Commerce, Texas
Commerce is a city in Hunt County, Texas, United States, situated on the eastern edge of North Texas and the western edge of East Texas, in the heart of the Texas Blackland Prairies. The town is south of the Texas/Oklahoma border. Commerce is the second-largest city in Hunt County, with a population of 9,090 at the 2020 census. The city is home to East Texas A&M University, a four-year university of more than 12,000 students that has been in the town since 1894. Commerce is one of the smallest college towns in Texas.
History
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.Commerce was named the "Bois d'Arc Capital of Texas" 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
Commerce is located in northeastern Hunt County and is northeast of Dallas, southeast of Sherman, southwest of Paris, and northwest of Sulphur Springs. Greenville, the Hunt county seat, is southwest of Commerce via Highway 224 or via Highway 24 and I-30.According to the United States Census Bureau, Commerce has a total area of, of which are land and, 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
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. There were 3,589 housing units at an average density of. 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%.
| 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 | 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
| # | 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
Primary and secondary education
The city is served by the Commerce Independent School District. CISD currently operates the following schools:- Commerce Elementary
- AC Williams Elementary
- Commerce Middle School
- Commerce High School
Post-secondary education
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, Greenville, and Sulphur Springs.
Sports
High school sports
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, volleyball, basketball, softball, baseball, track and field, cross country, powerlifting, tennis, and golf. The football team has two state titles from 1999 and 2001. Commerce-Norris High School won the state championship for basketball in 1964.Collegiate sports
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, volleyball, basketball, soccer, softball, golf, track and field, and cross country. 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, men's golf, football, and men's tennis.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.