Arlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas, United States. It is 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. The city had a population of 394,266 in 2020, making it the second-largest city in the county after Fort Worth and the third-largest city in the metropolitan area, after Dallas and Fort Worth. Arlington is the 51st-most populous city in the United States, the seventh-most populous city in the state of Texas, and the largest city in the state that is not a county seat.

Arlington is home to the University of Texas at Arlington, a major urban research university, the Arlington Assembly plant used by General Motors, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Region IV, Texas Health Resources, Mensa International, and D. R. Horton. Additionally, Arlington hosts the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field, the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium, the Dallas Wings at College Park Center, the International Bowling Campus (which houses the United States Bowling Congress and the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame), and the theme parks Six Flags Over Texas (the original Six Flags) and Hurricane Harbor.

History

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

Arlington was founded in 1876 along the Texas and Pacific Railway. Named after General Robert E. Lee's Arlington House in Arlington County, Virginia., Arlington grew as a cotton-ginning and farming center, and incorporated on April 21, 1884. The city could boast of water, electricity, natural gas, and telephone services by 1910, along with a non-federal public school system.

From 1892 until 1951, a mineral well drilled exactly in the middle of downtown Arlington, Texas, was a key reason to visit the town. The well has been paved over and is now the site of a public memorial plaza.

In the 1920s and 1930s, life in Arlington was bustling with controversy and entertainment. In the early 1920s, a tea room known as "Top O' Hill Terrace" opened up along the now-defunct Bankhead Highway to serve dinner and tea to guests traveling through Dallas and Fort Worth. Ownership changed in the late 1920s and shortly thereafter the facilities were secretly converted into casinos and a speakeasy. Known by historians as "Vegas before Vegas", escape tunnels and secret rooms were constructed to hide the illegal gambling during police raids. However, the restaurant portion of the facility still existed as a legitimate business and a front. The nearby Triangle Inn also operated as an illegal speakeasy and gambling house.

By 1925 the city's population was estimated at 3,031—well under the population of Dallas and Fort Worth at the time. In 1929, a horse-racing track called Arlington Downs was constructed by W.T. Waggoner and Brian Nyantika close by to the speakeasy. Gambling was still illegal, but people were making bets regardless. Waggoner and his sons campaigned to make parimutuel betting legal, and in 1933 the state issued its first legal gambling permit to Arlington Downs. The track was immensely profitable at that point, making a daily average of $113,000 before inflation with a daily attendance average of 6,700 people. At the end of the 1937 season, the state legislature repealed their parimutuel gambling laws, and the Downs were sold to commercial developers.

In the 1940s, Arlington Downs was used as a rodeo and event venue. Top O' Hill Terrace evaded the police until 1947, when famous Texas Ranger M. T. "Lone Wolf" Gonzaullas caught the gambling operation in full-swing and had the place shut down. The 1940s brought World War II to the forefront of the United States, and many families from around Texas moved to Arlington to find jobs. Before World War II, the city's population had grown to over 4,000. The war kick-started a manufacturing revolution in Texas. Arlington was between the biggest aerospace engineering hubs in Texas at the time, Dallas and Fort Worth.

In 1956, the Top O' Hill Terrace property was purchased by the Bible Baptist Seminary and converted into what is now Arlington Baptist University. The underground tunnels and original structures are still standing. In 1958, the Arlington Downs was completely destroyed by commercial developers. All that is left is an original concrete water trough and a Texas historical landmark marker placed in 2016. Large-scale industrialization began in 1954 with the arrival of a General Motors assembly plant. Automotive and aerospace development gave the city one of the nation's greatest population growth rates between 1950 and 1990.

Arlington became one of the "boomburbs", the extremely fast-growing suburbs of the post-World War II era. U.S. Census Bureau population figures for the city date the population boom: 7,692 (1950), 90,229 (1970), 261,721 (1990), 365,438 (2010) and almost 374,000 by 2011. Tom Vandergriff served as mayor from 1951 to 1977 during this period of robust economic development. Six Flags Over Texas opened in Arlington in 1961. In 1972 the Washington Senators baseball team relocated to Arlington and began play as the Texas Rangers and in 2009 the Dallas Cowboys also began to play at the newly constructed Cowboys Stadium, now AT&T Stadium.

