Arlington celebrates 100 years since its founding!
Built in 1979, Maverick Stadium is a 12,500-seat multipurpose facility located on the University of Texas at Arlington campus, and now serves as the home of the UT Arlington men's and women's track and field teams.
Metal band Pantera is formed by Arlington teenagers Vinnie Abbott, Darrell Abbott, Terry Glaze, Tommy Bradford, and Donnie Hart.
Wet 'n Wild in Arlington, Texas, originally opened in the 1980s as a major North Texas water park destination near the former Arlington Stadium. Acquired by Six Flags in April 1995 and rebranded as Six Flags Hurricane Harbor in 1997, it remains a premier 47-acre water park located on E. Lamar Blvd.
When it opened in 1983, Lincoln Square was one of the largest suburban shopping centers in North Texas. It is currently undergoing a major redevelopment into a mixed-use project called "Anthem".
River Legacy Foundation, a nonprofit 501 (c)(3), is formed as a public/private partnership with City of Arlington Parks and Recreation Department.
Dolores Chavez is hired. She becomes Arlington’s first Hispanic woman police officer. She worked with APD from 1988 to 2008.
Letter sent by the Arlington Ministerial Association announces a citywide celebration for Dr. Martin Luther King Junior which is the start of the Arlington MLK Four-Day Celebration.
Phase 1 of River Legacy Park opens, providing 376 acres of wooded multi-use park. Over the years River Legacy Park has grown to its current size of 1,300 acres on both sides of the Trinity River.
In 1990, Elzie Odom became the first African-American to be elected to the Arlington City Council, winning a runoff election by only 16 votes.
On January 19, 1991, Arlington voters overwhelmingly approved a referendum (over 65% in favor) to fund a new $191 million stadium for the Texas Rangers. The vote authorized a half-cent increase in the local sales tax to pay for $135 million in bonds, ensuring the team remained in Arlington. Construction began in April 1992.
The Witness Tree, an old post oak on the old Bardin Farm that grew to be 60 feet tall is uprooted by K-Mart, transplanted and later dies.
The commercial tree preservation ordinance is adopted by City Hall following outcry over the Witness Tree's uprooting.
Voters authorize the formation of single-member districts for Districts 1-5; Districts 6,7, and 8 are elected at-large.
Arlington Central Library is renamed George W. Hawkes Central Library after prominent newspaper publisher George W. Hawkes.
Johnnie High's Country Music Revue moves into the old Arlington Theater (Music Hall).
Nine-year-old Amber Hagerman was riding her bicycle in the parking lot of an abandoned grocery store in Arlington when police say a witness told officers a man in a black pickup truck abducted her. Four days later, her body was discovered in a creek in North Arlington. Arlington Police are still working the case diligently for justice. The tragedy led to the creation of the AMBER Alert (America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response), which has helped bring more than 1,000 children home safely.
Construction was completed on a $4,700,000 facility to house the Foundation's multi-facet environmental education programs. A total of $4,200,000 was raised through private sources, with the City of Arlington contributing an additional $500,000 in bond funds. The Living Science Center (now Nature Center) opened to the public on July 2, 1996, and River Legacy Foundation deeded the Center to the City of Arlington as its gift to the community. The Foundation holds a management services contract to operate and provide Living Science Center education programs.
Company opens new headquarters in Arlington.
Courtesy: NBC5/KXAS News Collection, University of North Texas Special Collections.
Odom is elected as Arlington's First Black Mayor. Learn more about Mayor Odom.
Built in 1878, one of the oldest homes in Arlington, the Historic Cooper House is destroyed in an accidental fire on Halloween night.