Commerce, Texas

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title: "Commerce, Texas" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["dallas–fort-worth-metroplex", "cities-in-texas", "cities-in-hunt-county,-texas", "populated-places-established-in-1872", "1872-establishments-in-texas"] topic_path: "geography" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commerce,_Texas" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

Field	Value
official_name	Commerce, Texas
settlement_type	City
population_demonym	Commercite
nickname	"The 'Merce"
image_skyline	A&M-Commerce view..jpg
image_caption	View of the East Texas A&M University campus
image_map	TXMap-doton-Commerce.PNG
mapsize	250px
map_caption	Location of Commerce, Texas
image_map1	Hunt County Commerce.svg
mapsize1	250px
subdivision_type	Country
subdivision_name	United States
subdivision_type1	State
subdivision_name1	Texas
subdivision_type2	County
subdivision_name2	Hunt
subdivision_type3	Region
subdivision_name3	Texas Blackland Prairies
leader_title	Mayor
leader_name	Teddy Reel
unit_pref	Imperial
area_footnotes
area_total_km2	21.77
area_land_km2	21.58
area_water_km2	0.19
area_total_sq_mi	8.41
area_land_sq_mi	8.33
area_water_sq_mi	0.07
population_as_of	2020
population_total	9090
population_density_km2	417.54
population_density_sq_mi	1080.85
timezone	Central (CST)
utc_offset	-6
timezone_DST	CDT
utc_offset_DST	-5
elevation_footnotes
elevation_ft	535
coordinates
postal_code_type	ZIP codes
postal_code	75428-75429
area_codes	903, 430
blank_name	FIPS code
blank_info	48-16240
blank1_name	GNIS feature ID
blank1_info	2410211
website
::

History

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/1920_Locust_yearbook_p.219(Federal_Building).jpg" caption="Commerce's Federal Building in 1920"] ::

The town of Commerce was formed when two merchants named William Jernigan and Josiah Jackson established a trading post and mercantile store where the present-day downtown area is. The rural area just to the northeast was an open prairie originally known as Cow Hill. The town was established in 1872 and named "Commerce" due to the thriving economic activity among the 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 East Texas A&M University, until his death in 1917 and is buried on the campus grounds.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9f/Bois_d'Arc_Bash_2015_21_(vendors).jpg" caption="Bois d'Arc Bash 2015"] ::

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 Bois d'Arc Bash pays homage to the native 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, kids' game area, pageant, wine, musical entertainment, 5K run, and car & truck show.

Geography

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a9/Texas_A&M_University–Commerce_March_2016_003_(Gee_Lake_and_Performing_Arts_Center).jpg" caption="Garvin Lake of [[East Texas A&M University"] ::

Commerce is located in northeastern Hunt County and is 66 mi northeast of Dallas, 53 mi southeast of Sherman, 38 mi southwest of Paris, and 20 mi northwest of Sulphur Springs. Greenville, the Hunt county seat, is 15 mi southwest of Commerce via Highway 224 or 18 mi via Highway 24 and I-30.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Commerce has a total area of 20.7 km2, of which 20.5 km2 are land and 0.2 km2, or 0.94%, are water. The Middle Sulphur River, part of the Red River watershed, runs past the north side of Commerce and forms part of its northern border.

Climate

Commerce's climate is part of the humid subtropical region. The temperature varies greatly throughout the year. Commerce has hot, humid and dry summers, typical of much of Texas, and above average spring temperatures. Commerce has cooler fall and winter temperatures, with higher wind chills due to its northern location and location on a natural prairie. During the spring is the strongest part of the storm season as thunderstorms are very common and tornadoes have been known to form in and around the area.

Demographics

| 1890 = 810 | 1900 = 1800 | 1910 = 2818 | 1920 = 3842 | 1930 = 4267 | 1940 = 4699 | 1950 = 5889 | 1960 = 5789 | 1970 = 9534 | 1980 = 8136 | 1990 = 6825 | 2000 = 7669 | 2010 = 8078 | 2020 = 9090 | estyear = 2023 | estimate = 9467 | footnote = U.S. Decennial Census | align = right | align-fn = center

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Commerce had a population of 9,090, 2,946 households, and 1,620 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,080.85 PD/sqmi. There were 3,589 housing units at an average density of 426.75 /sqmi. The average family size was 3.34.

The median age was 23.5 years. 16.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 9.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 85.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 83.7 males age 18 and over.

