About the Area

Weatherford, Texas

The City of Weatherford occupies a territory of approximately 27.04 square miles. Weatherford is located at the intersections of U.S. Highways 180 and 80, approximately 30 miles west of the City of Fort Worth and approximately 60 miles west of the City of Dallas. Interstate 20 runs along the City's southern boundary and provides for major access to Fort Worth and Dallas.

Weatherford is situated such that it has maintained an independent identity from the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex yet its close proximity to this major urban area has had a direct effect. Residents find themselves able to achieve a rural lifestyle without sacrificing the conveniences and labor market of a major metropolitan area. Many Weatherford residents commute into the Metroplex to work.

Much of the City's commercial and industrial growth is directly attributable to its relative location to the Metroplex. The City's major commercial and industrial employers find Weatherford attractive since it offers the advantages of convenient access to the region's major transportation and shipping infrastructure without the disadvantages related to physically locating within a major urban area.

Historically, the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex has enjoyed an extremely low unemployment rate. It has also enjoyed the growth of a diverse economic base. The outward growth of Dallas/Fort Worth will impact the transition of Weatherford from its farming and ranching roots to increased urban residential, commercial, and industrial development.

For more information, please visit http://www.weatherfordtx.gov/ or http://www.weatherford-chamber.com/.

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Springtown, Texas

Springtown is on State Highway 199 twenty-seven miles northwest of Fort Worth near the northern border of Parker County.

In 1856 Joseph Ward of New Jersey settled on the site, on a creek fed by numerous springs seventeen miles northeast of Weatherford. Three years later Ward designed the town square and named the place Littleton's Springs after a pioneer family.

In the mid-1870s the name was changed to Springtown following a petition by a majority of the 200 residents. The town's post office has operated continuously since its establishment in June 1875. In 1884 Springtown was incorporated, and the community elected J. A. Graves its first mayor.

Springtown Male and Female Institute opened that year and served the northern part of the county for a decade. Public schools eventually developed, and in 1936 Springtown High School was incorporated in the Parker County school system.

The first town newspaper, established in 1881, was the Springtown Sentinel. Newspapers that followed included the Pilot, Local, and Journal. By 1890 the community had four churches, two cotton gins, one steam corn mill, a daily stage to Weatherford costing one dollar, and a triweekly stage to Decatur.

Springtown grew from a population of 500 in 1890 to nearly 800 in 1940. From the Great Depressionqv through 1960 the population growth slowed. Afterward, primarily because of an increase in the Springtown-Fort Worth commuter population, the number of residents nearly doubled. Springtown had a population of 1,658 in 1986. In 1990 the population was 1,740. The population reached 2,062 in 2000.

For more information, please visit http://cityofspringtown.com/ or http://www.springtownchamber.org/.