Fort Worth is the
fifth-largest city in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
and the
13th-largest city in the United States.
It is the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
of
Tarrant County
Tarrant County is located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2020, it had a population of 2,110,640. It is Texas' third-most populous county and the 15th-most populous in the United States. Its county seat is Fort Worth. Tarrant County, one of 2 ...
, covering nearly into four other counties:
Denton,
Johnson
Johnson is a surname of Anglo-Norman origin meaning "Son of John". It is the second most common in the United States and 154th most common in the world. As a common family name in Scotland, Johnson is occasionally a variation of ''Johnston'', a ...
,
Parker Parker may refer to:
Persons
* Parker (given name)
* Parker (surname)
Places Place names in the United States
*Parker, Arizona
*Parker, Colorado
* Parker, Florida
* Parker, Idaho
* Parker, Kansas
* Parker, Missouri
* Parker, North Carolina
*Park ...
, and
Wise. According to a 2022 United States census estimate, Fort Worth's population was 958,692.
Fort Worth is the city in the
Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan area, which is the
fourth most populous metropolitan area in the United States.
The city of Fort Worth was established in 1849 as an army outpost on a bluff overlooking the
Trinity River.
Fort Worth has historically been a center of the
Texas Longhorn
The Texas Longhorn is an American list of cattle breeds, breed of beef cattle, characterized by its long horns, which can span more than from tip to tip. It derives from cattle brought from the Iberian Peninsula to the Americas by Spanish con ...
cattle trade.
It still embraces its Western heritage and traditional architecture and design. is the first ship of the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
named after the city. Nearby
Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
has held a population majority as long as records have been kept, yet Fort Worth has become one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States at the beginning of the 21st century, nearly doubling its population since 2000.
Fort Worth is the location of the
Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
The Van Cliburn International Piano Competition (The Cliburn) is an American piano competition by The Cliburn, first held in 1962 in Fort Worth, Texas and hosted by the Van Cliburn Foundation. Initially held at Texas Christian University, the co ...
and several museums designed by contemporary architects. The
Kimbell Art Museum
The Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, hosts an art collection as well as traveling art exhibitions, educational programs and an extensive research library. Its initial artwork came from the private collection of Kay and Velma Kimbell, wh ...
was designed by
Louis Kahn
Louis Isadore Kahn (born Itze-Leib Schmuilowsky; – March 17, 1974) was an Estonian-born American architect based in Philadelphia. After working in various capacities for several firms in Philadelphia, he founded his own atelier in 1935. Whi ...
, with an addition designed by
Renzo Piano
Renzo Piano (; born 14 September 1937) is an Italian architect. His notable buildings include the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris (with Richard Rogers, 1977), The Shard in London (2012), the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City (20 ...
. The
Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth (widely referred to as The Modern) is an art museum of post-World War II art in Fort Worth, Texas with a collection of international modern and contemporary art. Founded in 1892, The Modern is located in the c ...
was designed by
Tadao Ando
is a Japanese autodidact architect whose approach to architecture and landscape was categorized by architectural historian Francesco Dal Co as "critical regionalism". He is the winner of the 1995 Pritzker Prize.
Early life
Ando was born a few m ...
. The
Amon Carter Museum of American Art
Amon may refer to:
Mythology
* Amun, an Ancient Egyptian deity, also known as Amon and Amon-Ra
* Aamon, a Goetic demon
People Momonym
* Amon of Judah ( 664– 640 BC), king of Judah
Given name
* Amon G. Carter (1879–1955), American p ...
, designed by
Philip Johnson
Philip Cortelyou Johnson (July 8, 1906 – January 25, 2005) was an American architect best known for his works of modern and postmodern architecture. Among his best-known designs are his modernist Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut; the pos ...
, houses American art. The
Sid Richardson Museum
The Sid Richardson Museum is located in historic Sundance Square in Fort Worth, Texas, and features permanent and special exhibitions of paintings by Frederic Remington and Charles M. Russell, as well as other late 19th and early 20th-century art ...
, redesigned by
David M. Schwarz, has a collection of Western art in the U.S., emphasizing
Frederic Remington
Frederic Sackrider Remington (October 4, 1861 – December 26, 1909) was an American painter, illustrator, sculptor, and writer who specialized in the genre of Western American Art. His works are known for depicting the Western United State ...
and
Charles Russell. The
Fort Worth Museum of Science and History
The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History is located on 1600 Gendy Street, Fort Worth, Texas 76107 in the city's Cultural District. It was opened in 1945 as the Fort Worth Children's Museum and moved to its current location in 1954. In 1968, t ...
was designed by
Ricardo Legorreta
Ricardo Legorreta Vilchis (May 7, 1931 – December 30, 2011) was a Mexican architect. He was a prolific designer of private houses, public buildings and master plans in Mexico, the United States of America and some other countries.
He was awarde ...
of Mexico.
Fort Worth is the location of several university communities:
Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University (TCU) is a private research university in Fort Worth, Texas. It was established in 1873 by brothers Addison and Randolph Clark as the Add-Ran Male & Female College. It is affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples ...
,
Texas Wesleyan,
University of North Texas Health Science Center
The University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC, UNT Health Science Center, or hsc) is a public academic health science center in Fort Worth, Texas. It is part of the University of North Texas System and was founded in 1970 as the T ...
, and
Texas A&M University School of Law
Texas A&M University School of Law is an ABA-accredited law school located in downtown Fort Worth, Texas. It was formerly part of Texas Wesleyan University until it was acquired by Texas A&M University. The law school is a member of the Associati ...
. Several multinational corporations, including
Bell Textron
Bell Textron Inc. is an American aerospace manufacturer headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. A subsidiary of Textron, Bell manufactures military rotorcraft at facilities in Fort Worth, and Amarillo, Texas, as well as commercial helicopters in Mir ...
,
American Airlines
American Airlines is a major airlines of the United States, major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the world when measured ...
,
BNSF Railway
BNSF Railway is one of the largest freight railroads in North America. One of seven North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 35,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and nearly 8,000 locomotives. It has three transcontinental routes that ...
, and
Chip 1 Exchange are headquartered in Fort Worth.
History
The
Treaty of Bird's Fort
The Treaty of Bird's Fort, or Bird's Fort Treaty was a peace treaty between the Republic of Texas and some of the Indian tribes of Texas and Oklahoma, signed on September 29, 1843. The treaty was intended to end years of hostilities and warfare be ...
between the
Republic of Texas
The Republic of Texas ( es, República de Tejas) was a sovereign state in North America that existed from March 2, 1836, to February 19, 1846, that bordered Mexico, the Republic of the Rio Grande in 1840 (another breakaway republic from Mex ...
and several Native American tribes was signed in 1843 at Bird's Fort in present-day
Arlington, Texas
Arlington is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, located in Tarrant County. It forms part of the Mid-Cities region of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area, and is a principal city of the metropolis and region. ...
. Article XI of the treaty provided that no one may "pass the line of trading houses" (at the border of the Indians' territory) without permission of the President of Texas, and may not reside or remain in the Indians' territory. These "trading houses" were later established at the junction of the Clear Fork and West Fork of the Trinity River in present-day Fort Worth. At this river junction, the U.S. War Department established Fort Worth in 1849 as the northernmost of a system of 10 forts for protecting the
American Frontier
The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of United States territorial acquisitions, American expansion in mainland North Amer ...
following the end of the
Mexican–American War
The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...
. The city of Fort Worth continues to be known as "where the West begins".
A line of seven army posts was established in 1848–1849 after the Mexican War to protect the settlers of Texas along the western
American Frontier
The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of United States territorial acquisitions, American expansion in mainland North Amer ...
and included Fort Worth,
Fort Graham
Fort Graham was a pioneer fort established in 1849 by Brevet Major R.A. Arnold (Companies F and I of the Second United States Dragoons) at the site of Jose Maria Village, an Anadaca camp on the western edge of present-day Hill County, Texas. It ...
,
Fort Gates
Fort Gates, was a United States Army fort established on October 26, 1849, as Camp Gates by Captain William Reading Montgomery and two companies of the 8th Infantry Regiment (United States), Eighth United States Infantry. The fort was located on th ...
,
Fort Croghan
Fort Croghan was the third of the first four forts established by the United States government to protect settlers from hostile Indians along the Texas frontier. From its establishment on March 18, 1849, by Lt. C.H. Taylor (Company A, Second Dra ...
,
Fort Martin Scott
Fort Martin Scott is a restored United States Army outpost near Fredericksburg in the Texas Hill Country, United States, that was active from December 5, 1848, until April, 1853. It was part of a line of frontier forts established to protect trav ...
,
Fort Lincoln, and
Fort Duncan
Fort Duncan was a United States Army base, set up to protect the first U.S. settlement on the Rio Grande near the current town of Eagle Pass, Texas.
History
A line of seven army posts were established in 1848–49 after the Mexican War to protect ...
.
[Crimmins, M.L., 1943, "The First Line of Army Posts Established in West Texas in 1849," Abilene: West Texas Historical Association, Vol. XIX, pp. 121–127] Originally, 10 forts had been proposed by Major General
William Jenkins Worth
William Jenkins Worth (March 1, 1794 – May 7, 1849) was an American officer during the War of 1812, the Second Seminole War, and the Mexican–American War.
Early military career
Worth was commissioned as a first lieutenant in March 1813, s ...
