May 2 council elections
Contested races in Districts 1 & 3 plus At-Large Place 7
City · Tarrant County
Grand Prairie
Population ~200,000 · grand-prairie-isd
☕ Grand Prairie brief Mon, Jun 1
From wagon-stop to defense boom
North American Aviation 1941 → city grew 1,595 to 18,000 by war's end
Local News
Grand Prairie headlines
What's happening in Grand Prairie right now
Civic
Population now above 200,000, split across three counties
Grand Prairie recorded 196,100 residents in the 2020 U.S. Census and is estimated above 200,000 by 2026, with city land spanning Dallas, Tarrant, and Ellis counties — though the historic core and city hall are in Dallas County. The Tarrant County portion includes the western neighborhoods west of Belt Line Road. Source: U.S. Census; City of Grand Prairie.
Updated 2026
Development
Epic Central entertainment district keeps growing
The Epic and Epic Waters indoor waterpark anchor the Central Park/Epic Central district off SH 161, with hotel and mixed-use phases continuing through the mid-2020s. The Epic, opened in 2018, was one of the largest single municipal recreation projects in DFW. Source: City of Grand Prairie.
Ongoing
Sports
Choctaw Stadium and AirHogs site redevelopment
The former AirHogs Stadium reopened as Choctaw Stadium and hosts independent baseball and concert events. Source: City of Grand Prairie.
Ongoing
Council
Council meets first and third Tuesdays
Grand Prairie's City Council meets on the first and third Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 317 W. College Street. Source: City of Grand Prairie.
Ongoing
🗳️ Election
Grand Prairie May 2 ballot included contested district + at-large council races
Grand Prairie's May 2, 2026 ballot included contested council races: District 1 (Jorja Clemson), District 3 (Mike Del Bosque, Amber Timberlake, David Chappelle), and City Council At-Large Place 7 (Bessye Adams, Marketta Nimo). Source: NBC 5 DFW.
From across Tarrant County
🗳️ Election
Contested mayor races in nine Tarrant cities on May 2 ballot
The May 2, 2026 ballot featured contested races for mayor in nine Tarrant cities: Arlington, Euless, Keller, Kennedale, North Richland Hills, Pelican Bay, Sansom Park, Westlake, and Westover Hills. The slate also included numerous city council positions, school board trustee seats, and other municipal offices across the county. Source: NBC 5 DFW / Tarrant County Elections.
🗳️ Politics
Taylor Rehmet (D) wins Texas State Senate District 9 special election
In Tarrant County's state Senate District 9 special election held November 4, 2025, Democrat Taylor Rehmet finished as the top vote-getter, ahead by roughly 14,000 votes and a margin of nearly 15%. Rehmet replaces Republican Kelly Hancock, who left the seat in 2025 to become acting state comptroller. Rehmet completes the remainder of Hancock's term. Source: NBC 5 DFW.
Around Town
Around Town
Grand Prairie's places, people, and traditions
Landmark
Lone Star Park horse racing
Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie, opened in 1997, is the largest Class-1 thoroughbred and quarter horse track in North Texas and one of the city's signature attractions. Source: Lone Star Park; City of Grand Prairie.
Spring/summer meet
Landmark
Traders Village flea market
Traders Village on Mayfield Road, opened in 1973, is one of the largest weekend flea markets in Texas and a regional cultural fixture. Source: Traders Village.
Weekends year-round
Park
Joe Pool Lake and Lynn Creek Park
Joe Pool Lake's Lynn Creek Park, operated by the city under Corps of Engineers lease, offers shoreline recreation and a marina along the city's southern edge. Source: City of Grand Prairie.
Year-round
Park
Loyd Park and Cedar Hill State Park nearby
Loyd Park on the west side of Joe Pool Lake offers camping and trails, sitting next to Cedar Hill State Park on the lake's south shore. Source: City of Grand Prairie; TPWD.
Year-round
Civic
Verizon Theatre / Texas Trust CU Theatre
The former Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie, now Texas Trust CU Theatre, is one of DFW's principal mid-size indoor concert venues. Source: City of Grand Prairie.
Year-round
Heritage
Ripley's Believe It or Not / Palace of Wax legacy
The I-30 corridor in Grand Prairie was long home to the Palace of Wax/Ripley's Believe It or Not attraction, a tourist landmark from the 1980s through 2010s. Source: Wikipedia.
Closed
Known for
- Lone Star Park horse racing
- Traders Village flea market
- Texas Trust CU Theatre
- Epic Waters indoor waterpark
The Story of Grand Prairie
Grand Prairie began as one man's land deal. In 1863 Alexander McRae Dechman traded a broken-down wagon, a team of oxen and $200 in Confederate money for hundreds of acres along the Trinity River, and in 1867 he platted a town he called Dechman.
The railroad sealed its future. In 1876 Dechman traded half his prairie land to the Texas and Pacific Railway to guarantee the line came through, and the depot was named in his honor.
