47 Interesting Fort Worth Facts: Learn About This City In Texas

The city of Fort Worth in Texas is a vibrant and lively place.

With over a million residents in the city limits, it offers something for everyone with high-end shopping districts, world-class museums, and live theater venues. The Dallas Cowboys football team has its headquarters there, as well as the Six Flags Over Texas amusement park, which attracts millions of visitors each year from all over the world.

The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame also call Fort Worth home, making this one of America's most western cities. It is also a central transportation hub with two airports, Meacham International Airport and Alliance Airport, serving the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. It has a central business district with one of the biggest Fortune 500 companies located in the city near the Mississippi River.

Did you know that Fort Worth was founded in 1849 and was named after General William Jenkins Worth, who fought in the Mexican-American War?

This city is also home to the world’s largest honky tonk, Billy Bob's Texas. If you want to catch a glimpse of the cowboy culture, head on over to the Stockyards National Historic District, where you can watch cattle being driven down Exchange Avenue and buy a piece of western memorabilia from one of the many shops there.

History Of Fort Worth

Fort Worth is a city in Texas that is rich in history. The city was founded in 1849 and was named after General William Worth. Fort Worth played a major role in the Texas Revolution and was an important stop on the Chisholm Trail. This city also played a role in the American Civil War. It was occupied by Union troops as an army outpost at the Trinity River. Fort Worth is also home to the Stockyards, which is one of the largest stockyards in the country.

The Republic of Texas and a number of Native American tribes signed the Treaty of Bird's Fort in 1843, in what is now Arlington, Texas.

No one may cross the line of trade houses (the boundary of the Native American's region) without the approval of the President of Texas and no one may stay or continue in the Native American's territory without the consent of the president of Texas, according to Article XI of the treaty.

The trading houses were eventually established near present-day Fort Worth, at the confluence of the Trinity River's Clear Fork and West Fork.

The United States War Department erected Fort Worth as the northernmost of 10 forts to safeguard the American border after the Mexican–American War ended. The tagline 'Where The West Begins' is still well recognized in Fort Worth.

Following the Mexican War, a line of seven army fortifications was erected along the western American border in 1848 to safeguard the people of Texas, including Fort Worth, Fort Graham, Fort Gates, Fort Croghan, Fort Martin Scott, Fort Lincoln, and Fort Duncan.

The commander of the Department of Texas in 1849, Major General William Jenkins Worth, designed 11 forts.

To delineate the western Texas boundary, Worth recommended a line of 10 forts from Eagle Pass to the Trinity River's West Fork and Clear Fork confluence in January 1849. Worth died of cholera in south Texas a month later.

General William S. Harney dispatched Major Ripley A. Arnold to identify a new fort site along the West Fork and Clear Fork area. Arnold erected a post-camp on the Trinity River's bank on June 6, 1849, with the help of Middleton Tate Johnson and called it Camp Worth in honor of the late General Worth.

Arnold relocated the camp to a north-facing cliff overlooking the Trinity River's Clear Fork in August 1849. On November 14, 1849, the United States War Department designated the station as Fort Worth.

Tennessee's E.S. Terrell claimed to be the city's first inhabitant. In the first year, the fort was flooded and was moved to the cliff's edge, where the modern courthouse currently stands. On September 17, 1853, the fort was abandoned and now there isn't a shred of it left.

Fort Worth grew into a brawling, busy town as a halt along the legendary Chisholm Trail, fueled by cattle drives. This railway carried millions of livestock to market in the north. Fort Worth was the center of the cattle drives and the ranching business. It was also given the nickname, Cowtown.

After the Civil War, the population decreased to 175 but started to rise again during the reconstruction. Jacob Samuels, William Jesse Boaz, and William Henry Davis founded the first general shops in 1872. Kleber M. Van Zandt founded Tidball, Van Zandt and Company the following year, later becoming Fort Worth National Bank in 1884.

Former Fort Worth lawyer Robert E. Cowart claimed in an essay published in the 'Dallas Herald' in 1875 that the economic calamity and harsh winter of 1873 had devastated Fort Worth's population, causing significant harm to the cattle sector.

Despite its roots as an insult, the moniker Panther City was widely embraced after Fort Worth's economy revived in 1876. Many companies and organizations still use Panther. Even the top of the police department's badges features a panther.

USS Fort Worth is a naval ship named after the city of Fort Worth in Texas. USS Fort Worth is a Freedom-class combat ship of the United States Navy.

Population & Demographics

The population of Fort Worth in Texas was estimated at 792,727 in 2016. This city is proliferating and is now the 15th most populous city in the United States, particularly in the western Texas frontier.

In Tarrant County, Fort Worth is the most populous city and the second most populous in Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. Its metropolitan area is the biggest in the south part of the United States and Texas as it accounts for a quarter of the population of this state.

According to the American Community Survey, Fort Worth's population was about 900,000 in 2018. According to the recent United States Census Bureau in 2020, it has grown in those two years to 918,915.

There were 337,072 housing units, 308,188 households, and 208,389 families as per the 2018 census estimate. The average family size was 3.5, while the average household size was 2.9.

The owner-occupied housing rate in Fort Worth accounts for 56.4%, while the renter-occupied housing rate accounts for 43.6%.

