Little Elm
Origin Story
Little Elm was settled in 1844 by C.C. "Kit" King on the banks of Little Elm Creek. King named the town after the creek.
The first post office opened in his house in 1852, and the first store opened in 1859.
The town incorporated in June 1966 under the Council/Manager form of government.
Part of the original downtown now lies beneath Lewisville Lake.
What the City Is Known For
Its motto is "The Town With A Lake Attitude," reflecting its lake-centered lifestyle.
It sits along the northern and eastern shores of Lewisville Lake.
It is one of the fastest-growing cities in Texas by percentage. Population grew from about 3,646 in 2000 to 46,453 in 2020.
Ranked No. 100 overall in the U.S. News & World Report "Best Places to Live" (2026-2027), No. 30 in Texas.
Earned the "Scenic City" certification.
Other recognitions are state-level, including Tourism Friendly Texas and Music Friendly Texas certifications.
Top Employers (Official List)
The city's Economic Development Corporation publishes only 6 named major employers, not a full top-10. They are:
Little Elm ISD (1,025 employees)
Town of Little Elm (469)
Retractable Technologies (203)
Lowe's Home Center (117)
Kroger (105)
Holt Cat (87)
Target opened a new store in 2026 with about 200 jobs, which would now rank among the largest private employers.
Employers by Prominence/Prestige
Retractable Technologies: A medical device manufacturer known for inventing retractable safety syringes.
Holt Cat: A major Caterpillar equipment dealer.
Little Elm ISD: The largest employer, central to the community.
Notable People
Weston McKennie: Professional soccer midfielder for Juventus (Italy) and the U.S. Men's National Team. Played in the 2026 World Cup.
Marsai Martin: Actress and producer, best known for the TV show "Black-ish." Youngest person to executive produce a major studio film ("Little," 2019).
Cole Beasley: Former NFL wide receiver (Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills, Tampa Bay Buccaneers).
Trevante Rhodes: Actor who starred in "Moonlight," which won Best Picture at the Oscars.
John Mateer: College football quarterback, starting QB at Oklahoma.
R.J. Hampton: Professional basketball player who played in the NBA.
Ryan Watts: NFL cornerback drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Samuel S. Wilks: Statistician and mathematician, born in Little Elm; founder of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics.
Tom Whitney: Professional golfer on the PGA Tour.
Size
Population: 46,453 in the 2020 census; estimated 62,727 as of July 1, 2025.
Land area: 18.07 square miles, about 11,565 acres.
The city has about 4.1 square miles of water area (part of Lewisville Lake).
Distances from City Hall
DFW Airport: about 26 miles
Dallas Love Field: about 32 miles
Dallas City Hall: about 33.5 miles
Major Attractions and Amenities
The Cove at The Lakefront: An indoor water park open year-round with water slides, a lazy river, and a surf machine.
Little Elm Beach: Billed as the largest beach in North Texas.
The Lakefront District: Mixed-use lakeside area with restaurants, a hotel, and entertainment.
Little Elm Park: Camping, boat ramp, swim beach, amphitheater, sports fields, and trails.
Parks: Beard Park, McCord Park, Union Park, Cottonwood Park, and dog parks.
Trails: Lakefront Trail, Harts Branch Trail, and nature trails.
Sports facilities: Lobo Stadium (7,500 seats), Cottonwood Sports Complex, Lakeside Sports Complex.
Library: Little Elm Public Library.
Breakdown for residents age 25+ (ACS 2023):
Less than high school: 8.3%
High school graduate: 22.1%
Some college, no degree: 18.4%
Associate's degree: 10.6%
Bachelor's degree: 26.0%
Graduate or professional degree: 14.6%
Schools
The main district is Little Elm ISD, which serves Little Elm, plus parts of Frisco, The Colony, Oak Point, and all of Hackberry and Lakewood Village.
Other districts also serve parts of Little Elm: Denton ISD (northeast, via Braswell High School) and Frisco ISD.
TEA Ratings for Little Elm ISD: 2023 = 71 (C), 2024 = 74 (C), 2025 = 79 (C).
UIL Classification and Championships
Little Elm High School is UIL Class 6A (the largest class).
State championship: Boys basketball won the Class 6A Division II state title in 2026, beating Austin Westlake 57-35. This was the school's first state championship.
Little Elm also won UIL Number Sense (academic event) titles in 1993 and 1994.
Note: The 3A/4A/5A/6A breakdown applies across many schools; Little Elm's own high school is 6A.
Lakes
Lewisville Lake is the main lake bordering the city, along its northern and eastern shores.
The city has about 66 miles of shoreline (66.39 miles per the EDC).
About 6,200 acres of the town (53%) lie within the lake.
Highways and Tollways
US Highway 380: Major east-west route (Denton to McKinney).
FM 423: North-south route through the city.
FM 720: Local road intersecting US 380.
Eldorado Parkway: East-west arterial linking I-35 to the Dallas North Tollway.
Dallas North Tollway: North-south tollway connecting to Dallas.
State Highway 121 / Sam Rayburn Tollway: East-west tollway south of Little Elm.
Bordering Cities
Frisco, The Colony, Hackberry, Prosper, Aubrey, Providence, Oak Point, Cross Roads, and Lakewood Village.
Counties
Little Elm is located entirely in Denton County.
Airports
There are no public or private airports within the city limits.
Spanish Oaks Airport is a private grass strip about 1 mile west, outside the town proper.
Nearest public airports: Lakeview (Lake Dallas, about 2 miles), Denton Enterprise (about 13 miles), DFW (about 18-20 miles), Love Field (about 22-23 miles).
Public Transportation
There are no public transportation options within the city limits.
DCTA bus and rail routes do not run inside Little Elm. Residents drive to DCTA services in nearby cities.
The town runs a free seasonal shuttle ("Efrogs") for beach access.
Future Plans
Target a population of 75,000 to 100,000 at full build-out over the next 7 to 10 years.
Grow the Lakefront District with new restaurants, a hotel, and entertainment. Tinman Social is set to reopen in 2026.
Add retail, including a second Kroger and a Chipotle.
Build Fire Station 4 and expand the animal shelter.
Improve Little Elm Park with new campsites and an amphitheater rebuild (about $6 million).
Adopt small area plans for the Lakefront District and the US 380 corridor.
Sources: Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) Handbook of Texas, Town of Little Elm website (littleelm.gov), Little Elm Chamber of Commerce, Little Elm Economic Development Corporation (littleelmedc.com), U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts and ACS 5-Year Estimates (data.census.gov), Little Elm ISD (littleelmisd.net), Texas Education Agency ratings, UIL (uiltexas.org), Little Elm ISD; Little Elm High School; Frisco ISD; Sam Rayburn Tollway; People from Little Elm, Texas), Texas Almanac, DCTA (dcta.net), The Dallas Morning News, Dallas Business Journal, NBC DFW, distance-cities.com, fromto.travel, rome2rio
Important Websites:
Cities
School Districts
Chambers of Commerce: includes VCBs (Visitor & Convention Bureaus) and EDCs (Economic Development Corporations)
