Mayor race
Contested mayor race on May 2 2026 ballot
City · Tarrant County
North Richland Hills
Population ~71,564 · birdville-isd
City of Choice to Live, Work & Play
☕ North Richland Hills brief Mon, Jun 1
Birdville ISD
~22,637 students (2023)
Born from a 1953 dairy-farm subdivision
Jones farm + 500 residents → City of NRH
Local News
North Richland Hills headlines
What's happening in NRH right now
Civic
City sits in Tarrant's mid-cities core, pop. roughly 70,000
North Richland Hills is the third-largest city in Tarrant County after Fort Worth and Arlington, sitting at the geographic center of the northeast Tarrant 'Mid-Cities' between Fort Worth and DFW Airport. The 2020 U.S. Census put population at 69,204, with city demographers tracking the number above 70,000 since.
Updated 2026
Schools
Carved up by four ISDs
NRH is unusual in Tarrant County for being split across four school districts — Birdville ISD, Keller ISD, Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD, and a small slice of Grapevine-Colleyville ISD — depending on neighborhood. Birdville is the dominant district by enrollment within city limits. Source: Birdville ISD; City of NRH.
Ongoing
Development
Iron Horse and Smithfield TOD stations on TEXRail
Trinity Metro's TEXRail commuter line opened the Iron Horse and Smithfield stations inside NRH in 2019, anchoring transit-oriented redevelopment along Browning Drive and Davis Boulevard with mixed-use and apartment build-out continuing through the mid-2020s. Source: Trinity Metro; City of NRH.
Ongoing
Council
Council meets second and fourth Mondays
The North Richland Hills City Council meets the second and fourth Mondays of each month at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 4301 City Point Drive, in the City Point municipal complex completed in 2018. Source: City of NRH.
Ongoing
🏛️ Civic
North Richland Hills was born from a 1953 dairy-farm subdivision after annexation was denied
Clarence Jones's 268-acre dairy farm subdivision became the City of North Richland Hills in 1953 — after residents tried to annex to Richland Hills and were denied. The 500-resident farm became today's NRH. Source: TSHA Handbook of Texas, City of NRH.
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
North Richland Hills' places, people, and traditions
Landmark
NRH2O Family Water Park
City-owned water park opened in 1995 off Grapevine Highway is one of the best-known municipal water parks in Texas, drawing visitors from across the Mid-Cities every summer. Source: City of NRH.
Seasonal — May to September
Park
NRH Centre and Cross Timbers Park
The NRH Centre on Glenview Drive houses a recreation center, indoor pool, and senior programming, while Cross Timbers Park near Smithfield offers the city's largest natural-area trail system. Source: City of NRH Parks.
Year-round
Trail
Cotton Belt Regional Trail
The Cotton Belt Trail rail-trail corridor runs through NRH, connecting Mid-Cities communities for cycling and walking along the historic Cotton Belt rail right-of-way. Source: Trinity Metro.
Year-round
Civic
City Point municipal complex
Completed in 2018, the City Point campus at Boulevard 26 consolidated City Hall, Library, and public spaces under one civic-center master plan replacing the prior 1980s City Hall on Loop 820. Source: City of NRH.
Year-round
Heritage
Smithfield Historic District
Smithfield, originally a separate 1880s farming community annexed by NRH in the 1950s, retains a small historic commercial cluster around Davis Boulevard and Smithfield Road. Source: TSHA; City of NRH.
Year-round
Retail
North Hills Mall era and the redevelopment after
The former North Hills Mall on Loop 820 was demolished in the late 2000s; the site was redeveloped into Walmart-anchored retail and the Bates Container campus. Source: Fort Worth Star-Telegram archives.
Ongoing
Known for
- NRH2O Family Water Park
- Iron Horse Golf Course
- TEXRail commuter rail stop
- North Hills Hospital
The Story of North Richland Hills
North Richland Hills is a child of the postwar suburban boom. In 1952 a dairyman named Clarence Jones began subdividing his 268-acre farm into a residential addition northeast of Fort Worth.
When nearby Richland Hills refused to annex the new neighborhood, residents formed their own city: on April 25, 1953, the Jones farm and its 500 residents incorporated as North Richland Hills.
The city grew by absorbing its older neighbor Smithfield — a farming community served by the Cotton Belt Railroad since 1887 — which voted to dissolve and join NRH in 1960, adding about 1,500 people.
From those dairy-farm beginnings, North Richland Hills has grown into one of Tarrant County's largest cities and a perennial pick among Texas's best places to live.
Sources: Texas State Historical Association, Handbook of Texas; City of North Richland Hills.
🗓️ 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 · North Richland Hills 7 activities →
Storytime, classes, camps, leagues, and open-play in North Richland Hills, sourced from libraries and partner orgs. Updated nightly · no manual data entry.
