Fort Worth, Texas

Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas and the 19th-largest in the United States. Located in the south of the country, the city covers almost 300 square miles and is the county seat of Tarrant County.

As of the 2005 U.S. Census estimate, Fort Worth had a population of 624,067. The city is the second-largest cultural and economic center of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan area, the fifth-largest metropolitan area in the U.S. with a population of 5.8 million in 12 counties.

Fort Worth was founded as a military camp in 1849, named after General William Jenkins Worth. Today, the city is portrayed as more old-fashioned and laid-back than its neighbor, Dallas. Known as "Cowtown" for its roots as a cattle drive terminus, Fort Worth bills itself as "Where the West begins" and still celebrates its colorful Western heritage. Also known as "Panther City" due to a legend of a panther sleeping in the streets in 1875.

Currently Fort Worth stands as the 9th safest U.S. city among those with a population over 500,000. ^[2]

[edit] History

Main article: History of Fort Worth, Texas

In 1849, during the closure of the Mexican-American War, Major Ripley Arnold established a fort, named in honor of General William Jenkins Worth near a high bluff where the West Fork and Clear Fork of the Trinity River merge together. The fort was flooded the first year and was moved to the top of the bluff where the courthouse sits now. The fort was established to protect 19th century settlers from Indian attacks. It grew into a bustling town when it became a stop along the legendary Chisholm Trail, the dusty path where millions of cattle were driven North to market. Fort Worth became the center of the cattle drives, and later, the ranching industry. The heyday of the cattle drives was the wild era of "Hell's Half Acre,"^[3] an area of town filled with gambling parlors, saloons and dance halls. During the Civil War, the town suffered and the population dwindled. However, Fort Worth recovered quickly during Reconstruction and once again was a bustling population center. In 1876, the Texas & Pacific Railway connected to Fort Worth and transformed the Fort Worth Stockyards into a premier livestock center.^[4] When oil began to gush in West Texas, Fort Worth was at the center of the wheeling and dealing.

In 2000, an F2 tornado smashed through downtown, tearing many buildings into shreds and scrap metal. One of the hardest hit structures was Bank One Tower, which has since been renovated and used for condominiums.

[edit] Geography and Climate

Downtown Fort Worth From I-20

Fort Worth is located in the northeastern part of Texas and the southwestern part of the United States. The DFW Metroplex is the hub of the North Texas region. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 774.1 km² (298.9 mi²). 757.7 km² (292.5 mi²) of it is land and 16.4 km² (6.3 mi²) of it (2.12%) is water.

A large storage dam was built in 1913 on the West Fork of the Trinity River, 7 miles (10 km) from the city, with a storage capacity of 30 billion US gallons (110,000,000 m³) of water. The lake formed by this dam is known as Lake Worth. The cost of the dam was nearly US$1,500,000 - a handsome sum at the time.

[edit] Climate

Fort Worth has a humid subtropical climate according to the Köppen climate classification system. The hottest month of the year is July, when the average high temperature is 97°F (36°C), and overnight low temperatures average 72°F (23°C), giving an average temperature of 84°F (29°C)^[5]. The coldest month of the year is January, when the average high temperature is 55°F (13°C), and low temperatures average 31°F (-1°C)^[5]. The average temperature in January is 43°F (6°C)^[5]. The highest temperature ever recorded in Fort Worth is 111°F (44°C), on July 26, 1954^[6]. The coldest temperature ever recorded in Fort Worth is -6°F (-21°C), on December 24, 1989^[7]

The average annual precipitation for Fort Worth is 34.01 inches (863.8 mm)^[5]. The wettest month of the year is May, when 4.58 inches (116.3 mm) of precipitation falls.^[5]. The driest month of the year is January, when only 1.70 inches (43.2 mm) of precipitation falls^[5] The average annual snowfall in Fort Worth is very light, only 2.6 inches (66.0 mm)^[8]