Confusion between the railroad's 'Grand Prairie' map label — drawn from old maps that called the land between Dallas and Fort Worth 'the grand prairie of Texas' — and the postal name led the Postal Service to settle on Grand Prairie.
Spanning Dallas, Tarrant, Ellis and a sliver of Johnson counties, Grand Prairie is today a major Metroplex city known for its aviation heritage and Lone Star Park.
Sources: Texas State Historical Association, Handbook of Texas.
🗓️ Coming this week Full calendar →
TUE
28
Birdville ISD Board of Trustees
6:30pm · agenda online
TUE
2
Tarrant County Commissioners Court
10am · agenda online
TUE
2
Fort Worth City Council
7pm · agenda online
TUE
2
Arlington City Council
6:30pm · agenda online
MON
8
Northwest ISD Board of Trustees
6:30pm · agenda online
MON
8
Keller ISD Board of Trustees
6:30pm · agenda online
MON
8
Carroll ISD Board of Trustees
5:30pm · agenda online
🎈 Kids Trading Post · Grand Prairie 3 activities →
Storytime, classes, camps, leagues, and open-play in Grand Prairie, sourced from libraries and partner orgs. Updated nightly · no manual data entry.
See all 3 kid activities →
Sports
Grand Prairie Sports
Multi-district + Lone Star Park + Verizon Theatre
Two ISDs
GPISD + AISD overlap
Most students in GPISD; portions of east in AISD.
Source: GPISD, AISD
Horse Racing
Lone Star Park
1000 Lone Star Pkwy — thoroughbred April–July, quarter horse fall.
Source: Lone Star Park
Concerts
Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie
Major regional concert venue.
Source: Verizon Theatre
Heritage
Sports legacy of North American Aviation
1940s defense plant grew city from 1,595 → 18,000 → ~200k today.
Source: TSHA / Wikipedia
⭐ Game of the week
Carroll Dragons — district football (anchor program)
🏈 District football ·
Tarrant County's anchor programs — Carroll (8 state titles), Keller (top-of-district 5A), Mansfield (B-rated district), Arlington Martin (AISD flagship), Fossil Ridge (KISD power program) — get priority weekly coverage from the news radar. Carroll Dragons headline the off-season anchor framing; weekly schedule populates from MaxPreps DFW + each ISD's athletics site.
📜 On this day in Tarrant County sports
1988
🏈 Carroll (Southlake) Dragons claim 1st state football championship — beginning of the dynasty that would produce 8 UIL state titles. Under coach Bob Ledbetter.
1993
🏈 Carroll Dragons capture their 3rd state football title (1988, 1992, 1993 = three-in-a-row 3A run under Coach Ledbetter; QB Kris Brown led the '93 squad past Cuero).
2011
🏈 Carroll Dragons win their 8th and most recent UIL state football title — capping the program's run as Tarrant County's most successful HS football dynasty.
2018
🥎 Mansfield Tigers softball reaches UIL state semifinals — anchor moment for MISD's growing softball program under HC Gregory George's broader program leadership.
2026
🏃 Keller ISD sends 11 athletes to UIL State Track & Field — multiple medal-stand finishes per district release.
📻 Radio guide
Southlake Carroll Dragons football
KKGM 1630 AM (Fort Worth; news/sports) — exclusive radio home of Carroll football
Dragon Sports Network
Aledo Bearcats football (Tarrant-area marquee program)
KTFW-FM 92.1 'Hank FM' (LKCM Radio Group; country) — flagship for Aledo broadcasts
Aledo Sports Network
Arlington ISD football (Martin · Lamar · Bowie)
NFHS Network (streaming platform) — official AISD broadcast partner
NFHS Network
Mansfield Tigers football
NFHS Network (streaming platform) — Mansfield ISD live broadcasts
NFHS Network
Keller / Fossil Ridge (Keller ISD) football
NFHS Network (streaming platform) — Keller ISD live broadcasts
NFHS Network
Fort Worth-area HS football game of the week
KTCU-FM 88.7 'The Choice' (TCU student station, Fort Worth)
KTCU 88.7
🏆 UIL playoff bracket
No active Tarrant County UIL playoff bracket on the desk. Populates when a Tarrant County team is in a UIL playoff round (football, basketball, baseball/softball, volleyball). Source: UIL playoff records.
Activities
Things to do in Grand Prairie
Kids, library, sports, fitness, classes, camps, open play — sourced from libraries, parks, and partner orgs across Grand Prairie.
story-time
Grand Prairie Memorial Library Storytime
Weekly
Grand Prairie Memorial Library · 901 Conover Dr, Grand Prairie
camp
Grand Prairie Parks Summer Day Camp
Week-long sessions
Grand Prairie Parks & Recreation · The Summit / multiple sites
event
Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark
Daily
City of Grand Prairie / Epic Waters · 2970 Epic Place, Grand Prairie
Civic & Government
Civic & Government
Grand Prairie city hall, schools, and county connection
Government
Council-manager government, council elected from districts
Grand Prairie operates under a council-manager government with a mayor elected at-large and council members from single-member districts and at-large positions. Source: City of Grand Prairie.