The household's median income was $58,448, and the mean household income was $81,165 in 2018. $29,010 was the recorded per capita income by the City Council.

According to 2010 census data, there were 291,676 housing units, 261,042 households, and 174,909 families. The average size of a household in Fort Worth was 2.8 and the average family size was 3.47.

Fort Worth has a 59% owner-occupied housing rate and a 41% renter-occupied housing rate. The median family income in Fort Worth was $48,224, while the mean was $63,065.

Fort Worth is very green and has 179 neighborhood parks out of a total of 263.

Interstate 35W and Interstate 20 run through southern Fort Worth, connecting it to Texas's other major cities and towns. US Route 67, US Route 287, and State Highway 183 also serve this city.

Fort Worth is served by Fort Worth Alliance Airport, which has been in operation since 1989 and features three runways with a total length of 15,000 ft (4,600 m).

This happens to be the only airport in North America that offers commercial flights to all six inhabited continents.

The Trinity Railway Express, a commuter rail line that connects downtown Fort Worth to Dallas, began service in December 1996.

The TEXRail is a 27-mi (43 km) Commuter Rail project currently under construction to provide passenger rail service from Fort Worth's Union Station to Grapevine and DFW Airport.

Over 190 public and private schools in Fort Worth serve nearly 137,000 students in Tarrant county.

The Fort Worth Independent School District is the largest school district in Tarrant County and one of the largest in Texas.

In terms of higher education institutions, there are six colleges and universities located within the city boundaries.

The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth is the most popular, with a student enrollment of approximately 1,000 students in 2018 and more than 80% postgraduate students.

Weather & Climate

The weather in Fort Worth is hot and humid and it rains a lot as well. The climate is pretty mild compared to some other parts of the country though, so it's an excellent place to live for someone who doesn't like extreme temperatures.

According to the Köppen climatic classification system, Fort Worth has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) and is located in USDA hardiness zone 8a.

The summers in Fort Worth are very hot and humid, with warm to chilly winters. August is the warmest month of the year, with an average high temperature of 96 F (35.6 C).

The city's highest recorded temperature was 115 F (46 C) on August 11, 1936, and June 26, 1980.

Fort Worth has had nearly no significant snowfall since 1915-16, when 12 in (30.5 cm) of snow fell and stayed on the ground for a couple of days.

The city's lowest recorded temperature was -16 F (-27 C) on January 31, 1949.

Fort Worth has been through many natural disasters in its history. Many of these were caused by tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, and drought.

A tornado destroyed a significant portion of the city on March 28, 2000. Other major tornadoes occurred in 1915 and 1952.

The most recent severe weather incident was Hurricane Harvey in 2017, which brought extreme flooding to parts of the metroplex that had not been seen since the '30s.

Art & Culture

The art and culture of Fort Worth are rich and diverse. There are many art museums, galleries, theaters, and performance venues. The city also has a large number of public artworks.

The Fort Worth Zoo is a 132-acre (53.5 ha) zoo in Fort Worth, Texas, in the United States. The zoo was founded in 1909 by the Dallas Zoological Society. It is the oldest continuously running zoo in Texas.

The Fort Worth Zoo is home to over 5,000 animals representing 750 species. It has been accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) since 1978.

Chisholm Trail was where Fort Worth was founded; this trail is used for livestock runs. Until the American Civil War, millions of cattle were moved north to sale along this road, and Fort Worth became the hub of cattle drives and, subsequently, ranching.

General shops, banks, and Hell's Half-Acre, a vast concentration of saloons and dance halls that expanded commerce and criminal activity in the city, helped Fort Worth recover during the Reconstruction Era.

'Forbes' rated Fort Worth 15th on its list of the best places for business and careers in 2013.

Fort Worth was awarded the 18th best city for Hispanic entrepreneurs by 'Fortune' magazine in 2018.

The Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex was placed 18th on US News & World Report's 125 Best Places to Live in the United States list in 2018.

Fort Worth is a city rich in history and culture. There are plenty of things to do and see in this vibrant metropolis, from its world-renowned museums to its exciting nightlife.

FAQs

How hot does it get in Fort Worth?

A: This Texas city has a humid subtropical climate with hot summers and mild winters. The average annual temperature is 67.5 F (19.7 C). The highest recorded temperature was 115 F (46 C) on August 12, 1936, but the all-time record low of -16 F (-27 C) was set on January 31, 1949.

Does it snow in Fort Worth, TX?

A: It typically snows in late winter and the land is too dry to become covered as some other places do.

What was invented in Fort Worth?

A: The Margherita Pizza was invented by Raffaele Esposito and named after Queen Margherita of Savoy following a visit with Italian royalty. It is now the most popular pizza style in the world. The Fort Worth location of Villa Belvedere is often cited as a place where such pizzas were first served commercially in America on July 14, 1896.

What was Fort Worth called initially?

A: The original name for Fort Worth was Camp Worth.

How old is Fort Worth?

A: Fort Worth is approximately 153 years old.

Can Fort Worth host the Super Bowl?

A: For a city to be eligible to host the Super Bowl, it must have a population of at least a million people. As Fort Worth only has a population of around 833,000, it is unlikely that the city will be able to host the Super Bowl ay time soon.