Balch Springs

Balch Springs is a city in Dallas County, Texas, United States. It is an inner-ring suburb of Dallas and part of the DallasFort Worth metroplex. The population was 23,728 at the 2010 census, and 25,007 at 2019's census estimates. The city is bordered by Mesquite to the north and east, and Dallas to the south and west.Major highways running through Balch Springs include Interstate 635, which bisects the city into two nearly equal halves. The area was first settled in the 1840s by John M. Balch, who named a county school after the springs on his land. In 1885, a small church and a cemetery were near the school. Electricity, provided by Texas Power and Light, was introduced in 1939. Gas and telephone service arrived shortly after World War II. To avoid annexation by Dallas, Balch springs incorporated as a city on June 13, 1953. A mayor-council form of government was adopted after incorporation. In 1988, residents voted to become part of Mesquite, but the election was declared invalid. Two years later, the 1990 census reported a total of 17,406 people living in the city. In 2000, the 2000 population was 19,375. As of the 2020 United States census, there were 27,685 people, 6,916 households, and 5,522 families residing in theCity. The southwest portion of Balch Spring is served by Dallas Independent School District, while the northeast portion is servedby Mesquite Independent School district.

History

Balch Springs is the primary city name, but also Mesquite are acceptable city names or spellings. The official name is City of Balch Springs. Balch Springs is an unincorporated community in Dallas County, Texas. It was first settled in the 1840s by John M. Balch. In 1953, Balch Springs incorporated as a city to avoid annexation by Dallas. In 1988, residents voted to become part of the neighboring city of Mesquite, but the election was declared invalid. In 2000, the city had a population of 19,375. The murder of Jordan Edwards occurred in Balch Spring in 2017. The city has a mayor-council form of government, with the mayor being the city's only official. The mayor is also the mayor of Zipp City, Five Points, Jonesville, and Triangle, as well as portions of Rylie and Kleberg. It is located on the Texas Turnpike, which runs from Dallas to Fort Worth. The turnpike is one of the busiest roads in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, with more than 20,000 vehicles a day traveling on it. It also provides access to the Dallas International Airport and the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. The Dallas/Forth Worth Airport is the second-busiest airport in the U.S. after the Houston/Galveston International Airport, which has more than 100,000 passengers a day. The airport is located just south of the city of Dallas and is the only one in the state that provides direct air travel to the rest of Dallas County. It has a paved road that runs through the city, which was built in the 1960s.

Geography

Balch Springs is located at 32°433N 96°3655W (32.717381, 96.615154). It is situated approximately 16 miles (26 km) east of Downtown Dallas and 34 miles (55 km) southeast of the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. The city is bordered by Mesquite to the north and east, and Dallas to the south and west. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.0 square miles (23.3 km²), of which 9.3 square miles is land and 0.02 sq miles (0.06 km²) is water.Major highways running through Balch Springs include Interstate 635, which bisects the city into two nearly equal halves. Interstate 20 and U.S. Highway 175 run along the city's southern border. It is located in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, which has a population of more than 1.2 million. The town is located on the Texas Turnpike, which runs through the center of the city. The turnpike is one of the busiest highways in the country, connecting Dallas with the rest of Texas. It was built in the early 1900s and was the site of the first oil refinery in Texas. The Dallas- Fort Worth metroplex was founded in the mid-20th century. It has a post office that opened in the late 1800s and is still open to this day. It also serves as a hub for the Dallas and Fort Worth area.

