Arlington (Texas)

Arlington is a city in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex metropolitan area, in the Prairies and Lakes region of Texas. With a population of almost 400,000 (2019), it is Texas' seventh largest, and the third largest in the Metroplex. Arlington is south of the sprawling DFW International Airport.

Understand

The city was founded in 1875 and is named after Lee's Arlington House (of present-day Arlington County, Virginia). After the arrival of the railroad in 1876, Arlington grew as a cotton-ginning and farming center, and incorporated in 1884. The city could boast of water, electricity, natural gas, and telephone services by 1910, along with a public school system. By 1925 the population was estimated at 3,031, and it grew to over 4,000 before World War II.

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 "boomburgs," the extremely fast-growing suburbs of the post-World War II era. U.S. Census Bureau population figures for the city tell the story: 7,692 (1950), 90,229 (1970), 261,721 (1990), and 365,438 (2010). DFW Airport opened in 1974, which also contributed to unparalleled growth in the region.

Get in

By plane

All the major American carriers, and many international ones as well, provide scheduled passenger service into the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, located about 12 miles north of Arlington on Hwy. 360.

By train
  • There are two Amtrak routes which serve Dallas/Fort Worth, the Texas Eagle between San Antonio and Chicago, and the Heartland Flyer between Fort Worth and Oklahoma City. The closest stations are in Dallas, Fort Worth, and Cleburne.
  • The Trinity Railway Express (TRE) travels between Dallas and Fort Worth, skirting the northern Arlington city limits. The nearest station is CentrePort/DFW Airport.

By car

Well served by major highways, if you are coming by car, you will more than likely arrive via a major interstate highway. East/West Interstate 20 is directly south of town. North/South Interstate 35, which splits to an east (35E) and west (35W) highway near Waco, are within a few miles of the city.

By bus

Turimex Internacional, a Mexican trans-border bus line with services to various points in Mexico, has a bus stop at 2105 Sherry St. in Arlington.

Arlington has no Greyhound bus terminal.

Get around

Travel within Arlington essentially requires a car; the city does not operate a public transportation system.

Arlington On-Demand is Arlington’s citywide rideshare public transportation service.

For people staying at hotels within Arlington, there is a free shuttle bus, the Arlington Trolley, which connects major hotels with local food/drink and entertainment venues (Downtown Arlington, Six Flags theme park, the Texas Rangers stadium, etc.). The front desk of participating hotels can provide a pass to use the service.

Uber offers rideshares in the city.

See

Do

Spectator sports
  • 🌍 AT&T Stadium, 1 AT&T Way, ☏ +1 817-892-4000. Home of the National Football League's Dallas Cowboys. Known as "America's team", they are a high profile team as well as one of the highest valued "brands" in sports. They offer several stadium tours, including one focusing on the stadium's collection of contemporary art. (updated Sep 2020)
  • 🌍 Texas Rangers Baseball (Globe Life Field). Major League Baseball. The Rangers opened the new Globe Life Field, a retractable-roof ballpark that replaced Globe Life Park (since renamed Choctaw Stadium) across the street, in 2020. The old ballpark remains in use, but has been reconfigured as a football and soccer stadium; see below. 
  • 🌍 College Park Center. Home of the UT Arlington Mavericks (University of Texas at Arlington) teams in men's and women's basketball plus women's volleyball, and also houses athletic program offices. Its most notable use, however, is during the summer, when it hosts the Dallas Wings of the WNBA. 
  • 🌍 North Texas SC (Choctaw Stadium). Men's soccer team playing in the third-level MLS Next Pro as the reserve side for FC Dallas of Major League Soccer. NTSC has played at Choctaw Stadium since the Rangers left for their new park across the street. 

Entertainment venues

Theme Parks and Amusement Centers

Learn

Buy

Shopping malls

Many hotels with shuttle service will offer rides to the closest mall.

  • 🌍 Arlington Highlands, 4000 Five Points Blvd., Suite 159 (guest services office) (NE corner of I-20 and Matlock Rd.), ☏ +1 817-466-7474. Stores and attractions include Bed Bath & Beyond, Conn's, Dave & Buster's, Studio Movie Grill, The Container Store, and World Market. (updated Sep 2020)
  • 🌍 Lincoln Square, 1500 North Collins St. (NW corner of Road to Six Flags St. and Collins St). Stores and attractions include Bed Bath & Beyond, Michaels, Office Depot, Ross Dress for Less, Stein Mart, and Studio Movie Grill. (updated Sep 2020)
  • 🌍 The Parks Mall at Arlington, 3811 S. Cooper St (NE corner of I-20 and Cooper St.), ☏ +1 817-467-6496. Indoor shopping mall. Stores and attractions include AMC Theatres, Barnes & Noble, Build-a-Bear Workshop, Dick's Sporting Goods, JCPenney, and Macy's. (updated Sep 2020)

Eat

Budget

Mid-range

Sleep

Budget

Mid-range

Splurge

Stay safe

Arlington is a generally safe town, though the areas of Dalworthington Gardens, Pantego, and the areas north of IH-30 are MUCH better developed and safer than other parts of the city. Six Flags Over Texas, Hurricane Harbor water park, Rangers Ballpark in Arlington and the Dallas Cowboys' new stadium are in a highly modernized, pleasant location along IH-30; as you travel immediately south from there, the area is quite industrialized and deteriorated. One would be wise not to venture through East Arlington on foot at night. The 'danger zone' essentially is surrounded by IH-30 to the north, IH-20 to the south, Cooper Street/FM 157 to the west, and State Hwy. 360 to the east.

Located on the north side of IH-20, Arlington's main shopping centers - The Parks at Arlington Mall and the Arlington Highlands mall - are very safe zones that are constantly bustling with people due to all the restaurants and commerce in this area.

If you are visiting the campus of UT Arlington during the day you shouldn't run into any problems, though after hours (even before sundown) assault and robbery are not uncommon on the campus outskirts, particularly south and east of campus. As mentioned before, West Arlington (Dalworthington Gardens and Pantego) are by far the safest areas of the city, though they are mostly residential.

Cope

Go next
Routes through Arlington
Midland ← Fort Worth ←  W  E  → Dallas → Shreveport
I-20 ← Fort Worth ←  W  E  → Dallas → Grand Prairie
Wichita Falls ← Fort Worth ←  N  S  → Mansfield → Beaumont


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