2024 Garland TX Visitors Guide
Garland is the ninth-largest city in Texas and the second-largest city in Dallas County. White settlers began moving to the area around 1850, it was not incorporated as a new city until 1891. The city’s creation was not without controversy as it followed a long and contentious dispute over the location of the post office.
Garland TX Attractions
The Landmark Museum exhibits early settler artifacts, old newspapers, farm implements, and quilts. It is housed in the former Santa Fe Depot and features an antique rail car on the grounds. Garland is home to the Firewheel Town Center Mall which is a 785,000 square foot open-air regional shopping center. Firewheel contains an exciting mix of over one hundred department stores, specialty retail stores, unique restaurants, and a theater.
Since Garland is only fifteen miles from downtown Dallas, visitors and residents alike can enjoy other area attractions such as the Dallas World Aquarium and Zoological Gardens, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and the Dallas Zoo. All are world-class attractions that guarantee not to disappoint. The Dallas County area also boasts fifteen museums open to the public.
Garland Recreation
Garland offers its residents and visitors five recreation centers, two senior citizen centers, four swimming pools, a 13-court tennis center with pro shop, 69 parks public parks (more than 2000 acres), 40 playgrounds, 73 athletic fields, four group picnic pavilions, a marina, and more than 20 miles of trails.
If you enjoy golfing, Firewheel at Garland is noted as one of the finest municipally-owned golf facilities in the U.S. The park offers 63 holes of golf and has gained national recognition as a P.G.A qualifying site.
Garland’s Surf and Swim allows visitors to ride four-foot waves in their wave-action pool surrounded by grassy beaches and pecan trees. The pool is open June through September and provides special areas for children.
Garland’s Lake Ray Hubbard is a popular spot for its residents. Camping, boating, fishing, and swimming are among the more popular recreational activities you will find at the lake.
Sports fans can take a short drive to Dallas to receive their fill of great games by the Texas Rangers (Major League Baseball), the Dallas Mavericks (National Basketball Association), the Dallas Cowboys (National Football League), and the Dallas Stars (National Hockey League).
Garland Arts
Garland is home to the Garland Symphony Orchestra which was established in 1978. Since its establishment, it has presented over 100 concerts featuring the music of more than 180 composers, including the premiers of new works by two Texas composers. The Garland Civic Theatre was founded in 1968 and is the oldest community theatre group in Dallas County. Their season begins in September and ends in May. The Patty Granville Arts Center provides two elegant proscenium theatres made available to various touring, local theatre, and off-Broadway productions.
The Garland Country Music Association sponsors the Garland Opry which stages local and visiting country groups each Saturday night in their theatre. The Garland Square Pickers are dedicated to Bluegrass and Old-Time Acoustic Music. Every Saturday, starting in April and running through October, the group hosts an outdoor jam in historic downtown Garland Square beginning at sundown and lasting into the wee hours.
Garland Dining
Garland offers up a variety of dining choices ranging from the southern-style barbecue to seafood, to a great mix of ethnic cuisines. If you are interested in an affordable barbeque, stop by either Soulman’s Barbeque or Rick’s Smokehouse. If you love seafood, Catfish King of Garland or even Ostioneria Seven Mares can satisfy your craving. Ba Le Restaurant and Bakery serves reasonably priced French food and Snow Mountain Restaurant serves Japanese cuisine in a sit-down, relaxed atmosphere.
Garland TX Economy
At the time, two communities had sprung up called Embree and Duck Creek. A rivalry between the two towns had developed as the area expanded around the ever-important Santa Fe Railroad depot. This intense rivalry included arguing over the location of a new post office. After several years of fighting and no end in sight, the issue was brought before the court. In an effort to invoke a sense of fairness, Judge Thomas A. Nash asked Congressman, Joe Abbott, to move the post office so that it would sit between the two towns. The request was granted and in 1897, the post office was moved. The new location called Garland, named after Attorney General Augustus Hill Garland was created from the dissolved townships of Embree and Duck Creek.
Over the years, Garland’s population has grown steadily and continues to do so to this day. Starting with a population of only 891 residents in 1904, the city’s population quickly reached 10,571 by 1950. By 1960, the population had more than tripled to 38,501, and more than doubled again in the 1970s with 81,437. By 1980, the population reached 138,857 people and nearly doubled again in 20 years to 215,768 in 2000.
As of 2004, it was projected that approximately 217,176 people called this Dallas County city home. According to 2000 Census figures, the three primary racial groups within Garland are Whites (65.27%), Hispanics or Latinos (25.58%), and African Americans (11.87%).
There are 73,241 households of which 41.6 percent have children under the age of 18 living with them, and 56.7 percent are married couples. The average household size is 2.93 and the average family size is 3.37.
Approximately 29.8 percent of the city’s population is under the age of 18, 9.6 percent from 18 to 24, 33.0 percent from 25 to 44, 20.5 percent from 45 to 64, and 7.1 percent are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 32 years.
The average household income is $49,156, and the average income for a family is $53,545.