See all 7 kid activities →
Sports
NRH Hawks (Birdville ISD)
Birdville ISD + NRH2O Water Park
HS
Richland Rebels + Birdville Hawks
Both in BISD. Hurst-Euless rivalries.
Source: Birdville ISD
Water Park
NRH2O Family Water Park
City-operated water park on Grapevine Hwy — wave pool, slides, lazy river.
Source: City of NRH
Rec
NRH Centre + Iron Horse Golf
Conference space + Recreation Center + Iron Horse Municipal Golf.
Source: City of NRH
Trails
Cotton Belt + Walker Branch
Trail network connecting NRH neighborhoods to Loop 820 + TEXRail.
Source: City of NRH
⭐ 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 North Richland Hills
Kids, library, sports, fitness, classes, camps, open play — sourced from libraries, parks, and partner orgs across North Richland Hills.
event
NRH2O Family Water Park — Summer Season
Memorial Day–Labor Day 2026
City of NRH · 9001 Grapevine Hwy
story-time
NRH Library Storytime
Weekly · times vary
NRH Library · 9015 Grand Ave, NRH
class
NRH2O Junior Lifeguard Program
Multiple sessions
NRH2O Family Water Park · 9001 Boulevard 26, NRH
story-time
Toddler Storytime — NRH Library
Weekly
North Richland Hills Library · 9015 Grand Ave, North Richland Hills
event
NRH Summer Reading Program
June–August
North Richland Hills Library · 9015 Grand Ave, North Richland Hills
camp
NRH Centre Summer Day Camp
Week-long sessions
NRH Centre · 6000 Hawk Ave, North Richland Hills
Civic & Government
Civic & Government
NRH city hall, schools, and county connection
Government
Council-manager government with seven-member council
NRH operates under a council-manager form of government with a mayor elected at-large and six council members elected from numbered places. The city manager runs day-to-day operations from City Hall at 4301 City Point Drive. Source: City of NRH.
Mayor
Mayor leads at-large council
The mayor of North Richland Hills is elected citywide and presides over the seven-member council that sets policy, approves the budget, and appoints the city manager. Source: City of NRH.
Schools
Birdville ISD is the primary district
Birdville ISD, headquartered in Haltom City, serves most of North Richland Hills, with portions in Keller ISD, Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD, and Grapevine-Colleyville ISD on the city's edges. Source: Birdville ISD.
County
City sits in Tarrant County (judge Tim O'Hare)
NRH is fully within Tarrant County, whose commissioners court is led by County Judge Tim O'Hare, elected in 2022. The city sits in the northeast quadrant of the county along Loop 820. Source: Tarrant County.
Reach the right desk
By the Numbers
NRH by the Numbers
Census + ISD + tax
Pop
71,564 (recent Census)
Among the larger Mid-Cities communities. Source: Census.
Source: City + ISD records
BISD
~22,637 students, B rating
Birdville covers NRH + Haltom City + Watauga + Richland Hills. Source: TEA.
Source: City + ISD records
Area
18.3 sq mi
Bordered by FW S, Richland Hills SW, Watauga N, Hurst E. Source: Wikipedia.
Source: City + ISD records
Heritage
Born from 1953 Jones Farm subdivision
Clarence Jones's 268-acre dairy farm subdivision became NRH after annexation to Richland Hills was denied. Source: TSHA.
Source: City + ISD records
Population
71,564
Type
city
School District
birdville-isd
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 North Richland Hills
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 North Richland Hills?
Birdville ISD primarily serves North Richland Hills, with portions zoned into Keller ISD (on the north side) and Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD (small southeast slice). Birdville enrolls approximately 22,637 students; Keller ISD earned a B (85) o…
All North Richland Hills Q&As → Community Voice
History
Founded 1953
From Smithfield farmland to a Mid-Cities anchor
North Richland Hills incorporated on August 15, 1953, formed from the small farming community of Smithfield and surrounding rural acreage north of Richland Hills, itself a postwar Fort Worth suburb. The name was chosen to differentiate the new municipality from already-incorporated Richland Hills directly to its south. Growth exploded in the 1960s and 1970s as Loop 820 was completed and Bell Helicopter expansion in Hurst pulled workers into the area, vaulting population from a few hundred in 1953 past 16,000 by 1970 and past 45,000 by 1990. The Smithfield district, the city's only pre-incorporation settlement of note, was first established in the 1870s along a rail siding and remains a recognized historic area within NRH. Modern milestones include the 1995 opening of NRH2O water park, the 2018 City Point municipal campus, and TEXRail's 2019 arrival with Iron Horse and Smithfield stations. Sources: TSHA; City of North Richland Hills; Wikipedia.
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