(1794–1849), who commanded the
Department of Texas
The Department of Texas was a military department of the United States Army that existed from 1850 to 1861, and again from 1865 to 1866, from 1870 to 1913 and during the First World War. It was subordinate to the Military Division of the Missouri. ...
in 1849. In January 1849, Worth proposed a line of 10 forts to mark the western Texas frontier from
Eagle Pass to the confluence of the West Fork and Clear Fork of the
Trinity River. One month later, Worth died from
cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...
in South Texas.
General
William S. Harney
William Selby Harney (August 22, 1800 – May 9, 1889) was a Tennessee-born cavalry officer in the US Army, who became known during the Indian Wars and the Mexican–American War for his brutality and ruthlessness. One of four general officers ...
assumed command of the Department of Texas and ordered Major
Ripley A. Arnold
Ripley A. Arnold (1817–1853) was a major in the United States Army and founder of Camp Worth in 1849, later renamed Fort Worth, Texas. In 2014 a 22-foot statue was dedicated to Arnold. It was erected along the Trinity River below the army camp s ...
(Company F, Second United States Dragoons)
to find a new fort site near the West Fork and Clear Fork. On June 6, 1849, Arnold, advised by Middleton Tate Johnson, established a camp on the bank of the Trinity River and named the post Camp Worth in honor of the late General Worth. In August 1849, Arnold moved the camp to the north-facing bluff, which overlooked the mouth of the Clear Fork of the Trinity River. The United States War Department officially named the post Fort Worth on November 14, 1849.
E. S. Terrell (1812–1905) from Tennessee claimed to be the first resident of Fort Worth. The fort was flooded the first year and moved to the top of the bluff; the current courthouse was built on this site. The fort was abandoned September 17, 1853.
No trace of it remains.
As a stop on the legendary
Chisholm Trail
The Chisholm Trail was a trail used in the post-Civil War era to drive cattle overland from ranches in Texas to Kansas railheads. The trail was established by Black Beaver, a Lenape guide and rancher, and his friend Jesse Chisholm, a Cheroke ...
, Fort Worth was stimulated by the business of the cattle drives and became a brawling, bustling town. Millions of head of cattle were driven north to market along this trail. Fort Worth became the center of the
cattle drive
A cattle drive is the process of moving a herd of cattle from one place to another, usually moved and herded by cowboys on horses.
Europe
In medieval central Europe, annual cattle drives brought Hungarian Grey cattle across the Danube River ...
s, and later, the
ranch
A ranch (from es, rancho/Mexican Spanish) is an area of land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of a farm. These terms are most often ...
ing industry. It was given the nickname of Cowtown.
During the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
, Fort Worth suffered from shortages of money, food, and supplies. The population dropped as low as 175, but began to recover during
Reconstruction
Reconstruction may refer to:
Politics, history, and sociology
*Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company
*''Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Union ...
. By 1872, Jacob Samuels, William Jesse Boaz, and William Henry Davis had opened general stores. The next year, Khleber M. Van Zandt established Tidball, Van Zandt, and Company, which became Fort Worth National Bank in 1884.
In 1875, the ''
Dallas Herald
Two newspapers of general circulation in Dallas, Texas (USA) have operated under the name ''Dallas Herald''.
First ''Dallas Herald'' (1849-1885)
The first permanent settler of Dallas, John Neely Bryan, settled there in 1841. The first local n ...
'' published an article by a former Fort Worth lawyer, Robert E. Cowart, who wrote that the decimation of Fort Worth's population, caused by the economic disaster and hard winter of 1873, had dealt a severe blow to the cattle industry. Added to the slowdown due to the railroad's stopping the laying of track outside of Fort Worth, Cowart said that Fort Worth was so slow that he saw a
panther
Panther may refer to:
Large cats
*Pantherinae, the cat subfamily that contains the genera ''Panthera'' and ''Neofelis''
**''Panthera'', the cat genus that contains tigers, lions, jaguars and leopards.
***Jaguar (''Panthera onca''), found in Sout ...
asleep in the street by the courthouse. Although an intended insult, the name Panther City was enthusiastically embraced when in 1876 Fort Worth recovered economically.
Many businesses and organizations continue to use Panther in their name. A panther is set at the top of the police department badges.
The "Panther City" tradition is also preserved in the names and design of some of the city's geographical/architectural features, such as Panther Island (in the Trinity River), the Flat Iron Building,
Fort Worth Central Station
Fort Worth Central Station is an intermodal transit center in downtown Fort Worth, Texas. It serves the TEXRail and Trinity Railway Express (TRE) commuter rail lines, Amtrak intercity rail, Greyhound Lines intercity bus, and as the main transfer ...
, and in two or three "Sleeping Panther" statues.
In 1876, the
Texas and Pacific Railway
The Texas and Pacific Railway Company (known as the T&P) was created by federal charter in 1871 with the purpose of building a southern transcontinental railroad between Marshall, Texas, and San Diego, California.
History
Under the influence of ...
finally was completed to Fort Worth, stimulating a boom and transforming the
Fort Worth Stockyards
The Fort Worth Stockyards is a historic district that is located in Fort Worth, Texas, north of the central business district. A portion encompassing much of the district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Fort Worth Stoc ...
into a premier center for the cattle wholesale trade. Migrants from the devastated war-torn South continued to swell the population, and small, community factories, and mills yielded to larger businesses. Newly dubbed the "Queen City of the Prairies", Fort Worth supplied a regional market via the growing transportation network.
Fort Worth became the westernmost railhead and a transit point for cattle shipment. Louville Niles, a
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
,
-based businessman and main shareholder of the Fort Worth Stockyards Company, is credited with bringing the two biggest
meatpacking
The meat-packing industry (also spelled meatpacking industry or meat packing industry) handles the slaughtering, processing, packaging, and distribution of meat from animals such as cattle, pigs, sheep and other livestock. Poultry is generally no ...
firms at the time,
Armour
Armour (British English) or armor (American English; see spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, especially direct contact weapons or projectiles during combat, or fr ...
and
Swift
Swift or SWIFT most commonly refers to:
* SWIFT, an international organization facilitating transactions between banks
** SWIFT code
* Swift (programming language)
* Swift (bird), a family of birds
It may also refer to:
Organizations
* SWIFT, ...
, to the stockyards.
With the boom times came a variety of entertainments and related problems. Fort Worth had a knack for separating cattlemen from their money. Cowboys took full advantage of their last brush with civilization before the long drive on the
Chisholm Trail
The Chisholm Trail was a trail used in the post-Civil War era to drive cattle overland from ranches in Texas to Kansas railheads. The trail was established by Black Beaver, a Lenape guide and rancher, and his friend Jesse Chisholm, a Cheroke ...
from Fort Worth north to
Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...
. They stocked up on provisions from local merchants, visited saloons for a bit of gambling and carousing, then rode northward with their cattle, only to whoop it up again on their way back. The town soon became home to "
Hell's Half-Acre", the biggest collection of saloons, dance halls, and bawdy houses south of
Dodge City
Dodge City is the county seat of Ford County, Kansas, United States, named after nearby Fort Dodge. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 27,788. The city is famous in American culture for its history as a wild frontier town ...
(the northern terminus of the Chisholm Trail), giving Fort Worth the nickname of the "Paris of the Plains".
Certain sections of town were off-limits for proper citizens. Shootings, knifings, muggings, and brawls became a nightly occurrence. Cowboys were joined by a motley assortment of buffalo hunters, gunmen, adventurers, and crooks. Hell's Half Acre (also known as simply "The Acre") expanded as more people were drawn to the town. Occasionally, the Acre was referred to as "the bloody Third Ward" after it was designated one of the city's three political wards in 1876. By 1900, the Acre covered four of the city's main north-south thoroughfares.
Local citizens became alarmed about the activities, electing
Timothy Isaiah "Longhair Jim" Courtright in 1876 as
city marshal
Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated o ...
with a mandate to tame it.
Courtright sometimes collected and jailed 30 people on a Saturday night, but allowed the gamblers to operate, as they attracted money to the city. After learning that train and stagecoach robbers, such as the
Sam Bass gang, were using the area as a hideout, he intensified law enforcement, but certain businessmen advertised against too many restrictions in the area as having bad effects on the legitimate businesses. Gradually, the cowboys began to avoid the area; as businesses suffered, the city moderated its opposition. Courtright lost his office in 1879.
Despite crusading mayors such as H. S. Broiles and newspaper editors such as B. B. Paddock, the Acre survived because it generated income for the city (all of it illegal) and excitement for visitors. Longtime Fort Worth residents claimed the place was never as wild as its reputation, but during the 1880s, Fort Worth was a regular stop on the "gambler's circuit"
by
Bat Masterson
Bartholemew William Barclay "Bat" Masterson (November 26, 1853 – October 25, 1921) was a U.S. Army scout, lawman, professional gambler, and journalist known for his exploits in the 19th and early 20th-century American Old West. He was born to ...
,
Doc Holliday
John Henry Holliday (August 14, 1851 – November 8, 1887), better known as Doc Holliday, was an American gambler, gunfighter, and dentist. A close friend and associate of lawman Wyatt Earp, Holliday is best known for his role in the event ...
, and the
Earp brothers
Nicholas Porter Earp (September 6, 1813 – February 12, 1907) was the father of well-known Western lawmen Virgil, Wyatt, and Morgan, and their lesser-known brothers James, Newton and Warren Earp. He was a justice of the peace, a farmer, co ...
(Wyatt, Morgan, and Virgil).
James Earp
James Cooksey Earp (June 28, 1841 – January 25, 1926) was a lesser known older brother of Old West lawman Virgil Earp and lawman/gambler Wyatt Earp. Unlike his brothers, he was a saloon-keeper and was not present at the Gunfight at the O.K. C ...
