Page 173 - Haltom City FY19 Annual Budget

CITY OF HALTOM CITY

HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

Haltom City, whose municipal boundaries include the first Tarrant County seat of Birdville,
is located near the geographic center of the county. Haltom City's land area extends three
to six miles northeast of downtown Fort Worth. It is surrounded on the northwest, west,
and south by Fort Worth city limits; on the east by Richland Hills and North Richland Hills;
and on the northeast by Watauga. It is bisected by Big and Little Fossil Creeks and
borders the Trinity River flood plain on the south. The city is situated in an area which
was once rolling grassland.

Established from a ranching and farming community, Haltom Village was founded in 1932
and named to honor G. W. Haltom (1872-1944), a Fort Worth jeweler whose family ranch
holdings comprised much of the new area. Gradual growth was due in part to Haltom's
Meadow Oaks Corporation and the bisection of the village by major new highways
affording easier access to Fort Worth, northeastern Tarrant County and Dallas. Also in
1932, the routing of State Highways 10 (E. Belknap Street) and 121 one-quarter mile
south of the old Birdville business district presented local business leaders with a
momentous decision regarding the future of their businesses and property investments.
Most businesses chose to relocate, in order to take advantage of greater convenience
and accessibility for customers, increased traffic flow, and a chance to build anew.

Haltom City was originally incorporated
on August 22, 1944. On July 3, 1950
Haltom City and the City of Oak Knoll
consolidated under the name of Haltom
City. Since 1950 the City has gradually
expanded, annexing Garden of Eden,
Meadow Oaks, East Ridge and, in 1955,
unincorporated portions of Birdville.
Haltom City elected Home Rule Charter
with a city manager, mayor and council
form of government on October 10, 1955.

The City purchased the complete water
systems (3,975 customer accounts) serving the entire City on August 21, 1952 and has
provided water and sewer services since that time.

Today the city is traversed by five major roads: State Highway 121-Airport Freeway; State
Highway 183-Northeast 28th Street-Midway Road; U. S. Highway 377-E Belknap
Street-Denton Highway; Loop 452-Grapevine Highway 26; and Northeast Loop 820. The
historic name of Birdville is carried on in the names of two churches, a cemetery, two
roads, an independent school district, and in the memories of its residents.

First encroachment into the Birdville vicinity occurred as early as the spring of 1840, when
Captain Jonathan Bird and 20 three-month service Texas Rangers from Lamar and Red

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