Cedar Hill, TX

Cedar Hill rises about 800 feet above sea level on a limestone uplift, the highest point along a direct line from the Red River to the Gulf Coast. The Dallas-area city spans Dallas and Ellis counties, about 16 miles southwest of downtown, and extends along the eastern shore of Joe Pool Lake; its population was 49,148 in 2020. Peters Colony settlers founded Cedar Hill around 1846. The community lay on a branch of the Chisholm Trail and briefly served as the Dallas County seat before an 1856 tornado killed nine people and destroyed most buildings. Cedar Hill has reserved one-fifth of its land for parks and green space. Cedar Hill State Park opened beside Joe Pool Lake in 1991 and records about 200 bird species. The city also has five houses on the National Register of Historic Places and two designated historic cemeteries.