Mayor
Mayor elected citywide
The Grand Prairie mayor is elected at-large and presides over the city council that sets policy and appoints the city manager. Source: City of Grand Prairie.
Schools
Grand Prairie ISD serves the city
Grand Prairie ISD is the primary district, with Arlington ISD and Mansfield ISD reaching small portions of the city. Source: Grand Prairie ISD.
County
City sits in Tarrant County (judge Tim O'Hare)
Grand Prairie's western portions sit in Tarrant County, with the bulk of the city in Dallas County. Tarrant County is led at the county level by County Judge Tim O'Hare. Source: Tarrant County.
Reach the right desk
By the Numbers
Grand Prairie by the Numbers
Census + cross-county + economy
Pop
~200,000
Tarrant + Dallas cross-county city. Source: Census.
Source: City + ISD records
Counties
Tarrant + Dallas
Crosses county line — requires two-county coordination. Source: Wikipedia.
Source: City + ISD records
History
Organized 1863, incorporated 1902
A.M. Dechman's broken wagon led to settlement. Source: TSHA.
Source: City + ISD records
WWII
Grew 1,595 → 18,000 from defense plant
1941 North American Aviation defense plant drove war-era growth. Source: TSHA.
Source: City + ISD records
Population
200,000
Type
city
School District
grand-prairie-isd
County
Mostly Dallas (with portions in Tarrant + Ellis)
Population by city
Tarrant County city populations (Census 2020 + 2024 estimates).
| City | Population | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Worth | 935,508 | County seat, 4th-largest in TX (after Houston, San Antonio, Dallas) |
| Arlington | 392,304 | Cowboys + Rangers home |
| Grand Prairie | ~200,000 | Cross-county with Dallas |
| Mansfield | 79,708 | |
| Flower Mound | 78,854 | Cross-county with Denton |
| North Richland Hills | 71,564 | |
| Euless | 61,554 | |
| Burleson | 53,283 | Cross-county with Johnson |
| Grapevine | 50,898 | |
| Bedford | 49,337 | |
| Hurst | 39,337 | |
| Haltom City | 46,500 | |
| Keller | 46,044 | |
| Southlake | 32,376 |
Updated 2026-05-27
Ask the Desk
Questions about Grand Prairie
What are Tarrant County's 2025 property tax rates?
Tarrant County (general portion): ~$0.19 per $100. City of Fort Worth: $1.0624. City of Arlington: $1.0929 (down ~1¢ from 2024). Combined rates from Fort Worth ISD + City of Fort Worth + Tarrant County College bring the total for most Fort …
Who is Tarrant County's County Judge?
Tim O'Hare. He is the 33rd County Judge of Tarrant County since the county's founding in 1849, took office January 1, 2023, and his current term runs through January 1, 2027. He is running for re-election November 3, 2026, and has said the …
Who is Tarrant County's Sheriff?
Bill E. Waybourn. Source: Tarrant County elected officials (tarrantcountytx.gov).
Who is the State Senator for Tarrant County's District 9?
Taylor Rehmet (Democrat), who won the November 4, 2025 special election to replace Republican Kelly Hancock — Hancock left to become acting state comptroller. Rehmet won by roughly 14,000 votes (~15% margin) and is completing the remainder …
Which ISD serves Grand Prairie?
Grand Prairie ISD (GPISD) primarily serves the city, but Grand Prairie's footprint is unusually fractured: portions are zoned into Arlington ISD, Mansfield ISD, Cedar Hill ISD, Irving ISD, and Midlothian ISD depending on the parcel. GPISD e…
All Grand Prairie Q&As → Community Voice
History
Founded 1909
From Dechman to Grand Prairie
Grand Prairie traces its origin to Alexander McRae Dechman, a Mississippi blacksmith who purchased 239 acres at the present-day Main Street townsite in 1863 and platted a settlement along the Texas & Pacific Railway that arrived in 1876. The community was initially called Dechman until the post office was renamed Grand Prairie in 1877 to match a nearby T&P stop and to describe the open prairie landscape; it incorporated as a city in 1909. Defense manufacturing transformed Grand Prairie during World War II as North American Aviation opened a plant producing P-51 Mustangs and other aircraft on the site that later became Vought, LTV, and ultimately Lockheed Martin's Grand Prairie operations. Postwar suburbanization between Dallas and Fort Worth drove population from roughly 1,600 in 1940 past 50,000 by 1970 and past 100,000 by 1990. The 1997 opening of Lone Star Park and the 2018 opening of The Epic were among the most visible 21st-century investments shaping the city's identity. Sources: TSHA; City of Grand Prairie; Wikipedia.
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