91.5% of residents lived in urban areas, while 8.5% lived in rural areas.

There were 2,946 households in Commerce, of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 30.4% were married-couple households, 25.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 36.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 37.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 3,589 housing units, of which 17.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 32.9% were owner-occupied and 67.1% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 11.7%.

::data[format=table title="Racial composition as of the 2020 census{{cite web|title=2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/pl?get=NAME%2CP1_001N%2CP1_003N%2CP1_004N%2CP1_005N%2CP1_006N%2CP1_007N%2CP1_008N%2CP1_009N%2CP2_001N%2CP2_002N%2CH1_001N%2CH1_002N&for=place%3A16240&in=state%3A48|website=United States Census Bureau|year=2021|access-date=January 28, 2026|df=mdy}}"]

Race	Number	Percent
White	4,694	51.6%
Black or African American	2,519	27.7%
American Indian and Alaska Native	137	1.5%
Asian	254	2.8%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	67	0.7%
Some other race	449	4.9%
Two or more races	970	10.7%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)	986	10.8%
::

The median income for a household in the city was $34,946, and the median income for a family was $52,188. About 32.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.6% of those under age 18 and 12.6% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Due to being a rural college town with proximity to Dallas, Commerce has an economy that remained steady for years, with gradual increases with new businesses opening and others being renovated. Most of the bigger businesses of the town surround the local university, and the university's student body is bigger than the town itself. The downtown area is approximately one mile from the university and is the hub for town festivities. The downtown area includes bars, dining, a fashion retailer, an office supplies retailer, a thrift shop, real estate offices, tax preparation offices, an insurance agency, the Chamber of Commerce, banks, and loft-style living.

Healthcare

Commerce has 1 primary care physicians' office, one chiropractor, three dental offices, and a physical therapy center.

Employment

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ad/Commerce_August_2015_43_(Walmart).jpg" caption="[[Walmart]] location in Commerce"] ::

::data[format=table]

#	Employer	# of employees
1	East Texas A&M University	900
2	Walmart	251
3	Commerce ISD	250
4	Legacy Housing	178
5	City of Commerce	85
6	Ben E. Keith Company	84
::

Education

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a9/TAMUC_Campus.PNG" caption="Aerial shot of [[East Texas A&M University"] ::

Primary and secondary education

The city is served by the Commerce Independent School District. CISD currently operates the following schools:

Commerce Elementary (Pre-K–2)
AC Williams Elementary (3–5)
Commerce Middle School (6–8)
Commerce High School (9–12)

Post-secondary education

Commerce is home to East Texas A&M University (formerly known as East Texas State University), a fully accredited and ranked university that offers over 100 different majors, with an enrollment of 12,302 students, 7,808 undergraduates, and 4,494 graduate students. East Texas A&M was founded in 1889 at its original location in Cooper, Texas, but moved to Commerce after burning down in 1894. The university is ranked #1 in the state of Texas for teaching education and 13th in the nation, in addition to having a highly ranked graduate school. The university also remains as the fifth longest continuous operating university in the state of Texas.

The Texas Legislature designated Paris Junior College as the junior college for students in most of Hunt County, including Commerce. PJC has campuses in Paris (40 miles away), Greenville (15 miles away), and Sulphur Springs (25 miles away).

Sports

High school sports

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6c/North_Lamar_vs.Commerce_football_2015_07(Commerce_on_offense).jpg" caption="North Lamar Panthers]] in 2015"] ::

Commerce High School is the only high school in Commerce. They are known as the Commerce Tigers and compete at the 3A level in UIL sports. The Tigers compete in football (boys), volleyball (girls), basketball (boys and girls), softball (girls), baseball (boys), track and field (boys and girls), cross country (boys and girls), powerlifting (boys and girls), tennis (boys and girls), and golf (boys and girls). The football team has two state titles from 1999 and 2001. Commerce-Norris High School (defunct) won the state championship for basketball in 1964.

Collegiate sports

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/VB_vs_AMK-5731_(10161221526).jpg" caption="volleyball]] team in 2013"] ::

The East Texas A&M Lions compete in NCAA Division I FCS and are a member of the Southland Conference. The East Texas A&M Lions compete in football (men), volleyball (women), basketball (men and women), soccer (women), softball (women), golf (men and women), track and field (men and women), and cross country (men and women). Football is very popular among the university as well as the town, as fans from surrounding cities including Greenville and Sulphur Springs will come out to support the East Texas A&M Lions football team, and the average attendance at football games is over 6,000. The East Texas A&M Lions have earned numerous conference titles in nearly every sport that they compete in. They have also earned six national titles: men's basketball (1954–1955), men's golf (1965), football (1972, 2017), and men's tennis (1972, 1978).

