• Transformation of the city ’ s tax-base from dependence on residential valuations to one that was fueled by industry and commercial establishments
• Growth in neighborhood shopping centers and the CBD with 18 new office buildings constructed in or near the CDB
• Construction of Lake Arlington , a filtration plant , a new sewage treatment plant , major street and thoroughfare improvements , extensive expansion of the park system and well planned facilities for the Arlington ISD
However , it did note that only one out of every four Arlington workers were employed in Arlington and that 40 percent of Arlington workers were employed in the Grand Prairie area . The majority of Arlington ’ s workers were employed in large manufacturing plants , primarily in the aircraft industry . Ninety percent of Arlington workers were employed “ in jobs requiring a considerable degree of education , training and skill .” It also noted that one of every two people employed in Arlington lived in other cities . As of 1958 , eight of every ten residents lived south of the T & P tracks and slightly more than half of the population was located in the southeast quadrant ( south of the T & P tracks and east of Center Street ). The plan also revealed that in 1952 , the size of the city was 5,172 acres or 8.08 square miles . By 1959 , 4,634.93 acres or 7.24 square miles ( not including Lake Arlington ) had been added to the corporate limits . 41
Recommendations made in the 1959 Master Plan included increasing the minimum width of residential lots from 50 ’ to 60 ’ and minimum size from 6,000 square feet to 7,200 square feet ; in subdivisions of 20 acres or more , 5 percent of the total land area should be dedicated to parks ; the City should end the practice of rebates to developers ; down-grade the zoning of land held by the GSC from heavy manufacturing to light manufacturing to prevent the possibility of uses that would be detrimental to adjacent residential areas ; and that the City Planning Commission review the Zoning Ordinance every five years to determine if it was adequately controlling land use . 42
By 1960 , Arlington had reached a population of 44,775 people , an increase of 482 percent since the 1950 Census . Approximately 10,464 housing units had been constructed between 1950 and 1960 giving Arlington 13,500 total housing units , of which 12,332 were occupied . The city had grown to cover 30 square miles and its accessed valuation had grown to approximately $ 79 million compared to $ 8 million prior to the announcement of the arrival of the GM plant . It had 57 manufacturing establishments whose principal products were automobiles and auto parts , cans and containers , trailers , oil field equipment and rubber products . National and regional retail firms joined the likes of “ mom and pop ” establishments to provide Arlington residents with the consumer goods they needed . 43
Observers then and now credited Mayor Tom Vandergriff with Arlington ’ s phenomenal growth during the 1950s and beyond . First elected in 1951 , Vandergriff went on to serve as the city ’ s mayor until January 11 , 1977 . Early critics claimed he first became mayor as the result of his family ’ s prominence . At the time of the election in 1951 , the family owned two automobile agencies , an investment company , a furniture store and had interests in several other businesses . But his three to one victories in subsequent elections proved his popularity with voters . In 1957 the Fort Worth Press highlighted his accomplishments in an article titled “ Vandergriff , Once Boy Mayor , Now Veteran as Arlington Grows .” In that article Vandergriff stated “‘ I ’ m not going to
41 Freese and Nichols , Arlington City Plan : 1959 , 4-12 . 42 Ibid ., 62-68 . 43 U . S . Census , 1960 ; 1960 R . L . Polk ’ s City Directory for Arlington , Texas .
FINAL REPORT
ARLINGTON HISTORIC RESOURCES SURVEY UPDATE
SEPTEMBER 2007
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