The History of Little Elm, Texas
Little Elm is a rare combination: one of the oldest communities in Denton County and, by percentage, one of the fastest-growing cities in Texas this century. It was founded in 1844 by a settler named Kit King, sat quietly on the creek for over a hundred years, and then a lake filled up around it and the population went vertical. The elm-lined creek that named it is still there under the water and the subdivisions.
Kit King's Creek Community (1841–1900)
Settlers began arriving in 1841 on land granted through the Peters Colony, and in 1844 C.C. 'Kit' King — son of John and Delilah King — established the community, naming it for the elm-lined creek banks where it sat. King became a pillar of the early county: he organized mail service and in 1852 was named postmaster of Denton County's first post office. The stagecoach running from Preston Bend to Bird's Fort passed through King's Crossing. For its first century Little Elm was a small, self-contained farming community up in the northern reaches of Denton County.
The Lake Reshapes Everything (1950s–1966)
Water changed the town's geography and its future. When Lewisville Lake was created in the 1950s, the rising reservoir forced the relocation of historic structures, roads, and even cemeteries — a wrenching change for an old community. But the same lake that displaced the past drew people to the area, and Little Elm found itself sitting on the northern and eastern shores of a major reservoir. It officially incorporated in 1966 with a population of just 300, still small, but now a lake town.
One of the Fastest-Growing Towns in Texas (2000s–Today)
Then the boom hit. Little Elm's population jumped from about 3,600 in 2000 to nearly 26,000 by 2010, making it one of the fastest-growing municipalities by percentage in the entire state. Waterfront living, a public swim beach on Lewisville Lake, and open land for subdivisions turned the old creek community into a young, family-heavy suburb almost overnight. The elm trees that Kit King named the place for are long gone under the lake, but the name — and now a whole city — carried on.
Timeline
1844
C.C. 'Kit' King founds the community, naming it for the elm-lined creek banks.
1852
Kit King is named postmaster of Denton County's first post office.
1950s
Lewisville Lake is created, relocating historic structures but drawing new residents.
1966
Little Elm incorporates with a population of 300.
2010
The population reaches nearly 26,000, among the fastest-growing in Texas by percentage.
Notable People
C.C. 'Kit' King
Founded Little Elm in 1844, naming it for the local elm-lined creek, and became postmaster of Denton County's first post office in 1852.
R.J. Hampton
Professional basketball player associated with the Little Elm area who reached the NBA.
FAQ: History of Little Elm
Founder C.C. 'Kit' King named the community in 1844 for the elm-lined banks of the local creek where it was located.
Little Elm is one of the oldest communities in Denton County, founded in 1844, though it wasn't incorporated as a city until 1966 with a population of just 300.
Its location on Lewisville Lake — with waterfront living, a public swim beach, and open land for subdivisions — drove explosive growth, with the population jumping from about 3,600 in 2000 to nearly 26,000 by 2010, among the fastest-growing in Texas by percentage.
The creation of Lewisville Lake in the 1950s raised water levels that forced the relocation of historic structures, roads, and cemeteries, but the lake ultimately drew new residents and reshaped Little Elm into a lakeside suburb.
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