What Are the Population & Steets of Joppa City? What's the racial makeup of Joppa City? The census-designated place has less than 500 residents - mostly black, although there are also a few Latino residents. Most are poor and own one or more homes. Joppa has welcomed Habitat for Humanity, which has built more than 100 owner-occupied bungalows using donations from the community. It has also renovated and repaired homes that were snake-infested.
Although Joppa is less than ten miles from downtown Dallas, the community has managed to retain a rural ambiance. As more people leave, however, the community's investment in public infrastructure declines. This was evident when Joppa did not receive funds to build a three-million-dollar bridge over Union Pacific train tracks, which led to an ongoing crisis of public safety. Often, emergency vehicles became stuck at the Union Pacific train crossing, where they were potentially killed by a locomotive.
While Joppa was created on a contested piece of land in the 19th century, the city's proximity to industry has resulted in some of the region's worst impacts. A recent census revealed that there are 33 active industrial businesses in Joppa's census tract. Some of these are local businesses such as Tamko, a roofing company that produces asphalt shingles. Tamko was named the third-worst polluter in North Texas last December.