Flower Mound is an incorporated town located in Denton and Tarrant counties in the U.S. state of Texas. Located northwest of Dallas and northeast of Fort Worth adjacent to Grapevine Lake, the town derives its name from a prominent 12.5-acre (5.1 ha) mound located in the center of town. After settlers used the site for religious camps during the 1840s, the area around Flower Mound was first permanently inhabited in the 1850s; however, residents did not incorporate until 1961. Although an effort to create a planned community failed in the early 1970s, Flower Mound's population increased substantially when Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport opened to the south in 1974. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 75,956, reflecting a 17% increase over the 64,669 counted in the 2010 census. Of the Texas municipalities that label themselves "towns", Flower Mound has the largest population. Flower Mound was the only town with a population greater than 20,000 in the 2020 census. Flower Mound's municipal government, operating under a council–manager system, has invested in a public park system highlighted by an extensive network of trails. Lewisville Independent School District, which operates public schools, covers the majority of Flower Mound. With its moderately affluent population and proximity to the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, Flower Mound has used a smart growth system for urban planning, and has recently experienced more rapid light industrial growth to match the growing needs of the primarily residential community.