high F = 77.6 |year avg record high F = 104.8

|Jan avg record low F = 20.8 |Feb avg record low F = 24.9 |Mar avg record low F = 28.4 |Apr avg record low F = 38.5 |May avg record low F = 48.4 |Jun avg record low F = 61.1 |Jul avg record low F = 67.2 |Aug avg record low F = 66.4 |Sep avg record low F = 53.4 |Oct avg record low F = 38.5 |Nov avg record low F = 27.7 |Dec avg record low F = 22.9 |year avg record low F = 17.6

|Jan record low F = 3 |Feb record low F = -1 |Mar record low F = 14 |Apr record low F = 29 |May record low F = 38 |Jun record low F = 53 |Jul record low F = 55 |Aug record low F = 50 |Sep record low F = 42 |Oct record low F = 26 |Nov record low F = 16 |Dec record low F = -1

|Jan snow depth inch = |Feb snow depth inch = |Mar snow depth inch = |Apr snow depth inch = |May snow depth inch = |Jun snow depth inch = |Jul snow depth inch = |Aug snow depth inch = |Sep snow depth inch = |Oct snow depth inch = |Nov snow depth inch = |Dec snow depth inch = |year snow depth inch =

|access-date = November 1, 2022 |access-date = November 1, 2022

Demographics

Per the 2020 United States census, there were 2,788 people, 956 households, and 803 families residing in the city. In 2010, Ferris had a population of 2,436. The racial and ethnic composition of the population in 2010 was 42.7% non-Hispanic white, 17.5% non-Hispanic black, 1% Hispanic black, 0.3% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 1.8% from two or more races and 38.4% Hispanic or Latino. At the 2020 census, its racial and ethnic composition was 32.64% non-Hispanic white, 16.93% Black or African American, 0.07% Native American, 0.43% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.18% some other race, 2.55% multiracial, and 47.17% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Education

Pupils in Ferris are served by the Ferris Independent School District.

Some areas in Dallas County not within the Ferris city limits but with Ferris addresses are served by the Dallas Independent School District. The areas were served by the Wilmer-Hutchins Independent School District until it closed during the 2005–2006 school year.

The designated community college for Ellis County is Navarro College. The designated community college for Dallas County is Dallas College (formerly Dallas County Community College District or DCCCD).

Transportation

Major highways

• [[File:I-45 (TX).svg|20px]] Interstate 45

Airport

Ferris is also served by the privately owned Dallas South Port Airport.

Heliport

| city-served = Ferris, Texas; Red Oak, Texas | elevation-f = 510 | elevation-m = 155 | h1-number = H1 | h1-length-f = 40 | h1-length-m = 12 | h1-surface = Concrete | stat-year = 2015 | stat1-header = Aircraft operations | stat1-data = 0 | stat2-header = Based aircraft | stat2-data = 0 Ferris Red Oak Muni Heliport is a city-owned public heliport in Ellis County, Texas, United States, serving the cities of Ferris and Red Oak. The heliport has no IATA or ICAO designation. The facility is alternatively known as the Ferris Red Oak Municipal Heliport.

The Ferris and Red Oak jointly own the heliport, although the listed owner address is in Ferris, and it is maintained by City of Ferris Public Works. The heliport is used solely for general aviation purposes.

Ferris Red Oak Muni has one helipad:

• H1: 40 x 40 ft. (12 x 12 m), Surface: Concrete

In the year ending September 29, 2015, the heliport had no based aircraft nor reported aircraft operations.

Notable people

• Guilherme Marchi, Professional bull rider and 2008 PBR world champion
• Homer P. Rainey, Former University of Texas president; briefly attended Ferris High School

Notes

References

References

1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
2. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
3. {{GNIS. 2410500
4. [http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~txellis/towns/joanna.htm The Story of Ferris, Texas] – Ellis County TXGenWeb.
5. [https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hjf03 Ferris, Texas] – Handbook of Texas.
6. [http://www.texasescapes.com/CentralTexasTownsNorth/Ferris-Texas.htm Ferris, Texas] – Texas Escapes Online Magazine.
7. "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Ferris city, Texas". [[United States Census Bureau]].
8. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Ferris city, Texas". [[United States Census Bureau]].
9. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov.
10. "City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2023". United States Census Bureau.
11. "Explore Census Data".
12. https://www.census.gov/ {{nonspecific. (August 2022)
13. "About the Hispanic Population and its Origin".
14. 2010 general population and housing profile for Ferris from the US Census
15. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Ellis County, TX". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].
16. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Dallas County, TX". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].
17. [https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/ED/htm/ED.130.htm Texas Education Code Sec. 130.176. DALLAS COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA. Sec. 130.189. NAVARRO COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.] - The assigned community college depends on the county.
18. {{FAA-airport
19. {{FAA-airport
20. "Texas Airport Directory – Ferris/Red Oak, Ferris Red Oak Muni (12T)". [[Texas Department of Transportation]].
21. "12T – Heliport". Great Circle Mapper.
22. "Ellis County, Texas – Ferris-Red Oak Municipal Heliport". [[Ellis County, Texas]].
23. "AOPA Airport Directory – 12T". [[Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association]].