[7] The arrival of the town's first railroad in 1881 engendered its initial growth, and the expansion of the area's transportation infrastructure spurred further development in the early part of the 20th century.

[16][17] The Thirteenth Texas Legislature chartered the Dallas and Wichita Railroad (later the Missouri–Kansas–Texas) on terms requiring 20 miles of track to be in running order by July 1, 1875.

[18] The company fulfilled the deal by completing the railroad tracks to a point just south of Lewisville on the morning of the deadline, and the line began running full-time in 1881.

[25][26] By 1936, the Works Progress Administration operated a cannery in the city to provide temporary jobs for unemployed residents.

Between 1925 and 1932, the Texas Interurban Railway, an electric commuter rail service that ran from Dallas to Denton, operated a station in Lewisville.

Business leaders in the Lewisville Chamber of Commerce welcomed the service at the time, proudly citing the city's progressive citizenship.

[38] In September 1969, 13 days after Woodstock, the city hosted the Texas International Pop Festival, which drew over 150,000 spectators and featured performances by Janis Joplin, B.B.

[7] Vista Ridge, a small plateau, is in the southeastern corner of Lewisville, and the lowest part of Denton County, at 484 feet (148 m), is found in the city.

[54] The city is seldom affected by extreme weather, but Hurricane Carla in 1961 brought 86-mile-per-hour (138 km/h) winds and caused 6-foot (1.8 m) swells on Lewisville Lake.

[55] During heavy rains, Timber Creek can overflow its banks, and on rare occasions, flood some of the surrounding homes.

It is a hub for the arts in Lewisville, able to show films, host meetings, and provide a venue for various kinds of artistic performances.

The project began in 2004 and aimed to fulfill a long-term goal of building an arts center to coincide with the 2011 opening of the Old Town Station.

[73][74] The facility originally was called Medical Center of Lewisville Grand Theater as part of a 10-year naming-rights agreement with the local hospital.

[79][80] Lewisville is served mainly by media from the Dallas area, but a number of niche publications focus on local news.

Clements, was a staunch conservative, but vociferously supported the racial integration of Lewisville Independent School District, for which he received many anonymous threats from members of the Ku Klux Klan.

[85] The $20 million Railroad Park was built in 2009 using the revenue from a quarter-cent sales tax increase; it was the largest capital project in the city's history at the time.

[86] Since 2010, the skate park has hosted the Scion Regional Amateur Tour, part an annual series of six skateboarding competitions held across the country.

[87] In 2012, the venue hosted its first annual triathlon event benefiting the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Denton County.

[88] Lewisville Lake Park comprises 662 acres (268 ha), which the city leases from the United States Army Corps of Engineers.

[55][89] The park also hosts the Rick Neill Memorial, a cross-country running meet the Lewisville High School track and field team organizes each year.

[90] In February 2013, the city began to review a development proposal to build a resort hotel and convention center on a 60-acre (0.24 km2) parcel of land next to the lake.

[95] Located on the city's southeast edge, the Lakes at Castle Hills is a Jay Morrish-designed course which opened in the late 1990s; critics have rated the course highly, praising its amenities and difficulty level.

[103][104] The district also operates the Technology Exploration and Career Center, with two locations (East and West), along with conducting a night high school in Lewisville.

[115] After the September 11 attacks, the fire department and its then chief, Rick Lasky, attracted national attention when they raised a large amount of donations for victims' families.

As a reward, John Travolta, Joaquin Phoenix, and Robert Patrick visited the department in 2004 to promote the release of the film Ladder 49.

Before it was built, US Highway 77 (now Mill Street) was the main through route, connecting the city with Denton to the north and Dallas to the south.

[124] Texas State Highway 121, which runs along the Sam Rayburn Tollway, intersects with Interstate 35E in the southeastern edge of the city.

[125] Lewisville residents voted in a special election held on September 13, 2003, to become a full member of the Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA).

[129] In September 2021, DCTA launched GoZone,[130] an on-demand transit service in partnership with Via Transportation, throughout Denton County.

In December 2021, fixed-route Lewisville Connect bus services ceased operating, with GoZone in place to cover transit throughout the city.