SUNNYVALE

A short history of Sunnyvale

The area now occupied by Sunnyvale was inhabited by various Native American tribes in the years before the European conquest of the Americas. It came under the rule of Spain in the 18th century, very close to the boundary of Spanish and French territory (although this boundary was carried upward a bit in 1819; see Adams-Onís Treaty). During this time, the area was relatively underdeveloped. However, some settlers migrated to Texas and would eventually settle in Sunnyvale.

In 1821, the area became a possession of Mexico when Mexico received its independence from Spain. After the Texas Revolution, the area once again changed hands, under the Republic of Texas. This is when the town started to develop. During this time, settlers migrated to present-day Sunnyvale, naming the hamlet they founded Long Creek. In 1845 Texas became a U.S. state.

As more people arrived, eventually three new hamlets sprang up in the area: New Hope, Tripp, and Hatterville. New Hope was the most prosperous of these. It had many shops and stores, a fair called Gala Days, and a newspaper, the New Hope News. It was neighboring Mesquite's biggest rival. This all ended in 1921, when a storm blew the town away. Many buildings were damaged and the prosperous days were over. From this year on to the 1950s, the four towns had no new developments, remaining stagnant.

In the year 1953, the hamlets of Hatterville, New Hope, Long Creek, and Tripp merged under the name Sunnyvale. The name was chosen in a contest from a local school. Since, there are many reminders of Sunnyvale's rich history, like the old New Hope School; the Tripp First Baptist Church, built in 1882; and many antique houses. The Long Creek Cemetery in southern Sunnyvale is over 150 years old, and the first recorded burial there is that of Leona Crownover Caldwell, dated October 2, 1855. The city incorporation in 1953 allowed only single-family houses on 1-acre lots (0.40 ha).

On December 26, 2015, the town was struck by an EF-4 tornado causing extensive damage to the Plantation RV park, the tornado then grew and moved northeast into Garland and Rowlett killing 12 people and injuring many.

On June 5, 2023, Sunnyvale made national headlines after story broke of a mass shooting incident. According to Sunnyvale Police, a family of five were shot. A woman was killed and four children were injured.

Adapted (trimmed) from the Wikipedia article Sunnyvale, Texas, revision 1373606782 by its contributors, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.