ARLINGTON, TEXAS

'Arlington' is a city in Tarrant County, Texas (USA) within the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metropolitan area. According to a U.S Census Bureau release, as of July 1, 2006 Arlington has an estimated population of 367,197. Arlington is the 7th largest city in Texas and the 49th largest city in the United States.^[1]
Located approximately 12 miles (19 km) east of downtown Fort Worth and 20 miles (32 km) west of downtown Dallas, Arlington is home to the Texas Rangers' Ballpark in Arlington and the theme parks Six Flags Over Texas, which is the original Six Flags, and Hurricane Harbor. The Dallas Cowboys' new stadium will also be located in Arlington. The city borders Kennedale, Grand Prairie, Mansfield and Fort Worth, and surrounds the smaller communities of Dalworthington Gardens and Pantego.

Contents

History

Geography

Demographics

Education

Colleges and universities

Primary and secondary schools

Sports

Transportation

Twinning

References

External links

History

White settlement in the Arlington area dates back at least to the 1840s. After the May 24, 1841 battle between General Edward H. Tarrant (Tarrant County is named for him) and Native Americans of the Village Creek settlement, a trading post was established at Marrow Bone Spring in present-day Arlington. 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 Railroad.^[2] The city was named after General Robert E. Lee's Arlington House (in present-day Arlington County, Virginia). Arlington grew as a cotton-ginning and farming center, and incorporated in 1884. 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 four thousand 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), and 359,467 (2004 estimate). Tom Vandergriff served as mayor from 1951 to 1977 during this period of explosive development. Six Flags Over Texas opened in Arlington in 1961, and in 1972 the Washington Senators baseball team relocated to Arlington and began play as the Texas Rangers. A noted heavy metal band from Arlington, Pantera, formed in 1981. The child star Madison Pettis from the Disney Channel Original Series Cory in the House and the upcoming movie The Game Plan was born in Arlington in 1998.

Geography

Arlington is located at (32.705033, -97.122839).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 256.5 km² (99.0 mi²). 248.2 km² (95.8 mi²) of it is land and 8.3 km² (3.2 mi²) of it (3.24%) is water.
Johnson Creek, a tributary of the Trinity River, flows through Arlington.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 332,969 people, 124,686 households, and 85,035 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,341.7/km² (3,475.0/mi²). There were 130,628 housing units at an average density of 526.4/km² (1,363.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 67.69% White, 13.73% Black or African American, 0.55% Native American, 6.01% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 8.94% from other races, and 2.94% from two or more races. 18.27% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 124,686 households out of which 38.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.8% were non-families. 24.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.20.
In the city the population was spread out with 28.3% under the age of 18, 11.0% from 18 to 24, 35.7% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 6.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $47,622, and the median income for a family was $56,080. Males had a median income of $38,612 versus $29,339 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,445. About 7.3% of families and 9.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.3% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over. Average rents in Arlington in 2005 were $537 for a one bedroom apartment, and $701 for a two bedroom apartment.

Education

Colleges and universities

Arlington is home to The University of Texas at Arlington, the Southeast Campus of Tarrant County College, and Arlington Baptist College.
The University of Texas at Arlington is the third largest institution of the University of Texas System. The university has a current enrollment of 25,352 students as of Fall 2005, and is a valuable asset to the city of Arlington and its economy. Buildings within the academic core of the UT Arlington campus are among the oldest structures in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, including Preston Hall, Ransom Hall, College Hall, Brazos House, and the original Arlington High School.

Primary and secondary schools

Arlington's residents live in the following three independent school districts (or ISDs), listed in descending order with respect to number of population served: Arlington ISD, Mansfield ISD, and Kennedale ISD. Parts of Arlington located in the Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD's jurisdiction currently have no residents, but this land may soon be developed into as many as 4,000 homes.^[3]
In Texas, school district boundaries do not always follow city and county boundaries because all aspects of school district government apparatus, including district boundaries, are separated from city and county governments. Not all city of Arlington residents are in the AISD, and not all AISD students are residents of Arlington.

Sports

Arlington is the home of the Texas Rangers baseball team, and is the future home of the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys' new stadium will host Super Bowl XLV in 2011.
As in the rest of Texas, Friday night high school football is a widespread obsession with fans of all ages. Arlington High School owns the city's only state football championship, having won it in 1951 under head coach Mayfield Workman. Lamar High School nearly pulled off the same feat in 1990, but had to settle for a state runner-up title. In recent years, Martin High School and Mansfield Summit High School (a Mansfield ISD school located within Arlington) have enjoyed some success.
The University of Texas at Arlington used to field a football team, but the program was canceled in 1985 due to funding issues and waning attendance. The football vacancy at the campus stadium, Maverick Stadium, was quickly filled by Arlington High and subsequently Bowie High School. Cravens Field, on the campus of Lamar, and Wilemon Field, on the campus of Sam Houston, are home to the other four teams in the city. Both have enjoyed a history of close and dramatic games.
High school teams in various other sports have state championships to their credit, including:

★ Arlington, volleyball (1970, 1976, 1982)

★ Bowie, girls' basketball (2005)

★ Lamar, girls' wrestling (2007)

★ Martin, baseball (1993)

★ Martin, boys' wrestling (2004)

★ Martin, girls' soccer (1992, 1998)

★ Martin, volleyball (1996, 2005)
Arlington is the home of several notable athletes, including bodybuilder Ronnie Coleman, eight-time champion of the Mr. Olympia competition. Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Vernon Wells grew up in Arlington and attended Bowie High School. Lamar High School alumnus Jeremy Wariner won two gold medals in the 2004 Athens Olympics, and the 2005 world championship in the 400 meters in Rome. UTA also produced Doug Russell, who won two gold medals in swimming at the Mexico City Olympics in 1968 and for whom a park on campus is named.

Transportation

Arlington is the largest city in the United States that is not served by a comprehensive public transportation system.^[4] Handitran, however, serves senior citizens and the disabled.
The city is served by two Interstate Highways, I-20 and I-30. Other limited-access freeways include Texas State Highway 360, running along the eastern border, and U.S. Route 287, which traverses the southwestern portion of the city.
The Union Pacific Railroad now owns and operates the Texas and Pacific (later Missouri Pacific) route though Arlington.^[2][2]

Twinning

Arlington is twinned with:

★ Bad Königshofen, Germany since 1952
Arlington operates the Bad Königshofen outdoor family aquatic center, named after the twinned city. In return, Bad Königshofen has a recreational park named after Arlington. The relationship between the two cities dates to 1951, when the German town manager, Kurt Zuhlke, visited Arlington as part of a study tour in the U.S.

References

1. Table 1. Annual Estimates of the Population for Incorporated Places Over 100,000, Ranked by July 1, 2006 Population: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2006
2.
3. District Enrollment on the Rise Judy Everett Ramos
4. Public Transit Tops City Council Agendas
5.
6.

External links

★ City's Homepage

★ Arlington's Visitor Website

★ University of Texas at Arlington

★ Arlington Independent School District

★ Arlington Apartment Rental Statistics

★ Online Handbook of Texas article on Arlington