McLendon-Chisholm is located at . It is situated along State Highway 205 in south central Rockwall County, approximately six miles southeast of Rockwall. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, of which, of it is land and of it is water.
History
The community of McLendon-Chisholm began as two separate settlements: McLendon and Chisholm.
McLendon
Named for landowner P.A. McLendon, the community of McLendon was settled around 1870. He built a combination store, cotton gin, and blacksmith shop that remained in operation until 1975. A post office opened in 1880 and by 1896, McLendon was home to an estimated 150 residents. The post office closed in 1905. Throughout the early twentieth century, the population hovered around 50.
Chisholm
The land that would eventually become the site of Chisholm was given to Mexican War veteran King Latham in 1847. Enoch Parson Chisholm and his brother B. Frank Chisholm, from which the community's name was derived, purchased from Latham in 1856. A few years later, Enoch purchased an additional for $2.00/acre. He organized the Chisholm Methodist Church in 1871 and the community of Chisholm was officially platted in 1886. In that same year, Berry Creek Academy was formed through the merger of two local schools. Chisholm's first store opened in 1890 and a post office was established in 1891. By 1898, Berry Creek Academy was the second-largest school in Rockwall County, boasting a total enrollment of 301 students. The Chisholm post office closed in 1905, but the community continued to grow. The population was estimated at 102 in 1904 and peaked at approximately 200 in 1940. By the 1960s, that figure had dropped to around 167.
Incorporation
On October 18, 1969, the two communities incorporated as McLendon-Chisholm. Residents seeking zoning protection and the preservation of their rural lifestyles was the main reason behind the incorporation effort. By the mid-1970s, the city had approximately 170 residents. That number rapidly grew to 480 in the 1980s and 646 by the 1990 census. By 2000, the population had increased to 914, a 41 percent increase over the 1990 figure.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 914 people, 302 households, and 260 families residing in the city. The population density was 92.6 people per square mile. There were 308 housing units at an average density of 31.2/sq mi. The racial makeup of the city was 98.03% White, 0.22% African American, 0.55% Native American, 0.66% Asian, 0.22% from other races, and 0.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.19% of the population. There were 302 households, out of which 43.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 81.1% were married couplesliving together, 4.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 13.6% were non-families. 12.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.03 and the average family size was 3.31. In the city, the population was spread out, with 29.0% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 29.6% from 45 to 64, and 7.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $81,079, and the median income for a family was $87,618. Males had a median income of $52,692 versus $34,583 for females. The per capita income for the city was $32,256. About 1.8% of families and 3.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.0% of those under age 18 and 3.1% of those age 65 or over.