, the eldest of his brothers, lived with his wife in Fort Worth during this period; their house was at the edge of Hell's Half Acre, at 9th and Calhoun. He often tended bar at the Cattlemen's Exchange saloon in the "uptown" part of the city.
Reforming citizens objected to the
dance hall
Dance hall in its general meaning is a hall for Dance, dancing. From the earliest years of the twentieth century until the early 1960s, the dance hall was the popular forerunner of the discothèque or nightclub. The majority of towns and citi ...
s, where men and women mingled; by contrast, the saloons or gambling parlors had primarily male customers.
In the late 1880s, Mayor Broiles and County Attorney R. L. Carlock initiated a reform campaign. In a public shootout on February 8, 1887, Jim Courtright was killed on Main Street by
Luke Short
Luke Lamar Short (January22, 1854September8, 1893) was an American Old West gunfighter, cowboy, U.S. Army scout, dispatch rider, gambler, boxing promoter, and saloon owner. He survived numerous gunfights, the most famous of which were agains ...
, who claimed he was "King of Fort Worth Gamblers".
As Courtright had been popular, when Short was jailed for his murder, rumors floated of lynching him. Short's good friend Bat Masterson came armed and spent the night in his cell to protect him.
The first
prohibition
Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...
campaign in Texas was mounted in Fort Worth in 1889, allowing other business and residential development in the area. Another change was the influx of
Black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...
residents. Excluded by state
segregation Segregation may refer to:
Separation of people
* Geographical segregation, rates of two or more populations which are not homogenous throughout a defined space
* School segregation
* Housing segregation
* Racial segregation, separation of humans ...
from the business end of town and the more costly residential areas, the city's black citizens settled into the southern portion of the city. The popularity and profitability of the Acre declined and more derelicts and the homeless were seen on the streets. By 1900, most of the dance halls and gamblers were gone. Cheap variety shows and prostitution became the chief forms of entertainment. Some progressive politicians launched an offensive to seek out and abolish these perceived "vices" as part of the broader
Progressive Era
The Progressive Era (late 1890s – late 1910s) was a period of widespread social activism and political reform across the United States focused on defeating corruption, monopoly, waste and inefficiency. The main themes ended during Am ...
package of reforms.
In 1911, the Reverend
J. Frank Norris
John Franklyn Norris (September 18, 1877 – August 20, 1952) was a Baptist preacher and controversial Christian fundamentalist.
Biography
J. Frank Norris was born in Dadeville in Tallapoosa County in eastern Alabama, but the family shortly ...
launched an offensive against racetrack gambling in the ''Baptist Standard'' and used the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Fort Worth to attack vice and prostitution. When he began to link certain Fort Worth businessmen with property in the Acre and announced their names from his pulpit, the battle heated up. On February 4, 1912, Norris's church was burned to the ground; that evening, his enemies tossed a bundle of burning oiled rags onto his porch, but the fire was extinguished and caused minimal damage. A month later, the
arson
Arson is the crime of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, wat ...
ists succeeded in burning down the
parsonage
A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of religion. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, parsonage, rectory or vicarage.
Function
A clergy house is typically own ...
. In a sensational trial lasting a month, Norris was charged with
perjury
Perjury (also known as foreswearing) is the intentional act of swearing a false oath or falsifying an affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to an official proceeding."Perjury The act or an inst ...
and arson in connection with the two fires. He was acquitted, but his continued attacks on the Acre accomplished little until 1917. A new city administration and the federal government, which was eyeing Fort Worth as a potential site for a
major military training camp, joined forces with the Baptist preacher to bring down the final curtain on the Acre.
The police department compiled statistics showing that 50% of the violent crime in Fort Worth occurred in the Acre, which confirmed respectable citizens' opinion of the area. After Camp Bowie (a World War I
U.S. Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...
training installation) was located on the outskirts of Fort Worth in 1917, the military used
martial law
Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory.
Use
Marti ...
to regulate prostitutes and barkeepers of the Acre. Fines and stiff jail sentences curtailed their activities. By the time Norris held a mock funeral parade to "bury
John Barleycorn
"John Barleycorn" is an English and Scottish folk song listed as number 164 in the Roud Folk Song Index. John Barleycorn, the song's protagonist, is a personification of barley and of the alcoholic beverages made from it: beer and whisky. ...
" in 1919, the Acre had become a part of Fort Worth history. The name continues to be associated with the southern end of Fort Worth.
In 1921, the whites-only union workers in the Fort Worth, Swift & Co. meatpacking plant in the Niles City Stockyards went on strike. The owners attempted to replace them with black
strikebreakers
A strikebreaker (sometimes called a scab, blackleg, or knobstick) is a person who works despite a strike. Strikebreakers are usually individuals who were not employed by the company before the trade union dispute but hired after or during the str ...
. During union protests, strikebreaker African-American
Fred Rouse was lynched on a tree at the corner of NE 12th Street and Samuels Avenue. After he was hanged a white mob riddled his mutilated body with gunshots.
On
March 28, 2000, at 6:15 pm, an
F3 tornado
A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...
struck downtown Fort Worth, severely damaging many buildings. One of the hardest-hit structures was the Bank One Tower, which was one of the dominant features of the Fort Worth skyline and which had Reata, a popular restaurant, on its top floor. It has since been converted to upscale
condominium
A condominium (or condo for short) is an ownership structure whereby a building is divided into several units that are each separately owned, surrounded by common areas that are jointly owned. The term can be applied to the building or complex ...
s and officially renamed "The Tower". This was the first major tornado to strike Fort Worth proper since the early 1940s.
When oil began to gush in
West Texas
West Texas is a loosely defined region in the U.S. state of Texas, generally encompassing the arid and semiarid lands west of a line drawn between the cities of Wichita Falls, Abilene, and Del Rio.
No consensus exists on the boundary betwee ...
in the early 20th century, and again in the late 1970s, Fort Worth was at the center of the wheeling and dealing. In July 2007, advances in horizontal drilling technology made vast
natural gas
Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbo ...
reserves in the
Barnett Shale
The Barnett Shale is a geological formation located in the Bend Arch-Fort Worth Basin. It consists of sedimentary rocks dating from the Mississippian period (354–323 million years ago) in Texas. The formation underlies the city of Fort Worth a ...
available directly under the city, helping many residents receive royalty checks for their mineral rights. Today, the city of Fort Worth and many residents are dealing with the benefits and issues associated with the natural-gas reserves underground.
Fort Worth was the fastest-growing large city in the United States from 2000 to 2006; it was voted one of "America's Most Livable Communities".
In 2020, Fort Worth's mayor announced the city's continued growth to 20.78%. The U.S. Census Bureau also noted the city's beginning of diversification from 2014–2018.
In addition to the
reversal migration, many African Americans are now recently moving to Fort Worth for affordable cost of living and job opportunities.
On February 11, 2021, a
pileup
A multiple vehicle collision (colloquially known as a pile-up, multi-car collision, multi-vehicle collision, or simply a multi) is a road traffic collision involving many vehicles. Generally occurring on high-capacity and high-speed routes such ...
involving 133 cars and trucks crashed on I-35W due to freezing rain leaving ice. The pileup left at least six people dead and multiple injured.
Geography
Fort Worth is located in
North Texas
North Texas (also commonly called North Central Texas) is a term used primarily by residents of Dallas, Fort Worth, and surrounding areas to describe much of the north central portion of the U.S. state of Texas. Residents of the Dallas–Fort Wor ...
, and has a generally humid subtropical climate. It is part of the
Cross Timbers
The term Cross Timbers, also known as Ecoregion 29, Central Oklahoma/Texas Plains, is used to describe a strip of land in the United States that runs from southeastern Kansas across Central Oklahoma to Central Texas. Made up of a mix of prairie ...
region; this region is a boundary between the more heavily forested eastern parts and the rolling hills and prairies of the central part. Specifically, the city is part of the
Grand Prairie
Grand Prairie is a city in Dallas, Tarrant, and Ellis counties of Texas, in the United States. It is part of the Mid-Cities region in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It had a population of 175,396 according to the 2010 census, making it th ...
ecoregion within the Cross Timbers. According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the city has a total area of , of which are land and are covered by water. It is a principal city in the
Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex
The Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, officially designated Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, is a conurbated metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Texas encompassing 11 counties and anchore ...
, and the second largest.
The city of Fort Worth is not entirely contiguous and has several enclaves, practical enclaves, semienclaves, and cities that are otherwise completely or nearly surrounded by it, including:
Westworth Village,
River Oaks
River Oaks is a residential community located in the center of Houston, Texas, United States. Located within the 610 Loop and between Downtown and Uptown, the community spans .Archive Established in the 1920s by brothers Will Hogg and Michael ...
,
Saginaw
Saginaw () is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw and Saginaw County are both in the area known as Mid-Michigan. Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township and considered part of Greater ...
,
Blue Mound,
Benbrook,
Everman,
Forest Hill,
Edgecliff Village,
Westover Hills,
White Settlement,
Sansom Park,
Lake Worth,
Lakeside
Lakeside or Lake Side may refer to:
Places Australia
* Lakeside College, Pakenham, Victoria
* Lakeside Joondalup Shopping City, Joondalup, Western Australia
* Lakeside, near Reservoir, Victoria
* Lakeside International Raceway, Pine Rivers, Quee ...
