As we approach the conclusion of this year’s celebration of Arlington’s 150th anniversary, let’s review how that has unfolded and take a look at some new things that we haven’t yet talked about.
A few months ago, we covered Arlington’s pivotable points throughout our journey to where we are today, which actually began in earnest when the city had fewer than 8,000 residents
in 1950.
Until that turning point, Arlington was known as a place where you could get what was reported to be healthy mineral water and little else.
Yes, there was the nearby notorious Top O’ Hill Terrace gambling hall and brothel that could have turned Arlington into Las Vegas, but it was shut down in 1947.
Then came the General Motors Plant in 1951 in the midst of nationwide expansion following World War II. Arlington was on its way.
Even then, there were few, if any, who imagined our city becoming the center of the sports and tourism economy between the East and West Coast.
We set the stage for that when the proposal to develop a lake to provide a water supply for the city’s future growth was put before voters in 1954.
That was the year when we first discovered the spirit of the people of this community. They demonstrated what became the legendary optimism and forward-thinking nature of the voters who would fully embrace the future of our city to become what it is today.
I use the building blocks illustration shown here in my history lessons to audiences from time to time and consistently in my UTA night courses I taught for 26 years, and annually with the Texas Rangers Scholars program now in its 28th year.
A compelling question becomes: “What would have happened if any of the voters’ decisions had gone the other way?”
The answer becomes obvious when you realize it is unlikely that anything above any one of the blocks removed would have made Arlington a different and far lesser city.
Let’s take a look from the bottom of the stack.
Without Lake Arlington, the city had no potential for any future growth.
Without Arlington Stadium, there would be nowhere here that could host the Washington Senators, who became the Texas Rangers.
Without the first Convention Center, the city couldn’t accommodate meetings and conventions that would bring people in large numbers to town to spend their money here.
The Ballpark in Arlington is perhaps the most far-reaching event, as voters showed up in the largest numbers ever for a local-only item on the ballot, and that record still stands today.
They said, with big majorities, we would keep our major league baseball team and prepare for the possibilities beyond, which would come around sooner than later.
There are two illustrations here that demonstrate what would’ve happened if the Rangers had left town and, instead, what we have become since that transitional election.
Without the Rangers’ new home, Arlington would have been left with an abandoned minor-league stadium, the remains of a failed sea life park, and only Six Flags Over Texas.
Instead, we have America’s team, a new air-conditioned ballpark surrounded by an entertainment district that includes two 4-star hotels, a third one under construction, the National Medal of Honor Museum, and a luxury apartment complex.
Altogether, they will host a record 18 million visitors this year who are on course to leave more than $3.5 billion here according to records kept by the city’s Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The city’s sales tax revenue generated by that spending this summer approached $43 million in June and July alone. That money, together with the other ten months of receipts, will fund street maintenance, economic development, and everyday services such as police, fire protection, parks, and libraries, all keeping property taxes that much lower.
Every town and city across the country has its own history to define it. There’s lots of civic pride in Arlington’s story being among the best of them all.
Richard Greene is a former mayor
of Arlington.
