Merit, Texas
Unincorporated community in Hunt County · Not an incorporated municipality
About Merit
Merit is an unincorporated community in Hunt County, Texas, United States. It is 15 miles northwest of Greenville. Merit has a post office with the ZIP code 75458. The Bland Independent School District serves area students.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How Merit is governed
Merit appears to be an unincorporated community or a census-designated place, so it may have no city government of its own — services usually come from Hunt County and its elected officials. The chart below is a generic template; readers can correct it if Merit does have local officials.
Form of government not yet listed.
0 of 14 positions listed. Gray dashed boxes are placeholders waiting for a name.
Residents of Merit
Registered voters elect the officials below.
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Mayor
Executive
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The city's chief elected official. Presides over the executive branch, proposes the budget and represents the city.
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City Manager / Administrator
Executive
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The professional administrator who runs day-to-day operations (in some cities appointed by the council instead of the mayor).
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Police Chief
Administration & departments
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Leads the police department.
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Fire Chief
Administration & departments
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Leads the fire and emergency services department.
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Public Works Director
Administration & departments
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Streets, water, sewer, and city buildings.
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Finance Director
Administration & departments
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The budget, taxes, and city accounts.
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Planning & Zoning Director
Administration & departments
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Land use, zoning, building permits.
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Parks & Recreation Director
Administration & departments
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Parks, programs, and public facilities.
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City Council
Legislative
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The elected body that passes ordinances, sets the tax rate and approves the budget.
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City Clerk
Administration & departments
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Keeps the official records, runs meeting agendas and, often, local elections.
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City Attorney
Administration & departments
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The city's lawyer; advises officials and prosecutes ordinance violations.
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Boards & Commissions
Legislative
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Citizen advisory bodies, such as planning, zoning appeals and library boards.
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Municipal Court
Judicial
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Hears traffic, ordinance and other minor cases.
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Municipal Judge
Judicial
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Presides over the municipal court.
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Looking for your county, state and federal representatives too? See who represents 75458 or everyone in Texas.
History
Settlement of the site began sometime in the late 1860s or early 1870s through the efforts of
Dr. Alexander Murchison, who arrived from Polk County, Georgia, who organized a Methodist church in April 1871. In the 1870s, Judge William Wallace Meritt's visit and speech impressed the residents so much that they named the town after him. The community received a post office in 1884. Two years later the tracks of the Gulf, Colorado, and Santa Fe Railway reached the settlement, which stimulated cotton production, helped stores, and began a newspaper. By the early 1890s the railroad had established Merit as a shipping point for area farmers. At that time the town had a steam cotton gin, a gristmill, some 20 other businesses, and 300 residents. By the eve of World War I the community's population had increased to 500, and the number of businesses to more than 25, including two banks.
In 1912, robbers stole $4,500 by blasting open the bank vault with nitroglycerin. A 1921 fire, the Great depression, and World War II led to a population drop which recent suburban growth has reversed. In 1945 the town had an estimated 300 residents and six businesses. Three years later the Merit and Floyd school districts were consolidated under the name Bland, after Fletcher B. Bland. The number of Merit residents declined to 185 in the early 1950s. During the 1970s its population began to grow again, and in 1988 through 2000 the town reported a population of 215.
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