The city of Justin, located at the crossroads of FM 407 and FM 156 in southwest Denton County, has its roots in the railroad. Now it’s on the fast track of growth.
In the mid 1880’s, the Santa Fe Railroad extended its line northward from Fort Worth to Purcell, Oklahoma, laying tracks near the new community that would become Justin. Residents of nearby towns flocked to the area to be near the railroad. In January 1887 the community petitioned for a post office to be named Justin, in honor of Justin Sherman, chief engineer of the Santa Fe line, according to the Texas State Historical Association. By 1896 Justin had a population of 100, a general store, a grocery, a hotel, and a cotton gin.
As one of North Texas’ fastest-growing cities, Justin will soon be home to thousands of new families – and lots of new businesses and amenities.
Justin’s population, currently about 6,000, is growing over 10% each year, and that pace is expected to continue, with the city’s population expected to double over the next 10 years, with a final build-out of 20,000-24,000 residents.
The established Timberbrook community by Bloomfield along FM 156 currently has a couple thousand homes built, said City Manager Jarrod Greenwood, and it has several thousand more to come over the next few years. Moreover, Hillwood’s new 2,700-home Treeline community south of FM 407 will begin moving in new families in 2025.
“With Hillwood’s rate of growth, what they’re anticipating, they’re going to be aggressive in getting those lots turned over to builders,” Greenwood said. “Houses are already going up just south of FM 407. Treeline is going to double the number of permits the city issues per year.”
To accommodate the thousands of new homes coming to those and other large residential developments, Greenwood and Mayor James Clark said the city is working to increase its staff, infrastructure, public services and desired businesses, such as sit-down restaurants, daycares and grocery stores. Currently, four daycares are in the works (in various stages) for the FM 156/FM 407 area.
“One of the most common requests from residents has been sit-down restaurants, and we’re working to recruit them for different parts of the city,” Greenwood said. “We’re constantly pursuing other commercial that our residents want.”

The first businesses at Justin Town Square, The Academy Daycare, LaVie Nails, and an autism therapy facility called Action Behavior Centers, are opening soon in the brand-new development that will be a game-changer for the city. Once complete, Justin Town Square will be home to nearly 250,000 square feet of commercial space and municipal facilities, such as a new City Hall, fire station and event center. The majority of the development, though, will be home to office, medical, retail and restaurants.
“Justin Town Square is increasing our commercial footprint exponentially,” Greenwood said.
But why is all this growth hitting Justin now? Greenwood said it’s about the appeal of the city’s small-town feel, being close enough to Fort Worth and DFW Airport.
“It’s that development expansion westward, it’s jumped I-35W and is creeping west,” he said. “And Justin being just outside the busy area is pretty attractive to a young couple that wants to start a family, retired folks, and even young executives who like the small-town vibes while being close enough to the major cities of North Texas.”