Rowlett, Texas
Rowlett is a city of 65,463 people in Dallas County, Texas, founded in 1952.
Why visit Rowlett
Townapedia lists 4 museums and landmarks, 28 parks and trails, 89 places to eat and 5 places to stay in and around town.
Highlights include Twin Star Park.
Weather in Rowlett
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Rowlett
Rowlett (, traditionally ) is a city in Dallas and Rockwall Counties in Texas, United States, and an eastern suburb of Dallas. It is a growing, upscale community with nearly $1.5 billion in development in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, located on Lake Ray Hubbard.
From the Wikipedia article Rowlett, Texas (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Museums and landmarks4
Parks, trails and playgrounds28
16 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes89
Burger Island
Restaurant · Burger · 1.9 mi
8809 Lakeview Parkway, Rowlett
Su 10:00-21:30; Mo-Sa 10:00-22:00
Opa! Greek Taverna
Restaurant · Greek · 1.1 mi
3801 Lakeview Parkway, Rowlett
Su 10:00-21:00; Mo-Th 11:00-21:00; Fr 11:00-22:30; Sa 10:00-22:30
Rumdoul Asian Cuisine & Noodle House
Restaurant · Asian · 1.8 mi
8602 Lakeview Parkway, Rowlett
Tu-Fr 11:00-14:00,17:00-20:00; Sa 11:00-20:00
Sabaidee Lao & Thai Street Food
Restaurant · Thai · 0.7 mi
5701 President George Bush Highway, Rowlett
Mo-Su 11:00-22:00
Super Shack
Restaurant · Seafood · 1.1 mi
3801 Lakeview Parkway, Rowlett
Su-We 11:00-21:00; Fr-Sa 11:00-22:00
Valentino's Ristorante Italiano
Restaurant · Italian · 1.8 mi
2507 Lakeview Parkway, Rowlett
Su 11:00-21:00; Tu-Th 16:00-22:00; Fr-Sa 11:00-22:00
Zuko's Pizza Pasta
Restaurant · Italian, Pizza, Pasta · 2.5 mi
2300 Rowlett Road, Rowlett
Tu-Su 11:00-22:00
Hat Creek Burger Company
Restaurant · Burger · 1.5 mi
3318 Lakeview Parkway, Rowlett
Mo-Su 10:00-21:00
Tatiano's Italian Restaurant
Restaurant · Italian · 2.3 mi
9401 Lakeview Parkway, Rowlett
Mo-Th 16:00-22:00; Fr-Sa 11:00-22:00; Su 11:00-21:00
77 more on the map.
Where to stay5
History
Rowlett derives its name from Rowlett Creek, which flows into Lake Ray Hubbard and is a major tributary of the east fork of the Trinity River. The creek in turn was named for a waterway running through the property of Daniel Rowlett who moved from Kentucky to Bonham, Texas, in 1835. Daniel, who was a member of the Smoot-Rowlett political family, had no direct dealings with the town that now bears his name.
The first post office opened on April 5, 1880, and it was called "Morris" after Postmaster Austin Morris.
The town was later renamed "Rowlett". The Dallas and Greenville Railway passed through the town in 1886, connecting Dallas with Greenville, Texas, and the Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad. Shortly after its opening, the line was formally sold to the MKT.
The town incorporated in 1952 when its population was 250. In the 1960s, the town languished as Interstate 30 bypassed Rowlett.
The town has had a building boom since the completion of Lake Ray Hubbard in 1971 – growing to 1,600 by 1973; 10,573 by 1989; 23,260 by 1990; and 44,503 by 2000.
Rowlett gained international notoriety in 1996 when local resident Darlie Routier was convicted of murdering her children as they slept.
In 2003, the town made an unsuccessful formal proposal to get the Dallas Cowboys to move to a 1,000-acre (4.0 km2) "5-Point Park" on the banks of Lake Ray Hubbard when the lease for Texas Stadium expires.
From the History section of Rowlett, Texas on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Churches and places of worship20
First Methodist Church of Rockwall
Church · National Register of Historic Places · 5.4 mi
Rowlett United Methodist Church
Church · United Methodist · 1.0 mi
4405 Main Street, Rowlett
Shopping11
Gas and EV charging26
Schools, colleges and libraries60
Healthcare14
Action Behavior Centers - ABA Therapy for Autism
Clinic and pharmacy · 2.3 mi
7700 Lakeview Pkwy, Rowlett
Map of Rowlett
250 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Dallas County has had 18 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for hurricanes.
- 2024-05-17: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding (Flood)
- 2021-02-19: Severe Winter Storms (Severe Ice Storm)
- 2021-02-14: Severe Winter Storm (Severe Ice Storm)
- 2020-08-24: Tropical Storms Marco And Laura (Hurricane)
- 2020-03-25: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Addison Airport (ADS) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 17 miles away.
- Garland 5 mi west, about 8 min by car
- Heath 7 mi southeast, about 11 min by car
- Murphy 8 mi northwest, about 12 min by car
- Richardson 10 mi northwest, about 16 min by car
- Fate 10 mi east, about 15 min by car
- Mesquite 11 mi south, about 18 min by car
- Forney 13 mi southeast, about 21 min by car
- Dallas 15 mi southwest, about 24 min by car
- Plano 15 mi northwest, about 24 min by car
- Allen 15 mi northwest, about 24 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Rowlett Texas Municipal Building, Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0
- First Methodist Church of Rockwall, John Hopper, CC BY-SA 3.0
Page built October 30, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.