Demographics

As of the 2020 U.S. census, there were 27,685 people, 6,916 households, and 5,522 families residing in the city. The city's population is expected to rise to 28,000 by the end of the decade. It has a population of about 27,000 as of the 2010 United States census, up from 25,000 in the 1990s. It is the largest city in the state with a population exceeding 30,000. It also has one of the highest percentages of African-American residents. The population of the city is about 20,000, up from 15,000 in the 1990 census and 14,500 in the 1950s. The U.N. World Health Organization estimates that the city has 1.2 million residents, an increase of 1.3 million since the 1950 councils and 1.7 million since 1950. The City's population has increased by 1,000 since the 1970s, when its population was about 12,500. The growth of the population has been fueled by the city's growing Hispanic population, which has more than doubled since the 1960s. There are about 6,000 people of Hispanic descent in the City. The majority of the residents are from the Hispanic community, as well as a small minority from the African American community. The number of people of African descent has grown significantly in recent years, with more than half of all residents being Hispanic or Latino. The percentage of non-Hispanic whites has also increased.

Education

The southwest portion of Balch Springs is served by Dallas Independent School District, while the northeast portion is serving by Mesquite Independent School district. Most Mesquite ISD students are zoned to A.C. New Middle School and West Mesquite High School. Some students (in the portion zoned. to Gentry) are zoning to Berry Middle School (68) and John Horn. High School (78) and Mesquite high School (912) are also zoned in the city limits. Young Women's STEAM Academy at Balch Spring Middle School, which opened in 2012, previously was a coeducational middle school serving most of the DISD portion. In the fall of 2016, Fred F. Florence Middle School was converted into a girls-only middle school; boys in its zone were now an all-boys school.Balch Springs Christian Academy is a private school that serves students from kindergarten to 12th grade, and uses the A Beka curriculum. Ten members of the school and church died in a flood in central Texas in 1987. Dallas County residents areZoned to Dallas College (formerly Dallas County Community College or DCCCD). The school district's feeder patterns were approved by the district in 2017 and are as follows: Dallas ISD: Gilbert Cuellar Sr. Elementary School (PK5) and Richard Lagow Elementary School. MesquiteISD: W. W. Runyon Elementary School, (PreK5)                           Kleberg Elementary School  (preK5-12th).

Public safety

Balch Springs Fire Department serves the city with one fire station. This station runs one ladder truck, two engines, one fire chief and three battalion chiefs. The department has a minimum manning of eight fire fighters on shift 24/7. All firefighters are certified as EMTs or paramedics. Balch Springs has 30 professional firefighters, one chief, and an inspector. The city maintains a police department. The police department responds and manages all fire and EMS. The Balch Spring Fire Department is a civil service department. It is responsible for responding and managing all fire, EMS, and police services in the city.

Library

The Balch Springs Library-Learning Center opened in April 2006. The library has over 26,000 items, including over 25,000 books and over 1,000 audio and visual items. It is located at 12450 Elam Road in Balch Spring, Colorado.

Healthcare

The center was formerly known as the Spruce Youth and Family Health Center. On June 3, 2013, it moved to its current location on the grounds of H. Grady Spruce High School in Dallas. The center serves disadvantaged children who do not have primary care physicians. It is located next to the Balch Springs Middle School building, on the school's property. It was founded in the 1970s by a group of parents who were concerned about their children's health and well-being.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Balch Springs, Dallas County, Texas = 32.3. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 87. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 12. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Balch Springs = 5.7 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 11,722 individuals with a median age of 30.6 age the population grows by 2.13% in Balch Springs, Dallas County, Texas population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 2,771.17 residents per square mile of area (1,069.90/km²). There are average 3.23 people per household in the 6,095 households with an average household income of $39,410 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 8.70% of the available work force and has dropped -1.43% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 28.44%. The number of physicians in Balch Springs per 100,000 population = 225.3.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Balch Springs = 43 inches and the annual snowfall = 0 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 84. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 229. 96 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 34 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 25, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Balch Springs, Dallas County, Texas which are owned by the occupant = 54.64%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 33 years with median home cost = $80,680 and home appreciation of -7.82%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $17.84 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,378 per student. There are 15.7 students for each teacher in the school, 548 students for each Librarian and 416 students for each Counselor. 4.35% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 4.25% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 2.27% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).