Tarrant County, Texas

Tarrant County, Texas
Tarrant County is located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2020, it had a population of 2,110,640. It is Texas' third-most populous county and the 15th-most populous in the United States. Its county seat is Fort Worth. Tarrant County, one of 26 counties created out of the Peters Colony, was established in 1849 and organized the next year. It was named in honor of General Edward H. Tarrant of the Republic of Texas militia.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of , of which is land and (4.3%) is water.
Adjacent counties
Denton County (north)
Dallas County (east)
Ellis County (southeast)
Johnson County (south)
Parker County (west)
Wise County (northwest)
Communities
Cities (multiple counties)
Azle (partly in Parker County)
Burleson (mostly in Johnson County)
Crowley (small part in Johnson County)
Fort Worth (small parts in Denton, Johnson, Parker and Wise counties)
Grand Prairie (partly in Dallas County and a small part in Ellis County)
Grapevine (small part in Dallas, and part of Grapevine Lake in Denton County)
Haslet (small part in Denton County)
Mansfield (small parts in Ellis and Johnson counties)
Newark (mostly in Wise County)
Reno (almost entirely in Parker County)
Roanoke (almost entirely in Denton County)
Southlake (small part in Denton County)
Cities
Arlington
Bedford
Blue Mound
Colleyville
Dalworthington Gardens
Euless
Everman
Forest Hill
Haltom City
Hurst
Keller
Kennedale
Lake Worth
North Richland Hills
Pelican Bay
Richland Hills
River Oaks
Saginaw
Sansom Park
Watauga
Westworth Village
White Settlement
Towns
Benbrook
Edgecliff Village
Flower Mound (mostly in Denton County)
Lakeside
Pantego
Trophy Club (mostly in Denton County)
Westlake (small part in Denton County)
Westover Hills
Census-designated places
Briar (partly in Wise and Parker counties)
Pecan Acres (small part in Wise County)
Rendon
Historical census-designated places
Eagle Mountain
Unincorporated communities
Alliance (partly in Denton County)
Avondale
Boss
Eagle Acres
Lake Crest Estates
Lake Forest
Lake Shore Estates
Historical communities
Birdville
Bisbee
Bransford
Center Point
Ederville
Garden Acres
Handley
Johnsons Station
Ghost towns
Birds
Dido
Minters Chapel
Demographics
Note: the U.S. Census Bureau treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.
Since the 1850 United States census, Tarrant County has experienced population growth except for the 1870 census; in 1850, the county had a population of 664, growing to 1,170,103 at the 1990 census. By the 2020 census, the county's population grew to 2,110,640. Tarrant County is the second-most populous county in the Metroplex, behind Dallas County.
In 2000, the racial and ethnic makeup of the county was 71.2% White, 12.8% Black or African American, 0.6% Native American, 3.6% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 9.1% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races; 19.7% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. In 2020, its racial and ethnic makeup was 42.87% non-Hispanic white, 29.42% Hispanic or Latino American of any race, 16.99% Black or African American, 6.05% Asian alone, 0.33% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.20% Pacific Islander, 0.39% some other race, and 3.74% multiracial. Its increasing racial and ethnic diversity has reflected growing trends of diversification in Texas.
In 2000, there were 533,864 households, out of which 36.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.6% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.8% were non-families. 24.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.22. As of the 2010 census, there were about 5.2 same-sex couples per 1,000 households in the county.
In the county as of 2000, the population was spread out, with 28.1% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 33.5% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 8.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.6 males.
In 2000, the median income for a household in the county was $46,179, and the median income for a family was $54,068. Males had a median income of $38,486 versus $28,672 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,548. About 8.0% of families and 10.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.8% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over. According to the 2021 census estimates, the median income for a household in the county was $71,346.
Government, courts, and politics
Government
Tarrant County, like all Texas counties, is governed by a Commissioners Court. The court consists of the county judge, who is elected county-wide and presides over the full court, and four commissioners, who are elected in each of the county's four precincts.
County Judge and Commissioners
County Officials
Constables
County services
The JPS Health Network (Tarrant County Hospital District) operates the John Peter Smith Hospital and health centers.
Countywide law enforcement is provided by the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office and Tarrant County Constable's Office. All cities in the county provide their own police services, with three exceptions: Westlake contracts service from the Keller Police Department, and Haslet and Edgecliff Village contract service from the Sheriff's Office. DFW Airport, the Tarrant County Hospital District, and the Tarrant Regional Water District also provide their own police forces.
Since the disbandment of the North Tarrant County Fire Department, no countywide firefighting services exist. All municipalities provide their own fire departments. Most cities also operate their own ambulances, with two notable exceptions: Fort Worth and 14 other Tarrant County cities are served by the Metropolitan Area EMS Authority (MAEMSA), a governmental administrative agency established under an interlocal operating agreement and operating as MedStar Mobile Health, while the city of Arlington contracts paramedic apparatus from private entity American Medical Response.
Fire and EMS protection in unincorporated portions of Tarrant County is governed by the Tarrant County Emergency Services District #1, which administers contracts with 17 fire departments (including 10 with EMS response) and has mutual aid agreements with eight additional fire departments.
CareFlite air ambulance services operate from Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth.
Courts
Justices of the Peace
County criminal courts
County civil courts
County probate courts
Criminal district courts
Civil district courts
Family district courts
Juvenile district court
Politics
Since the 1950s, Tarrant County has been fairly conservative for an urban county, and one of the most populous Republican-leaning counties in the nation. However, it elected Democrat Jim Wright to 17 terms (1955–1989) as U.S. Congressman and Speaker of the House (1987–1989), and Wright was succeeded by fellow Democrat Pete Geren (1989–1997).
