The Dallas Morning News
By Irene Wright
6:00 AM on Oct 12, 2022 CDT.

MANSFIELD — What started as a train town 35 miles southwest of Dallas is now a hub for population growth. Mansfield has doubled in population every decade, starting with two men who built a place to grind grains.

Ralph Man and Julian Feild constructed a grist mill in 1859 that became a major employer. Later, their names were combined to name the town, Mansfeild. Since Feild spelled his name differently from the field most people were used to, the postal service kept receiving mail addressed to Mansfield. The town eventually changed its name to the more common spelling while still honoring the two men — and to the relief of the post office.

It’s hard to imagine the Mansfield of today had such humble beginnings.

“I think the general life cycle of a city is pretty much the same. You start as an agricultural town. And then as more people move here and (it) gets a little more dense, it turns into suburbs,” said city manager Joe Smolinski. “Eventually, as people move here, they get tired of driving to Dallas or Fort Worth to work, so they end up bringing some of those jobs here.”

Nearly 80,000 people now call Mansfield home, and it has become an affluent community, centrally located for Dallas-Fort Worth commuters.

“In Mansfield, our average median income is above everyone around us,” Smolinski said. “It’s a pretty affluent community, not that different from the Planos and the Allens and all of that if you look at our demographics. The difference really is employment opportunities.”

The median income in Mansfield is $124,000, three times the state average. But almost all of its residents work outside the city.

“Our goal is for more people to work here,” city council member Julie Short said. “But right now about 93% of our citizens leave to go to work.”

A major goal of city leaders is sparking job growth so residents can “live here, work here, shop here, play here.” Short said recruiting businesses is a lot like baseball.

“One thing that really helped us shift the mindset was a simple baseball term. Instead of catching, we want to be pitching. So we’re not just taking what comes to us, we’re going out and seeing what we want to bring back,” she said.

The missing “work here” element hasn’t slowed Mansfield’s residential growth.

Smolinski said the city is also working toward diversifying its housing options. Now there are single-family homes on the upper end of the market, but there aren’t as many opportunities for people who want to downsize.

“We’re looking to be a lifelong housing community. Even now, in specific neighborhoods, trying to make sure that fixed-income grandparents can live in the same neighborhood as their grandkids. And you do that by providing different housing options,” he said.

Council member Casey Lewis said rising housing prices have affected Mansfield ISD. Many young families, often early in their careers, can’t afford to live there.

“If you look in our school district, you’ll see attendance enrollment numbers are a little lower at the elementary levels but booming at the high school levels,” Lewis said. “We’re not losing students in the overall count, but if you have to pay $650,000 to $800,000 to get into a house in Mansfield, you are likely more established in your career and your families are a little bit older.”

Job growth and multigenerational housing developments are all part of Mansfield’s long-term plan.

“We’re looking to the future of Mansfield. What do we want our community to be? What kind of families do we want to raise here?” Lewis said. “Who are the people that get to call Mansfield home when we’re all gone?”

MANSFIELD AT A GLANCE

Population: Estimated 74,368, according to the U.S. Census Bureau

Location: 36 miles southwest of downtown Dallas

Racial demographics: 53% white, 22.1% Black, 17.1% Hispanic or Latino, 4.2% Asian, according to the U.S. Census Bureau

Median household income: $102,388 as of 2020, according to U.S. Census Bureau

Median existing home sale price: $462,640, according to Redfin

Median new construction sale price: $603,547, according to Residential Strategies

Annual single-family home starts: 1,133 through second-quarter 2022, according to Residential Strategies

School districts: Mansfield ISD, Midlothian ISD

Master-planned communities: New master-planned developments continue to pop up, including M3 Ranch from local development firm M.R. Development. The development, off of Heritage Parkway, will offer 1,500 homes across 900 acres once completed. The single-family homes start in the mid-$300,000s and top out at just under $700,000.

Rental communities: Mansfield has an array of apartment complexes largely along U.S. Highway 287 and State Highway 360.

Retail: H-E-B said in August that it will build a grocery store in Mansfield on property it owns at the corner of U.S. Route 287 and Broad Street. Kroger Marketplace, Tom Thumb, Market Street, Aldi and Sprouts Farmers Market already have stores in Mansfield, and so do Walmart, Sam’s Club and Target.

Festivals and events: Special events include Music Alley, the annual Pickle Parade, Third Thursdays, and downtown concerts as well as seasonal farmers markets.

History lesson: Named for Ralph Man and Julian Feild, who built a grist mill in 1859 that became a major employer in the region.