Page 28 - City of Bedford FY21 Budget

CITY OF BEDFORD PROFILE

GEOGRAPHY
The City of Bedford is located in Northeast Tarrant County
in the region of North Central Texas. It lies approximately
fourteen miles from downtown Fort Worth and twenty-two BEDFORD
miles from downtown Dallas along SH 121. Bedford is
central to area airports situated five miles west of DFW
International Airport, twenty-two miles west of Dallas Love
Field, and twenty-two miles southeast of Alliance Airport.
The City has a total land area of approximately ten square
miles, or 6,393 acres.

HISTORY

Settlers first arrived in the Bedford area in 1860.
In 1869 Weldon Wiles Bobo migrated to the
area from Bedford County, Tennessee and
established a store named “Bobo’s Store.”
He secured the first post office in 1877, and
the town was named Bedford for his home
county. By 1882, the community had grown
to a population of about 2,000 and had 28
businesses along Bedford Road, including three
W.W. Bobo - Founder general stores, two drug stores, two
blacksmith shops, two saloons, two cotton
gins, and a grist mill. Ink Drawing - Fitch Store

The public school system was established in the area after 1894.
Bedford Elementary School was constructed at the current site of
the Old Bedford School in 1912 and remained in operation until
1969. It was the first use of brick as a building material in the
area. The turn of the twentieth century saw a steady decline in the
Bedford population. A new growth period began with World War
II as military bases and defense contractors began to build in
surrounding areas. Following World War II, the Bedford Boys
Ranch was established on a 253-acre tract of land in 1949.

Old Bedford School c1955

Bedford Boys Ranch, late 1950s

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