What Fort Worth is known for

The Plano Destination is located in northeastern Texas. The mostly rectangular-shaped region encompasses the cities of Plano, Dallas, and Fort Worth. It reaches northward to the border of Texas and Oklahoma, southward to the city of Mansfield, and east to Greenville. The most populous city within the destination is Dallas with a reported population of 1,343,573, followed by Fort Worth with 909,585, Arlington with 398,854, and Plano with 287,677. Most of the destination is known as the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, which has been referred to as the economic and cultural hub of northern Texas. It is also known as the Silicon Prairie, due to the leading industries of banking, commerce, and insurance that are characteristic of the area.[2] The city of Plano, which is the namesake of the destination, is 71.6 square miles and draws mostly business travelers because many companies are headquartered in Plano or surrounding cities.[1]

The name, Plano, comes from the Spanish word for "flat," due to the terrain in the area being described as such. The region is generally dry and contains a relatively sparse amount of trees. Settlers came to the area in the early 1840s and established a sawmill, a gristmill, and some general stores. Since 2000, it has been categorized as one of Dallas’ largest suburbs.[1] Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas, after Houston and San Antonio. Although the original reason for the name of Dallas is “uncertain,” it was most likely named after an early settler in the area, Joseph Dallas, or George Mifflin Dallas, a former vice president of the United States.[3]

The city of Plano has multiple activities for tourists that come to the area. One is The Crayola Experience, located at the Shops at Willow Bend. There are 22 attractions within the building for guests. The business allows visitors to wrap their unique crayons, learn how the crayons are made, and “star” in coloring books. It was rated by Parents Magazine as one of the “top 10 trips to take before your kid turns 10.” Additionally located in Plano is the Texas Pool, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. A national landmark, the Texas Pool, is a 168,000-gallon pool shaped like the state of Texas. It has a diving board, two water slides, and a shallow “south Texas” wading area.[4]

The city of Dallas contains the “largest urban arts district in the United States,” which sits 20 blocks southeast of Uptown. In the arts district, there are multiple attractions such as the Winspear Opera House, Perot Museum of Nature and Science, and Klyde Warren Park. There are walking tours of the district that can be taken by those who are visiting the city. Also in the city of Dallas is the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens. Located on the southeast side of White Rock Lake, there are 66 acres of gardens that patrons can enjoy. There are 19 different gardens within the establishment featuring different flowers such as azaleas, tulips, and daffodils.[6]

As of the 2020 census, the population of Plano is 285,494, with 46.3% of those reporting as caucasian, 24.08% being Asian, and 16.04% being Hispanic.[1] Within the area is the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, which contains 11 counties. The population of the surrounding area was reported in 2020 to be 7,637,387. This encompasses the city of Plano’s population, as the city can be found within the boundaries of the metroplex. Approximately 45% of all people living in the area surrounding Dallas and Fort Worth are reported to be White, 29% Hispanic, and 16% African American. Over the past 10 years, the population of Hispanic residents increased by approximately 38.9%. The predominant religion in the region is reportedly Christian, with the metroplex being “the largest metro area that identifies with the religion in the United States” with over 70% of people residing in the 11 counties that make up the metroplex identifying as Christian. The four most common sects of the religion in the destination are Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, and Catholic.[2]

The city of Dallas was home to the infamous criminal couple Bonnie and Clyde. Although the couple performed criminal acts in more cities than just Dallas, the two were from the Dallas area originally. Additionally, Dallas is the only major city in the country to not be located near a body of water. The area is also known for having the first 7-Eleven store. The company is still headquartered in the metroplex today.[7]

Geography

The reported best time to visit the Plano Destination for outdoor activities is from mid-April through June or mid-September through October. Throughout the year, the temperature in the area varies from around 39 degrees to 96 degrees Fahrenheit. The summers can feel generally hot and muggy, while the winters are reported to be cold and windy. The hottest month is August with an average temperature between 76 and 96 degrees each day. January has been reported to be the coldest month in the region, with temperatures normally in the 40s throughout the day. For tourists looking to visit when the weather is generally less cloudy and is warmer, the best times are the end of April or the middle of October.[5]

The geographical boundaries of the region include mostly the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. The boundaries of the metroplex encapsulate approximately 9,286 square miles in northeastern Texas. The region also includes smaller towns on the border of Texas and Oklahoma, with the destination borders being the same as the state line. The size of the metroplex area is reported to be larger than the states of Rhode Island and Connecticut combined, or larger than the size of New Jersey. Many of the smaller towns in the northern part of the region are situated on rocky soil, and oil corporations are found in the area.[2]

The Plano Destination features mostly a prairie landscape with some hills, streams, and manmade lakes. Situated in the Texas Blacklands Prairie, named for the noted black soil found in the surrounding counties, many of the cities that make up the region are known for farming, with cities such as Dallas and Fort Worth being known mostly for their industries of banking and tech. With the geographical makeup of the Blackland prairie, there is a variety of plants to be found in the region. The Texas bluebonnet, upright prairie coneflower, and Texas vervain are all flowering plants characteristic of the region and are found mostly in Texas. Leather flowers, coral berries, and black-eyed Susans are also native to the area.[8] Tourists can also see different animals in the region such as the nine-banded armadillo. Those visiting the area can also see two different, similar-looking snakes: diamondback rattlesnakes and rat snakes. While they look similar in color and both shake their tails when frightened, only the diamondback rattlesnake is venomous.[9]

History

The land that is now inhabited by citizens of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex was originally home to native people from the tribes of Caddo, Wichita, and Comanche. In the 1840s, European settlers came to the area and started building facilities such as a sawmill, a gristmill, and a general store. The Houston and Central Texas Railway was completed in 1872, and as a result, the population of the city began to grow. Across the 1900s the population of the city grew, due in part to public works projects, a “boom” after World War II, and a change in taxes.[1]

The city of Dallas was first established by European Settlers in 1841 when John Neely Bryan, who was from Tenessee, built the first log cabin on the banks of the river. When the railroad was finished in the 1870s, the commercial sector of the city developed, especially when the nearby cities of East Dallas and Oak Cliff were annexed. The main exports from the area during this time were leather, grain, and cotton. During World War II, multiple aircraft manufacturing plants were established in the region, which increased the population as workers came to the area, as well as the affluence of the community.[3]

Today, the Dallas-Fort Worth area and the region as a whole are home to 24 Fortune 500 company headquarters. Only New York and Chicago have more similar business headquarters in their respective cities. The population has also increased in the area, with the reported fourth-highest migration rate into the city across the country. Since oil production increased in the early 20th century the city has seen increased growth and more companies making Dallas-Fort Worth their headquarters. Southwest Airlines, American Airlines, Texas Instruments, and Toyota North America all have their headquarters within the city limits.[10]