In 2018, the Democratic Party rebounded to represent a larger portion of the political profile and made huge gains in Tarrant County, concentrated in several areas throughout the county: eastern Euless, Grand Prairie and eastern and southern Arlington, northern and western areas of Mansfield, large portions of Fort Worth, particularly the area surrounding the Stockyards and Meacham Airport, southern and eastern Fort Worth, especially in dense metro areas and along I-35W, and Forest Hill.
Republicans are dominant in many of the rural areas of the county, downtown and western Fort Worth and north of Loop 820, and almost all suburban areas including Benbrook, rural Mansfield areas and western Arlington, Haltom City, Mid-Cities (Hurst, Euless, and Bedford), and the northern suburbs.
Beginning in 1952, the majority of voters supported the Republican Party presidential candidate in every election except 1964, when Tarrant County voted for the Lyndon B. Johnson–Hubert Humphrey Democratic ticket, then again in 2020 when the Joe Biden–Kamala Harris Democratic ticket carried the county. In 2016, Donald Trump–Mike Pence won Tarrant with 51.7% of the vote, the worst showing for Republicans since the Bob Dole–Jack Kemp ticket in 1996 won by a margin of 8.6%, and closest since 1976 when Gerald Ford–Bob Dole carried the county by less than 1% over the Jimmy Carter–Walter Mondale ticket.
The first Republican elected to the State Senate from Tarrant County since Reconstruction was Betty Andujar in 1972.
The county has leaned Republican in United States Senate races since Democrat Lloyd Bentsen's 1988 victory, but in the 2018 election Democratic candidate Beto O'Rourke carried Tarrant, though losing statewide to incumbent Ted Cruz.
In 2020, Joe Biden carried the county with 49.3% (to Donald Trump's 49.1%) in the 2020 presidential election, the first win for a Democratic presidential ticket in Tarrant County since Texas native Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 and the closest race in the county since 1976, which was won by the razor thin margin of 1,826 votes (The margin of votes in 2020, in comparison, was 1,836 votes). Many other suburban Texas counties, including Tarrant's immediate neighbors in Denton County and Collin County as well as those around Houston and Austin, have shown similar trends since 2016.
From the 1893 beginning of U.S. House District 12, there have been two Republicans in 127 years elected to the U.S. House for the western half of Tarrant County; from the 1875 inception of U.S. House District 6, there have been three Republicans in 145 years elected to the U.S. House for the eastern portion of Tarrant County, including former congressman and senator Phil Gramm's election as both a Democrat and a Republican after he switched parties in 1983 to run for re-election.
State Board of Education members
Texas State Representatives
Texas State Senators
United States House of Representatives
Education
Colleges and universities
Under the Texas Education Code, Tarrant County is the entire official service area of Tarrant County College (formerly Tarrant County Junior College).
Universities in Tarrant County include:
University of Texas at Arlington
Texas Christian University (Fort Worth)
Primary and secondary schools
Public schools in Texas are organized into independent school districts and charter schools. Tarrant County is also home to dozens of private high schools and nearly 100 lower-level private schools.
Independent school districts
Those serving the county include:
Arlington Independent School District
Birdville Independent School District
Carroll Independent School District
Castleberry Independent School District
Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District
Everman Independent School District
Fort Worth Independent School District
Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District (most)
Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District
Keller Independent School District
Kennedale Independent School District
Lake Worth Independent School District
White Settlement Independent School District
Aledo Independent School District (partial)
Azle Independent School District (partial)
Burleson Independent School District (partial)
Crowley Independent School District (partial)
Godley Independent School District (partial)
Lewisville Independent School District (partial)
Mansfield Independent School District (partial)
Northwest Independent School District (partial)
Masonic Home Independent School District formerly served a part of the county. In 2005 it merged into FWISD.
Charter schools
Arlington Classics Academy
Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts
IDEA Public Schools
Harmony Public Schools
Newman International Academy
Texas School of the Arts
Treetops School International
Uplift Education (partial)
Westlake Academy
Private schools
Colleyville Covenant Christian Academy
Fort Worth Christian School
Fort Worth Country Day School
Lake Country Christian School
Nolan Catholic High School
The Oakridge School
Southwest Christian School
Temple Christian School
Trinity Baptist Temple Academy
Trinity Valley School
Transportation
Major highways
Airports
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is partially in the cities of Grapevine and Euless in Tarrant County and Irving in Dallas County.
Fort Worth Alliance Airport is a city-owned public-use airport located north of the central business district of Fort Worth on Interstate-35W. Billed as the world's first purely industrial airport, it was developed in a joint venture between the City of Fort Worth, the Federal Aviation Administration and Hillwood Development Company, a real estate development company owned by H. Ross Perot Jr. Alliance Airport has 9600' and 8200' runways.
Fort Worth Meacham International Airport is located at the intersection of Interstate 820 and U.S. Business Highway 287 in northwest Fort Worth, 5 miles from the downtown business district. Meacham International Airport has two parallel runways.
Fort Worth Spinks Airport is located 14 miles south of the downtown business district. The airport is located at the intersection of Interstate-35W and HWY 1187 and serves as a reliever airport for Fort Worth Meacham International Airport and Dallas–Fort Worth International Airport.
See also
List of museums in North Texas
National Register of Historic Places listings in Tarrant County, Texas
Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Tarrant County
References
External links
Tarrant County official website
Tarrant County in Handbook of Texas Online from The University of Texas at Austin
Tarrant County profile from The County Information Project
Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex
1850 establishments in Texas
Populated places established in 1850
Majority-minority counties in Texas