, and
Haslet
In British English, haslet or acelet is a pork meatloaf with herbs, originally from Lincolnshire. The word is derived from the Old French meaning ''entrails''. In Lincolnshire, haslet (pronounced '/ˈhæslɪt/' locally) is typically made from s ...
.
Fort Worth contains over 1,000 natural-gas wells (December 2009 count) tapping the Barnett Shale. Each well site is a bare patch of gravel in size. As city ordinances permit them in all zoning categories, including residential, well sites can be found in a variety of locations. Some wells are surrounded by masonry fences, but most are secured by chain link.
A large storage dam was completed in 1914 on the West Fork of the Trinity River, 7 miles (11 km) from the city, with a storage capacity of 33,495 acre feet of water. The lake formed by this dam is known as
Lake Worth.
Neighborhoods
Stockyards
The
Fort Worth Stockyards
The Fort Worth Stockyards is a historic district that is located in Fort Worth, Texas, north of the central business district. A portion encompassing much of the district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Fort Worth Stoc ...
are a
National Historic District.
The Stockyards was once among the largest livestock markets in the United States and played a vital role in the city's early growth. Today the neighborhood is characterized by its many bars, restaurants, and notable country music venues such as
Billy Bob's
Billy Bob's Texas is a country music nightclub located in the Fort Worth Stockyards, Texas, United States. It promotes itself as "The World's Largest Honky Tonk," at 100,000 square feet of interior space and nearly 20 acres of parking space.
Hist ...
. Fort Worth celebrity chef
Tim Love
Tim Love is a chef best known for urban western cuisine. He is the owner and executive chef of several Fort Worth-area restaurants including the historic White Elephant Saloon, the Love Shack, the Woodshed Smokehouse, as well as his flagship r ...
of ''
Iron Chef America
''Iron Chef America'' is an American cooking show based on Fuji Television's ''Iron Chef'', and is the second American adaptation of the series, following the failed ''Iron Chef USA'' that aired in 2001. The show is produced by Food Network, whi ...
'' and ''
Top Chef Masters
''Top Chef Masters'' is an American reality competition series that aired on the cable television network Bravo, and premiered June 10, 2009. It is a spinoff of Bravo's hit show ''Top Chef''. In the series, chefs
A chef is a trained profes ...
'' operates multiple restaurants in the neighborhood.
Upper West Side
The Upper West Side is a district on the western end of
downtown Fort Worth
Downtown Fort Worth is the central business district of Fort Worth, Texas, United States. Most of Fort Worth's tallest buildings and skyscrapers are located downtown.
Attractions
Sundance Square
Sundance Square began as an effort by Sid Bass t ...
. It is bound roughly by Henderson Street to the east, the Trinity River to the west,
Interstate 30
Interstate 30 (I-30) is a Interstate Highway in the southern states of Texas and Arkansas in the United States. I-30 travels from I-20 west of Fort Worth, Texas, northeast via Dallas, and Texarkana, Texas, to I-40 in North Little Rock, Ar ...
to the south, and White Settlement Road to the north. The neighborhood contains several small and mid-sized office buildings and urban residences, but very little retail.
Tanglewood
Tanglewood
Tanglewood is a music venue in the towns of Lenox and Stockbridge in the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts. It has been the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra since 1937. Tanglewood is also home to three music schools: the T ...
consists of land in the low areas along the branch of the Trinity River and is about 5 miles southwest from the Fort Worth central business district. The Tanglewood area lies within two surveys. The western part of the addition is part of the 1854 Felix G. Beasley survey, and the eastern part, along the branch of the river, is the 1876 James Howard survey. The original approach to the Tanglewood area consisted of a two-rut dirt road which is now Bellaire Drive South. Up to the time of development, children enjoyed swimming in the river in a deep hole that was located where the bridge is now on Bellaire Drive South near Trinity Commons Shopping Center. The portions of Tanglewood that are now Bellaire Park Court, Marquette Court, and Autumn Court were originally a dairy farm.
Architecture
Downtown Fort Worth, with its unique rustic architecture, is mainly known for its
Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...
-style buildings. The
Tarrant County Courthouse
The Tarrant County Courthouse is part of the Tarrant County government campus in Fort Worth, Texas, United States.
History
The Tarrant County Courthouse was designed by the architecture firm of Frederick C. Gunn and Louis Curtiss and built by t ...
was created in the American
Beaux Arts design, which was modeled after the
Texas State Capitol
The Texas State Capitol is the capitol and seat of government of the American state of Texas. Located in downtown Austin, Texas, the structure houses the offices and chambers of the Texas Legislature and of the Governor of Texas. Designed in 18 ...
building. Most of the structures around
Sundance Square
Sundance Square is the name of a 35-block commercial, residential, entertainment and retail district in downtown Fort Worth, Texas. Named after the Sundance Kid in western folklore, it is a popular place for nightlife and entertainment in Fort Wor ...
have preserved their early 20th-century
façade
A façade () (also written facade) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a Loanword, loan word from the French language, French (), which means 'frontage' or 'face'.
In architecture, the façade of a building is often t ...
s. Multiple blocks surrounding Sundance Square are illuminated at night in Christmas lights year-round, the only city in Texas to do so.
Climate
Fort Worth has a
humid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...
(Cfa) according to the
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
system and is within USDA
hardiness zone
A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most wide ...
8a. This region features very hot, humid summers and mild to cool winters. The hottest month of the year is August, when the average high temperature is , and overnight low temperatures average , giving an average temperature of .
The coldest month of the year is January, when the average high temperature is and low temperatures average .
The average temperature in January is .
The highest temperature ever recorded in Fort Worth is , on June 26, 1980, during the
Great 1980 Heat Wave, and June 27, 1980. The coldest temperature ever recorded in Fort Worth was on February 12, 1899. Because of its position in North Texas, Fort Worth is very susceptible to
supercell thunderstorm
A supercell is a thunderstorm characterized by the presence of a mesocyclone: a deep, persistently rotating updraft. Due to this, these storms are sometimes referred to as rotating thunderstorms. Of the four classifications of thunderstorms (s ...
s, which produce large hail and can produce
tornado
A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...
es.
The average annual precipitation for Fort Worth is .
The wettest month of the year is May, when an average of of precipitation falls.
The driest month of the year is January, when only of precipitation falls.
The driest calendar year since records began has been 1921 with and the wettest 2015 with . The wettest calendar month has been April 1922 with , including on April 25.
The average annual snowfall in Fort Worth is . The most snowfall in one month has been in February 1978, and the most in a season in 1977/1978.
The
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service (NWS) is an Government agency, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that is tasked with providing weather forecasts, warnings of hazardous weather, and other weathe ...
office, which serves the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, is based in northeastern Fort Worth.
Demographics
Fort Worth is the most populous city in
Tarrant County
Tarrant County is located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2020, it had a population of 2,110,640. It is Texas' third-most populous county and the 15th-most populous in the United States. Its county seat is Fort Worth. Tarrant County, one of 2 ...
, and second-most populous community within the
Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex
The Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, officially designated Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, is a conurbated metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Texas encompassing 11 counties and anchore ...
. Its metropolitan area encompasses one-quarter of the population of Texas, and is the largest in the
Southern U.S.
The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...
and
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
followed by the
Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan area. Per the
American Community Survey
The American Community Survey (ACS) is a demographics survey program conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the decennial census, such as ancestry, citizenship, educati ...
's 2018 estimates, Fort Worth had a population near 900,000 residents.
In 2019, it grew to an estimated 909,585. At the
2020 United States census
The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...
, Fort Worth had a population of 918,915.
There were 337,072 housing units, 308,188 households, and 208,389 families at the 2018 census estimates. The average household size was 2.87 persons per household, and the average family size was 3.50. Fort Worth had an owner-occupied housing rate of 56.4% and renter-occupied housing rate of 43.6%. The
median income
The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two equal groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of ...
in 2018 was $58,448 and the
mean income
The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two equal groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of ...
was $81,165. The city had a per capita income of $29,010. Roughly 15.6% of Fort Worthers lived at or below the poverty line.
In 2010's American Community Survey census estimates there were 291,676 housing units, 261,042 households, and 174,909 families. Fort Worth had an average household size of 2.78 and the average family size was 3.47. A total of 92,952 households had children under 18 years living with them. There were 5.9% opposite sex unmarried-partner households and 0.5% same sex unmarried-partner households in 2010. The owner-occupied housing rate of Fort Worth was 59.0% and the renter-occupied housing rate was 41.0%. Fort Worth's median household income was $48,224 and the mean was $63,065. An estimated 21.4% of the population lived at or below the poverty line.
Race and ethnicity
At the
2010 census, the racial composition of Fort Worth's population was 61.1%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
(
non-Hispanic whites
Non-Hispanic whites or Non-Latino whites are Americans who are classified as "white", and are not of Hispanic (also known as "Latino") heritage. The United States Census Bureau defines ''white'' to include European Americans, Middle Eastern Amer ...
: 41.7%), 18.9%
Black or African American, 0.6%
Native American, 3.7%
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.1%
Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, 34.1%
Hispanic or Latino
''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, for example, by the United States ...
(of any race), and 3.1% of
two or more races
2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many culture ...
. In 2018, 38.2% of Fort Worth was non-Hispanic white, 18.6% black or African American, 0.4% American Indian or Alaska Native, 4.8% Asian American, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 2.1% from two or more races, and 35.5% Hispanic or Latino (of any race), marking an era of
diversification
Diversification may refer to:
Biology and agriculture
* Genetic divergence, emergence of subpopulations that have accumulated independent genetic changes
* Agricultural diversification involves the re-allocation of some of a farm's resources to n ...
in the city limits.
