Arlington

Arlington lies between Fort Worth (west) and Grand Prairie and Dallas (east). The first known settlers in the area, the Cad Indians, were victims of westward expansion. The early white settlement (1840) at the site of the Indian Council was called the Bird Fort. The ongoing controversy between the Indians and the settlers eventually led to the Battle of the Village Creek (1841), where more than 200 Indian lodges were burned and Kado routed. In 1843, the Republic of Texas signed a peace treaty with nine Indian tribes in what is now Arlington. The city itself was designed by a railroad man in 1876 and named after General Robert E. Lee’s house in Virginia

Formerly known for cotton gin and produce, Arlington is primarily an industrial and commercial center. There is an automobile and aerospace industry that has developed since 1950, and the population is growing rapidly with it. It is the seat of the University of Texas at Arlington (1895) and Arlington Baptist College (1939). Six Flags Over Texas, a major amusement park, is located there, and the city is home to Major League Baseball’s Texas Rangers and the National Football League’s Dallas Cowboys. Lake Arlington, a 921-acre reservoir that provides the city with drinking water, is also a popular recreational area.