Beginning in 2022, the athletics programs at East Texas A&M University will begin a four-year transition period to NCAA Division I and will join the Southland Conference in all sports effective July 1, 2022.

Media

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/KETR_40th_Anniversary_(16884480319).jpg" caption="KETR's 40th anniversary celebration in April 2015"] ::

KETR serves as the radio station for the city of Commerce, East Texas A&M University, Hunt County, and surrounding cities. The station was founded in 1975 at the A&M-Commerce campus where it still remains today. KETR is a 100,000 watt radio station that can reach up to 75 miles away, the radio frequency is 88.9 FM in honor of the year 1889 which is the year the university was founded. The station provides news, music, and sports for its listeners. In fact the station has two NPR talk shows. Commerce High School football games are broadcast on KETR, as well as East Texas A&M Lions football and basketball games. KGVL in nearby Greenville also has a strong presence due to the proximity of the two cities. Commerce is served by the Dallas/Fort Worth Television Stations on local cable and also regular programming. Commerce residents have two newspapers that serve the city, The Dallas Morning News (daily), The Greenville Herald-Banner (daily). East Texas A&M University also has its own student-led newspaper, The East Texan (weekly).

Attractions

Northeast Texas Children's Museum

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/Commerce_August_2015_40_(Northeast_Texas_Children's_Museum).jpg" caption="The Northeast Texas Children's Museum in Commerce"] ::

The city of Commerce is home to the Northeast Texas Children's Museum. The museum provides playful and creative learning experiences for children. There are many hands-on exhibits and programs that cater to children aged 2 through 10. Many school districts from the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex and the Northeast Texas area visit the museum.

Jim Chapman Lake

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/Cooper_Lake_State_Park_Texas_swimming_hole.jpg" caption="A swimming area at Cooper Lake State Park"] ::

Jim Chapman Lake (formerly known as Cooper Lake) is located roughly 25 minutes east of Commerce, between Cooper and Sulphur Springs. Boating, swimming, and fishing are available at Jim Chapman Lake. Cooper Lake State Park is located along the northern shore of the lake. The park contains several picnic areas, campgrounds and a large swimming area on Jim Chapman Lake. The park also contains several hiking and equestrian trails.

Transportation

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d7/1920_Locust_yearbook_p.218(Commerce,_Texas_map).jpg" caption="1920 map of Commerce and surroundings"] ::

Commerce is served by the following highways:

[[Image:Texas 11.svg|20px]] Texas State Highway 11 – An east–west route through Commerce that connects with Sulphur Springs and Winnsboro to the east, and Wolfe City, Whitewright and Sherman to the west. Runs concurrent with Loop 178 along the south side of the university on a street known locally as "Culver Street" and then runs concurrent with Highway 24 before heading west towards Wolfe City.
[[Image:Texas 24.svg|20px]] Texas State Highway 24 – Major north–south route that runs through the city of Commerce and the University. It connects with Campbell and Interstate 30 to the south and with Cooper and Paris to the north. Most of the major businesses of Commerce line Highway 24. It is the only highway in Commerce that has a frontage road. It is a four-lane divided highway.
[[Image:Texas 50.svg|20px]] Texas State Highway 50 – Serves the northwest part of Commerce, particularly the area by Commerce Municipal Airport. Connects with Ladonia to the north. Formerly, the highway ran concurrent with Highway 24 from Interstate 30; this portion of the highway was reassigned in 2009.
[[Image:Texas 224.svg|20px]] Texas State Highway 224 – Is the Commerce-to-Greenville route, as it is the only highway that directly connects the two largest cities in Hunt county. It also goes through Neylandville before reaching its terminus in Greenville.
[[Image:Texas Loop 178.svg|20px]] Texas State Highway Loop 178 – a 3/4 loop that runs a semi-circle around Commerce. It runs concurrent with Highway 11 along Culver Street south of the university before the junction with Highway 24, and after the junction it continues west towards Highway 224.
[[Image:Texas FM 71.svg|20px]] Texas Farm to Market Road 71 – Serves the northeast rural area of Commerce and continues into Hopkins County, going through some of the smaller rural communities.
[[Image:Texas FM 2874.svg|20px]] Texas Farm to Market Road 2874 – Heads toward some unincorporated parts of Hunt County from a Junction with highway 224.
[[Image:Texas FM 3218.svg|20px]] Texas Farm to Market Road 3218 – Serves the southeast area of Commerce, running through a small industrial and rural area. It also passes by a few Commerce ISD schools.
[[Image:Business plate.svg|20px]] [[Image:Texas 224.svg|20px]] Business 224–A business route of highway 224 through Commerce along Live Oak Street, Main Street and Park Street.
[[Image:Business plate.svg|20px]] [[Image:Texas 11.svg|20px]] Business 11–A business route of highway 11 through Commerce along Maple Street, Park Street, and Wolfe City Drive, this route was formerly a part of Highway 11 before it was rerouted to run concurrent with Loop 178 and Highway 24.

