North Texas is marked by several significant moments in history that transformed it from isolated farmland to a bustling urban hub.
CELINA, Texas — North Texas has seen its share of economic and population booms throughout its nearly 175-year history.
It was a region that was mostly isolated with no easy way of access. The first settlers quickly recognized it had highly fertile land for wheat and cotton. The area is marked by several significant moments in history that transformed it from an isolated farmland to a bustling urban hub.
Historian Dr. Michael Hazel notes that the arrival of the railroads in the 1870s made the area accessible, and Dallas quickly became an economic powerhouse, with spokes of commerce radiating outward. Two railroads crossed in Dallas, and two then became four. Rail lines went east, west, north, and south.
“Dallas became a hub with spokes going out in every direction, and that was a huge advantage economically,” said Hazel.
With industry came a population boom. In the early 1900s, the oil boom and a growing banking and finance sector further fueled this growth. Dr. Hazel points out that air conditioning, which “made living feasible, comfortable, or bearable,” was a game changer for the region’s rapid expansion.
North Texas saw its suburban areas become major cities, and Dallas and Fort Worth developed into metropolitan centers. Transportation played a key role, from Love Field in the early 20th century to the opening of DFW Airport in the 1970s. Dallas, especially, doubled in population every twenty years during the 1900s.
Today, the region’s location and flat terrain continue to make it attractive for growth. “Location, location, location. We have the location,” said land broker Rex Glendenning, whose family has witnessed each boom since the 1870s.
WFAA visited Celina, Haslet, and Forney, towns that have all felt the pressure of a rapidly growing population. Celina, once a small town of fewer than 1,000 people, now has over 50,000 residents.
“Everybody knew everybody,” said Rex, a sentiment echoed by longtime Forney resident Don Themer, who remembers when the town’s population was just 1,500. Today, it has grown to more than 40,000. Celina, known as the fastest-growing city in the country, is projected by Rex to become the largest city in Collin County within the next decade. That’s a bold prediction for a county that includes Frisco, McKinney, and Plano.
“I think the pandemic pushed our market forward maybe a full cycle ahead of what it may have been,” said Glendenning. In other words, Celina is at a growth pace ten years faster than initially anticipated.
“When I used to go to the post office if 15 people were in there, I called them by all their names and talked to them and now if 15 people are in there we’re lucky to know one of them,” said Themer, who was an educator in Forney for nearly four decades. He also attended the school where he taught for so long.
The Forney Messenger, which is Kaufman County’s longest-running print newspaper, has been in existence since 1896. In a 1973 issue about a new development, the price of a new home was $25,000. That wouldn’t be enough for a down payment these days.
“I can see us not getting any bigger or better and getting to the point and we’re gonna have to go the other direction,” said Themer.
The rapid growth has created challenges for many communities, including the strain on infrastructure. Many cities are racing to make water, sewage, and other utilities available. Mayor Gary Halsey of Haslet said the city has been proactive in planning around the growth. The once-small town of Haslet now boasts ten housing developments. But their challenge is the ever-growing encroachment that is Fort Worth.
“Most of the traffic you see, 90% of it, none of it is Haslet. It’s all pass-through,” Halsey said.
Halsey said the biggest misconception people have about growth is that cities and towns instantly have money to expand their infrastructure. The mayor said it takes many months or years for an increased tax base from development to benefit the city.
“The biggest threat to Haslet and other cities is our legislature,” Halsey said referring to the number of bills that, he said, will take away a municipalities’ right to self-govern. He said the bills currently being discussed in Austin threaten local control over city planning.
Despite the challenges, residents like Glendenning embrace the inevitable changes. “You might as well grin and bear it. It’s coming whether you like it or not,” he said.
North Texas is no stranger to economic and population booms. The current boom has the region mostly growing up north to the Red River and to the east and west. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the fastest-growing metro and it’s not even close, proving once again that everything is truly bigger in Texas.
