Denton

Denton is the cultural engine of the county — a historic courthouse square, a nationally known music scene, and the gravity of two universities keeping it perpetually awake. It’s where the county’s character is loudest.

The lay of the land

Everything orbits the Square. The University of North Texas and Texas Woman’s University frame the core, with established neighborhoods radiating out and newer development pushing toward the south and west loops. I-35 splits into 35E and 35W right here, so you’ve got a straight shot to Dallas or Fort Worth depending on which way you lean.

Getting around

Rough off-peak drive times from the Square:

• DFW Airport — about 35 minutes
• Fort Worth — about 40 minutes
• Downtown Dallas — about 45 minutes

Denton is also the north end of the A-train. Board at the Downtown Denton Transit Center and ride south to Trinity Mills in Carrollton, where it connects to DART’s Green Line into Dallas.

What anchors it

• The Square — the 1896 courthouse in the middle, ringed by independent bars, restaurants, record shops, and music venues. This is the town’s living room.
• UNT and TWU — two campuses within walking distance of downtown, and the reason Denton has a music scene that punches way above its size.
• Rayzor Ranch — the big retail and dining hub off I-35 and University Drive, for the errands the Square doesn’t cover.
• Denton Arts & Jazz Festival — three free days in September at the North Texas Fairgrounds, with five stages. Denton’s signature weekend.

Outdoors

• Ray Roberts Lake State Park — the big water north of town: swimming, camping, and miles of trail.
• Lewisville Lake — the north end is a short drive southeast.
• Clear Creek Natural Heritage Center — wetlands and bottomland forest on the northeast side, with trails and a nature center.

What’s changing

Three things to watch:

• Landmark by Hillwood — 3,200 acres in southwest Denton off I-35W and nine builders. It’s the biggest new-construction story in the city. I break it down here.
• H-E-B, times two — Denton is finally getting H-E-B, and it’s getting two. The first, at Robson Ranch Road and I-35W inside Landmark, is on track to open by the end of 2026 — ahead of the original 2027 target — with a fuel center and car wash. The second is coming to West University Drive near UNT, targeted for fall 2027.
• Data centers — new data-center value added about $1.3 billion to Denton’s tax roll this year, and that’s what let the city cut its rate (more below). One caveat the city itself flagged: that kind of equipment loses value fast, so don’t assume the cut is permanent.

New construction in Denton

• Sagebrook — far south Denton off 377 and Bonnie Brae. CastleRock and M/I from the mid $300s, about 1.9% with no MUD or PID — and there’s a pool.
• Vintage Village — M/I only, off 377 and Vintage Blvd, from the low $400s. No MUD, no PID, Argyle ISD, and in its final build phases.
• Hickory Grove — off US-380, five miles west of I-35. D.R. Horton from about $250K, Krum ISD, a $700-a-year HOA with a pool, and about 2.6% including the MUD.
• Landmark by Hillwood — the big one: 3,200 acres off I-35W with nine builders and an H-E-B inside.

The tax read

The city’s portion of the property tax rate is $0.548485 per $100 for FY 2026-27 — down from $0.595420, and the lowest Denton has had since 2004. The city pegs the savings at about $203 a year on an average home. That’s just the city — county, school district, and college district rates stack on top. Ask me for the all-in number on a specific address before you fall for a house.

The market read

Wide range here — historic homes near the Square, established mid-century pockets, and steady new construction on the outskirts. Few markets in the county offer this much variety within one city’s limits.