"Wide Awake Wylie" became the city's nickname in the late 1940s and '50s, a result of late night get-togethers of its citizens and businesses that stayed open until midnight on some evenings.Designed to provide water for towns in four counties, the construction of the Lavon Dam and Reservoir north of town, and the selection of Wylie to house the offices of the North Texas Municipal Water District, pushed the population to 1,804 in 1960.