Tarrant County is the second most populous county in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex and contains its second largest principal city.  The county seat is Fort Worth, which is the largest city in Tarrant County. Arlington is the second largest city in Tarrant County.  On December 20, 1849, the county was founded and named after Tarrant, who had been instrumental in driving out the Indians.

Little is known of the Indians who inhabited the area of present-day Tarrant County before the coming of European explorers in the sixteenth century. Groups thought to have been in the area were the Tonkawas and the Hasinai Caddos. By the late 1700s the Comanches, Kiowas, and Wichitas had also moved into the region. When white settlers came they clashed with the native population. The battle of Village Creek occurred in 1841. A seventy-man force, led by Gen. Edward H. Tarrant, seized and destroyed three Indian villages.

In the 1870s Tarrant County experienced periods of prosperity and economic depression. During that decade two major factors played a part: cattle and railroads. Cattle were being driven through the county on the way north, and this provided opportunities for area merchants. The trail drivers needed supplies and entertainment, and Tarrant County was willing and able to provide both.

 CITIES, TOWNS, AND POPULATED PLACES