Once a hub for illegal casinos, Arlington is now a major American entertainment destination.
In short: Arlington, Texas, evolved from a quiet farming town into a bustling boomburb. While it is now famous for hosting professional sports and theme parks, the city once hid secret gambling tunnels and speakeasies, earning it the historical nickname of Vegas before Vegas during the 1920s and 1930s.
Founded in 1876 along the Texas and Pacific Railway, Arlington was originally a center for cotton-ginning and agriculture. By the early 20th century, the city had secured modern utilities, but it soon gained a more illicit reputation. During the 1920s, establishments like Top O' Hill Terrace and the Triangle Inn operated as front businesses for speakeasies and casinos. These sites featured elaborate escape tunnels and hidden rooms designed to evade police raids. The city's gambling culture peaked in 1933 when Arlington Downs, a horse-racing track, received the state's first legal parimutuel betting permit, attracting thousands of daily visitors before the laws were repealed in 1937.
The post-World War II era triggered a massive transformation. As manufacturing grew, particularly with the 1954 arrival of a General Motors assembly plant, Arlington experienced one of the highest population growth rates in the United States. Between 1950 and 1990, the population surged from 7,692 to over 261,000. This period of rapid expansion, often described as a boomburb, saw the city pivot toward large-scale entertainment and tourism. Six Flags Over Texas opened in 1961, followed by the relocation of the Texas Rangers in 1972 and the construction of AT&T Stadium for the Dallas Cowboys in 2009.
Today, Arlington serves as a principal city in the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan area, with a 2020 population of 394,266. Beyond its sports venues, the city has become a global hub for bowling, housing the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame. It also maintains a commitment to arts and culture through venues like the Levitt Pavilion and Theatre Arlington. Despite its modern status as the American Dream City, remnants of its past remain; the tunnels of the former Top O' Hill Terrace still stand, now part of the campus of Arlington Baptist University.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Arlington, Texas
- Also: Wikidata — Arlington · CC0
- Also: Wikidata — 2020 COVID-19 pandemic in Arlington, Texas · CC0
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