As of the census of 2000, there were 215,768 people, 73,241 households, and 55,443 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,778.1 people per square mile (1,458.7/km²). There were 75,300 housing units at an average density of 1,318.5/sq mi (509.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 65.27% White, 11.87% African American, 0.60% Native American, 7.35% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 11.99% from other races, and 2.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 25.58% of the population.
There were 73,241 households out of which 41.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.7% were married couples living together, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.3% were non-families. 19.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.93 and the average family size was 3.37.
In the city the population was spread out with 29.8% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 33.0% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 7.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 98.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $49,156, and the median income for a family was $53,545. Males had a median income of $35,859 versus $29,392 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,000. About 6.8% of families and 8.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.3% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over.
One train track runs parallel to Garland Road, coming out of Mesquite and heading all the way through the other side of Garland City.
The city of Garland operates the city's water system and waste services. Electricity for about 85 percent of Garland is provided by the city's municipal utility, Garland Power & Light (GP&L). Electricity for the other 15 percent was formerly provided by TXU, but is now supplied by multiple companies after deregulation of the Texas electricity market.
In 2008 CNN and Money Magazine released their list of the Top 100 Places to Live, and Garland was ranked number 67. The city’s comfortable, hometown feel in the midst of a thriving metropolitan area was just one of the outstanding characteristics mentioned in the report.
Some of the Garland assets mentioned in the article were the solid base of sound infrastructure, excellent city services, and responsive, locally-owned utilities, anchored by Garland’s Environmental Waste Services, Water and Wastewater Utility, and Garland Power & Light.
Garland’s award winning Environmental Waste Services, headed by Lonnie Banks, has long been recognized as the gold standard for customer service. Waste management personnel have voluntarily moved heavy waste containers for citizens who have physical limitations that prevent them from “putting their trash out.” They have gone far beyond just “picking up the trash” to providing real compassionate caring service to Garland’s citizens. This level of service along with the city’s weekly bulk pickup has resulted in a very clean and healthy environment for the residents.
Garland is an original member city of the North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD). The vision of the City fathers in the early 1940’s resulted in Garland and its companion member cities benefitting from reliable, high quality, affordable water from the water district’s many reservoirs. Most significantly, last year Garland residents were only minimally affected by the region’s worst drought in almost a century. The water district’s decision to move forward with a high tech ozonation of its raw water will result in a higher quality safe water with a significant reduction in the chlorine currently used.
The effluent from Garland’s Wastewater Treatment Plant flows through a NTMWD man- made, 1,840-acre wetland. This provides a natural habitat for a wide variety of birds and reduces the sediment, nitrogen, and phosphorus contents of the water to a drinkable level. Through the use of selected aquatic plants, this environmentally friendly project will provide millions of gallons of reusable water and reduce the environmental impact.
Garland Power & Light (GP&L) was founded in 1923 to provide Garland residents not-for-profit public utility services, locally controlled by its citizens. GP&L provides services to nearly 68,000 customers making it the third largest municipal utility in Texas and the 41st largest in the nation.
Garland Power & Light has three gas-fired generating plants, which combined have 640 megawatts of generation capacity. In addition, Garland partners in the Texas Municipal Power Agency which operates the 462 megawatt coal-fired Gibbons Creek Power Plant. Garland's electric distribution system has 1,007 miles of overhead lines and 1,000 miles of underground lines. Its transmission system consists of 23 substations and 133 miles of transmission lines. Garland's peak load for 2007 was 483 megawatts, with annual operating revenues of nearly $238 million dollars.
The two national indexes are System Average Interruption Frequency Index SAIFI and System Average Interruption Duration Index SAIDI. SAIFI is the number of times power is lost, and SAIDI is the length of time the power is out. These standards compare the frequency and duration of power outages and the customers affected. Garland is one of the few power providers that posta their SAIDA/SAIFI numbers.
In an effort to provide its citizens with the broadest green power opportunities, the City Council recently passed a residential wind energy ordinance. They already had a residential solar panel ordinance. In addition to traditional fossil fueled power generating stations, GP&L owns a hydro-electric facility at the Lake Lewisville dam and purchases wind turbine power.
GP&L like all private utility services (such as cable television, internet service, phone service, and other electric service providers) pays the city for the right to use City easements. All cities generate general operation funds from the leasing of their public right-of-ways to utility service providers. GP&L’s fund transfers to the City are commensurate to those fees collected from similar right-of-way agreements with private providers throughout the City.
Plaza Theatre
Garland Opry