Known as the city Where the West Begins, Fort Worth, Texas embraces its cowboy heritage while moving forward with a revitalized downtown and major cultural attractions. Today, Fort Worth offers so many things to see and do you could plan an entire vacation around them, including special events all year long.
With a friendly population of half a million people, Fort Worth is consistently ranked among the top places in the nation to work, live, and do business by national magazines like Money, Fortune and Newsweek. The city is home to major corporations like Lockheed Martin, American Airlines, Bell Helicopter Textron, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad, Pier 1 Imports, and Radio Shack.
Fort Worth is easily accessible from major highways. Its only 17.5 miles to downtown Fort Worth from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, one of the busiest airports in the nation.
NATIONAL COWGIRL MUSEUM AND HALL OF FAME.
The National Cowgirl museum and Hall of Fame is the only museum in the world dedicated to honoring women of the American west who have displayed extraordinary courage and pioneer spirit in their trailblazing efforts. Youll experience 33,000 square feet of fun and education, featuring interactive exhibits, artifacts from the permanent collection, a traveling exhibit gallery, multi-purpose theater, expanded research library, wild-west-show-themed gift store, and a grand rotunda where visitors can learn about the 158 women in the museums hall of fame.
BASS PERFORMANCE HALL
The crown jewel of downtown Fort Worth, the Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Performance Hall was named one of the top opera houses in the world by Travel and Leisure Magazine. This acclaimed, multi-purpose facility is permanent home of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, the Fort Worth/Dallas Ballet, Fort Worth Opera Concerts, and the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, as well as special presentations for Casa Manana.
TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY Texas Motor Speedway serves as one of the nations premier motor sports and entertainment facilities. TMS hosts the largest sports event in Texas when over 225,000 fans watch the NASCAR Nextel Series drivers race on the 1.5 mile high bank track. Other race attractions include the NASCAR Busch Series, Craftsman Truck Series and Indy Racing Series.
MODERN ART MUSEUM OF FORT WORTH OPENS TO WIDE ACCLAIM (Opened on December 14, 2002)
The oldest art museum in Texas is now the newest and perhaps the grandest with 153,000 square feet of space. The new Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth is the second-largest museum of its kind in America, second only to the MOMA in New York. Designed by noted Japanese architect Tadao Ando, the building incorporates five long, flat-roofted pavilions on a 1.5-acre pond. Through March 9, 2003, the museum showcased its outstanding permanent collection. According to Vanity Fair Magazine, the new Modern Art Museum will likely catapult Fort Worth to one of the great art destinations in the world.
Population: 504350 School Districts: Fort Worth, Castleberry, Keller and HEB Chamber of Commerce: (817) 336-2491; www.ci.fort-worth.tx.us Average New Home $138,000 Average Apartment Rent $532
A little over 20 years ago, downtown Fort Worth was showing the signs of a dying downtown area. Today, thanks in large part to the Bass brothers and a rejuvenation of area merchants, downtown Fort Worth is a success story that is still reaching new heights in urban renaissance. Sundance Square is growing with new merchants, expansions of retail and restaurant areas, the site of two mega-movie houses, and the place to see or be seen for the areas popular Main Street Arts Festival in the spring and various attractions year-round at the convention center.
In 1998, the birth of yet another phenomenal creation was welcomed downtown: the oft-lauded Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Performance Hall. This magnificent 2,056-seat hall is home to the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, the Fort Worth/Dallas Ballet, the Fort Worth Opera, the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and several presentations of Casa Manana Theatre.
In the cultural district, youll find many ongoing activities at the Kimbell Art Museum (which is able to showcase art from around the world) and the Omni Theatre, as well as the Science and History Museum. A must for any new Texan is a visit to the nationally ranked Fort Worth Zoo, and the Northside, home to Billy Bobs, the surrounding Stockyards and Joe T. Garcias famous restaurant and tropical patio dining. Toward the north end of Tarrant County, Denton County and Fort Worth share the limelight for the new Texas Motor Speedway, bringing NASCAR racing to the Metroplex.
Fort Worth packs a powerful punch in keeping newcomers and natives on their toes for ongoing entertainment and opportunities.
Arlington Heights Arlington Heights offers its residents a slice of just about everything. Its a popular neighborhood now, just as it was in the 1920s when middle class residents riding the tide of the oil boom called it home.
Popular then, partly because it was just a short trolley ride downtown, its proximity to the business district remains one of the appealing advantages of this community. Camp Bowie (the brick street that bisects Arlington Heights and takes you downtown) also offers a seemingly endless selection of retail and restaurant opportunities, and the Cultural District with its museums and the beautiful Botanical Gardens is just minutes away.
Both the grand residences bordering on the exclusive Rivercrest area and the refurbished cottages of first-time owners are comfortably at home here.
