Stratford , Connecticut to the former North American facility . This move promised the company lower operational costs and better flying conditions . The Arlington Journal reported that the company would need 500 homes by January 1 , 1949 to accommodate employees moving into the state . Another 500 to 700 employees were expected to arrive by June 1 , 1949 . Seventy percent of those transferring were married with families averaging three or four members . Most were searching for houses in the $ 6,000-10,000 range . Many of the transferees were executives , engineers , test pilots , machinists , tool makers and other highly trained employees . NTAC also offered mathematics courses at the plant for engineers who wished to further their education . Early expectations were that an additional 6,500 people would be hired locally but a year after opening , the plant employed approximately 5,000 . Local residents were able to take a training program to earn a place on the company ’ s production line . 3
Considering its proximity to the plant , many employees chose to make Arlington their home despite the fact that Grand Prairie had a population nearly double that of Arlington . A year after the announcement of the company ’ s move , the Arlington Journal boasted that Chance Vought officials had reported that those employees who lived in Arlington were “ the happiest group working at their plant .” To show its appreciation , the city of Arlington held a picnic and barbeque for its Chance Vought residents . All Arlington residents were urged to buy tickets to the event as an expression of support . 4
This influx of residents helped to create a new era of residential development in Arlington . Between 1945 and 1950 , at least 825 new housing units or approximately 33 percent of Arlington ’ s housing stock was constructed in that five year period . During this time , approximately 30 additions or subdivision were platted . These included Murray Estates ( 1947 ), Double Y Wooded Estates ( 1948 ), Southwood Acres , Morgan , and Knapp-Delk additions ( all platted in 1949 ). The latter was located on a former dude ranch and some of the landscape features associated with it survive to the present . It was also during this era that Arlington ’ s first major apartment complex , the Colonial Apartments , was constructed at 1000 West Abram . 5
Fueling the housing boom were financial incentives available to veterans of World War II . The 1945 amendment to the Servicemen ’ s Readjustment Act of 1944 , commonly known as the G . I . Bill of Rights made it easier for an honorably discharged veteran to receive a guaranteed loan for the purpose of buying a house . When first enacted , the bill guaranteed a limit of $ 2,000 . The amendment brought the maximum up to $ 4,000 . The government guaranteed 50 percent of the total loan up to the maximum amount . The loan could be amortized up to 25 years . Veterans had up to 10 years after the end of the war to make application for a guaranteed loan . The Federal Housing Administration ’ s ( FHA ) mortgage insurance also served as an incentive for developers and lenders to financing acquisition of housing . 6
3 Arlington Journal , September 17 , 1948 , May 13 , 1949 ; Fort Worth ( Texas ) Star-Telegram , August 26 ,
1948 , morning edition , Star-Telegram Clippings File , AR 406-7-7-108 , “ Arlington , Texas , 1946-1949 ,” Special Collections Division , University of Texas at Arlington Library , Arlington , Texas , hereafter refereed to as STCF , SCD , UTA . 4 Allan Saxe , Politics of Arlington , Texas : An Era of Continuity and Growth ( Austin , Texas : Eakin Press ,
2001 ), 15 ; Arlington Journal , May 13 , 1949 . 5 According to the 1950 Census , Arlington had a total of 2,587 housing units but the percentage was based on the number reporting , which was 2,520 ; Arlington Journal , December 17 , 1948 . 6 Harold E . Group , ed ., House-of-the-Month Book of Small Houses ( Garden City , New York : Garden City Publishing Co ., Inc ., 1946 ), 116 .
FINAL REPORT
ARLINGTON HISTORIC RESOURCES SURVEY UPDATE
SEPTEMBER 2007
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