Arlington, Texas

European settlement in the Arlington area dates back at least to the 1840s. After the May 24, 1841 battle between Texas General Edward H. Tarrant (Tarrant County is named after him) and Native Americans of the Village Creek settlement, a trading post was established at Marrow Bone Spring in present-day Arlington (historical marker at 32°42.136′N 97°6.772′W). The rich soil of the area attracted farmers, and several agriculture-related businesses were well established by the late nineteenth century.

Arlington was founded in 1876 along the Texas and Pacific Railway.[11] The city was named after General Robert E. Lee's Arlington House in Arlington County, Virginia. Arlington grew as a cotton-ginning and farming center, and incorporated on April 21, 1884.[12] The city could boast of water, electricity, natural gas, and telephone services by 1910, along with a public school system. By 1925 the population was estimated at 3,031, and it grew to over 4,000 before World War II.

Large-scale industrialization began in 1954 with the arrival of a General Motors assembly plant. Automotive and aerospace development gave the city one of the nation's greatest population growth rates between 1950 and 1990. Arlington became one of the "boomburbs", the extremely fast-growing suburbs of the post-World War II era. U.S. Census Bureau population figures for the city tell the story: 7,692 (1950), 90,229 (1970), 261,721 (1990), 365,438 (2010)[13] and almost 374,000 by 2011.[9] Tom Vandergriff served as mayor from 1951 to 1977 during this period of robust economic development. Six Flags Over Texas opened in Arlington in 1961. In 1972 the Washington Senators baseball team relocated to Arlington and began play as the Texas Rangers and in 2009 the Dallas Cowboys also began to play at the newly constructed Cowboys Stadium, now AT&T Stadium.

In October 2019, Arlington was chosen out of several major U.S. cities to become the permanent home of the $150 million National Medal of Honor Museum. Construction of the museum is set to be completed in 2024.[14][15]

According to the United States Census Bureau, Arlington has a total area of 99.7 square miles (258 km²); 96.5 square miles (250 km²) of it was land, and 3.2 square miles (8.3 km²) of it is water.

Johnson Creek, a tributary of the Trinity River, and the Trinity River itself, flow through Arlington.

As of the census of 2010, there were 365,438 people, 133,072 households, and 90,099 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,811 people per square mile (1,472/km²). There were 144,805 housing units at an average density of 1,510 per square mile (5,833/km²).[22] The 2011 estimated racial makeup of the city (based on the 2010 census) was 59% White, 18.8% Black or African American, 6.8% Asian, 0.7% Native American, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 11.3% from other races, and 3.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 27.4% of the population.[23]

There were 133,072 households out of which 40% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 48% were married couples living together, 15% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32% were non-families. 25% of all households were made up of individuals and 5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.7 and the average family size was 3.3.[24]

In the city, the 2010 population was spread out with 31% under the age of 20, 8% from 20 to 24, 30% from 25 to 44, 23% from 45 to 64, and 8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 104 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94 males 18 and over.[25]

The median income for a household in the city was estimated to be $50,655 in 2011. Individual males working full-time year-round had a median income of $41,059 versus $35,265 for females.[26] The per capita income for the city was $25,317.[22]

About 16% of Arlington families in general and 31% of female-headed families with no husband present were living below the poverty line. 20% of the Arlington population as a whole, including 28% of individuals under age 18 and 8% of those age 65 or over were living in poverty.[26]

43% of Arlington renters and 28% of homeowners were paying 35% or more of their household income for housing costs in 2011.[27]

Tornado at Six Flags Hurricane Harbor

Arlington is home to Six Flags Over Texas, a nationwide theme park that includes many notable attractions. Six Flags also opened Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, a waterpark, after the previous location, Wet 'n Wild, was sold to them in the mid-1990s.

With the relocation of the U.S. Bowling Congress, and the Bowling Proprietors Association of America and the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame, Arlington became the world headquarters for bowling.[28] The International Bowling Museum and International Bowling Hall of Fame are located on the International Bowling Campus in Arlington.

For retail shopping, Arlington is home to the Parks Mall at Arlington, which houses numerous stores, eateries, an ice skating rink, and a movie theatre. In addition, the Arlington Highlands was completed in mid-2007, serving as a shopping and entertainment hotspot with places such as Bar Louie, BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse, Chuy's, Dave & Buster's, Improv Comedy Club, Piranha Killer Ramen, Pluckers Wing Bar, Studio Movie Grill, and World Market, among others. The Arlington Highlands is located on I-20 at Matlock Rd. The Lincoln Square located near the AT&T Stadium also houses several stores, restaurants, and a Studio Movie Grill.[29]

Arlington is also home to Theatre Arlington, one of the largest community theatres in the nation, which produces quality live theatre year-round and offers theater classes for all ages. The Mainstage Theatre at UT Arlington is another well-known venue for live theatre in Arlington.

The Arlington Museum of Art in downtown and the Gallery at UT Arlington are the city's designated art venues. The Art Museum is currently host to a public art project called "The Star of Texas" to promote Arlington's newest slogan of being the "American Dream City". Twenty community artists were chosen to paint a large star sculpture with a unique interpretation of what it means to live the American dream in Arlington. From 2016 until 2019, these stars are available to discover all over Arlington. From the TCC campuses to the Arlington Highlands shopping center, to all over downtown and other various locations, every star will lead visitors to a significant location in the city.[30] In 2014, a community mural was created along the wall of Park Plaza Shopping Center, an east Arlington location that was the target of graffiti tagging for a long time.[31]

The Planetarium Dome Theater at UT Arlington is one of the largest in Texas.[32]

Levitt Pavilion Arlington opened in 2009 and offers 50 free concerts per year in downtown Arlington featuring a diverse range of music genres. Notable performers have included Asleep at the Wheel, the Band of Heathens, the Killdares, Pentatonix, the Polyphonic Spree, the Quebe Sisters, and Ray Wylie Hubbard. The Texas Hall and AT&T Stadium are also destinations for live concerts in Arlington.

