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From frontier forts and railroad stops to one of America's most dynamic metroplexes. Nearly two centuries of growth across Dallas, Fort Worth, and beyond.
Tennessee lawyer John Neely Bryan establishes a trading post on the Trinity River, founding what will become Dallas.
The U.S. Army establishes Camp Worth on the Trinity River bluffs as a frontier outpost. The settlement grows around it.
Dallas officially becomes an incorporated town with a population of around 400. Cotton farming drives the early economy.
The Houston & Texas Central and Texas & Pacific railways intersect in Dallas, transforming it into a major commerce hub almost overnight.
The Texas & Pacific Railway reaches Fort Worth, fueling the cattle trade. The Chisholm Trail cattle drives make Fort Worth a cowtown legend.
The St. Louis-San Francisco Railway establishes a stop north of Dallas, giving the future city its name. Population: about 250.
The discovery of the massive East Texas oil field brings wealth flooding into Dallas. The city becomes the financial capital of the Southwest.
Dallas hosts the Texas Centennial in Fair Park, drawing 6 million visitors. The Art Deco buildings still stand as landmarks today.
Jack Kilby at Texas Instruments in Dallas invents the integrated circuit, igniting the semiconductor industry and earning a Nobel Prize.
America's Team is born. The Cowboys go on to become one of the most valuable and iconic sports franchises in the world.
President John F. Kennedy is assassinated in Dealey Plaza on November 22, forever changing Dallas and American history.
Six Flags Over Texas opens in Arlington in 1961; by the late 1960s it helps position the mid-cities as an entertainment corridor between Dallas and Fort Worth.
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport opens between the two cities, becoming one of the busiest airports in the world and cementing DFW as a national hub.
The CBS primetime soap opera 'Dallas' introduces the Ewing family to 350 million viewers worldwide, making Dallas synonymous with Texas ambition.
The Cowboys win Super Bowls XXVII and XXVIII, and add a third in 1996. The dynasty era defines Dallas sports in the 1990s.
Dallas approves a state-of-the-art arena in Victory Park, which opens in 2001 as home to the Mavericks and Stars.
Frisco, McKinney, Allen, and other northern suburbs explode in population. Frisco alone grows 449% in the 1990s — the fastest in America.
Toyota Stadium opens in Frisco, establishing the northern suburbs as a sports destination alongside the Frisco RoughRiders baseball team.
The Cowboys open their $1.2 billion stadium in Arlington — the largest domed structure in the world at the time, with its iconic video board.
Dirk Nowitzki leads the Dallas Mavericks past the Miami Heat to win the franchise's first NBA title, uniting the entire metroplex in celebration.
Toyota announces relocation of its North American headquarters from California to Plano, bringing 4,000 jobs and signaling a corporate migration trend.
The Dallas Cowboys move their world headquarters to Frisco. The Star complex becomes a dining, entertainment, and office hub.
The Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex becomes the 4th largest metro area in the U.S., surpassing Houston. Corporate relocations from coast cities accelerate.
The PGA of America relocates its headquarters to Frisco with two championship courses, an Omni resort, and a major entertainment district.
Universal Parks & Resorts announces a major theme park in Frisco — the first new Universal park in decades, estimated to open by 2027.
The metroplex continues as one of America's fastest-growing regions, with major infrastructure, transit, and development projects underway across all cities.
DFW is the 4th largest metro area in the U.S. with nearly 8 million people
DFW Airport is larger than the island of Manhattan
Fort Worth's Stockyards host the world's only twice-daily cattle drive
Dallas has the largest contiguous arts district in the nation
More Fortune 500 companies are headquartered in DFW than in any metro except New York
Arlington is the largest U.S. city without a public transit system
Frisco was the fastest-growing city in America from 2000-2010
The Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex spans 13 counties and 200+ cities