Garland is a city in Dallas County, Texas, (USA). It is a northeastern suburb of Dallas and is a major part of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. As of the 2000 census, the city had a population of 215,768, making it the tenth-most populous city in Texas and the eighty-sixth most populous city in the United States.---------------------Settlers began arriving in the Peters colony area around 1850 but a community wasn't created until 1874. Two communities sprung up in the area: "Embree," named for the physician K. H. Embree, and "Duck Creek," named for the local creek of the same name. A rivalry between the two towns ensued as the area began to grow around the Santa Fe Railroad depot. Eventually, to settle a dispute over which town should have the local post office, Dallas County Judge Thomas A. Nash asked visiting Congressman Joe Abbott to move the post office between the two towns, which was done in 1887. The new location was named "Garland" after Attorney General Augustus Hill Garland. Embree and Duck Creek were combined to form the city of Garland. In 1891, the new city was incorporated. By 1904, the town had a population of 819 people. -------------------------------- In 1920, local businessmen financed a new generator (sold by Fairbanks-Morse) for the town. Out of this was formed Garland Power & Light, the municipal electric provider that still powers the city today. On May 9, 1927, a devastating tornado destroyed much of the town and killed 17 people, including former mayor S. E. Nicholson. ------------------------------------ Businesses began to move into the area in the late 1930s. The Craddock food company and later the Byer-Rolnick hat factory (now owned by Resistol) moved into the area. In 1937, KRLD, a major Dallas radio station, built a radio tower in Garland, which is operational to this day. During World War II, several aircraft plants were operated in the area and Kraft Foods purchased one after the war for their own manufacturing usage. By 1950, the population had reached 10,571 people. -------------------------------------- From 1950 to 1954, the area suffered from a serious drought. To supplement the water provided by wells, the city began using the waters of nearby Lake Lavon. ------------------------------------ Following World War II, the suburban population boom that the nation experienced also reached Garland. By 1960, the population had more than tripled from 1950 numbers to 38,501. By 1970, it more than doubled again to 81,437. By 1980, the population had crossed the 100,000-person threshold with 138,857 people.--------------------The animated television series King of the Hill was created by former Garland resident Mike Judge, who used elements of Garland as an inspiration for its setting — the fictional (and similar-sounding) town of Arlen, Texas. Garland also may have been the inspiration for the setting of his earlier show, Beavis and Butt-head. Other former Garland residents who have gained national recognition include singer LeAnn Rimes, actress Crystal Bernard, musician Dean Sams of the band Lonestar, and NBA players Mookie Blaylock and Ricky Pierce. Long before the infamous Waco incident, David Koresh attended Garland High (he dropped out before graduating). 3D Realms, the video game developer best known for creating the Duke Nukem series, is based in Garland. Several episodes of the Chuck Norris television series Walker, Texas Ranger were filmed in Garland, as well as some scenes for the Fox Network series Prison Break. Garland has a street called Star Trek Lane, the first and probably the only official place name of the Star Trek television series created by Gene Roddenberry (who was born in El Paso, Texas).