A study determined Fort Worth as one of the most diverse cities in the United States in 2019. For contrast, in 1970, the
U.S. Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
reported Fort Worth's population as 72% non-Hispanic white, 19.9% black, and 7.9% Hispanic or Latino.
By the
2020 census,
continued population growth spurred further diversification with 36.6% of the population being non-Hispanic white, 34.8% Hispanic or Latino American of any race, and 19.2% Black or African American; Asian Americans increased to forming 5.1% of the population, reflecting nationwide demographic trends at the time.
Religion
Fort Worth is part of the
Bible Belt
The Bible Belt is a region of the Southern United States in which socially conservative Protestant Christianity plays a strong role in society and politics, and church attendance across the denominations is generally higher than the nation's aver ...
and as such
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
is the largest religious group. While the city of Dallas and
Dallas County Dallas County may refer to:
Places in the USA:
* Dallas County, Alabama, founded in 1818, the first county in the United States by that name
* Dallas County, Arkansas
* Dallas County, Iowa
* Dallas County, Missouri
* Dallas County, Texas, the nin ...
have more Catholic than
Protestant
Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
residents, Fort Worth and Tarrant County are home to more Protestants than Catholics. Overall, the Dallas metropolitan division of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex is more religiously diverse than Fort Worth and its surrounding suburbs.
The largest Christian group in Fort Worth as of 2018 are
Baptists
Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...
(18.1%).
The Baptist community of Fort Worth is dominated by the
Southern Baptist Convention
The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination, and the largest Protestant and second-largest Christian denomination in the United States. The wor ...
,
National Baptist Convention, USA
The National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc., more commonly known as the National Baptist Convention (NBC USA or NBC), is a primarily African American Baptist Christian denomination in the United States. It is headquartered at the Baptist World Cen ...
,
National Baptist Convention of America International, and the
Texas Baptists. The second largest Christian group are
Catholics
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
(7.1%), served primarily by the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth
The Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth in the United States was established on August 9, 1969, after being part of the Diocese of Dallas for 79 years. At present, the diocese has more than 1,200,000 Catholics in 92 parishes, served by 132 priests, 106 ...
.
Methodists (3.9%) form the third largest group followed by
Pentecostals
Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement (1.6%),
Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...
(1.6%)
Lutherans
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched ...
(1.1%),
Episcopalians or Anglicans (0.6%),
Presbyterians
Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...
(0.5%), and
other Christians including the
United Church of Christ
The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination based in the United States, with historical and confessional roots in the Congregational, Calvinist, Lutheran, and Anabaptist traditions, and with approximately 4 ...
,
Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The group reports a worldwide membership of approximately 8.7 million adherents involved in ...
, and
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Eastern Orthodox Church, also called the Orthodox Church, is the second-largest Christian church, with approximately 220 million baptized members. It operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops via ...
(6.5%).
The Episcopal or Anglican community in Fort Worth are primarily divided between the
Episcopal Church in the United States
The Episcopal Church, based in the United States with additional dioceses elsewhere, is a member church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. It is a mainline Protestant denomination and is divided into nine provinces. The presiding bishop of ...
and
Anglican Church in North America
The Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) is a Christian denomination in the Anglican tradition in the United States and Canada. It also includes ten congregations in Mexico, two mission churches in Guatemala, and a missionary diocese in Cuba ...
. The
Anglican Communion
The Anglican Communion is the third largest Christian communion after the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Founded in 1867 in London, the communion has more than 85 million members within the Church of England and other ...
-affiliated
Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth
The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth is a diocese of the Anglican Church in North America. The diocese comprises 62 congregations and its headquarters are in Fort Worth, Texas.
The diocese is divided in six deaneries, each headed by a dean, which ...
was the previous name of the jurisdiction in the area. The Anglican Church in North America has a parallel hierarchy also named the
Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth
The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth is a diocese of the Anglican Church in North America. The diocese comprises 62 congregations and its headquarters are in Fort Worth, Texas.
The diocese is divided in six deaneries, each headed by a dean, which ...
. The latter body was formed in schism from the Episcopal Church in the United States. Since the schism, the Anglican Communion-affiliated body was renamed the Episcopal Church in North Texas.
Methodist organizations dividing Methodist Christians include the
United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelical ...
and
African Methodist Episcopal Church
The African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the AME Church or AME, is a Black church, predominantly African American Methodist Religious denomination, denomination. It adheres to Wesleyan-Arminian theology and has a connexionalism, c ...
. Fort Worth is the
episcopal seat
A cathedral is a church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominations ...
of the Central Texas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. The
Church of God in Christ
The Church of God in Christ (COGIC) is a Holiness–Pentecostal Christian denomination, and the largest Pentecostal denomination in the United States. Although an international and multi-ethnic religious organization, it has a predominantly Bl ...
and Assemblies of God USA comprise a significant number of Pentecostals, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the largest Latter-day Saint body in the city and surrounding area. Lutherans are split among the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and other smaller bodies, and the Eastern Orthodox community is primarily served by the Orthodox Church in America Diocese of the South, OCA Diocese of the South and Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.
The oldest continuously operating church in Fort Worth is First Christian Church (Fort Worth, Texas), First Christian Church, founded in 1855. Other historical churches continuing operation in the city include St. Patrick Cathedral (Fort Worth, Texas), St. Patrick Cathedral (founded 1888), Saint James Second Street Baptist Church (founded 1895), Tabernacle Baptist Church (built 1923), St. Mary of the Assumption Church (Fort Worth), St. Mary of the Assumption Church (built 1924), Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Church and Parsonage (built 1929 and 1911), and Morning Chapel C.M.E. Church (built 1934).
About 1.2% of Fort Worth's population identified with Islam in 2018.
More than two mosques exist in the city and most are affiliated with Sunni Islam, though some Ahmadiyya and Shia Islam, Shia Muslim mosques are also present. Fort Worth has a small Judaism, Jewish community forming 0.1% of the religious demographic, and followers of Buddhism, Sikhism and Hinduism make up less than 0.1% of Fort Worth's religiously-affiliated community.
Economy
At its inception, Fort Worth relied on cattle drives that traveled the
Chisholm Trail
The Chisholm Trail was a trail used in the post-Civil War era to drive cattle overland from ranches in Texas to Kansas railheads. The trail was established by Black Beaver, a Lenape guide and rancher, and his friend Jesse Chisholm, a Cheroke ...
. Millions of cattle were driven north to market along this trail, and Fort Worth became the center of cattle drives, and later, ranching until the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
. During the Civil War, Fort Worth suffered shortages causing its population to decline. It recovered during the Reconstruction era, Reconstruction Era with general stores, banks, and "Hell's Half-Acre", a large collection of saloons and dance halls which increased business and criminal activity in the city. By the early 20th century the military used martial law to regulate Hell's Half-Acre's bartenders and prostitutes.
Since the late 20th century several major companies have been headquartered in Fort Worth. These include American Airlines Group (and subsidiaries
American Airlines
American Airlines is a major airlines of the United States, major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the world when measured ...
and Envoy Air), the John Peter Smith Hospital, Pier 1, Pier 1 Imports,
Chip 1 Exchange, RadioShack, Pioneer Corporation, Cash America International, GM Financial, Budget Host, the
BNSF Railway
BNSF Railway is one of the largest freight railroads in North America. One of seven North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 35,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and nearly 8,000 locomotives. It has three transcontinental routes that ...
, and
Bell Textron
Bell Textron Inc. is an American aerospace manufacturer headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. A subsidiary of Textron, Bell manufactures military rotorcraft at facilities in Fort Worth, and Amarillo, Texas, as well as commercial helicopters in Mir ...
. Companies with a significant presence in the city are Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Lockheed Martin, GE Transportation, and Dallas-based telecommunications company AT&T. Metro by T-Mobile is also prominent in the city.
In 2013, Fort Worth–Arlington ranked 15th on ''Forbes'' list of the "Best Places for Business and Careers". In 2018, ''Fortune (magazine), Fortune'' named Fort Worth the 18th best city for Hispanic entrepreneurs. In 2018, the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex ranked 18th on ''U.S. News & World Reports list of "125 Best Places to Live in the USA".
Culture
Building on its American frontier, Frontier Western heritage and a history of strong local arts patronage, Fort Worth promotes itself as the "City of Cowboys and Culture". Fort Worth has the world's first and largest indoor rodeo, world-class museums, a calendar of festivals and a robust local arts scene. The Academy of Western Artists, based in Gene Autry, Oklahoma, Gene Autry, Oklahoma, presents its annual awards in Fort Worth in fields related to the American cowboy, including music, literature, and even chuck wagon cooking. Fort Worth is also the 1931 birthplace of the Official State Music of Texas - Western Swing, which was created by Bob Wills and Milton Brown and their Light Crust Doughboys band in a ramshackle dancehall 4 miles west of downtown at the Crystal Springs Dance Pavilion.
Stockyards
The Fort Worth Stockyards, Stockyards are the main attraction in the city of Fort Worth. There is a mall at the Stockyards Station full of souvenir shops, restaurants, conference/banquet rooms and also a train ride (via Grapevine Vintage Railroad) that connects to downtown Grapevine, Texas, Grapevine. A petting zoo, maze, and mechanic bull are across from the station. Cowtown Coliseum hosts a weekly rodeo and also has the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame. The world's largest honky tonk is also in the Stockyards at
Billy Bob's
Billy Bob's Texas is a country music nightclub located in the Fort Worth Stockyards, Texas, United States. It promotes itself as "The World's Largest Honky Tonk," at 100,000 square feet of interior space and nearly 20 acres of parking space.
