When will Ft Worth surpass Austin in Population?

[JJG]

Originally Posted by doctorjef

Frankly when I lived there I always thought of Fort Worth as more Midwestern than Western. Still do, actually. BTW, my maternal lineage all lived 20 miles north of FW from before the Civil War until gradually dying or moving away well after WWII. I was around FW from my earliest childhood and I won't let some of the wishful thinking bs on this thread go unchallenged.

What?

[ClarenceBodiker]

Originally Posted by JJG

... speaking as a young native of the city who's seeing it grow, and a strong advocate of more thoughtful urban development, the WORST thing Fort Worth could do be "sleepy". For a city that's expected to have around a million within two decades, that "small town charm" will eventually go away anyway.

As far as Fort Worth's identity as the most western city in Texas, I wouldn't want that to go away because it's a big part of what the city is known for. But as far as the slow, small town part, we can't have that anymore. It's slowed down much of the progress in this city as far as infrastructure goes. People hanging on to the whole small town feel thing has really hurt Fort Worth in a few areas as a major city.

And it's not me "rooting" for population increases, it's just truth. Unless there's a major reverse in what makes people move there, I don't see Fort Worth getting smaller anytime soon, and we have to change a few things about the city in order to accommodate to those living in the city.

I'm not saying I want things to stay exactly the same or not grow at all. Obviously, transportation infrastructure is one area that "small town" thinking has kept Fort Worth behind. Public transportation sucks, and 820 should have been expanded when I was a kid! Now it's just pathetic!

But I also don't get people who are obsessed with population numbers and hoping Fort Worth explodes. Fort Worth needs to focus on smart growth and retaining what makes Fort Worth, Fort Worth. When I see that Fort Worth grew 30% or whatever in the last decade, and then I see all this new annexed land in northern Fort Worth with mile after mile of suburban, tract starter homes, I can't help but think this isn't necessarily a great thing or smart growth. When I see people wanting more skyscrapers downtown, I think, well, do we even have anything to put in those buildings?

Nevertheless, downtown Fort Worth, the cultural district, and near Southside look fantastic and are more lively and built up than I've ever seen in my entire life. So Fort Worth is obviously doing a lot of things right, and I can't complain too much.

[ClarenceBodiker]

Frankly when I lived there I always thought of Fort Worth as more Midwestern than Western. Still do, actually. BTW, my maternal lineage all lived 20 miles north of FW from before the Civil War until gradually dying or moving away well after WWII. I was around FW from my earliest childhood and I won't let some of the wishful thinking bs on this thread go unchallenged.

What?

Yeah, I'm not sure what you're referring to, either, Doc. What "wishful thinking"?

[Exult.Q36]

Originally Posted by ClarenceBodiker

I'm not saying I want things to stay exactly the same or not grow at all. Obviously, transportation infrastructure is one area that "small town" thinking has kept Fort Worth behind. Public transportation sucks, and 820 should have been expanded when I was a kid! Now it's just pathetic!

But I also don't get people who are obsessed with population numbers and hoping Fort Worth explodes. Fort Worth needs to focus on smart growth and retaining what makes Fort Worth, Fort Worth. When I see that Fort Worth grew 30% or whatever in the last decade, and then I see all this new annexed land in northern Fort Worth with mile after mile of suburban, tract starter homes, I can't help but think this isn't necessarily a great thing or smart growth. When I see people wanting more skyscrapers downtown, I think, well, do we even have anything to put in those buildings?

Nevertheless, downtown Fort Worth, the cultural district, and near Southside look fantastic and are more lively and built up than I've ever seen in my entire life. So Fort Worth is obviously doing a lot of things right, and I can't complain too much.

Near southside and the hospital district has really made a huge come up. I can't wait to get back home to explore.

[ClarenceBodiker]

Yeah, Magnolia is really popping now. It's my favorite area in Fort Worth. Lots of cool bars that rival anything I've been to in Dallas or Austin.

[JJG]

Originally Posted by ClarenceBodiker

I'm not saying I want things to stay exactly the same or not grow at all. Obviously, transportation infrastructure is one area that "small town" thinking has kept Fort Worth behind. Public transportation sucks, and 820 should have been expanded when I was a kid! Now it's just pathetic!

But I also don't get people who are obsessed with population numbers and hoping Fort Worth explodes. Fort Worth needs to focus on smart growth and retaining what makes Fort Worth, Fort Worth. When I see that Fort Worth grew 30% or whatever in the last decade, and then I see all this new annexed land in northern Fort Worth with mile after mile of suburban, tract starter homes, I can't help but think this isn't necessarily a great thing or smart growth. When I see people wanting more skyscrapers downtown, I think, well, do we even have anything to put in those buildings?

Nevertheless, downtown Fort Worth, the cultural district, and near Southside look fantastic and are more lively and built up than I've ever seen in my entire life. So Fort Worth is obviously doing a lot of things right, and I can't complain too much.

If there's one thing alot of us in Fort Worth are fighting for, it's SMART growth.

Fort Worthology | Traditional urbanism, smart growth, transit, bicycles, urban living, and sustainability in Fort Worth, Texas.