Honey Grove is a city in Fannin County, Texas, United States. Honey Grove bills itself as "The Sweetest Town in Texas". The population was 1,668 at the 2010 census.
Geography
Honey Grove is in North Central Texas, in eastern Fannin County, east of Bonham, the county seat, north of Greenville, east of Sherman, and northeast of the Central Business District of Dallas. Honey Grove was developed on flat to gently rolling terrain with scattered trees. The city is at an elevation ranging from approximately above sea level. U.S. Highway 82 and State Highway 56 traverse the city from east to west, and State Roads 34, 100 and 824 run north and south. Bonham is the closest major economic center. Its climate produces an annual average daily maximum temperature of 75.1 degrees, and an average annual rainfall is. It is also a part of the Texoma region. It is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, of which is land and, or 1.40%, is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,746 people, 693 households, and 451 families residing in the city. The population density was 661.5 people per square mile. There were 814 housing units at an average density of 308.4/sq mi. The racial makeup of the city was 78.87% White, 16.32% African American, 0.40% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 2.58% from other races, and 1.43% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.90% of the population. There were 693 households, out of which 29.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.8% were married couples living together, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.8% were non-families. 32.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.04. In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.3% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 23.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $28,859, and the median income for a family was $37,266. Males had a median income of $27,560 versus $22,050 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,701. About 12.4% of families and 16.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.3% of those under age 18 and 16.7% of those age 65 or over.
History
discovered the area of Honey Grove when he camped there on his way to join the Texas Army at San Antonio in 1836. Crockett sent many letters back to Tennessee, telling of an area with an abundance of honey-filled trees, hence the town's name. In 1837, Samuel Erwin became the first settler of the place. B. S. Walcott contributed much to the town's development, by planning the city's landscape and later on by selling building lots. In 1873 Honey Grove was officially established. Samuel Erwin and Davy Crockett, old friends from Kentucky, were instrumental in the founding of Honey Grove. Samuel Augustus Erwin has a large gravestone marker in Honey Grove, stating: "Virginia-born Samuel Erwin was married in 1819 in Tennessee to Sally Rodgers Crisp, in a ceremony performed by local magistrate David Crockett. First settler in the Honey Grove area, Erwin arrived here in 1837 and surveyed land grants for other pioneers. A surveyor by profession, he platted the town site for his friend B.S. Wolcott in 1848. He was the town's first postmaster and one of Fannin County's earliest Justices of the Peace." The Crockett Park Monument, in the same area, indicates that Honey Grove was named by Crockett, but he died before it could become a town. It states that one of his old friends, Sam Erwin, became the founder of the settlement. The monument reads in part that Crockett traveled by riverboat, horseback and on foot, entering Texas along the Red River, camping at a site half a mile northeast of today's park, where he found wild bees and honey in hollow trees, and called the campsite a "honey grove." It is said that he told friends he would settle here later, but he died a few weeks later in the cause of Texan liberty, at the Alamo. In 2007 Honey Grove was also a temporary filming location for an episode of One Tree Hill, in which the local high school won a contest the CW and Sunkist promoted. Fans submitted videos in hopes their town would be selected. Mark Schwahn, the creator of One Tree Hill, ultimately chose Honey Grove High School as the winner. The cast from One Tree Hill who filmed with Honey Grove High School included Chad Michael Murray, Sophia Bush, Hilarie Burton, James Lafferty and Bethany Joy Lenz.
Government
Honey Grove is a Type A, General Law Municipality whose government consists of a mayor and five aldermen. The mayor presides over council meetings, is signatory for the city and is recognized as the ceremonial and governmental head of the city for most purposes. The primary duty of an alderman is to be a policy maker. Other duties may consist of regulatory powers over the conduct and property of its citizens. The council may levy taxes, and is responsible for all of the city's employees. Also, the council must see that the city gets the best value for the dollars spent. The qualifications for the office of council member are as follows: U.S. citizen, resident of Texas for 12 months and resident in the city for the last six months preceding Election Day, have a current voter registration certificate, eighteen years or older, not been convicted of a felony and not been deemed mentally incompetent.