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Monthly Normal and Record High and Low Temperatures
Rec High °F	80	83	87	93	100	101	104	109	110	93	88	88
Norm High °F	55.4	61	69.1	76.5	83.8	91.6	96.1	95.8	88.5	78.6	66	57.4
Norm Low °F	36.4	41	48.5	56.1	64.9	72.7	76.8	76.4	69.2	58.2	46.8	38.6
Rec Low °F	19	20	17	35	46	61	68	63	49	39	29	16
Precip (in)	1.89	2.31	3.13	3.46	5.3	3.92	2.43	2.17	2.65	4.65	2.61	2.53
Source: USTravelWeather.com [5]

[edit] Demographics

Fort Worth's Population by year ^[9]
Year	Pop.
1880	6,663
1890	23,076
1900	26,668
1910	73,312
1920	106,482
1930	163,447
1940	177,662
1950	278,778
1960	356,268
1970	393,476
1980	385,164
1990	447,619
2000	534,694
2005 (est.)	604,538

Downtown Fort Worth at night

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 534,694 people, 195,078 households, and 127,581 families residing in the city. The July 2004 census estimates have placed Fort Worth in the top 20 most populous cities (# 19) in the U.S. with the population at 604,538.^[10] Fort Worth is also in the top 5 cities with the largest numerical increase from July 1, 2003 to July 1, 2004 with 17,872 more people or a 3.1% increase. ^[11] The population density was 705.7/km² (1,827.8/mi²). There were 211,035 housing units at an average density of 278.5/km² (721.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 59.69% White, 20.26% Black or African American, 0.59% Native American, 2.64% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 14.05% from other races, and 2.72% from two or more races. 29.81% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 195,078 households out of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.8% were married couples living together, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.6% are classified as non-families by the United States Census Bureau. Of 195,078 households, 9,599 are unmarried partner households: 8,202 heterosexual, 676 same-sex male, and 721 same-sex female households.

28.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.33.

In the city the population was spread out with 28.3% under the age of 18, 11.3% from 18 to 24, 32.7% from 25 to 44, 18.2% from 45 to 64, and 9.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 97.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $37,074, and the median income for a family was $42,939. Males had a median income of $31,663 versus $25,917 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,800. About 12.7% of families and 15.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.4% of those under age 18 and 11.7% of those age 65 or over.

See also: People of Fort Worth

[edit] Districts

[edit] Downtown

Sundance Square

Fort Worth Water Gardens

Sundance Square - Fort Worth's downtown has Sundance Square, named after the infamous Sundance Kid. Sundance Square is a 16 block entertainment center for the city. The Square has buildings with tall windows, as well as brick-paved streets and sidewalks, and landscaping that many consider to be very delightful. Many restaurants, nightclubs, boutiques, museums, live theatres, cineplex movie theaters, and art galleries are in the Square.
Fort Worth Water Gardens - A 4.3 acre/1.74 ha contemporary park that features three unique pools of water offering a calming and cooling oasis for downtown patrons. The gardens were used in the finale of the 1970s sci-fi film Logan's Run. (In mid-2004 the Water Gardens had to be closed due to a drowning and it will reopen in February 2007.)
Fort Worth Convention Center - Includes an 11,200 seat multi-purpose arena.
Bass Performance Hall - Bass Hall is the permanent home to the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Texas Ballet Theater, Fort Worth Opera, and the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and Cliburn Concerts.

[edit] Fort Worth Stockyards Historic District

The stockyards offer a taste of the old west and the Chisholm Trail at the site of the historic cattle drives and rail access. The District is filled with restaurants, clubs, gift shops and attractions such as daily longhorn cattle drives through the streets, historic reenactments, the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame and Billy Bob's, the world's largest country and western music venue.

