Editing Wylie, Texas (section)

==History==

Originally called [[Nickelville, Texas|Nickelville]], reportedly after the name of the first store, it was organized in the early 1870s. The [[Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway]] laid tracks a half mile north of the original townsite in 1886. The businesses of Nickelville moved to take advantage of the railroad within the following year, and the City of Wylie was incorporated in 1887 along the right-of-way. It was named for Lt. Colonel William D. Wylie, a right-of-way agent for the railroad<ref name=tsha>{{cite web| url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hgw16|title= Wylie, Texas (Collin County)|publisher= [[Texas State Historical Association]] |access-date=27 Mar 2013}}</ref> and [[American Civil War|Civil War]] veteran.

That same year, Wylie had given itself its name, established a post office branch, and incorporated, choosing an [[Alderman#United States|alderman]] form of government. Two years later, the [[St. Louis Southwestern Railway]] reached the town. The two railroads and the rich agricultural region of the [[Blackland Prairie]]s contributed to the town's growth. In 1890, Wylie had a population of 400 and the first one-room school house was built. By 1900, it had grown to 773. In the next decade, the population tripled. Before 1920, the community had over 35 businesses, including two banks, a school, and a weekly newspaper.

Unlike many rural Texas communities, Wylie grew during the [[Great Depression]] years, reaching 914 residents by 1940. In part, this was a result of increased [[dairy farming]] to meet the demands of nearby Dallas. Following [[World War II]], the population increase continued.

[[Onion]]s were the town's [[cash crop]] in the 1930s and 1940s. "Wide Awake Wylie" became the city's nickname in the late 1940s and 1950s, a result of late night get-togethers of its citizens and businesses that stayed open until midnight on some evenings.

Designed to provide water for towns in four counties, the construction of the [[Lavon Reservoir|Lavon Dam and Reservoir]] {{convert|5|mi|0}} north of town, and the selection of Wylie to house the offices of the North Texas Municipal Water District, pushed the population to 1,804 in 1960.

In the 1990s, Wylie had two disasters. On May 9, 1993 ([[Mother's Day (United States)|Mother's Day]]), a [[tornado]] ravaged downtown Wylie. In December 1998, two fires destroyed and damaged several businesses. After that, the downtown area was renovated, while preserving the many century-old buildings that remained standing. On April 11, 2016, a [[hail]] storm struck Wylie that produced [[softball]]-sized hailstones and damaged an estimated 80% of homes in the city,<ref>
{{cite web 
|url=https://www.weather.gov/fwd/20160411 
|title=April 11th 2016 Hail Storm 
|website=National Weather Service 
|access-date=2020-11-17}}</ref><ref>
{{cite web 
|url=https://wylienews.com/2016/04/13/softball-size-hail-pummels-wylie/ 
|title=Softball size hail pummels Wylie 
|website=Wylie News 
|date=2016-04-13
|last=Reavis
|first=Joe
|access-date=2020-11-17}}</ref> causing over $240 million<ref>
{{cite web 
|url=https://www.insurancejournal.com/magazines/mag-features/2016/07/25/420542.htm 
|title=Damage Cost from Texas Spring Hail Storms at Nearly $700M: CoreLogic 
|website=Insurance Journal 
|date=2016-07-25
|access-date=2020-11-17}}</ref> in damage.<ref>
{{cite web 
|url=https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2016/04/11/severe-storms-bring-softball-size-hail-to-north-texas-wylie-isd-schools-will-be-closed-tuesday/
|title=Severe storms bring softball-size hail to North Texas; Wylie ISD schools will be closed Tuesday 
|website=The Dallas Morning News 
|last=Steele 
|first=Tom
|access-date=2020-11-17
|date=2016-04-11}}
</ref><ref>{{cite web 
|url=https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/collin-county/wylie-residents-reeling-after-storm-damage/287-129717692
|title=Wylie residents reeling after storm damage
|last=Zakalik
|first=Lauren
|website=WFAA.com
|date=2016-04-12
|access-date=2020-11-17}}</ref>