Tarrant County, Texas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tarrant County
County
Tarrant County Courthouse
Flag Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Texas
Founded	1850
Named for	Edward H. Tarrant
Seat	Fort Worth
Largest city	Fort Worth
Area
• Total	902 sq mi (2,340 km2)
• Land	864 sq mi (2,240 km2)
• Water	39 sq mi (100 km2)  4.3%
Population  (2020)
• Total	2,110,640
• Estimate  (2023)	2,182,947
• Density	2,340.0/sq mi (903.5/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional districts	6th, 12th, 24th, 25th, 30th, 33rd

Tarrant County is a large county in the state of Texas. It is home to over 2.1 million people, making it the third-most populated county in Texas. It is also the 15th most populated county in the entire United States. The main city and center of government for Tarrant County is Fort Worth.

Tarrant County was created in 1849 and officially started in 1850. It was one of 26 counties formed from the Peters Colony. The county is named after Edward H. Tarrant, who was a lawyer, politician, and a leader in the local militia.

Long ago, the land of Tarrant County was home to several Native American tribes. These included the Caddo, Tonkawa, Comanche, and Cherokee peoples. They bravely fought to protect their lands from new settlers. A famous battle, the Battle of Village Creek, took place here.

Geography and Location

A map of Tarrant County from 1894 by the USGS.

Tarrant County covers about 902 square miles. Most of this area, about 864 square miles, is land. The remaining 39 square miles, which is about 4.3%, is water.

Neighboring Counties

Tarrant County shares its borders with several other counties:

• Denton County (to the north)
• Dallas County (to the east)
• Ellis County (to the southeast)
• Johnson County (to the south)
• Parker County (to the west)
• Wise County (to the northwest)

Cities and Towns

Tarrant County has many cities and towns. Some of these communities are so large that they stretch into neighboring counties.

Major Cities

• Fort Worth (the county seat and largest city)
• Arlington
• Grand Prairie (partly in Dallas and Ellis counties)
• Grapevine (partly in Dallas and Denton counties)
• Mansfield (partly in Ellis and Johnson counties)
• Southlake (partly in Denton County)

Other Cities and Towns

Population Changes

Tarrant County has grown a lot since 1850, when only 664 people lived there. The population has steadily increased over the years. By 1990, over 1.1 million people called Tarrant County home. In 2020, the population reached 2,110,640.

Tarrant County is the second-largest county by population in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Only Dallas County has more people.

Diversity in Tarrant County

The people living in Tarrant County come from many different backgrounds. This makes the county a very diverse place.

In 2020, the population was made up of:

• 42.87% non-Hispanic white people
• 29.42% Hispanic or Latino people (of any race)
• 16.99% Black or African American people
• 6.05% Asian people
• 0.33% American Indian and Alaska Native people
• 0.20% Pacific Islander people
• 3.74% people of two or more races

This mix of cultures shows how much Texas is becoming more diverse.

Education

Tarrant County offers many choices for education, from colleges to public and private schools.

Colleges and Universities

Tarrant County College is a major college serving the entire county. There are also several universities:

• University of Texas at Arlington
• Texas Christian University (in Fort Worth)

Schools for Kids

Public schools in Texas are managed by independent school districts and charter schools. Tarrant County also has many private schools for all age groups.

Public School Districts

Here are some of the school districts that serve students in Tarrant County:

Charter Schools

Charter schools are public schools that have more freedom in how they operate. Some in Tarrant County include:

• Arlington Classics Academy
• Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts
• IDEA Public Schools
• Harmony Public Schools
• Newman International Academy
• Texas School of the Arts
• Treetops School International
• Uplift Education
• Westlake Academy

Private Schools

Private schools are also an option for families in the county. Some examples are:

• Colleyville Covenant Christian Academy
• Fort Worth Christian School
• Fort Worth Country Day School
• Lake Country Christian School
• Nolan Catholic High School
• The Oakridge School
• Southwest Christian School
• Temple Christian School
• Trinity Baptist Temple Academy
• Trinity Valley School

Getting Around: Transportation

Tarrant County has a network of highways and airports that help people travel easily.

Main Highways

C. H. Rogers' Road Map of Tarrant County, 1920, showing early roads.

Many important highways run through Tarrant County, connecting it to other parts of Texas and the country. These include:

• I-20
• I-30
• I-35W
• I-635
• I-820
• US 81
• US 287
• 
  Bus. US 287
• US 377
• SH 10
• SH 26
• SH 97
• SH 114
• SH 121
• FM 156
• FM 157
• SH 161
• SH 170
• SH 180
• SH 183
• SH 303
• SH 360

Airports

Tarrant County is home to several airports, making air travel and shipping easy.

• Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport: This huge airport is partly in Tarrant County (Grapevine and Euless) and partly in Dallas County (Irving).
• Fort Worth Alliance Airport: This airport is known as the world's first airport built just for industrial use. It's located north of Fort Worth.
• Fort Worth Meacham International Airport: This airport is in northwest Fort Worth and has two runways.
• Fort Worth Spinks Airport: Located south of downtown Fort Worth, this airport helps take some of the air traffic away from the larger Meacham and DFW airports.

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Tarrant para niños