The area now occupied by Sunnyvale was inhabited by various
Native American tribes in the years before the European conquest of the Americas. It came under the rule of
Spain in the 18th century, very close to the boundary of Spanish and
French territory (although this boundary was carried upward a bit in 1819; see
Adams-Onís Treaty). During this time, the area was relatively underdeveloped. However, some settlers migrated to
Texas and would eventually settle in Sunnyvale. In 1821, the area became a possession of
Mexico when Mexico received its independence from Spain. After the
Texas Revolution, the area once again changed hands, under the
Republic of Texas. This is when the town started to develop. During this time, settlers migrated to present-day Sunnyvale, naming the hamlet they founded
Long Creek. In 1845
Texas became a
U.S. state. As more people arrived, eventually three new hamlets sprang up in the area:
New Hope,
Tripp, and
Hatterville. New Hope was the most prosperous of these. It had many shops and stores, a fair called Gala Days, and a newspaper, the New Hope News. It was neighboring
Mesquite's biggest rival. This all ended in 1921, when a storm blew the town away. On December 26, 2015, the town was struck by an
EF-4 tornado causing extensive damage to the Plantation RV park, the tornado then grew and moved northeast into Garland and Rowlett killing 12 people and injuring many. On June 5, 2023, Sunnyvale made national headlines after story broke of a mass shooting incident. According to Sunnyvale Police, a family of five were shot. A woman was killed and four children were injured. ==Geography==