Central Arlington TX is a little red dot in the middle of North Dallas and East Fort Worth. It was developed as part of an elaborate plan to create a “transit-oriented development” that would allow people to live, work, and play without ever needing their car. Central Arlington has been successful so far with its low rate of unemployment (less than two percent) while offering a diverse range of industries for job seekers such as education and healthcare.
In 1887, John Wurzbach laid out his family’s estate—which he named after himself—”Wurzbach,” by hiring architect Henry Trost who had previously designed Tower Life Building and The Frost National Bank building in downtown Fort Worth plus other buildings throughout Texas including the Houston Chronicle.
In 1909, the Wurzbach family sold their estate to a land developer for $200,000 who then platted it and named it Central Arlington after its location in relation to downtown Fort Worth (it was sandwiched between Northwest Highway which runs north-south and U.M.B.A Boulevard) “Central” also referred to the railroad—the Texas & Pacific Railway or T&P Railroad that ran parallel with these two streets from 1900 until 1938; later on known as “The Cotton Belt Route.” By 1912, residents of North Dallas were commuting by foot, streetcar, horseback and train into downtown Fort Worth via The Cotton Belt Route.
