The Shady Shores boat ramp is owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and is free to use. Shady Shores is in talks to buy it and start charging for profit.
That violates Texas Constitution Article III, Section 52, which bars towns from spending public money unless the public gets a benefit in return. Buying a ramp residents already use for free, just to charge them for it, gives the public nothing back.
Attila Ranch is the largest farm in Shady Shores at about 100 acres. After some talks about selling it, the family decided to keep the property.
Four years ago, Shady Shores budgeted $137,800 for legal and professional fees. For 2025/26 it budgeted $416,000, up 202%. It jumped 27.6% in the last year alone, from $326,000. The biggest line is the town engineer and land-use attorney, which went from $205,000 to $280,000.
Al Dexter wrote and sang "Pistol Packin' Mama," a million-selling hit in 1943. In 1952 he built his home on Sixth Street in Shady Shores, and in 1960 he and 40 others petitioned to incorporate the town.
Watch: Denton Public Library History Moment · Read: "A Celebrity from Shady Shores" by John Thorngren
J.W. Franck's camp on the north shore of Lake Dallas was a weekend getaway for Dallas families. Locals called it "Uncletown," after Dallas journalist Oswin K. King, whose column "Uncle Jake Sez" made him the camp's unofficial "mayor." Today it's the area around Lakeshore Drive and Francks Circle.
Read: "Uncletown?" Denton County Historical Commission · Town history
Flock cameras are license-plate cameras that photograph every car that drives by. Every plate is checked against police lists, and matches are reported directly to police in real time.
The blue line is a way out of town that doesn't pass a camera.
Most of the money for the big road projects in town comes from Denton County's 2022 road bond. In March 2026 the county raised its share of the Shady Shores Road / Hundley Drive rebuild to as much as $11.1 million. Shady Shores chips in too: about $600,000 toward the $20 million W Shady Shores Road rebuild, and $740,000 it paid in 2018 for S Shady Shores Road.
The town's new 1% road sales tax pays for smaller fixes: W Shady Shores and Fritz Lane paving, and culvert work at Lakeshore and Brown Terrace.
Town road projects · County approves $11.1M · Town budget 2025/2026
In November 2024, Shady Shores voters approved an extra 1% sales tax for road repairs, and the town started collecting it in April 2025. It applies to online orders delivered here, like Amazon, plus local services and home businesses. It's projected to bring in $200,000 a year.
Mayor's Musings, Oct. 2024 · Town budget: special revenue funds
The Giant Gila Monster and The Killer Shrews were both filmed in and around Shady Shores in 1959, including the old McLendon Ranch. Watch closely and you can spot the town.
Watch: The Giant Gila Monster · Watch: The Killer Shrews · Town history