Originally settled in 1849 as an army outpost at the Trinity River, Fort Worth was one of eight forts assigned to protect settlers from Native American attacks on the advancing frontier. Progress helped the growing settlement survive long after other such towns had blown away with the dust of departing pioneers. Learn more about Fort Worth's history.
- 60 percent of America's paper money is printed at the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing Western Currency Facility in Fort Worth (tours are available).
- The Texas Civil War Museum in Fort Worth houses the largest private Civil War collection west of the Mississippi River.
- Fort Worth is home to the oldest stock show and rodeo in the country - the Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show.
- Fort Worth hosts the world's only twice-daily cattle drive in the Stockyards National Historic District.
- One of Bonnie and Clyde's hideouts from the law was the historic Stockyards Hotel in Fort Worth.
- In 1909, the Fort Worth Zoo opened as the first zoo in Texas.
- The Stockyards Museum houses the 1908 Palace Theater Light Bulb which began burning on September 21, 1908, as a backstage light at the Old Byers Opera House and continues to burn today.
- In 1963, President John F. Kennedy delivered his last public speech at a Fort Worth Chamber breakfast before leaving for Dallas.
- Fort Worth's Texas Motor Speedway is one of the largest racing facilities in the nation, with seating for nearly 155,000 spectators.
- City of Fort Worth Population: 777,992