Hist ...
. In addition, many shops, restaurants, bars, museums, and hotels are in and around the Stockyards.
The Herd
A daily cattle drive is held twice each day known as "The Herd", this is done at 11:30 AM and again at 4 PM. Fort Worth is the only major city that hosts a daily cattle drive.
Arts and sciences
;Theatre
* Amphibian Stage Productions
* Bass Performance Hall
* Casa Mañana
* Circle Theatre
* Jubilee Theater
* Kids Who Care Inc.
* Stage West Theatre
;Music
* Billy Bob's
* Fort Worth Opera
* Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra
* Live Eclectic Music (Ridglea Theater)
* Texas Ballet Theater
*
Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
The Van Cliburn International Piano Competition (The Cliburn) is an American piano competition by The Cliburn, first held in 1962 in Fort Worth, Texas and hosted by the Van Cliburn Foundation. Initially held at Texas Christian University, the co ...
;Museums
* Al and Ann Stohlman Museum
* C.R. Smith Museum, American Airline C.R. Smith Museum
*
Amon Carter Museum of American Art
Amon may refer to:
Mythology
* Amun, an Ancient Egyptian deity, also known as Amon and Amon-Ra
* Aamon, a Goetic demon
People Momonym
* Amon of Judah ( 664– 640 BC), king of Judah
Given name
* Amon G. Carter (1879–1955), American p ...
*
Fort Worth Museum of Science and History
The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History is located on 1600 Gendy Street, Fort Worth, Texas 76107 in the city's Cultural District. It was opened in 1945 as the Fort Worth Children's Museum and moved to its current location in 1954. In 1968, t ...
* Fort Worth Stockyards Museum
*
Kimbell Art Museum
The Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, hosts an art collection as well as traveling art exhibitions, educational programs and an extensive research library. Its initial artwork came from the private collection of Kay and Velma Kimbell, wh ...
* Lenora Rolla Heritage Center Museum
* Log Cabin Village
* Military Museum of Fort Worth
*
Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth (widely referred to as The Modern) is an art museum of post-World War II art in Fort Worth, Texas with a collection of international modern and contemporary art. Founded in 1892, The Modern is located in the c ...
* National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame
* National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum
*
Sid Richardson Museum
The Sid Richardson Museum is located in historic Sundance Square in Fort Worth, Texas, and features permanent and special exhibitions of paintings by Frederic Remington and Charles M. Russell, as well as other late 19th and early 20th-century art ...
* Texas Civil War Museum
* Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame
Nature
The Fort Worth Zoo is home to over 5,000 animals and has been named a top zoo in the nation by ''Family Life (Wenner Media magazine), Family Life'' magazine, the ''Los Angeles Times'', and ''USA Today'' and one of the top zoos in the South by ''Southern Living'' Reader's Choice Awards; it has been ranked in the top 10 zoos in the United States. As of 2020, USA Today ranked the Fort Worth Zoo as the #1 zoo in the United States, finally reaching the pinnacle after years of being consistently ranked in the top 10.
The Fort Worth Botanic Garden and the Botanical Research Institute of Texas are also in the city. For those interested in hiking, birding, or canoeing, the Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge in northwest Fort Worth is a 3,621-acre preserved natural area designated by the Department of the Interior as a National Natural Landmark Site in 1980. Established in 1964 as the Greer Island Nature Center and Refuge, it celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2014. The Nature Center has a small, genetically pure bison herd, and native prairies, forests, and wetlands. It is one of the largest urban parks of its type in the United States.
Parks
Fort Worth has a total of 263 parks with 179 of those being neighborhood parks. The total acres of parkland is 11,700.72 acres with the average being about 12.13 acres per park.
The 4.3 acre (1.7 hectare) Fort Worth Water Gardens, designed by noted New York City, New York architects
Philip Johnson
Philip Cortelyou Johnson (July 8, 1906 – January 25, 2005) was an American architect best known for his works of modern and postmodern architecture. Among his best-known designs are his modernist Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut; the pos ...
and John Burgee, is an urban park containing three pools of water and terraced knolls; the Water Gardens are billed as a "cooling oasis in the concrete jungle" of downtown. Heritage Park Plaza is a Modernist-style park that was designed by Lawrence Halprin.
[ (88 pages, with maps, plans, and 38 photos from 2010)] The plaza design incorporates a set of interconnecting rooms constructed of concrete and activated throughout by flowing water walls, channels, and pools and was added to the US National Register of Historic Places on May 10, 2010.
There are two off-leash dog parks located in the city, ZBonz Dog Park and Fort Woof. Fort Woof was recognized by ''Dog Fancy Magazine'' as the No. 1 Dog Park in the Nation in 2006, and as City Voter's the Best Dog Park in DFW in 2009. The park includes an Dog agility, agility course, water fountains, shaded shelters, and waste stations.
Sports
While much of Fort Worth's sports attention is focused on Dallas's professional sports teams, the city has its own athletic identity. The TCU Horned Frogs compete in National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA Division I athletics, including the football team, consistently ranked in the top 25, and the baseball team, which has competed in the last six NCAA tournaments and 3 straight College World Series, coming within a win of making the College World Series finals in 2009 and 2016. The women's basketball team has competed in the last seven NCAA tournaments. Texas Wesleyan University competes in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, NAIA, and won the 2006 NAIA Div. I Men's Basketball Championship and three-time National Collegiate Table Tennis Association (NCTTA) team championships (2004–2006). Fort Worth is also home to the NCAA football Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl, as well as four amateur sports teams.
Professional sports
Semi-professional sports
Amateur sports
TCU Horned Frogs
The presence of
Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University (TCU) is a private research university in Fort Worth, Texas. It was established in 1873 by brothers Addison and Randolph Clark as the Add-Ran Male & Female College. It is affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples ...
less than from the downtown area and national competitiveness in football, baseball, and men's and women's basketball have sustained TCU as an important part of Fort Worth's sports scene.
The Horned Frog football team produced two national championships in the 1930s and remained a strong competitor in the Southwest Conference into the 1960s before beginning a long period of underperformance. The revival of the TCU football program began under Coach Dennis Franchione with the success of running back LaDainian Tomlinson. Under Head Coach Gary Patterson, the Horned Frogs have developed into a perennial top-10 contender, and a Rose Bowl Game, Rose Bowl winner in 2011. Notable players include Sammy Baugh, Davey O'Brien, Bob Lilly, LaDainian Tomlinson, Jerry Hughes, and Andy Dalton (American football), Andy Dalton. The Horned Frogs, along with their rivals and fellow non-AQ leaders Boise State University, the Boise State Broncos and University of Utah Utes, were deemed the quintessential BCS Buster, "BCS Busters", having appeared in both the Fiesta and Rose Bowls. Their "BCS Buster" role ended in 2012 when they joined the Big 12 athletic conference in all sports. The Horned Frog football teams have one of the best winning percentages of any school in the Football Bowl Subdivision in recent years.
Recreation
Colonial National Invitational Golf Tournament
Fort Worth hosts an important professional men's golf tournament every May at the Colonial Country Club (Fort Worth), Colonial Country Club. The Colonial Invitational Golf Tournament, now officially known as the Fort Worth Invitational, is one of the more prestigious and historical events of the tour calendar. The Colonial Country Club was the home course of golfing legend Ben Hogan, who was from Fort Worth.
Motor racing
Fort Worth is home to Texas Motor Speedway, also known as "The Great American Speedway". Texas Motor Speedway is a 1.5-mile quad-oval track located in the far northern part of the city in Denton County, Texas, Denton County. The speedway opened in 1997, and currently hosts an IndyCar event and six NASCAR events among three major race weekends a year.
Amateur sports-car racing in the greater Fort Worth area occurs mostly at two purpose-built tracks: Motorsport Ranch and Eagles Canyon Raceway. Sanctioning bodies include the Porsche Club of America, the National Auto Sports Association, and the Sports Car Club of America.
Cowtown Marathon
The annual Cowtown Marathon has been held every last weekend in February since 1978. The two-day activities include two 5Ks, a 10K, the half marathon, marathon, and ultra marathon. With just under 27,000 participants in 2013, the Cowtown is the largest multiple-distance event in Texas.
Rodeo
In addition to the weekly rodeos held at Cowtown Coliseum in the Stockyards, the Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show, Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo is held within the Will Rogers Memorial Center at the brand new Dickies Arena. Dickies Arena also hosts a few TCU basketball games and in the future will host college basketball tournaments at the conference and national levels. Boxing and WWE events are also slated for future dates.
Government
City government
Fort Worth has a council-manager government, with elections held every two years for a Mayor of Fort Worth, mayor, elected at large, and eight council members, elected by district. The mayor is a voting member of the council and represents the city on ceremonial occasions. The council has the power to adopt municipal ordinances and resolutions, make proclamations, set the city tax rate, approve the city budget, and appoint the city secretary, city attorney, city auditor, municipal court judges, and members of city boards and commissions. The day-to-day operations of city government are overseen by the city manager, who is also appointed by the council. The current mayor is Republican Mattie Parker, making Fort Worth the largest city in the United States with a female Republican mayor.
City Council
City departments
*Fort Worth Police Department – provides crime prevention, investigation, and other emergency services.
*Fort Worth Fire Department – provides fire and emergency services.
