Around 1848, pioneers began farming the area around Deer Creek.[5] The settlement moved a mile or so west to the site of present-day downtown Crowley when theGulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway built pens and laid tracks there. The first station depot was built in 1885. The community was named for S. H. Crowley, who was the master of transportation for the railroad.[6]
An election to approve the incorporation of Crowley was held on February 3, 1951. The town council voted to change the designation of Crowley from a town to a city on September 3, 1972.
Crowley is in southern Tarrant County, with a 5.8-acre (2 ha) portion extending south intoJohnson County.[7] According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.3 square miles (18.8 km2), of which 0.01 square miles (0.03 km2), or 0.18%, are water.[8]
The city is bordered to the north and east byFort Worth and to the south byBurleson. The center of Crowley is at the crossroads of Farm to Market Roads1187 and 731.
As of the2020 census, Crowley had a population of 18,070 residents and 3,844 families living in the city. The median age was 33.5 years; 28.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 10.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 92.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 88.5 males age 18 and over.[11]
99.5% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.5% lived in rural areas.[12]
There were 6,044 households in Crowley, of which 43.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 54.5% were married-couple households, 13.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 25.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 17.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[11]
There were 6,229 housing units, of which 3.0% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.4%.[11]
According to the 2010 census,[13] there were 12,838 people, 4,408 households, and 3,424 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,769.5 inhabitants per square mile (683.2/km2). There were 4,714 housing units at an average density of 649.8 units per square mile (250.9 units/km2).
TheCrowley Independent School District extends north into Fort Worth and includes 27 public schools. Most of the district's schools are located within the Fort Worth city limits, includingNorth Crowley High School and 9th Grade Campus, Crowley Middle School, and 16 elementary schools.Crowley High School and 9th Grade Campus, Richard Allie Middle School, Summer Creek Middle School, H.F. Stevens Middle School, and three elementary schools are within the Crowley city limits.
Nazarene Christian Academy in Crowley serves students from kindergarten through 12th grade.[14]