Introduction to Fort Worth, TX

Yes, Dallas does have something Fort Worth doesn't have – a real city thirty miles away.
– Amon Carter, publisher, philanthropist, Fort Worthian

FORT WORTH, often dismissed as some kind of poor relation to Dallas, in fact has a rush and energy largely missing in its more complacent neighbor thirty miles east. Unlike comparably cosmopolitan Dallas, this is one of the most "Western" cities in Texas. In the 1870s it was the last stop on the great cattle drive to Kansas, the Chisholm Trail; when the railroads arrived, it became a livestock market in its own right, with its own packing houses, while remaining a haven for cowboys and outlaws. The cattle trade is still a major industry, after aviation and defense, but the city can also pride itself on its thriving cultural life. Unlike the more anxious Dallas, Fort Worth doesn't feel the need to brag about its many excellent museums. For a place so wealthy (the grand Western Hills area claims to have proportionately more millionaires than any other US locale), it's surprisingly laid-back.

Information by Rough Guides

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