[edit] Cultural district

The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, founded in 1892, is the oldest art museum in Texas. Its permanent collection consists of some 2,600 works of post-war art. In 2002, the museum moved into a new home designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando.
The Kimbell Art Museum houses works from antiquity to the 20th century. Artists represented in its holdings include Caravaggio, Fra Angelico, Picasso, Matisse, Cézanne, El Greco, and Rembrandt. The museum's home was designed by American architect Louis Kahn.
The Amon Carter Museum focuses on 19th and 20th century American artists. It houses an extensive collection of works by Western artists Frederic Remington and Charles M. Russell, as well as an impressive collection of 30,000 exhibition-quality photographs. It also includes works by Alexander Calder, Thomas Cole, Stuart Davis, Thomas Eakins, Winslow Homer, Georgia O'Keeffe, John Singer Sargent, and Alfred Stieglitz. American architect Philip Johnson designed the museum's home, including its expansion.
The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame is the only museum in the world that is solely dedicated to honoring women of the American West who have demonstrated extraordinary courage and pioneer spirit in their trail blazing efforts.
The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History - One of the largest Science and History Museums in the Southwest. It includes the Noble Planetarium and the Omni Theater.
Will Rogers Memorial Center - a multi-purpose entertainment complex and world-class equestrian center housed under 45 acres of roof spread over 85 acres in the heart of the Fort Worth Cultural District. Each year approximately 800,000 people attend the three week event known as the Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show, formerly called the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo.
Casa Mañana - The nation's first theater designed for musicals "in the round."

[edit] Parks district

Fort Worth Zoo - Ranked one of the top 10 best zoos in the United States.
Fort Worth Botanic Garden - The oldest botanic garden in Texas, with 21 specialty gardens and over 2,500 species of plants.
Fort Worth Japanese Garden
Log Cabin Village - A collection of authentic Texas log cabins dating from the 1850s.
Trinity Park - A large park along the Trinity River that includes part of the Trinity Trails system.

[edit] Uptown / Trinity

The Tarrant Regional Water District, City of Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Streams & Valleys Inc, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are cooperating in an effort to develop an area north of "downtown" as "uptown" along the Trinity River. This plan promotes a large mixed use development adjacent to the central city area of Fort Worth, with a goal to prevent urban sprawl by promoting the growth of a healthy, vibrant urban core. The Trinity River Vision lays the groundwork to enable Fort Worth's central business district to double in size over the next 40 years. [6]

[edit] Other

The Tandy Center Subway, based in the Tandy Center (now known as City Place), operated in Fort Worth from 1963 to 2002. The 0.7 mile (1 km) long subway was the only privately operated subway in the United States.
La Gran Plaza de Fort Worth - is a repositioning of the original shopping mall in the area known more recently as Fort Worth Town Center (but was first dubbed 'Seminary South'). The Center was built on a dry lake bed on the South side of Downtown. La Gran Plaza is being designed in response to the changing demographics of the region. It provides for supermarkets, cinemas, and a Lienzo Charro, a Mexican Rodeo and Concert venue arena.
Trinity Trails - A network of over 35 miles (56 km) of pedestrian trails along the Trinity River.
United States Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) - Federal Reserve notes (United States paper currency) are printed at the bureau's facilities in north Fort Worth.
United States Army Corps of Engineers (BEP) - Home to the US Army Engineer Fort Worth District District Office.
Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, formerly known as Carswell Air Force Base, a major military installation in west Fort Worth and a major contributor to the local economy.
Logan's Run, a 1976 science fiction film directed by Michael Anderson and starring Michael York was shot largely in Fort Worth, including locations such as the Fort Worth Water Gardens. The Water Gardens also appear in another science-fiction film of the period, The Lathe of Heaven (1980).

