The Colony is a city in Denton County, Texas, United States, and a suburb of Dallas. The population was 44,534 at the 2020 census.

History The Colony's name comes from the Peters Colony, whose headquarters was located within the modern boundaries of The Colony in the historical community of Stewartsville and the site of the Hedgcoxe War. The Colony is also the site of Bridges Settlement (established during the years of the Republic of Texas and the oldest community in Denton County), Stewarts Creek, Rector, Stoverville and Camey, also known as Camey Spur.

One of the oldest portions of The Colony is Bridges Cemetery, established in 1857 on land owned by the Bridges family. The cemetery gates are closed to the public except on certain dates.

The Colony did not exist until 1973, when home developers Fox and Jacobs purchased around State Highway 121 and Farm to Market Road 423. Its name was chosen because they wanted their development to share a sense of kinship with Texas' early history. They planned the development to be a "dream city" consisting primarily of single-family homes grouped as a "colony". In 1973, Fox and Jacobs agreed with the city of Frisco to begin construction. In 1974, the first model homes were completed and the first families moved into their homes in October.

In 1977, the development was disannexed from the city of Frisco's extraterritorial jurisdiction. The Colony was incorporated in January 1977 and became a home rule city in 1979. Residents chose the name "The Colony" and the name was ratified by the city council in May 1977. In 1987, The Colony voted to merge with the small lakeside community of Eastvale.

Geography The Colony is located at (33.090874, –96.884659). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 12.93%, is water.

The city is bordered on the west by Lewisville Lake and the city of Lewisville, on the north and east by Frisco, and on the south by the cities of Carrollton and Plano. Approximately of shoreline on Lewisville Lake (including two peninsulas) are contained within the city's boundaries, thus providing the basis for the city's nickname "City by the Lake."

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition +The Colony city, Texas – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 2000Pop 2010Pop 2020% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)20,55222,50223,69177.46%61.94%53.20%Black or African American alone (NH)1,3582,8744,3315.12%7.91%9.73%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)1721941670.65%0.53%0.37%Asian alone (NH)4442,0703,9101.67%5.70%8.78%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)826320.03%0.07%0.07%Other race alone (NH)32951820.12%0.26%0.41%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)4468832,1931.68%2.43%4.92%Hispanic or Latino (any race)3,5197,68410,02813.26%21.15%22.52%Total26,53136,32844,534 100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020 census As of the 2020 census, The Colony had a population of 44,534. There were 10,957 families, and the median age was 35.7 years. 20.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 9.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.8 males age 18 and over.

99.7% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.3% lived in rural areas.

There were 17,742 households in The Colony, of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 49.4% were married-couple households, 18.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 18,814 housing units, of which 5.7% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.5%.

+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census Race Number Percent White 25,750 57.8% Black or African American 4,462 10.0% American Indian and Alaska Native 410 0.9% Asian 3,936 8.8% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 42 0.1% Some other race 3,612 8.1% Two or more races 6,322 14.2% Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 10,028 22.5%

Politics The Colony is a home rule municipality with a council-manager form of government. It has a six-member council, with two members elected at large, as well as a city mayor. All meetings of the City Council are open to the public, and meetings are broadcast live on Time Warner Cable government access Channel 16, AT&T Uverse channel 99, as well as on the broadcast page of The Colony's website.

In November 2021, Richard Boyer ran unopposed to become mayor of The Colony, succeeding Joe McCourry who had been mayor of The Colony for 11 years.

Council members NamePlaceTerm expiresYear started serving on City CouncilConcurrently serving on these boardsRichard Boyer Mayor Nov. 2024Mayor since 2021 Place 2 2009-2021 Boyer served on the 4B board for six years (2003) prior to his role on the city council. Also served several positions as a member of the Stephen F. Austin State University Board of Regents.Hotel Development Corporation; Local Development Corporation; Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone Board #1 and #2Judy Ensweiler One (at-large) Nov. 2024 Place One since 11/2021Robyn Holtz Two (at-large) Nov. 2024 Place Two since 11/2021Brian Wade Three Nov. 2023Place 3 since 11/2014 Wade served for over 12 years as commissioner on The Colony's Planning and Zoning Commission (both chair and vice chair). Prior to that he served on the Parks and Rec Board from 2002 - 2004 when it was dissolved. Brian Wade faced a runoff election in 2020Hotel Development Corporation; Local Development Corporation; David Terre Four Nov. 202305/2011 Terre served on the Planning and Zoning Commission before being elected to the Council. He also currently serves on the Denton County Appraisal board of directors. And he has served as Mayor Pro Tem. Terry faced a runoff election in 2020Animal Services Advisory Board; Hotel Development Corporation; Local Development Corporation; Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone Board #2Perry Schrag Five Nov. 202305/2002 Schrag faced a runoff election in 2020Hotel Development Corporation; Local Development Corporation; Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone Board #1 and #2Joel Marks Six Nov. 202305/2002 Marks is a long-time resident and board member of The Colony. He was elected to place 6 in 1988 and served 3 terms thru 1994. He was re-elected to place 6 in 2002 and has been the place 6 representative since then. He has also held both Mayor Pro Tem and Deputy Mayor Pro Tem positions.Hotel Development Corporation; Local Development Corporation; Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone Board #1 and #2 The Colony has several Boards and Commissions, all of which list their current members, Term expiration dates, and meeting minutes on The Colony's website. Meetings usually have time setup in the agenda for Citizen input which can be submitted by email or presented in person at most board's meetings. Board applications are available on The Colony's website or at City Hall and a list of currently vacant positions can be found on the site as well.