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BALCH
SPRINGS, TEXASDallas
County, North
Central Texas
Interstate 635 and 20 and Highway 175
10 Miles
SE of Dallas
Population:
19,375 (2000)
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History
in a Pecan ShellIt
was founded around 1870, when the family of John Balch settled in the area and
found three springs, one of which was never dry. The perennial spring was kept
cleaned and bricked up and became a gathering place for families in the area to
fill their buckets and talk. In 1900 the area had only a cemetery and scattered
farms. Several years later a school was built and named after the springs.
Balch
Springs received electricity from Texas Power and Light in 1939. Gas service by
Lone Star Gas and telephone service began shortly after World
War II. On June 13, 1953, Balch Springs was incorporated, with a mayor-council
form of government, in order to avoid annexation by Dallas.
The site encompassed sections of Rylie, Kleberg, Five Points, Zipp City, Jonesville,
Balch Springs, and Triangle.
By 1956 Balch Springs had a population of
3,500. The population grew rapidly in the next several decades, and by 1976 it
was 13,050. In 1958 the community had a modern fire department with three fire
trucks, and a post office opened in Balch Springs in September 1964. Children
attended school in either the Dallas
or Mesquite school districts. In 1965 the town
began levying its first taxes, and in 1966 a vote to disincorporate failed.
Because
of proximity to Dallas, land values
in Balch Springs began to rise in the early 1970s. The town became more important
as a residential community when Interstate Highway 635 went through and made commuting
to Dallas more rapid. By the late 1970s
95 percent of the residents commuted to work in Dallas
or Garland. In 1988 Balch Springs voted to combine
with the city of Mesquite, but the vote was ruled
invalid and Balch Springs remained an independent community The population in
1990 was 17,406.
Balch
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