On July 4, the all-volunteer non-profit Arlington Fourth of July Parade Association puts on the annual parade through Downtown Arlington and UT Arlington's College Park District, featuring floats and entries from local schools, businesses, and organizations. The parade is broadcast on local radio stations as well as on the AISD TV station and website. The parade began in 1965 as decorated bicycles ridden through Randol Mill Park organized by citizen Dottie Lynn and Church Women United. It has grown to around 75,000 spectators a year enjoying the festivities.[33]

Texas Live! is a $250 million mixed-use district featuring dining, entertainment, and a 302-room hotel with a convention center.[34] The new 200,000-square-foot district is located immediately outside the new Globe Life Field. Texas Live! opened in August 2018.[35][36]

On July 2, 1902 the first Dallas/Fort-Worth "Interurban" electric trolley came to Arlington; this popular service ran between those three cities and points in between until Christmas Eve, 1934, providing easy transportation for both business and pleasure. The track ran through Arlington along what is now Abram Street.

In the era of private operation of passenger trains prior to the Amtrak era, Texas and Pacific Railway trains such as the Texas Eagle and the Louisiana Eagle made stops in Arlington, on trips between Fort Worth and Dallas.[66][67]

On February 16, 2006, I-20 in Arlington was dedicated as 'Ronald Reagan Memorial Highway' (signs are visible at mile markers 447 and 452)

Arlington Municipal Airport (GKY) is located entirely within Arlington and is a public use airport owned by the City of Arlington. It serves as a reliever airport for Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas Love Field (though it lacks scheduled airline service) and is currently used for general aviation purposes. Several companies operate aircraft services on the airport property, including the Bell Helicopter division of Textron.

For many years, Arlington had the notorious distinction of being the largest city in the United States that was not served by a public transportation system.[68] Between 1980 and 2013, voters rejected three separate ballot proposals to bring public transportation to the city, though certain political and economic realities particular to North Texas made successful passage of those measures arguably more difficult in Arlington than in other parts of the state or country.[68][69] On August 19, 2013, the two-year pilot project known as the Metro Arlington Xpress (MAX) bus began offering weekday bus service between College Park Center (on the campus of The University of Texas at Arlington) and the Trinity Railway Express (TRE) CentrePort Station near DFW Airport, with a single stop near the Arlington Entertainment District. From the TRE station, riders could take the TRE to Fort Worth, Dallas and points in between, all of which are served by comprehensive public transit systems.[70] The MAX program was funded primarily by the City of Arlington and The University of Texas at Arlington, with contributions from local businesses.[71] The service was run through a tri-party agreement between the City of Arlington, the Fort Worth Transportation Authority and the Dallas Area Rapid Transit. City Council extended the MAX bus service beyond the original two-year pilot timeframe through annual contracts until Dec. 31, 2017. The MAX was officially shut down on December 29, 2017, a few weeks after Via debuted in Arlington.[72] The City of Arlington has a lower than average percentage of households without a car. In 2015, just 4.7 percent of Arlington households lacked a car, which dropped to 3.7 percent in 2016. The national average is 8.7 percent in 2016. Arlington averaged 1.89 cars per household in 2016, compared to a national average of 1.8.[73]

In January 2017, Arlington was part of a Texas state-wide designation as an Automated Vehicle Proving Ground by the U.S. Department of Transportation.[74] In August 2017, Arlington launched the first autonomous vehicle shuttle service in the United States offered by a municipal government to the general public on a continuous basis.[75] Named Milo, the autonomous electric shuttles provide service during major events at Globe Life Park and AT&T Stadium, connecting remote parking areas to the stadiums.

Arlington also offers an on-demand rideshare service, in partnership with the company Via, which began in December 2017.[76] Riders can request a pickup from a six-passenger van within a designated service area, which covers key destinations within Arlington as well as connecting to the Trinity Railway Express CentrePort Station.

Additionally, Arlington has four transit services targeting individual demographic groups: "Handitran" serves senior citizens and the disabled; Arlington hotels pay for a tourist-oriented shuttle-bus system for their guests; The University of Texas at Arlington runs a limited shuttle service for college students; and lastly Mission Arlington, an Arlington-run charity serving the severely indigent, has a bus service that circulates people needing social services or transportation to employment.

The city is served by two Interstate Highways, I-20, also known as Ronald Reagan Memorial Highway, and I-30, also named Tom Landry Memorial Highway. Other limited-access freeways include State Highway 360, which is named for the founder of Six Flags Over Texas, Angus G. Wynne, running along the eastern border, and U.S. Highway 287, which traverses the southwestern portion of the city. In most cases, the memorial names are not used in reference to these roadways. The city also has a tollway, The 360 Tollway, which connects Mansfield to Arlington and Grand Prairie. The tollway is also known as the Rosa Parks Memorial Parkway, named after the civil rights activist. Near US-287, where the tollway ends, the tollway is also named "Senator Chris Harris Memorial Highway" after the local legislator who aided the extension.

The Union Pacific Railroad now owns and operates the original Texas and Pacific (later Missouri Pacific) transcontinental right-of-way and rail route though Arlington (parallel to which the Interurban originally ran); it offers no passenger stops in Arlington, its Arlington freight service is primarily to the local General Motors assembly plant, and most of its lengthy and numerous freight trains are merely passing through town to and from points far away.[77][78]

• Pylon Field

• City's Homepage
• Arlington from the Handbook of Texas Online