*Fort Worth Library – public library system of the City of Fort Worth.
State government
State Board of Education members
Texas State Representatives
Texas State Senators
State facilities
The Texas Department of Transportation operates the Fort Worth District Office in Fort Worth.
The North Texas Intermediate Sanction Facility, a privately operated prison facility housing short-term parole violators, was in Fort Worth. It was operated on behalf of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. In 2011, the state of Texas decided not to renew its contract with the facility.
Federal government
United States House of Representatives
Federal facilities
Fort Worth is home to one of the two locations of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. In 1987, construction on this second facility began. In addition to meeting increased production requirements, a western location was seen to serve as a contingency operation in case of emergencies in the Washington Metropolitan Area, Washington, DC, metropolitan area; as well, costs for transporting currency to Federal Reserve System, Federal Reserve banks in Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, San Francisco, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Dallas, and Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, Kansas City would be reduced. Currency production began in December 1990 at the Fort Worth facility; the official dedication took place April 26, 1991. Bills produced here have a small "FW" in one corner.
The Eldon B. Mahon United States Courthouse building contains three oil-on-canvas panels on the fourth floor by artist Frank Mechau (commissioned under the Public Works Administration's art program). Mechau's paintings, ''The Taking of Sam Bass'', ''Two Texas Rangers'', and ''Flags Over Texas'' were installed in 1940, becoming the only New Deal art commission sponsored in Fort Worth. The courthouse, built in 1933, serves the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.
Federal Medical Center, Carswell, a Federal Bureau of Prisons, federal prison and health facility for women, is located in the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth. Carswell houses the federal death row for female inmates. Federal Medical Center, Fort Worth, Federal Medical Center, Ft. Worth, a Federal Bureau of Prisons, federal prison and health facility for men, is located across from TCC-South Campus. The Federal Aviation Administration, National Archives and Records Administration, and Federal Bureau of Investigation have offices in Fort Worth.
Education
Public libraries
Fort Worth Public Library is the public library system.
Public schools
Most of Fort Worth is served by the Fort Worth Independent School District.
Other school districts that serve portions of Fort Worth include:
* Aledo Independent School District
*Arlington Independent School District (wastewater plant only)
* Azle Independent School District
* Birdville Independent School District
* Burleson Independent School District
* Castleberry Independent School District
* Crowley Independent School District
* Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District
* Everman Independent School District
* Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District
* Keller Independent School District
* Kennedale Independent School District
* Lake Worth Independent School District
* Northwest Independent School District
* White Settlement Independent School District
The portion of Fort Worth within the Arlington Independent School District contains a sewage treatment, wastewater plant. No residential areas are in this portion.
Pinnacle Academy of the Arts (K–12) is a charter school, state charter school, as are Crosstimbers Academy and High Point Academy.
Private schools
Private schools in Fort Worth include both secular and parochial institutions.
* All Saints' Episcopal School (Fort Worth, TX) (PreK–12)
* Bethesda Christian School (Fort Worth, Texas), Bethesda Christian School (K–12)
* Covenant Classical School (K–12)
* Fort Worth Christian School (K–12)
* Fort Worth Country Day School (K–12)
* Lake Country Christian School (K–12)
* Montessori School of Fort Worth (Pre-K–8)
* Nolan Catholic High School (9–12)
* Trinity Valley School (K–12)
* Temple Christian School (Fort Worth, Texas), Temple Christian School (Pre-K–12)
* Trinity Baptist Temple Academy (K–12)
* Hill School of Fort Worth (2–12)
* Southwest Christian School (Fort Worth, Texas), Southwest Christian School (K–12)
* St. Paul Lutheran School (K–8)
* The
Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth
The Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth in the United States was established on August 9, 1969, after being part of the Diocese of Dallas for 79 years. At present, the diocese has more than 1,200,000 Catholics in 92 parishes, served by 132 priests, 106 ...
oversees several Catholic elementary and middle schools.
Institutes of higher education
*
Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University (TCU) is a private research university in Fort Worth, Texas. It was established in 1873 by brothers Addison and Randolph Clark as the Add-Ran Male & Female College. It is affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples ...
* Texas Wesleyan University
* University of Texas at Arlington – Downtown Fort Worth campus
*
University of North Texas Health Science Center
The University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC, UNT Health Science Center, or hsc) is a public academic health science center in Fort Worth, Texas. It is part of the University of North Texas System and was founded in 1970 as the T ...
* Texas Christian University School of Medicine, TCU School of Medicine
*
Texas A&M University School of Law
Texas A&M University School of Law is an ABA-accredited law school located in downtown Fort Worth, Texas. It was formerly part of Texas Wesleyan University until it was acquired by Texas A&M University. The law school is a member of the Associati ...
* Tarleton State University – Fort Worth campus
* Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
* Brite Divinity School
* Tarrant County College
Other institutions:
* The Art Institute of Fort Worth
* Brightwood College – Fort Worth Campus
* The College of Saints John Fisher & Thomas More, Fisher More College
* Remington College Fort Worth campus
* The Culinary School of Fort Worth
* Epic Helicopters Pilot Training Academy
Media
Fort Worth and Dallas share the same media market. The city's magazine is ''Fort Worth, Texas Magazine'', which publishes information about Fort Worth events, social activity, fashion, dining, and culture.
Fort Worth has one major daily newspaper, ''Fort Worth Star-Telegram'', founded in 1906 as ''Fort Worth Star''. It dominates the western half of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, and ''The Dallas Morning News'' dominates the east. The ''Star-Telegram'' is the 45th-most widely circulated newspaper in the United States, with a daily circulation of 210,990 and a Sunday circulation of 304,200.
The ''Fort Worth Weekly'' is an alternative weekly newspaper for the Fort Worth metropolitan division. The newspaper had an approximate circulation of 47,000 in 2015. The ''Fort Worth Weekly'' published and features, among many things, news reporting, cultural event guides, movie reviews, and editorials.
''Fort Worth Business Press'' is a weekly publication that chronicles news in the Fort Worth business community.
''The Fort Worth Report'' is a daily nonprofit news organization covering local government, business, education and arts in Tarrant County. The nonprofit organization, founded by local business leaders and former Fort Worth Star-Telegram publisher Wes Turner, announced its intentions in February 2021 and officially launched the newsroom in April 2021.
The ''Fort Worth Press'' was a daily newspaper, published weekday afternoons and on Sundays from 1921 until 1975. It was owned by the E. W. Scripps Company and published under the then-prominent Scripps-Howard Lighthouse logo. The paper reportedly last made money in the early 1950s. Scripps Howard stayed with the paper until mid-1975. Circulation had dwindled to fewer than 30,000 daily, just more than 10% of that of the ''Fort Worth Star Telegram''. The name ''Fort Worth Press'' was resurrected briefly in a new ''Fort Worth Press'' paper operated by then-former publisher Bill McAda and briefer still by William Dean Singleton, then-owner of the weekly ''Azle (Texas) News'', now owner of the Media Central news group. The ''Fort Worth Press'' operated from offices and presses at 500 Jones Street in Downtown Fort Worth.
Television stations shared with Dallas include (owned-and-operated stations of their affiliated networks are highlighted in bold) KDFW, KDFW 4 (Fox News, Fox), KXAS-TV, KXAS 5 (NBC), WFAA 8 (American Broadcasting Company, ABC), KTVT, KTVT 11 (CBS), KERA-TV, KERA 13 (PBS), KTXA, KTXA 21 (Independent), KDFI, KDFI 27 (MyNetworkTV, MNTV), KDAF, KDAF 33 (The CW, CW), and K07AAD-D (HC2 Holdings).
Radio stations
Over 33 radio stations operate in and around Fort Worth, with many different formats.
AM
On the AM dial, like in all other markets, political talk radio is prevalent, with WBAP (AM), WBAP 820, KLIF (AM), KLIF 570, KSKY 660, KFJZ 870, KRLD (AM), KRLD 1080 the American conservatism, conservative talk stations serving Fort Worth and KMNY 1360 the sole American progressivism, progressive talk station serving the city. KFXR (AM), KFXR 1190 is a news/talk/classic country station. Sports talk can be found on KTCK (AM), KTCK 1310 ("The Ticket"). WBAP, a 50,000-watt clear-channel station which can be heard over much of the country at night, was a long-successful country music station before converting to its current talk format.
Several religious stations are also on AM in the Dallas/Fort Worth area; KHVN 970 and KGGR 1040 are the local urban gospel stations, KEXB (AM), KEXB 1440 carries Catholic talk programming from Relevant Radio, and KKGM 1630 has a Southern gospel format.
Fort Worth's Spanish-speaking population is served by many stations on AM:
* KDFT 540
* KHFX (AM), KHFX 1140
* KFLC 1270
* KTNO (AM), KTNO 620
* KNGO 1480
* KZMP (AM), KZMP 1540
A few mixed Asian languages, Asian language stations serve Fort Worth:
* KHSE 700
* KKDA (AM), KKDA 730
* KTXV 890
* KVTT 1110
* KZEE 1220
* KCLE 1460
* KRVA (AM), KRVA 1600
FM
KLNO is a commercial radio station licensed to Fort Worth. Long-time Fort Worth resident Marcos A. Rodriguez operated Dallas Fort Worth radio stations KLTY and KESS on KLNO, 94.1 FM.
Noncommercial stations serve the city fairly well. Three college stations can be heard - KTCU-FM, KTCU 88.7, KCBI 90.9, and KNTU 88.1, with a variety of programming. Also, the local National Public Radio, NPR station is KERA (FM), KERA 90.1, along with community radio station KNON 89.3. Downtown Fort Worth also hosts the Texas Country radio station KFWR 95.9 The Ranch.