Commerce is the proposed terminus in the third and final stage for the proposed Blacklands Turnpike, a toll road that would run from far northeastern Dallas County, through Collin and Rockwall counties, as a faster way to get from Dallas to the major cities in Hunt County.

Commerce is served by Commerce Municipal Airport.

Public transit called "The Connection" serves Commerce and all of Hunt County. The Connection operates Monday through Friday from 7 am to 7 pm. Reservations must be made one day in advance. The transit charges $2 ($4 round trip) if the passenger is traveling to a place within the same community or city, and $3 ($6 round trip) if the passenger is traveling from one city or community to another within Hunt County. The Connection will also take Hunt County residents to Dallas as a round trip only: passengers are charged $34, and a minimum of three passengers is required.

Notable landmark

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/24/Texas_A&M_University–Commerce_March_2016_139_(Whitley_Residence_Hall).jpg" caption="Samuel H. Whitley Hall of East Texas A&M"] ::

The most notable landmark of the city of Commerce is Samuel H. Whitley Hall, a 12-story building on the East Texas A&M campus. It is the tallest building between Dallas and Texarkana. The building is named in honor of former university president Samuel Whitley, who served from 1924 to 1946. The 146 ft building serves as a dormitory for traditional freshmen on campus.

Notable people

George C. Butte, Republican candidate for governor of Texas
Claire Chennault, World War II Lieutenant General in the Army Air Corps
Ben Kweller, rock musician who penned a song called "Commerce, TX"
Larry Lemanski, director of the Biomedical Institute for Regenerative Research at Texas A&M-Commerce
Samuel T. Rayburn, graduated from East Texas Normal College, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
Adam Kelly Ward, convicted murderer of code enforcement officer Michael Walker in 2005; executed in March 2016
Wade Wilson, former All-Pro NFL quarterback and former quarterbacks coach for the Dallas Cowboys

Notes

References

"Commerce Council Cancels May 7 Election; Teddy Reel Will be Mayor".
"2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
"U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
{{GNIS. 2410211
link
[https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Commerce,+TX/Dallas,+TX/@32.9751927,-96.6303116,10z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x864bc627808bc8e1:0x6ed54e16281b2ca1!2m2!1d-95.8999656!2d33.2470567!1m5!1m1!1s0x864c19f77b45974b:0xb9ec9ba4f647678f!2m2!1d-96.8002704!2d32.7790911!3e0 Google Maps driving directions]
"Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov.
"City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2023". United States Census Bureau.
(2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
(2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
(2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
[http://commercetx.org/wp-content/uploads/2011-audit1.pdf/ 2011 Commerce CAFR]{{dead link. (August 2017)
"Texas A&M University-Commerce".
[https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/ED/htm/ED.130.htm Texas Education Code Sec. 130.195. Paris Junior College District Service Area.]
(28 September 2021). "Texas A&M University-Commerce Accepts Invitation to Southland Conference".
"88.9 KETR – Your Station".
"Northeast Texas Children's Museum".
Staff. (March 6, 2007). "History of Jim Chapman Lake/Cooper Dam". [[United States Army Corps of Engineers]].
[http://www.dot.state.tx.us/about_us/commission/2009_meetings/documents/minute_orders/sep24/20c.pdf TxDOT September 2009 meeting]
"SCRPT – Transportation".
"Mary Clark, Traveler: What Is There To do in Commerce and Cooper, Texas?".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::