[edit] Economy

Companies headquartered in Fort Worth:
AMR Corporation, parent company of American Airlines
D. R. Horton Homes
Radio Shack
Pier One Imports
Carter & Burgess
BNSF Railway
Acme Brick

[edit] Transportation

I-20 in southern Fort Worth

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport - The largest aviation facility in Texas; Located between Dallas and Fort Worth.
Fort Worth Alliance Airport
Fort Worth Meacham International Airport
Trinity Railway Express - Rail service to Dallas
Amtrak - Heartland Flyer & Texas Eagle lines
The T - Bus service for Fort Worth
Trolley to downtown and historic sites by The T
See also List of Dallas-Fort Worth area freeways

[edit] Education

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[edit] Public schools

Most of Fort Worth is served by Fort Worth Independent School District.

Other school districts that serve portions of Fort Worth include:

The portion of Fort Worth within the Arlington Independent School District contains a wastewater plant. No residential areas are in the portion.

[edit] Private High Schools

All Saints Episcopal School (K-12)
Colleyville Covenant Christian Academy (PreK-12)
Fort Worth Country Day School (K-12)
Fort Worth Christian School (K-12)
Lake Country Christian School (K-12)
Nolan Catholic High School
Southwest Christian School (K-12)
Trinity Valley School (K-12)
Temple Christian School (K-12)
Trinity Christian Academy (K-12)
Hill School of Fort Worth (2-12)
Christian Life Preparatory School (K-12)

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth oversees several Catholic elementary and middle schools.^[12]

The Katie Brown School for Special Needs (PreK-12)

[edit] Colleges, Universities, Divinity School, and Theological Seminary

Further information: List of colleges and universities in Fort Worth, Texas

Brite Divinity School
College of Saint Thomas More
Tarrant County College
Texas Christian University
Texas Wesleyan University
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
University of North Texas Health Science Center
University of Texas at Arlington, Fort Worth campus
Texas Wesleyan University School of Law

[edit] Sports

While much of Fort Worth's sports attention is focused on the Metroplex's professional sports teams, the city does have its own athletic identity. TCU competes in NCAA Division I Athletics, including the football team that is consistently ranked in the Top 25, the baseball team that has competeted in the last three NCAA Tournaments, and the women's basketball team that has competed in the last seven NCAA Tournaments. Texas Wesleyan University competes in the NAIA, and were the 2006 NAIA Div. I Men's Basketball champions and three-time National Collegiate Table Tennis Association (NCTTA) team champions (2004-2006). Fort Worth is also home to the NCAA football Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl as well as four minor-league professional sports teams.

[edit] Professional Sports Teams

Club	Sport	Founded	League	Venue
Fort Worth Cats	Baseball	2001	AAIPBL	LaGrave Field
Fort Worth Brahmas (team suspended operations in 2006)	Hockey	1997	Central Hockey League	Fort Worth Convention Center
Fort Worth Flyers	Basketball	2005	NBA D-League	Fort Worth Convention Center
Texas Tycoons	Basketball	2004	American Basketball Association	Blue Line Arena

[edit] Sister cities

Fort Worth is a part of the Sister Cities International program and maintains cultural and economic exchange programs with its 7 sister cities.

Reggio Emilia, Italy (1985)
Nagaoka, Niigata, Japan (1987)
Trier, Germany (1987)
Bandung, Indonesia (1990)
Budapest, Hungary (1990)
Toluca, Mexico (1998)
Mbabane, Swaziland (2004)

[edit] References

^ United States Census Bureau - Worth city, Texas - Fact Sheet. Retrieved 20 November 2006.
^ Morgan Quitno Awards. America's Safest Cities Ranked
^ Hell's Half Acre, Fort Worth. By Richard F. Selcer. Retrieved 20 November 2006.
^ Fort Worth Stockyards - History. Retrieved 20 November 2006.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Average and record temperatures and precipitation, Forth Worth, Texas, The Weather Channel. [1]
^ Daily and average temperatures for July, Fort Worth, Texas, The Weather Channel. [2]
^ Daily and average temperatures for December, Fort Worth, Texas, The Weather Channel. [3]
^ Average annual snowfall by month, NOAA. [4]
^ United States Census Bureau - Fort Worth population in 1880 (pg.45), 1890 (pg.57), 1900 (pg.4), 1910 (pg.3), 1920 (pg.79), 1930 (pg.69), 1940 (pg.115), 1950 (pg.107), 1960 (pg.23), 1970 (pg.13), 1980 (pg.39), 1990 (pg.114), 2000, 2005 estimate. Retrieved 20 November 2006.
^
^ United States Census Bureau - Port St. Lucie, Fla., is Fastest-Growing City, Census Bureau Says." Published 30 June 2005. Retrieved 20 November 2006.
^ The Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth - Catholic Schools. Retrieved 20 November 2006.