On January 13, 1996, a 9-year-old girl, Amber Hagerman, was abducted in Arlington and found murdered four days later. No one has been arrested or convicted for her murder as of 2025. The case led to the creation of the Amber alert system.

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

Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city of Arlington has a total area of ; was land, and is water. The city lies approximately east of downtown Fort Worth and west of downtown Dallas.

Johnson Creek, a tributary of the Trinity River, and the Trinity River itself, flow through Arlington. Arlington borders Kennedale, Grand Prairie, Mansfield and Fort Worth, and surrounds the smaller communities of Dalworthington Gardens and Pantego.

Climate Arlington falls in the Cfa (humid subtropical) region of the Köppen climate classification system which is characterized by very hot, humid summers and mild winters. The highest recorded temperature was in 1936. The lowest recorded temperature was in 1899. The maximum average precipitation occurs in October. Severe weather generally occurs during April and May. The city is located in Tornado Alley. Winters are typically mild with little to no snow.

2012 Tornado During the April 3, 2012 tornado outbreak, a severe thunderstorm produced an EF2 tornado in Eastern Kennedale, which moved northeast across U.S. Route 287 near Stagetrail Drive and continued in a north-northeasterly direction. The tornado had a maximum path width of , estimated path length of , and estimated maximum wind speeds of .

The tornado caused damage to numerous businesses, including the Green Oaks Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, of which a large portion of the roof was torn off and damage was sustained to exterior walls. Eighteen homes were destroyed, and 291 others were damaged as well. Eight injuries were caused by this tornado, one of which was serious.

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition +Arlington, Texas – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 2000Pop 2010% 2000% 2010White alone (NH)198,591164,022137,73159.64%44.88%34.93%Black or African American alone (NH)45,06167,08788,23013.53%18.36%22.38%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)1,3591,3381,2130.41%0.37%0.31%Asian alone (NH)19,83724,56430,0675.96%6.72%7.63%Pacific Islander alone (NH)4063734290.12%0.10%0.11%Other race alone (NH)4155971,6790.12%0.16%0.43%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)6,4837,18813,9731.95%1.97%3.54%Hispanic or Latino (any race)60,817100,269120,94418.27%27.44%30.68%Total332,969365,438394,266100.00%100.00%100.00% 2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Arlington had a population of 394,266, 142,650 households, and 93,164 families residing in the city. The median age was 34.3 years. 24.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 11.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 92.3 males age 18 and over.

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0% lived in rural areas.

Of the 142,650 households in Arlington, 35.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 44.9% were married-couple households, 19.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 29.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 25.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 151,697 housing units, of which 6.0% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 54.0% were owner-occupied and 46.0% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.4%.

+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census Race Percent White 40.5% Black or African American 22.9% American Indian and Alaska Native 1.1% Asian 7.7% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0.1% Some other race 13.6% Two or more races 14.1% Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 30.7%

The demographic increase of American Black and American Hispanic, as well as American Asian is notable with migration patterns and fertility.

2010 census

At the census of 2010, there were 365,438 people, 133,072 households, and 90,099 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 144,805 housing units at an average density of .

In 2010, there were 133,072 households, out of which 40% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 48% were married couples living together, 15% had a female householder with no father present(family units), and 32% were non-family or family-units. 25% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.7 and the average family size was 3.3.

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

American Community Survey

The median income for a household in the city was estimated to be $50,655 in 2011. Individual males working full-time year-round had a median income of $41,059 versus $35,265 for females. The per capita income for the city was $25,317. About 16% of Arlington families in general and 31% of female-headed families with no husband present were living below the poverty line; 20% of the Arlington population as a whole, including 28% of individuals under age 18 and 8% of those age 65 or over were living in poverty. Approximately 43% of Arlington renters and 28% of homeowners were paying 35% or more of their household income for housing costs in 2011. Approximately 20.8% of the population were foreign-born from 2014 to 2018.

Economy Top employers According to Arlington's 2024 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR), the top five employers, making up 15.5% of the total employment in the City, include: