The City of Farmers Branch was first settled in the early 1840-1850s as part of the Peters Colony land grant contract originally headed by William Smalling Peters. In fact, it was the first location of Peters Colony, or the Texan Land and Emigration Company, in 1845. Those who have lived or visited here may have noticed the evidence of many of the first settlers in the city today: Thomas Keenan, Isaac B. Webb, William Cochran, and the Mustang Branch community. It was William Cochran who changed the name of the city to Farmers Branch as a nod to the area's rich soil and farmland.
Farmers Branch didn't change all that much in its first hundred years, other than: a post office opened in 1848 by Webb, closed in 1866, and later re-opened in 1875; a railroad development made possible by prominent early settler Samuel Gilbert and others who sold right-of-way through their land in 1874 (near the current DART rail station); and a brick school building constructed in 1916, with an area population that peaked to 300 during the early 1900s. This population remained stable until after World War II.
Farmers Branch was incorporated on February 23, 1946, with William F. (Bill) Dodson serving as the city's first mayor. Population exploded from 915 residents in 1950 to 13,441 residents in 1960 – a 1,369% increase over the decade. This was a golden time of government-subsidized growth, and the City of Farmers Branch reaped the rewards of those subsidies in the first few decades of its incorporation.
Today the population sits at just over 35,000 residents and is sandwiched between the Cities of Carllton, Dallas, Irving, and the Town of Addison. Current governance seemingly aims to maintain the "bedroom community" ideal established long ago in the 1950-1960s, while simultaneously failing to acknowledge its current reality where its population has long failed to support the sheer amount of local retail in the heart of the city. The city is no longer what it was even if long-standing citizens seem to be holding onto perspectives from the past, and seemingly has no vision of what it truly wants to be moving forward. In short, it's time for a change, but the right type of change, from the right type of leadership.
The city has a lot of potential, potential that I would like to discuss at length over time. And because it's my home and likely to be so for a good while, a disproportionate amount of miles will be spent here than perhaps any other. It will certainly be the subject of one of many photo zines.
My time in Farmers Branch will also serve as a case study of sorts for what has transpired in terms of city planning and how it affects the place today. And to be totally transparent, I'm not a city planner, nor do I have any experience doing any planning work. What I am is decently read in the area and very likely have had more experience exploring suburban cities by foot than most. So, take that into consideration with regard to any of my writing on this subject. This current project is simply a publicized expression of what I've been doing most of my adult life.
A quick note on paths
One minor aspect of this walk I'd like to point out is the variety of surfaces for paths experienced in a relatively short distance. Natural materials used for surfaces, along with extensive surrounding vegetation (with native plants!), can make for immensely enjoyable walkable paths.
Concrete as a surface material has its place. But in my opinion, it should be used far less than it is currently used. Not only is it a major contributor to urban heat island effect because of its ability to absorb and hold on to heat so easily, it's just so utterly boring.
My true judge of a great path is whether or not it's enjoyable to walk on it barefoot – something that maybe isn't as obvious as it may seem. More on this in future posts.
