Region: Prairies and Lakes
On June 16, 1849, Brevet Major Ripley Arnold set up Camp Worth on the banks
of the Trinity River, at the confluence of the West and Clear forks. The outpost
was named after Arnold's recently deceased former commander, Mexican War hero
Gen. William Worth. Using a horse-powered sawmill and trees collected along the
Trinity River, Ripley and his dragoons constructed the settlement that would
later be called Fort Worth.
Now the nation's 16th-largest city by population and growing, Fort Worth is a
destination redefined. The city brands itself as the "Museum Capital of the
Southwest," featuring world-class museums, as well as art galleries, live
theater, concerts, opera and ballet.
Fort Worth also is home to the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary,
Tarrant County College, Texas Christian University, University of North Texas
Health Science Center and Texas Wesleyan University.
Vast green parks and a surrounding network of major lakes offer abundant
opportunities for water sports and outdoor recreation. Burnett Park, at Lamar
and Texas streets on land donated by cattle baron Samuel Burk Burnett, features
sculptures, pools and granite walkways.
Annual events include the Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show and
Rodeo in late January–early February, Main Street Fort Worth Arts Festival in
April, Mayfest in May, Frontier Forts Days in spring, Fort Worth Symphony's
Concerts in the Garden in June–July, and the Red Steagall Cowboy Gathering and
Western Swing Festival in October.