Arlington, Texas


Arlington is located in the north-central part and is the 7th largest city in the U.S. State of Texas, between Dallas and Fort Worth. Its nicknames: AggTown or The American Dream City. The city is home to the professional baseboll team, the Texas Rangers, and to the American football team, the Dallas Cowboys.

The city is recognized as one of the most diversed and safest large cities in the U.S. It was once called Vegas before Vegas for its illegal gambling scene in the 1930s.



To See And To Do In Arlington


  • Arlington Museum of Art
  • Fielder House Museum
  • The Dallas Cowboys Stadium
  • Arlington Music Hall
  • Top O' Hill Terrace
  • Lincoln Square Shopping Center
  • Six Flags Over Texas theme park
  • Stoney's Cowboys Museum
  • Texas Rangers Baseball Game
  • The Parks Mall at Arlington
  • River Legacy Nature Center and Park
  • Division Brewing
  • Theatre Arlington
  • National Medal of Honor Museum


History Of Arlington - Timeline


Thousands of years before the first Europeanc came the area was home to various Native American groups. In 1535, the Spanish explorer Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca and three others were traveling across the area. In 1542, a part of the Spanish Hernando de Soto's expedition explored the area and camped in an Indian village.

In 1838, Robert Sloan and Nathaniel T. Journey explored the area and scouted it for future settlement.

In 1841, a trading post was established, and Bird's Fort was built by Captain Jonathan Bird to serve as a frontier outpost. The area was inhabited by Native American tribes until the 1841 Battle of Village Creek. It was a violent engagement between the Texas militia, led by General Edward H. Tarrant, and a coalition of Native American tribes. The battle later led to the removal of Native Americans from North Texas.

In 1843, a piece treaty with several Indian tribes, was signed at Bird's Fort. This treaty opened up for more settlers to come. In 1846, Colonel Middleton Tate Johnson established Johnson Station, a ranger station (Kaufman Station), a frontier outpost and stagecoach stop. He established a general merchandise store, a blacksmith shop, and a gristmill.

In 1853, Patrick Alfred Watson and a group of settlers arrived. He built the Watson Log House, became a landowner, surveyor, educator, and a Christian leader in the settlement. He also donated land for a cemetery.

In 1864, Arlington National Cemetery was established. In 1869, reverend Andrew Shannon Hayter organized the Good Hope Cumberland Presbyterian Church. In 1871, Johnson Station Baptist Church was established. In 1875, a post office was established. In 1876, the town was officially named Arlington, and the first train arrived on the newly-built railroad. The Masonic Lodge in Johnson's Station was used as a school.

In 1878, James Daniel Cooper bought land and built a majestic colonial house. He was a farmer and a former military in the Confederate Army. In 1883, the newspaper the World newspaper was published. In 1884, the city of Arlington was incorporated. In 1885, the first church was built.

In 1892, the farmer and merchant Rice Woods Collins saw the need for a public water supply and established a well in the middle of town. On December 23, the Christmas Eve incident took place at the train station, stemming from a livestock deal feud between the Hargrove and Spear families, resulted in four deaths.

In 1893, the Arlington Democrat newspaper was published. The McKinley-Woodward Home was built. Jesse Stanley McKinley was Arlington's first hardware merchant. In 1894, a law enforcement agency was established. In 1896, Hutchison-Smith Home was built. Isaac Lafayette Hutcheson was a founding member of the local Masonic Lodge and operated a general store in Johnson Station.

In 1897, the Arlington Journal newspaper was in print. In 1902, the Carlisle Military Academy was established by Colonel James M. Carlisle. It was a a private school for boys. In 1903, the Berachah Industrial Home for the Redemption of Erring Girls opened. It was a home for homeless and pregnant women. In 1904, the city forms its first high school.

In 1906, the W. A. Thornton Home was built. It was the first home with gas lights in the city. William Alexander Thornton served in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. The Ghormley-Arnold Home was built. In 1907, the Centenary Methodist Episcopal Church South opened. The Douglass-Potts House was built. Wilson M. Douglass was a city marshall and later became chief of police. The Vaught Home was built.

In 1913. the John M. Elliott Home was built. In 1914, the Fielder House was built. James Park Fielder was a prominent lawyer, banker, farmer, and philanthropist. In 1916, the William H. Rose and Ollie Gibbins Rose Home was built. William H. Rose served as Arlington's Mayor for five years. In 1917, Zachary Slaughter opened a car dealership, and the Slaughter-Geer Home was built. Grubbs Vocational College was established.

In 1918, the Dickerson Home was built. Martin Luther Dickerson was a cotton broker. In 1919, the Ransom Hall was built. It was the administration Building for Grubbs Vocational College, serving as the central hub for classes, offices, and a movie auditorium. In 1921, the Pulley Home was built. William J. Pulley was a prominent resident and businessman in Arlington.

In 1922, the Arlington High School was built. In 1924, the Meadowbrook Park opened. In 1925, the movie house the Arlington Theatre opened. In 1926, the Top O' Hill Terrace opened. It was the most famous illegal casino in the city. In 1928, the first car showroom was opened by the Thannisch Chevrolet Company. The Old Mayor's House (Dave Martin's Home) was built. Dave Martin served as Mayor of Arlington for five years.

In 1929, William J. Pulley founded Pulley Footwear. The Cooper Hotel opened. In 1934, the Arlington Citizen newspaper was published. In 1939, the Arlington Post Office was built. (the Worthington National Bank Building). In 1947, the St. Albans Episcopal Church opened. In 1949, a fire department volunteers started. In 1950, the Arlington Music Hall opened.

In 1952, the Grace Lutheran church opened. In 1954, Fire Station No. 1 opened. In 1961, the City Hall, and Six Flags Over Texas amusement park opened. In 1963, the Sam Houston High School opened. In 1964, the Arlington Municipal Airport opened. In 1965, the Vandergriff Chapel was built. In 1966, the Park Plaza Cinema opened. In 1973, the Theatre Arlington opened.

In 1980, the Maverick Stadium was built. In 1981, the heavy metal band Pantera was formed. In 1988, the Parks Mall at Arlington shopping mall opened. In 1989, the Arlington Museum of Art was established. In 1990, the country singer and songwriter Maren Morris was born in the city. In 1994, the Ballpark in Arlington (Choctaw Stadium) opened.

In 1996, the Amber alert system began in 1996 when broadcasters teamed with local police to develop an early warning system to help find abducted children. It was created in reference to 9-year-old Amber Rene Hagerman, who was abducted in Arlington, and found murdered four days later. No one has been arrested or convicted for her murder. The Arlington Morning News was published.

In 1998, the James Daniel Cooper colonial house (built 1878) was destroyed in a fire. In 1999, the Elzie Odom Athletic Center opened. It was named for Elzie Odom, the first African American city council member, and mayor in the city. In 2009. the AT&T Stadium opened. (Cowboys Stadium). It serves as the home of the Dallas Cowboys.

In 2011, the a cappella group Pentatonix was formed. In 2020, the Globe Life Field, home of the Texas Rangers, opened. In 2023, the baseball team Texas Rangers won the World Series. In 2025, there were 406,156 people living in the city.