Commerce, Texas
| Commerce, Texas | |
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| City | |
View of the Texas A&M University–Commerce campus
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| Nickname(s): "The 'Merce" | |
| Motto: "Fun, Education, Community" | |
 Location of Commerce, Texas |
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| Coordinates: 33°14′42″N 95°54′0″W / 33.24500°N 95.90000°WCoordinates: 33°14′42″N 95°54′0″W / 33.24500°N 95.90000°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Hunt |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Wyman Williams |
| Area | |
| • Total | 6.5 sq mi (16.9 km2) |
| • Land | 6.5 sq mi (16.8 km2) |
| • Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.1 km2) |
| Elevation | 554 ft (169 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 8,078 |
| • Density | 1,183.3/sq mi (456.9/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP codes | 75428-75429 |
| Area code(s) | 903 |
| FIPS code | 48-16240 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1373171 |
| Website | City of Commerce |
Commerce is a Texas city located in Hunt County, Texas, United States, situated on the eastern edge of North Texas, in the heart of the Texas Blackland Prairies, and the northeastern part of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. The town is 60 miles (100 kilometers) from Dallas, Texas, and 45 mi (72 km) south of the Texas/Oklahoma border. Commerce is the second largest city in Hunt County with a population of 8,599 residents as of 2014. The rural city is home to Texas A&M University–Commerce, a major 4-year University of over 12,000 students that has been in the town since 1894. Commerce is one of the smallest college towns in Texas.
The town of Commerce was formed when two merchants named William Jernigan and Josiah Jackson established a trading post and mercantile store located where the present day downtown area is. The rural area just to the northeast of the area was an open prairie area originally known as Cow Hill. The town was established in 1872 and named Commerce due to the thriving economic activity, and cotton fields and ideal farm and ranch lands between the Middle and South Sulphur rivers on the rich, black gumbo prairie in northeast Hunt County. The town incorporated in 1885. Two years later, a railroad was built through Commerce to transport merchandise from Fort Worth, and nine years later, William L. Mayo, a college educator, moved East Texas Normal College from the Northeast Texas town of Cooper to Commerce after the original school in Cooper was destroyed in a fire. Mayo continued as president of the college, now known as Texas A&M University–Commerce, until his death in 1917 and is buried on the campus grounds.
Commerce was named the “Bois d’Arc Capital of Texas” (pronounced "bow-dark") by the Texas Legislature because of its location in the geographic center of the indigenous range of the bois d'arc tree. The second largest bois d’arc tree in Texas “Big Max”, recognized by the National Forests Famous and Historic Trees, is located within the city limits. Held every September, the annual festival Bois d’Arc Bash pays homage to bois d’arc trees which played a vital part in the frontier days, providing foundations, fences and weapons of the Native Americans. The Bash celebrates with arts & crafts vendors, food, parade, kid's game area, pageant, wine, musical entertainment, 5K run, and car & truck show.
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