Tarrant County is now a large urban county, consisting of 864 square miles (29.4 miles by 29.4 miles), and located in the north central part of Texas. Fort Worth serves as the county seat to a county population of approximately 1.3 million citizens.

Tarrant County's roots lie in the 'Wild West' and much of it's heritage can be traced to the era of the cowboy and the cattle drives that passed through Tarrant County in the late 1800's, as well as the meat packing plants and oil companies of the early 1900's. Tarrant County is one of 254 counties in Texas. Tarrant County today is an urban county and it's government employs approximately 4,000 people at over 30 locations.

Now in the year 2000, Tarrant county is home to cattle, agriculture, aerospace companies, and defense contractors.

Tarrant County's first county seat was Birdville (now part of Haltom City), from 1850 to 1856. In 1850, Birdville was bigger than Fort Worth, but Fort Worth was growing and saw a chance to wrestle away the Courthouse from Birdville. In 1856, Fort Worth forced an election to decide the issue. In the end, Fort Worth won by seven votes. Birdville objected, and four years later, another election was held. By then Fort Worth's population had moved far ahead of Birdville's and Fort Worth won the election easily. Fort Worth has been the County Seat ever since.

Tarrant County was once dependent on defense plants and its military bases. It is now a leader in a resurgence in business relocations and expansions, retail development and new housing construction. Tarrant County was in the past connected to the oil rigs and cattle ranches of west Texas. But today many businesses in Tarrant County have world-wide interests, like the commercial and industrial airports, which are among the country’s foremost international gateways.

Tarrant County History

In 1841, General Edward R. Tarrant led a successful militia force against an Indian encampment at present-day Arlington in the Battle of Village Creek. As a result, the chiefs of nine tribes, General Houston, Indian Commissioners and several early settlers and trappers signed and witnessed a treaty at Bird's Fort on September 29, 1843. Bird's Fort was located about twelve miles southeast of Birdville and six miles north of Arlington on the north bank of the Trinity, at Calloway's Lake. The fort was soon abandoned. Many settlers were recipients of Peter's Colony land, consisting of 320 and 640 acre tracts granted by the Republic of Texas between 1841 and 1843. Peter's Colony included area in the modern counties of Collin, Dallas, Denton, Grayson and Tarrant.

On June 6, 1849, Camp Worth (named in honor of Brigadier General William Jennings Worth) was established by General Ripley A. Arnold. This was located nine miles west of Birdville on a bluff overlooking the West Fork and Clear Fork of the Trinity River. This new outpost gave protection to new and struggling settlements around Birdville and Denton until 1853, when the troops were sent to Fort Belknap. In 1849, Birdville had an estimated population of fifty people, surrounded by scattered farms and ranches. Roads spread out from there to Johnson Station, Dunneville (now Grapevine), and Dallas.

Tarrant County is now a large urban county, consisting of 864 square miles (29.4 miles by 29.4 miles), and located in the north central part of Texas. Fort Worth serves as the county seat to a county population of approximately 1.3 million citizens.

Tarrant County's roots lie in the 'Wild West' and much of it's heritage can be traced to the era of the cowboy and the cattle drives that passed through Tarrant County in the late 1800's, as well as the meat packing plants and oil companies of the early 1900's. Tarrant County is one of 254 counties in Texas. Tarrant County today is an urban county and it's government employs approximately 4,000 people at over 30 locations.

Now in the year 2000, Tarrant county is home to cattle, agriculture, aerospace companies, and defense contractors.

Haltom City Official Web Site