Royse City, Texas

Garrett Burgess Griffin Royse, better known as Byrd Royse, was born in Adair County, Kentucky, on January 31, 1838, to William and Mary Stone Royse. He was the seventh of fourteen children. Around 1850, Royse's future grandmother-in-law, Mrs. Nancy McCasland, and her sons bought several tracts of land that were later to be known as Royse City.

Royse was instrumental in getting the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway line brought from Greenville to Dallas through Rockwall County. Royse City was settled in 1885, when the railway came through the area. The town was named after G. B. Royse, who plotted the town and sold the first lots.[5]

After its founding, Royse City preserved its stable small country town status due to its proximity to Garland (21 miles away) and Dallas (33 miles).[6]

Interstate 30 was constructed just south of the city in the mid-1960s.[7] The city grew south to meet the interstate.

In 2000, Royse City had a population of 2,957. Still a small town, Royse City was feeling the impacts of the rapid growth of the Dallas-Fort Worth area, along with Rockwall County. The city's location along Interstate 30 between Rockwall and Greenville helped to fuel this growth.

Royse City has grown rapidly to the north and to the south as newer subdivisions have been built. By 2010, Royse City had a population of 9,349. This represents a growth rate of 216.2%, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.[1]

Royse City is located in the northeast corner of Rockwall County at 32°58′27″N 96°19′58″W (32.974257, −96.332827).[8] The city now extends north into Collin County and east into Hunt County.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Royse City has a total area of 15.1 square miles (39.2 km²), of which 15.0 square miles (38.9 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²), or 0.75%, is water.[1]

As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 2,957 people, 1,027 households, and 781 families residing in the city. The population density was 289.8 people per square mile (111.9/km²). There were 1,089 housing units at an average density of 106.7 per square mile (41.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 79.44% White, 7.51% African American, 0.47% Native American, 0.54% Asian, 9.54% from other races, and 2.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 20.97% of the population.

There were 1,027 households out of which 44.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.0% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.9% were non-families. 20.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size was 3.34.

In the city, the population was spread out with 32.3% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 32.1% from 25 to 44, 16.3% from 45 to 64, and 9.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.7 males.

--The median income for a household in the city was $42,266, and the median income for a family was $48,804. Males had a median income of $30,966 versus $23,804 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,153. About 8.4% of families and 10.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.0% of those under age 18 and 10.2% of those age 65 or over.

Royse City serves as a bedroom community for nearby Dallas and Greenville. Most of the development in the city is residential.

The local economy consists of service businesses, restaurants, stores, schools, and medical offices. Restaurants include Denny's, McDonald's, Taco Bell, Sonic, Subway, Jack in the Box, Quizno's, Rice Express (Chinese), Arby's, Dairy Queen, and Soulman's Bar-B-Que. A Holiday Inn Express and a Family Dollar are nearby. OMi Cranes, a crane manufacturer, is located at the western edge of the city. All of these are along Interstate 30.[10] In June 2019, the popular travel center chain Buc-ee's added a store in Royse City with great anticipation from the city. [11]

In 2007, Royse City was designated as an official Texas Main Street City. The Royse City Main Street program was set up to promote the city's downtown area, where the goals are to foster a thriving business district while preserving historic buildings.[12] Some attractions downtown include Anchored Bliss Boutique, Arbeledas Mexican Grill, Jimmy's Donuts, Los Pinos Mexican, Luigi's Italian Cafe, Milano's Pizza, Domino's Pizza, Main Street Cafe and Joe's Meat Market (groceries).[13]

In 2015, construction was completed on an overpass at Interstate 30 and Erby Campbell Blvd. Walmart and CVS opened stores in Royse City shortly thereafter.[14]

• Gus Ketchum, baseball player
• Glen Payne, musician
• Taylor Hearn, baseball player

• Royse City official website
• Royse City Chamber of Commerce