Candleridge
This community south of Loop 820 is a recent development with homes generally less than 10 to 20 years old. Undeveloped lots are still available, with price ranges of existing homes and duplexes quite varied. Thanks to the largest neighborhood park in Fort Worth, which encompasses French Lake, recreational opportunities are plentiful and Candleridge has become the roller-blading center of the city. This master-planned community of more than 1,000 acres provides easy access to I-20, I-35W and Hulen Mall, where a quick trip presents an array of retail shops to soothe any shoppers needs.
Cityview Upscale is the word the Mira Vista Development, Fort Worths most exclusive addition of traditional homes and spacious townhouses. Views of Fort Worth to the north are as spectacular as scenic Benbrook Lake to the south, and the Mira Vista Golf Course is heart of it all. Hospitals and shopping plazas dot the area and add to its appeal. Nearby apartments and retirement communities offer alternative lifestyles.
Meadowbrook
This established and heavily-wooded neighborhood offers an eclectic mix of high-dollar housing, from imitations of English castles to Southern manors to gingerbread cottages, as well as newer, moderately priced homes and multi-family alternatives. Expansive lots can be found in Cooks Meadow, and abundant parks enhance quality of life.
Ridglea
Successful professionals call this area of meandering streets and hints of hills home, with well-rooted, established and newly constructed houses. This community encompasses the upper end of Camp Bowie and is home to the famous Christmas light display at Luther Lake, as well as to second and third generation of Fort Worthians.
Rivercrest
Rivercrest replaced Fort Worths Southside back in the 1920s as the citys newest community. A tour of its winding streets, dramatic hills and posh mansions makes it clear that, in spite of its age, it remains a premier location, home to River Crest Country Club.
University
The University neighborhood offers so many of Fort Worths best attributes to its residents that it seems almost unfair that its center is but four miles from downtown.
The riverside Forest Park tract in the middle of University is home to the Fort Worth Zoo and historic Log Cabin Village. The most scenic portions of the Trinity River Bike and Jogging Path winds through the neighborhood. University Drive, running north and south, provides a wide selection of convenient restaurants, and the vibrant retail establishments of Hulen Street serve as the areas western border. Texas Christian University, the areas southern boundary, is surrounded by cottages from the 1920s and 1930s, many overlooking the south branch of the Trinity, boasting views as impressive as those north of I-30. Nearby Berry Street provides retail shopping and restaurants.
University drive leads north to Colonial Country Club, host of an annual PGA golf tournament. Its Tudor, Colonial and Spanish-style manors border the beautiful greens of the golf course.
Updated 1920's street lamps enhance the charm of Park Hill, a nostalgic development east of University Drive, opposite Colonial. Many physicians find this area attractive because of its proximity to several hospitals. Nearby Mistletoe Heights, in the north University area, contains 21 homes considered historically significant, and the hills of beautiful Bellaire merge with University and Tanglewood.
Overton
The names of the community in and around Overton are self-explanatory: Overton Park, Overton Woods and Willow Lake reveal the attraction of this beautifully wooded area with its tree-lined streets.
Overton boasts excellent schools and residents are only minutes from a bike path, scenic park or public library. The Hulen area provides bountiful retail and dining choices. Some of Fort Worths most magnificent homes complement the areas new mixed-use Stonegate development.
Tanglewood
This area is just to the north of Overton and shares the spacious parks and wooded scenery. Located between Texas Christian University and Hulen Drive and part of the Stonegate development of multiple and single-family residences, homeowners are protected by strict architectural and landscape covenants to maintain the beauty of this tree-covered valley.
INTRO TO FORT WORTH
NATIONAL COWGIRL MUSEUM AND HALL OF FAME.
BASS PERFORMANCE HALL
TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY 
A little over 20 years ago, downtown Fort Worth was showing the signs of a dying downtown area. Today, thanks in large part to the Bass brothers and a rejuvenation of area merchants, downtown Fort Worth is a success story that is still reaching new heights in urban renaissance. Sundance Square is growing with new merchants, expansions of retail and restaurant areas, the site of two mega-movie houses, and the place to see or be seen for the areas popular Main Street Arts Festival in the spring and various attractions year-round at the convention center.
In the cultural district, youll find many ongoing activities at the Kimbell Art Museum (which is able to showcase art from around the world) and the Omni Theatre, as well as the Science and History Museum. A must for any new Texan is a visit to the nationally ranked Fort Worth Zoo, and the Northside, home to Billy Bobs, the surrounding Stockyards and Joe T. Garcias famous restaurant and tropical patio dining. Toward the north end of Tarrant County, Denton County and Fort Worth share the limelight for the new Texas Motor Speedway, bringing NASCAR racing to the Metroplex.