A wide variety of commercial formats, mostly music, are on the FM dial in Fort Worth.
Internet radio stations and shows
When local radio station KOAI 107.5 FM, now KMVK, dropped its smooth jazz format, fans set up smoothjazz1075.com, an internet radio station, to broadcast smooth jazz for disgruntled fans.
Transportation
Like most cities that grew quickly after World War II, Fort Worth's main mode of transportation is the automobile, but bus transportation via Trinity Metro is available, as well as an interurban train service to Dallas via the Trinity Railway Express. As of January 10, 2019, train service from Downtown Fort Worth to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport's Terminal B is available via Trinity Metro's TEXRail service.
History
Electric streetcars
The first streetcar company in Fort Worth was the Fort Worth Street Railway Company. Its first line began operating in December 1876, and traveled from the courthouse down Main Street to the T&P Depot. By 1890, more than 20 private companies were operating streetcar lines in Fort Worth. The Fort Worth Street Railway Company bought out many of its competitors, and was eventually itself bought out by the Bishop & Sherwin Syndicate in 1901. The new ownership changed the company's name to the Northern Texas Traction Company, which operated 84 miles of streetcar railways in 1925, and their lines connected downtown Fort Worth to TCU, the Near Southside, Fort Worth, Near Southside, Arlington Heights, Lake Como, and the Fort Worth Stockyards, Stockyards.
Electric interurban railways
At its peak, the electric interurban industry in Texas consisted of almost 500 miles of track, making Texas the second in interurban mileage in all states west of the Mississippi River. Electric interurban railways were prominent in the early 1900s, peaking in the 1910s and fading until all electric interurban railways were abandoned by 1948. Close to three-fourths of the mileage was in the Dallas–Fort Worth area, running between Fort Worth and Dallas and to other area cities including Cleburne, Denison, Corsicana, and Waco. The line depicted in the associated image was the second to be constructed in Texas and ran 35 miles between Fort Worth and Dallas. Northern Texas Traction Company built the railway, which was operational from 1902 to 1934.
Current transport
In 2009, 80.6% of Fort Worth (city) commuters drive to work alone. The 2009 modal share, mode share for Fort Worth (city) commuters are 11.7% for carpooling, 1.5% for transit, 1.2% for walking, and .1% for cycling. In 2015, the American Community Survey estimated modal shares for Fort Worth (city) commuters of 82% for driving alone, 12% for carpooling, .8% for riding transit, 1.8% for walking, and .3% for cycling. The city of Fort Worth has a lower than average percentage of households without a car. In 2015, 6.1 percent of Fort Worth households lacked a car, and decreased to 4.8 percent in 2016. The national average was 8.7 percent in 2016. Fort Worth averaged 1.83 cars per household in 2016, compared to a national average of 1.8.
Roads
Fort Worth is served by four interstates and three U.S. highways. It also contains a number of arterial streets in a grid formation.
Interstate highways Interstate 30, 30, Interstate 20, 20, Interstate 35W (Texas), 35W, and Interstate 820, 820 all pass through the city limits.
Interstate 820 is a Loop route, loop of Interstate 20 and serves as a beltway for the city. Interstate 30 and Interstate 20 connect Fort Worth to Arlington, Grand Prairie, Texas, Grand Prairie, and Dallas. Interstate 35W connects Fort Worth with Hillsboro, Texas, Hillsboro to the south and the cities of Denton, Texas, Denton and Gainesville, Texas, Gainesville to the north.
U.S. Route 287 runs southeast through the city connecting Wichita Falls, Texas, Wichita Falls to the north and Mansfield, Texas, Mansfield to the south. U.S. Route 377 runs south through the northern suburbs of Haltom City, Texas, Haltom City and Keller, Texas, Keller through the central business district. U.S. Route 81 shares a concurrency with highway 287 on the portion northwest of I-35W.
Notable state highways:
*Texas State Highway 114 (east-west)
*Texas State Highway 183 (east-west)
*Texas State Highway 121 (north-south)
Public transportation
Trinity Metro, formerly known as the Fort Worth Transportation Authority, serves Fort Worth with dozens of different bus routes throughout the city, including a downtown bus circulator known as Molly the Trolley. In addition to Fort Worth, Trinity Metro operates buses in the suburbs of
Blue Mound,
Forest Hill,
River Oaks
River Oaks is a residential community located in the center of Houston, Texas, United States. Located within the 610 Loop and between Downtown and Uptown, the community spans .Archive Established in the 1920s by brothers Will Hogg and Michael ...
and
Sansom Park.
In 2010, Fort Worth won a $25 million Federal Urban Circulator grant to build a streetcar system. In December 2010, though, the city council forfeited the grant by voting to end the streetcar study.
In July 2019, Trinity Metro partnered with Via Transportation to launch an on-demand microtransit service calle
ZIPZONE ZIPZONE offers shared rides across the Alliance, Mercantile, Southside, and South Tarrant neighborhoods and was designed as a first-and-last mile connection for TEXRail and bus commuters. Trips are booked from a smartphone app and charge a flat $3 for service as of April 2021. ZIPZONE rides are also included with multi-ride Trinity Metro local tickets.
Rail transportation
*TEXRail is a commuter rail line opened in January 2019 that connects downtown Fort Worth with Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, with stops in the cities of Grapevine, Texas, Grapevine and North Richland Hills, Texas, North Richland Hills.
*Trinity Railway Express is a commuter rail line that operates between T&P Station in downtown Fort Worth and terminates at Dallas Union Station.
* Two Amtrak routes stop at Fort Worth Central: ''Heartland Flyer'' and ''Texas Eagle''.
Airports
* Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is a major commercial airport located between the major cities of Fort Worth and Dallas. DFW Airport is the world's third-busiest airport based on operations and tenth-busiest airport based on passengers.
Prior to the construction of DFW, the city was served by Greater Southwest International Airport, which was located just to the south of the new airport. Originally named Amon Carter Field after the publisher of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Greater Southwest opened in 1953 and operated as the primary airport for Fort Worth until 1974. It was then abandoned until the terminal was torn down in 1980. The site of the former airport is now a mixed-use development straddled by Texas State Highway 183 and Texas State Highway 360, 360. One small section of runway remains north of Highway 183, and serves as the only reminder that a major commercial airport once occupied the site.
Fort Worth is home to these four airports within city limits:
* Fort Worth Alliance Airport
* Fort Worth Meacham International Airport
* Fort Worth Spinks Airport
* Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth
Walkability
A 2011 study by Walk Score ranked Fort Worth 47th-most walkable of 50 largest U.S. cities.
Notable people
Sister cities
Fort Worth is a part of the Sister Cities International program and maintains cultural and economic exchange programs with its sister cities:
* Reggio Emilia, Emilia-Romagna, Italy (1985)
* Nagaoka, Niigata, Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture, Niigata, Japan (1987)
* Trier, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany (1987)
* Bandung, West Java, Indonesia (1990)
* Budapest, Hungary (1990)
* Toluca, Estado de Mexico, Mexico (1998)
* Mbabane, Eswatini (2004)
* Guiyang, Guizhou, China (2010)
* Nîmes, Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, France (2019)
See also
* Fort Worth United Soccer Club
* List of museums in North Texas
* List of people from Fort Worth, Texas
Notes
References
Further reading
* Cervantez, Brian. "'For the Exclusive Benefit of Fort Worth': Amon G. Carter, the Great Depression, and the New Deal." ''Southwestern Historical Quarterly'' 119.2 (2015): 120-146.
* Delia Ann Hendricks, ''The History of Cattle and Oil in Tarrant County'' (M.A. thesis, Texas Christian University, 1969).
* Oliver Knight, ''Fort Worth, Outpost on the Trinity'' (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1953).
* Richard G. Miller, "Fort Worth and the Progressive Era: The Movement for Charter Revision, 1899–1907", in ''Essays on Urban America'', ed. Margaret Francine Morris and Elliot West (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1975).
* Ruth Gregory Newman, ''The Industrialization of Fort Worth'' (M.A. thesis, North Texas State University, 1950).
* Buckley B. Paddock, History of Texas: Fort Worth and the Texas Northwest Edition (4 vols., Chicago: Lewis, 1922).
* J'Nell Pate, ''Livestock Legacy: The Fort Worth Stockyards, 1887–1987'' (College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 1988).
* Warren H. Plasters, ''A History of Amusements in Fort Worth from the Beginning to 1879'' (M.A. thesis, Texas Christian University, 1947).
* Robert H. Talbert, ''Cowtown-Metropolis: Case Study of a City's Growth and Structure'' (Fort Worth: Texas Christian University, 1956).
*Joseph C. Terrell, ''Reminiscences of the Early Days of Fort Worth'' (Fort Worth, 1906).
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External links
Official sites and resources
City of Fort Worth official websiteFort Worth Convention and Visitors BureauDowntown Fort Worth official websiteFort Worth Business Directory*
Digital collections
Fort Worth Library Digital ArchivesW.D. Smith Commercial PhotographyThe Reeder Children's Theatre Presents... Memories of Fort Worth's Reeder School
Geography
*
{{Authority control
Fort Worth, Texas,
Cities in Texas
Cities in Parker County, Texas
Cities in Wise County, Texas
Cities in Denton County, Texas
Cities in Tarrant County, Texas
County seats in Texas
Populated places established in 1849
1849 establishments in Texas