Introduction to Garland, Texas
Garland is a Texas city in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan area. The city is situated about 15 miles northeast of Dallas and is one of the state's most populous cities. Major highways traversing the city include Interstates I-30 and I-635; and Texas State Highways 66 and 78. Located nearby are U.S. Routes 75 and 80.
The genesis of Garland can be traced to early rural communities and townships, the first of which was Duck Creek. Established during the mid-to-latter stages of the 19th century, Duck Creek became an agricultural community whose principal crop was cotton. The arrival of the Santa Fe Railroad in 1886, which bypassed old Duck Creek by almost a mile, gave rise to a competing community known as Embree. Later that same year, the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railroad (MK&T) built its own station a little north of Embree and called it the new Duck Creek. The competition between the communities was resolved in 1887 when the government located a new post office between the two towns and named the new location Garland in honor of then U.S. Attorney General Augustus H. Garland. The city became incorporated in 1891. By the mid-20th century, Garland has begun transforming itself from an agricultural town to an industrial one, as new industries became attracted by the city's resources. Production during World War II gave the city a large economic and population boost, and during the latter half of the 20th-century the city focused on developing its available land area around its diversified industrial base. Garland today is one of the state's larger cities, yet retains the character of a small family town.
Garland Area Attractions
The Patty Granville Arts Center is a complex owned and operated by the city. Included within the complex are two elegant proscenium theatres which seat 720 and 200, respectively. Also included as part of the complex is the Plaza Theatre, which has seating for 350. The Atrium at the Granville Arts Center is a 6,500 square foot ballroom encased in glass on two sides and opening onto an elegant outdoor courtyard. The Atrium provides civic, community and commercial organizations the opportunity to house banquets, receptions, trade shows, and conventions. The Garland Opry is a non-profit organization which has been providing the Garland community with weekly Country and Gospel music entertainment for over 32 years.
There are numerous attractions outside the city limits of Garland but within minutes of the city in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area. Some of these include:
- Dallas Museum of Art
- Dallas Zoo
- Trammell & Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art
- Conspiracy Museum
- Dallas Arboretum
- Galleria Dallas
- Fountain Place
- Sixth Floor Museum
- Thanks-Giving Square
Sports fans can find plenty of professional action within the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area. The following teams play their home games within minutes of Garland:
- The Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League
- The Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball
- The Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League
- The Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association
- The Dallas Desperados of the Arena Football League
- FC Dallas of Major League Soccer
- The Frisco Roughriders, a minor league Class-AA baseball team affiliated with the Texas Rangers
- The Fort Worth Cats, an independent minor league baseball team in the American Association
- The Fort Worth Flyers, a minor league basketball team in the NBA Development League
