Biohazard Cleanup Near Timberlake Trails Pilot Point, TX

Pilot Point was platted on Christmas Day in 1853, making it the oldest established city in Denton County.

The town took its name from its perch on top of a high ridge - wagon pilots crossing the Trinity River country used the point, marked by a tall cottonwood tree, as a landmark and nicknamed it 'the Pilot's Point' long before there was a town.

Pilot Point was incorporated on October 8, 1866, and by 1890 it was a thriving North Texas trade center of 1,090 people.

Pilot Point holds a unique place in American religious history: on October 13, 1908, several Holiness Christian groups met there and joined together to form the Church of the Nazarene.

In 1891 the Flusche brothers promoted Pilot Point to German Catholic settlers, bringing a major wave of new residents; Emil Flusche also founded the better-known German colony of Muenster, Texas.

Pilot Point's population was 4,381 at the 2020 census - up from 3,538 people in 1,205 households back in 2000 - and Census Bureau estimates suggest it has grown rapidly since as Dallas-Fort Worth growth pushes north.

Lake Ray Roberts, a large reservoir on the Elm Fork of the Trinity River, lies immediately west of Pilot Point.

The Pilot Point Commercial Historic District, centered on the old town square, has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2007.

Pilot Point sits in serious horse country - Denton County is home to more than 25,000 horses on some 300 ranches, and the Pilot Point area is one of its ranching hubs.

Despite its age, Pilot Point covers only about 3.4 square miles, at the junction of U.S. Highway 377 and Farm Road 455, some 18 miles north of Denton.