RANGERS CITY

Arlington is home to the Texas Rangers. Arlington is a city located in Tarrant County, Texas and has a total population of 332,969 as of the 2000 census. Arlington is the largest city in the United States without a public transportation system. Arlington’s population is now larger than such cities as Cincinnati, Anaheim, Toledo, Tampa, Buffalo, and St. Paul. Arlington is part of the 9th-largest metropolitan area in the U.S. Tarrant County is ranked 20th in total population among U.S. counties. On 30th of September, 2004, Arlington population was estimated at 358,215. Arlington claims a colorful and varied heritage, beginning with Native Americans and continuing through the explorations of the first Europeans and the earliest days of the Texas Republic. The first inhabitants were American Indians, who according to archaeological evidence may have lived in the area as early as 5,000 B.C. By late Colonial times, the primary residents of this area were the Caddo tribe, whose settlement in what is now West Arlington may have numbered up to 25,000. In addition to farming and hunting, the Caddos did a brisk trade with French, Spanish and Mexican traders for agricultural goods, pottery and other finished goods. With the turning of the century, Arlington concentrated on progress and prosperity. The city’s first house with running water was built on Pecan St. in 1904; the first natural gas line arrived in 1909. In 1949, the City adopted the City Manager form of government, which authorizes the City Council to function as the City’s legislative body. With the opening of Six Flags Over Texas in 1961, Arlington entered a new era as a regional amusement park and sports center. In 1972 Turnpike Stadium, now known as Arlington Stadium, became home to the Texas Rangers Major League Baseball Team (formerly the Washington Senators). The city government and UTA greatly expanded in the 1970s and 1980s and built new facilities in the old downtown. By the mid-1980s, the city’s population had soared to 250,000. In 1993 the city announced a new curbside recycling program, and introduced a tree replacement program to counter losses due to development. In 1997, the largest capital improvements budget in the history of the city paved the way for $77 million in infrastructure and service improvements, and Elzie Odom was elected the new mayor of Arlington. Tarrant County is a county located in the U.S. State of Texas. As of 2000, the population was 1,446,219. Its county seat is Fort Worth. Tarrant County is the second most populous county in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex and contains its second largest principal city. Adjacent counties to Tarrant are; Denton County, north, Dallas County, east, Johnson County, south, Parker County, west, Wise County, northwest. The Arlington Municipal Airport is a full-service general aviation airport owned and operated by the City of Arlington.