Grand Prairie

Grand Prairie, Texas 

Grand Prairie is a city located in the Texas counties of Dallas, Tarrant, and Ellis. It is a part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex's Mid-Cities area. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 175,396 and was the fifteenth-most populous city in the state. The 2020 census showed a population of 196,100, keeping it as the 15th-most populous city in Texas. 

History 

In 1863, Alexander McRae Dechman founded the city of Grand Prairie as Dechman. His inspiration for the town's name was Big Prairie, Ohio. He had lived in Young County, close to Fort Belknap, before that. According to the 1860 U.S. Federal Census—Slave Schedules, A. McR. Dechman owned four slaves, who were aged 50, 25, 37, and 10. Dechman discovered that he could buy land in Dallas County in exchange for his wagons and oxen. In exchange for a broken-down wagon, an ox team, and $200 in Confederate currency, Dechman acquired 239.5 acres (96.9 ha) of land on the eastern bank of the Trinity River and 100 acres (40 ha) of timberland on the western bank. He tried to establish a home on the property, but ran into difficulties, so he returned to his family in Birdville before joining in the Civil War. In 1867 he filed a town plat with Dallas County, consisting of 50 acres (20 ha) (20 ha). 

After the war, he returned to Birdville for two years before selling that farm in 1867 and moving to Houston, where yellow fever broke out, causing the family to settle in Bryan. In 1876, Dechman traded half his "prairie" property to the T&P Railroad to ensure the railroad came through the town. When the depot was given the name "Dechman" by the railroad, its namesake moved his residence from Bryan to Dechman. Alexander, his son, had been residing in Dechman and running a farm and trade station there. The Good Hope Cumberland Sabbath School, founded in 1870 by the Rev. Andrew Hayter, served as the region's first church. Later, the church changed its name to West Fork United Presbyterian Church, and it is still in operation today. 

Because the U.S. Postal Service couldn't understand the wording on the form filled out to start the post office, the first U.S. post office opened in 1877 under the name "Deckman" rather than "Dechman." Later on in the same year, when the Postal Service started using the name "Deckman," confusion arose due to the T&P Railroad's use of the term "Grand Prairie". The region between Dallas and Fort Worth was referred to as "the grand prairie of Texas" on maps made between around 1850 and 1858, which served as the basis for this moniker. The Postal Service gave the post office the name "Grand Prairie" in order to clear up any mistake. 

Grand Prairie eventually became a city in 1909 after being founded as a town first. Grand Prairie has a lengthy history with the defense and aviation industries dating back to World War I. Even though the current Vought factory on Jefferson Avenue is a small section inside the boundaries of Dallas, it was initially in Grand Prairie. Consolidated's B-24 Liberator and the P-51C and K Mustang versions were constructed at North American Aircraft Plant B during World War II. The plant was taken over by Vought Aircraft following the war. Later, this was known as Ling Temco Vought (LTV), and eventually, the name Vought was reinstated. From 1950 and 1989, the factory produced the F-8 Crusader and the A-7 Corsair II aircraft. The Scout and MLRS are two missiles that the LTV Missile and Space section produced. In the end, Lockheed Martin purchased this branch, and it is still based in Grand Prairie. Aérospatiale Helicopter also had its North American headquarters in Grand Prairie. This business ultimately changed its name to Airbus Helicopters, Inc., Airbus Helicopters' U.S. subsidiary. 

In 1953, the Grand Prairie mayor and city council made an attempt to annex about 70 square miles (180 km2) of southern Dallas and Tarrant counties that were at the time unincorporated and largely underdeveloped. The annexation proposal was partially overturned after a heated discussion and legal pressure from cities including Arlington, Duncanville, and Irving. 

Geography 

With a tiny section extending south into Ellis County, Grand Prairie is situated near the line separating Tarrant and Dallas counties. Arlington to the west, Fort Worth to the northwest, Irving to the north, Dallas to the east, Cedar Hill and Midlothian to the southeast, Mansfield to the southwest, and Irving to the west and southwest of Arlington form the city's borders. 

