With a population of more than 800,000, Fort Worth is the sixteenth-largest city in the United States and the fifth-largest city in Texas. It is part of a metropolitan area with around 6.5 million inhabitants, which essentially consists of the metropolis of Dallas and Fort Worth, which is around 55 kilometers away, as well as numerous other cities such as Arlington, Irving and Grand Prairie.
By plane
Dallas-Forth Worth Airport (IATA: DFW) is one of the
busiest in the world. Direct flights are offered from Frankfurt
and Munich. DFW is also the hub of American Airlines and American Eagle
airlines, which fly here from almost every airport in the United States.
There is a Trinity Railway Express commuter train station near the
airport that runs at least every hour to Fort Worth Central Station in
downtown Fort Worth (journey time 25 minutes, ticket $2.50).
By
train
The American railway company Amtrak maintains rail connections
to Dallas and Fort Worth.
The day and night Texas Eagle train
runs once a day from Chicago (journey time almost 24 hours) via St.
Louis (17 hours), Little Rock (10 hours), Texarkana (7 hours) and
Dallas to Fort Worth. In the opposite direction, trains come from San
Antonio (7 hours) via Austin (4 hours). There is even a direct
connection to Los Angeles (journey time 38 hours), Tucson (28 hours) and
El Paso (22 hours) three times a week. The Heartland Flyer connects
Fort Worth with Oklahoma City once daily (journey time approximately 4
hours). Early booking is highly recommended, as the non-spare tickets
are extremely expensive.
The Trinity Railway Express (TRE)
commuter train runs between Fort Worth and its sister city Dallas every
hour (every half hour during morning and afternoon rush hours). The
journey takes about an hour and costs $5.
By bus
Fort Worth is
accessible by Greyhound buses. The bus station is linked to the train
station. In addition, there are some private providers who maintain
regular bus connections to and from Mexico.
In the street
The
entire metropolitan area is crisscrossed by countless large and small
roads and connected to other regions via the network of interstate
highways. Fort Worth is located on Interstate I 35, which runs from
Oklahoma City through Austin and San Antonio to the Mexican border, and
on Interstates I 20 and I 30.
Fort Worth's main attraction is the area that grew up around the
former slaughterhouses, known as 1 Stockyards. This historic district
has become the main tourist attraction with its traditional architecture
and cobblestone streets, numerous souvenir shops and bars, and a few
other attractions. Twice a day, a small herd of Texas Longhorn cattle is
herded through the streets, a nod to the giant cattle drives of the
past. There are many entertainment options and live music. The Cowtown
Coliseum, which regularly hosts rodeos, is also located in this
district.
Cowtown Coliseum. Rodeo arena at the Fort Wort Stockyards
with nearly 3,500 seats. Weekly rodeo events are held here.
Since Texas' victory over Mexico at the 1836 Battle of San Jacinto,
tensions have been building between the Republic of Texas and its
southern neighbor Mexico. By the 1840s, many East Coast Americans were
migrating west. Texas remained an independent republic until December
29, 1845, when it became the 28th state. In 1846 the Mexican-American
War began.
Founded in 1849 as a military post, Fort Worth was
named November 14, 1849 for General William J. Worth, commander of US
troops in the Mexican-American War. He played a key role in conquering
Puebla, then the second largest city in Mexico.
The city later
developed into one of the largest cattle trading centers in the United
States because it was on the route of an important cattle transport
route, the Chisholm Trail. In 1876, Fort Worth was added to the Texas
and Pacific Railroad, increasing the importance of the Fort Worth
Stockyards as a cattle transportation hub.
In 1892 the Cathedral
of Saint Patrick was built.
To this day, the city has retained
the charm of a "cowboy city"; its atmosphere is considered more
old-fashioned and relaxed than that of neighboring Dallas.
The
American groove metal band Pantera, who released the album Cowboys from
Hell in 1990, came from the Texas city of Fort Worth.
Overview: Historical Monuments in Tarrant County
The museums
gathered in the "Cultural District" are among the most important museums
in the United States:
The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth shows
2,600 paintings of art after 1945. Since 2002 the museum has been housed
in a building designed by the Japanese architect Tadao Andō.
The
Kimbell Art Museum displays fine art from antiquity to the 20th century,
including works by Caravaggio, Fra Angelico, El Greco, Rembrandt, Pablo
Picasso, Henri Matisse and Paul Cézanne. The museum building is the work
of architect Louis Kahn.
The Amon Carter Museum exhibits American art
from the 19th and 20th centuries. It houses a large collection of
Western Art, including works by Frederic Remington and Charles M.
Russell, and a collection of 30,000 photographs. The building was
designed by Philip Johnson.
Philip Johnson is also the creator of
the Water Gardens (1976), an inner-city park with spectacular fountain
structures, some of which are walk-through, that gained international
fame when some scenes of the science fiction film Logan's Run were
filmed there.
The Botanic Garden displays a variety of native plant
species. The Japanese garden and the tropical house are also worth
seeing.
Texas Motor Speedway
Will Rogers Memorial Center, 1936
multipurpose arena
Victorian and Art Deco style houses in the city
center and historic districts
1998 Art Deco-style Bass Performance
Hall near Sundance Square, home of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra
Dickies Arena seats 14,000 for concerts and sporting events. Many
international artists have performed there since November 2019.
The Fort Worth Water Gardens are located next to the Fort Worth Convention Center in the Texan city of Fort Worth. The park covers 1.7 hectares and features three large postmodern fountains. One of the fountains is the Active pool. Here the water falls down into an 11 meter deep pond. A walking path runs through it so that visitors can enter the middle of the water. There are also 500 different plants and trees in the park. In 2006, the Water Gardens were renovated.
The Fort Worth Zoo is the zoo of the city of Fort Worth in the US state of Texas. He is a member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). When the Fort Worth Zoo opened in 1909, the only animals on display were a lion, two cubs, an alligator, a coyote, a peacock, and a few rabbits. From its opening until 1991, the zoo was owned and operated by the City of Fort Worth. In addition, the Zoological Society was formed to raise additional funds needed to purchase more animals. This society was renamed the Fort Worth Zoological Association and contracted to manage the zoo in October 1991. Since that time, the systems have been constantly adapted to the current requirements of animal husbandry and new systems have been built. As of early 2021, the Fort Worth Zoo was home to approximately 7,000 animals in over 540 species, including 72 species of mammals, 148 species of birds and 172 species of ectotherms. Emphasis is placed on conserving endangered species and breeding animals in captivity. The following pictures show some selected mammal species.
Some of the companies based in Fort Worth include:
Alcon,
pharmaceutical company
American Airlines Group, an airline holding
company
Bell Helicopter, helicopter manufacturer
Williamson-Dickie
Manufacturing Company, manufacturer of textiles, shoes and accessories
for school and work
Lockheed Martin, defense and technology company
RadioShack, home of the electronics products chain
Texas Pacific
Group, venture capital investment firm
XTO Energy, energy company
Fort Worth is home to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (IATA
code: DFW).
Inner-city and regional traffic is determined by
automobiles. Leonard's Subway operated in the city from 1963 to 2002.
This streetcar was advertised by its owner as the first private subway
in the United States. Plans are currently underway to build a
12-kilometer streetcar line on Rosedale Street. Fort Worth is home to
the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway. In addition, the U.S. Highway
287 through town.