It is located approximately 16 miles (26 km) southwest of downtown Dallas and is situated along the eastern shore of Joe Pool Lake and Cedar Hill State Park.

[8] On April 29, 1856, Cedar Hill was struck by a tornado that claimed at least nine lives, damaged property, killed livestock, and reportedly left only two structures standing.

[13][14] The consecutive robberies took a toll on the bank, causing it to fall into financial ruin and ultimately close its doors for good.

[13] Raymond Hamilton was incarcerated at Eastham Prison in Lovelady, Texas on other charges when, on January 17, 1934, his partners, Bonnie and Clyde, broke him out of jail.

In March 2008, the building was designated as a historic resource by the city of Cedar Hill and bears an official medallion indicating its significance.

Pulse-Doppler weather radar equipment for tracking tornadoes are also attached to these steel antenna masts that reach several thousand feet into the air.

The "Austin chalk" limestone uplift on which most of Cedar Hill is spread is covered with "gumbo"-cleche-clay topsoil from a few inches to many feet.

[20] From the 1950 United States census-tabulated population of 732, to 2000's 32,093 people, the city of Cedar Hill has experienced positive growth trends as a suburban community of Dallas.

[21] In the early 1990s, the population of Cedar Hill was increasing rapidly and citizens began to be concerned about the need for orderly economic development.

An economic development advisory committee was formed by the city council that surveyed the residents to see how they envisioned Cedar Hill's future.

In January 1994 voters approved a special sales tax to fund the economic development efforts, and the Cedar Hill EDC was incorporated in September 1994.

A few years later, in 2003, Cedar Village, 70-acre (280,000 m2), was built to include linking a new city hall and historic Main Street district to retail, residential, office and entertainment developments.

Trademark Property Co. acquired the Uptown Village property in 2015 which brought multimillion-dollar renovations including first phase: new children's play area, new promenade section with a bocce ball court, a covered stage area, and enhanced outdoor elements to increase the shopping experience at the lifestyle center.

The new name and corresponding new brand were selected to reflect the garden-like look and feel planned in the multimillion-dollar property renovation as well as paying homage to the community in which it lies.

Midtown Apartments is a 255-unit, 3-apartment story complex that lies within the City Center area plan providing residents direct access to outdoor recreation activities, retail and restaurants.

[25] Additionally, Trinity Christian School – Cedar Hill (affiliated with a local Assemblies of God church) also serves the area.

[28] Dogwood Canyon was formed by the convergence of two ecosystems: the Blackland Prairie, which covers the majority of Dallas County, and the white rock of the Austin Chalk deposits.

[29] Wildlife living in the canyon include birds such as the painted bunting, black-capped vireo, and golden-cheeked warbler,[30] the latter two of which are endangered.

Other plant life found in Dogwood Canyon include the White trout-lily as well as three species of Hexalectris orchids, which are among only a few hundred in the country.

[31] The area is a transition zone between the rolling tallgrass prairie with its black clay soil and the rugged limestone escarpment.

[33] In the wooded hills of the park, common animals include bobcats, coyotes, foxes, squirrels, armadillos, and raccoons.

At 880 feet above sea level, Cedar Hill's elevation made it a desirable location for installation of television and FM broadcast transmitting towers which would equally cover both Fort Worth and Dallas.

Since the construction of Hill Tower, many other local television and radio stations have located here, and more recently, mobile communications technology service providers.

[39] Farmers such as John Wesley Penn utilized the natural resources of the land to build farms and provided shelter and sustenance for their families.

Perhaps because of the rocky surface and hilly terrain of the Cedar Hill area, the prairie remnants at Penn Farm survived and are maintained today.

It was designed to educate people about early life in Cedar Hill and to demonstrate how human invention rendered the greatest impact on the tallgrass prairie once prominent in this area.

Many of the original structures still remain standing, showing the evolution of machinery constructed and adapted by the Penn family as needs changed and modern conveniences were added.

[42][43][44] The visitor center has been awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certification, established by the U.S. Green Building Council and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI), for energy use, lighting, water, and material use as well as incorporating a variety of other sustainable strategies.

[45] In 2015, Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center partnered with the Cedar Hill Independent School District on a study linking outdoor science education to academic performance.