Fort Worth - Backgroud - Overview

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.

The main road between Fort Worth and Dallas, I-30 , cuts the city northsouth; Loop 820 encircles it. An Airporter express bus (daily 5ammidnight, every half-hour at peak times; $10; tel 817/334-0092) runs to and from DFW International Airport, seventeen miles northeast; a taxi costs around $45. Amtrak pulls in four times per week in either direction just southeast of downtown in the lovely red 1899 Santa Fe Depot, 1501 Jones St (tel 817/332-2931). Greyhound operates out of the depot at 901 Commerce St, next to the Convention Center. The city's public transportation system, The T , operates bus service throughout the city, as well the tourist-oriented Longhorn Trolley , which travels between the major attractions and some downtown hotels ($1 for the bus, $2 for the trolley; tel 817/871-6200, www.the-t.com ).

There are three visitor centers : in the Stockyards at 130 E Exchange Ave (daily 9am6pm; walking tours are $2, call for times; tel 817/624-4741, www.stockyardsstation.com ), downtown in the CVB at 415 Throckmorton St (MonFri 8.30am5pm, Sat 10am4pm; tel 817/336-8791 or 1-800/433-5747), and in the Cultural District at the Will Rogers Memorial Center at 3401 W Lancaster Ave (MonThurs 9am5pm, FriSat 9am6pm, Sun noon4pm; tel 817/882-8588). The downtown Sundance Square and Stockyard areas are well patrolled and safe to walk around after dark; for a taxi between the two, call Yellow Cab Co tel 817/534-5555.