Tarrant County

Tarrant County is in north central Texas. The geographic center of the county lies at 32°45' north latitude and 97°17' west longitude, three miles east and slightly south of downtown Fort Worth, the county seat. Tarrant County consists of 898 square miles of gently sloping to level terrain with elevation ranging from 420 feet in the southeast to 960 feet in the northwest. The Trinity River is the major watercourse and flows from the northwest to the southeast across the county, with the Clear Fork and the West Fork draining the western half and other smaller tributaries draining the eastern half. Major lakes in the county include Arlington, Benbrook, Eagle Mountain, Grapevine, and Worth. Four natural regions are found from east to west: the Blackland Prairie in the southeast is a rolling grassland with rich clayey and loamy soil, the Eastern Cross Timbers is made up of deep loamy soil that supports blackjack oak and post oak, the Grand Prairie has shallow, clayey soil and alternating layers of limestone and marl, and the Western Cross Timbers has very shallow to deep loamy and clayey soils that support shinnery oak and post oak. Hardwoods such as American elm, pecan, and box elder are found throughout most of the county along rivers and creeks. Exposed rock formations in the area are almost exclusively of the Cretaceous period. Mineral resources are sand, gravel, stone, and natural gas. Temperatures range from an average low of 35° F in January to an average high of 96° in July. Rainfall averages a little more than thirty-two inches per year, and the growing season extends for 230 days.

Adapted from the official Handbook of Texas, a state encyclopedia developed by the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). It is an authoritative source of trusted historical records.