The city has a total area of 81.1 square miles (210.0 km2), of which 72.1 square miles (186.8 km2) is land and 9.0 square miles (23.3 km2), or 11.08%, is water, according to the United States Census Bureau. 

Grand Prairie is crossed by the Trinity River's West Fork and Johnson Creek, a significant tributary. 

Johnson Creek has historically caused flooding in Grand Prairie. The channel was straightened as part of a significant Army Corps of Engineers effort in the 1980s, which lessened the harm caused by flooding. 

Government 

City Government 

The city's 2007-2008 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report shows that the various funds had revenues of $275.5 million, expenses of $236.4 million, total assets of $1,003.2 million, liabilities totaling $424.9 million, and cash and investments of $305.9 million. 

The E. Carlyle Smith, Jr. Health Center is run by the Parkland Health & Hospital System (Dallas County Hospital District) in Grand Prairie. 

As of 2012, Grand Prairie had 320 municipal police officers. 

The North Central Texas Council of Governments association, whose goals include coordinating individual and group local governments and facilitating regional solutions, eliminating pointless redundancy, and enabling collaborative choices, includes the city of Grand Prairie as a voluntary member. 

Congressional Representation 

On the grounds of the Grand Prairie Armed Forces Reserve Complex, the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) of the U.S. Department of Justice operates the Grand Prairie Office Complex. The Designation and Sentence Computation Center (DSCC), run by the BOP inside the complex, computes federal sentences, maintains account of the statutory "good time" that offenders accrue as well as lump sum extra "good time" rewards, and manages detainers. Within the grounds of the military installation is also the BOP South Central Office. 

Infrastructure 

Transportation 

The northern and southern regions of the city are connected by Interstates 20 and 30 that travel east-west. In the northern and central regions of the city, Texas State Highways Spur 303 (also known as Pioneer Parkway) and 180 (also known as Main Street) also run east-west. 

The majority of SH 360 runs just west of Arlington's city limits for almost three miles in the city's northwest. 

The President George Bush Turnpike, also known as SH 161, traverses western Grand Prairie from north to south. Frontage roads have been available since 2010, while the major highways were opened in late 2012. While the section south of SH 180 runs at grade before becoming elevated, the portion north of SH 180 is mostly in a depression. Frontage roads are always kept at grade. Sometime in 2013, the frontage road intersection at Main Street will become operational. 

A significant north-south route in the city is Belt Line Road. FM 1382 is the alternate name for the portion of the road that runs south of Main Street, past I-20, and on to Cedar Hill. The part of the road that runs north of Main Street and into Irving retains its name. 

The city declined membership in 1984. In April 2022, Grand Prairie launched "Via Grand Prairie", a "on-demand, shared public transportation" which connects to DART's West Irving station. 

In the era of private operation of passenger trains prior to the onset of the Amtrak era in 1971, Texas and Pacific Railway trains such as the Texas Eagle and the Louisiana Eagle made stops in Grand Prairie, on trips between Fort Worth and Dallas. Dallas Union Station is 12 miles to the east, where the Texas Eagle (Chicago-San Antonio) makes stops. 

Population 

Grand Prairie is a city located in Dallas County Texas. With a 2023 population of 202,310, it is the 17th largest city in Texas and the 130th largest city in the United States. Grand Prairie is currently increasing at a pace of 1.03% yearly and its population has expanded by 3.17% from the most recent census, which reported a population of 196,100 in 2020. Stretching across 81 miles, Grand Prairie has a population density of 2,800 persons per square mile. 

The average household income in Grand Prairie is $81,239 with a poverty rate of 14.91%. The median monthly cost of rent in recent years has been, and the median value of a home is. The median age in Grand Prairie is 33.6 years, 32.6 years for men, and 34.5 years for females. 

Grand Prairie is located in Dallas, Tarrant, and Ellis Counties in Texas as part of the Mid-Cities area of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex (DFW or Metroplex) (DFW or Metroplex). DFW is the 7th largest metropolitan area in the United States with a population of 6.8 million spread over 13 counties.