[edit] External links

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	v • d • e Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex
Counties	Collin \| Dallas \| Denton \| Ellis \| Henderson \| Hood \| Hunt \| Johnson \| Kaufman \| Parker \| Rockwall \| Tarrant \| Wise
Above 1,000,000	Dallas^†
500,000 - 1,000,000	Fort Worth^†
200,000 - 500,000	Arlington \| Garland \| Irving \| Plano
100,000 - 200,000	Carrollton \| Denton^† \| Grand Prairie \| McKinney^† \| Mesquite
50,000 - 100,000	Allen \| Euless \| Flower Mound \| Frisco \| Lewisville \| North Richland Hills \| Richardson
10,000 - 50,000	Addison \| Athens^† \| Azle \| Balch Springs \| Bedford \| Benbrook \| Burleson \| Cedar Hill \| Cleburne^† \| Colleyville \| Coppell \| Corinth \| Decatur^† \| DeSoto \| Duncanville \| Ennis \| Farmers Branch \| Forest Hill \| Grapevine \| Greenville^† \| Haltom City \| Highland Village \| Hurst \| Keller \| Lancaster \| Little Elm \| Mansfield \| Midlothian \| Rockwall^† \| Rowlett \| Sachse \| Saginaw \| Seagoville \| Southlake \| Terrell \| The Colony \| University Park \| Watauga \| Waxahachie^† \| Weatherford^† \| White Settlement \| Wylie
Under 10,000	Argyle \| Aubrey \| Blue Mound \| Cockrell Hill \| Combine \| Crowley \| Dalworthington Gardens \| Edgecliff Village \| Everman \| Glenn Heights \| Granbury^† \| Hickory Creek \| Highland Park \| Hutchins \| Justin \| Kaufman^† \| Kennedale \| Lake Dallas \| Lake Worth \| Lakeside \| Newark \| Ovilla \| Pantego \| Pelican Bay \| Pilot Point \| Richland Hills \| River Oaks \| Sanger \| Sansom Park \| Sunnyvale \| Westover Hills \| Westworth Village \| Willow Park \| Wilmer
† - County Seat. A full list of cities under 10,000 is available here.

	State of Texas Austin (capital)
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Regions	Ark‑La‑Tex \| Big Bend \| Brazos Valley \| Central Texas \| Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex \| Deep East Texas \| East Texas \| Edwards Plateau \| Galveston Bay \| Golden Triangle \| Greater Houston \| Llano Estacado \| North Texas \| Northeast Texas \| Permian Basin \| Piney Woods \| Rio Grande Valley \| South Texas \| South Plains \| Southeast Texas \| Texas Hill Country \| Texas Panhandle \| West Texas
Metropolitan areas	Abilene \| Amarillo \| Austin–Round Rock \| Beaumont–Port Arthur \| Brownsville–Harlingen \| Bryan–College Station \| Corpus Christi \| Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington \| El Paso \| Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown \| Killeen–Temple \| Laredo \| Longview–Marshall \| Lubbock \| McAllen–Edinburg–Mission \| Midland–Odessa \| San Angelo \| San Antonio \| Sherman–Denison \| Texarkana \| Tyler \| Victoria \| Waco \| Wichita Falls See also: List of Texas counties

v • d • e

50 largest cities of the United States by population

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