Civil and Municipal - Jan 22

56 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 3, ISSUE 1 CE, TEXAS L ocated in Hunt County, Texas, the City of Commerce has a storied past. Originally known as Cow Hill, due to the herds of cattle ranging through the area, the community was incorporated in 1885 and in 1887 the St. Louis Southwestern Railroad was completed, bringing growth and prosperity. Today, Commerce is a proud community of 9,000, known for its rural charm, yet only an hour away from the big city amenities of Dallas. City Manager, Howdy Lisenbee, recounts, “In the late 1800s, there were some very innovative and courageous families that started commercial ventures in what became Commerce. If they hadn’t had the courage to resource the agriculture that was going on, I don’t know that Commerce would be where it is today. From the very beginning, our community has been created and supported by people that weren’t afraid to be innovative, that had the courage to do hard things, and that placed a high priority on education. We still try to maintain a lot of that character to this day.” Home to Texas A&M University-Commerce, a public research university with an enrollment of over 12,000, the population of the city swells during the school year with an additional 5000 student residents. The university plays a major role in the community, providing valuable workforce W H E R E I N N O V A T I O N T H R I V E S