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Arlington, Texas

"The Entertainment Capital of Texas"

Midway between Dallas and Fort Worth, Arlington chose stadiums over subways — building a sports and entertainment empire anchored by AT&T Stadium and Globe Life Field while remaining the largest U.S. City without public transit.

Founded 1876 | Population 408,318 | Peak 408,318 (2024) | County Tarrant County

Top 10 Most Important Events for Arlington, Texas

2009 AT&T Stadium Opens: The Dallas Cowboys' $1.3 billion stadium opened in Arlington, featuring a retractable roof and the world's largest column-free interior. It has since hosted Super Bowls, Final Fours, and concerts.

1961 Six Flags Over Texas Opens: Angus Wynne Jr. opened Six Flags Over Texas, creating one of America's first regional theme parks. The park launched the Six Flags brand that would expand nationwide.

1972 Texas Rangers Move to Arlington: The Washington Senators relocated to Arlington as the Texas Rangers, giving the city its first major professional sports team and cementing its place in the DFW sports landscape.

1954 General Motors Assembly Plant Opens: GM opened its Arlington assembly plant, which became one of the most productive auto plants in America. For over six decades it has built Chevrolet Suburbans, Tahoes, and Cadillac Escalades.

2020 Globe Life Field Hosts Neutral-Site World Series: The Rangers' new $1.2 billion retractable-roof stadium hosted the entire 2020 World Series between the Dodgers and Rays — the first neutral-site Fall Classic since 1943.

1876 Arlington Founded Along the Railroad: The town was established along the Texas and Pacific Railway between Dallas and Fort Worth, named after Robert E. Lee's former home, Arlington House.

1895 Mineral Wells Boom: Arlington grew as a stop between Dallas, Fort Worth, and the mineral springs resort area, becoming a center for cotton farming and small manufacturing.

2011 Super Bowl XLV at Cowboys Stadium: AT&T Stadium hosted Super Bowl XLV between the Packers and Steelers, bringing the world's biggest sporting event to Arlington and generating hundreds of millions in economic impact.

1970 University of Texas at Arlington Expansion: UTA grew from a small college into a major research university, eventually becoming the second-largest institution in the UT System and a key economic driver for the city.

2023 Texas Rangers Win First World Series: The Texas Rangers won their first World Series championship in franchise history, bringing a title home to Arlington after 51 years.

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Latest News in Arlington

Mar 5, 2026

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Jan 1, 2016

Mother Claims her 3 Sons Were Kicked Out of School Because of her Onlyfans Account

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Dec 18, 2015

Controversy Sparked Over Texas Sandwich Shop Sign Photo

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Nov 9, 2015

Cruz Presidents Should Start Every Day Prayer

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In a small Texas town back in October 2015, a group of military veteran bikers stepped in to protect one of their own when squatte…

Oct 20, 2015

Bride Set Fire her Husband After she Sleeps Ex Flame

In a quiet suburb outside Dallas, Texas — where life usually unfolds with the predictability of suburban sprawl — a wedding ni…

Complete Historical Timeline

1876 Government

Arlington founded along Texas and Pacific Railway

1884 Government

Town incorporated with a population of 200

1895 Business

Cotton farming drives early economic growth

1917 Government

Camp Bowie military training established nearby

1954 Industry

General Motors opens assembly plant

1961 Business

Six Flags Over Texas opens as major theme park

1966 Government

Arlington transitions from small town to suburb

1972 Sports

Washington Senators become the Texas Rangers

1980 Government

Population booms past 160,000

1994 Architecture

The Ballpark in Arlington opens for Rangers

2001 Business

Hurricane Harbor water park opens at Six Flags

2009 Architecture

Cowboys Stadium opens as $1.3 billion venue

2011 Sports

Super Bowl XLV hosted at AT&T Stadium

2017 Architecture

Entertainment District master plan unveiled

2020 Sports

Globe Life Field opens; hosts neutral-site World Series

2023 Sports

Texas Rangers win first World Series championship

2024 Government

Population surpasses 400,000

Did You Know?

Arlington is the largest city in the United States without a public transit system — residents voted against joining Dallas's DART system multiple times.

The GM Arlington Assembly Plant has built full-size SUVs continuously since 1954, making it one of the longest-operating auto plants in America.

AT&T Stadium's video board was the world's largest when it opened in 2009, stretching from one 20-yard line to the other — larger than most IMAX screens.