Grand Prairie is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, located in Dallas, Tarrant, and Ellis counties with a small part extending into Johnson county. It is part of the Mid-Cities region in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It had a population of 175,396 according to the 2010 census, making it the fifteenth most populous city in the state. Remaining the 15th-most populous city in Texas, the 2020 census reported a population of 196,100.
History
The city of Grand Prairie was first established as Dechman by Alexander McRae Dechman in 1863. He based the name of the town on Big Prairie, Ohio. Prior to then, he resided in Young County near Fort Belknap. The 1860 U.S. Federal Census—Slave Schedules shows an A McR Dechman as having four slaves, ages 50, 25, 37 and 10. Dechman learned that he could trade his oxen and wagons for land in Dallas County. In 1863, Dechman bought of land on the eastern side of the Trinity River and of timber land on the west side of the river for a broken-down wagon, oxen team and US$200 in Confederate money. He tried to establish a home on the property, but ran into difficulties, so he returned to his family in Birdville before joining in the Civil War. In 1867, Dechman filed a town plat with Dallas County, consisting of .
After the war, Dechman returned to Birdville for two years before selling that farm in 1867 and moving to Houston, where yellow fever broke out, causing the family to settle in Bryan. In 1876, Dechman traded half his "prairie" property to the T&P Railroad to ensure the railroad came through the town. The railroad named the depot "Dechman", prompting its namesake to relocate his home from Bryan to Dechman. His son Alexander had been living in Dechman and operating a trading post and farm. The first church in the area was the Good Hope Cumberland Sabbath School, established in 1870 by Rev. Andrew Hayter. The church was later renamed West Fork United Presbyterian Church and remains an active church.Texas State Historical Marker 5760
The first U.S. post office opened in 1877 under the name "Deckman" rather than "Dechman", because the U.S. Postal Service could not read the writing on the form completed to open the post office. Later that same year, after the Postal Service had adopted the "Deckman" name, confusion resulted from the T&P Railroad designation "Grand Prairie". This name was based on maps drawn from around 1850 through 1858 that labeled the area between Dallas and Fort Worth "the grand prairie of Texas". In order to alleviate the confusion, the Postal Service named the post office "Grand Prairie".
The town of Grand Prairie was eventually incorporated as a city in 1909. During World War I and since, Grand Prairie has had a long history with the defense and aviation industry. While the present-day Vought plant on Jefferson Avenue is part of a small strip within the Dallas city limits, it was originally in Grand Prairie. During World War II, the North American Aviation Plant B produced the Consolidated B-24 Liberator and the P-51C and K Mustang variants. After the war, Vought Aircraft took over the plant. This later became Ling-Temco-Vought (LTV), then eventually returned to the Vought moniker. The plant was the production site for the F-8 Crusader and the A-7 Corsair II aircraft of the 1950–1989 time period. The LTV Missile and Space division produced missiles such as the Scout and MLRS. This division was eventually sold to Lockheed Martin, which continues to operate in Grand Prairie. Grand Prairie was also the North American headquarters for Aérospatiale Helicopter. This company eventually became Airbus Helicopters, Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of Airbus Helicopters.
In 1953, the mayor and city council of Grand Prairie attempted to annex nearly of then-unincorporated and largely undeveloped land in southern Dallas and Tarrant counties. Vehement debate ensued, and the legal pressure from cities such as Arlington, Duncanville and Irving wound up overturning part of the annexation attempt. In 2025, the city annexed nearly 900 acres along its southern boundary to facilitate the Goodland master-planned community, which is planned to include housing, schools, parks and commercial areas.
Geography Grand Prairie is located along the border between Tarrant and Dallas counties, with a small portion extending south into Ellis County. The city is bordered by Dallas to the east, Cedar Hill and Midlothian to the southeast, Mansfield to the southwest, Arlington to the west, Fort Worth to the northwest, and Irving to the north.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 11.08%, is water.
The West Fork of the Trinity River and a major tributary, Johnson Creek, flow through Grand Prairie.
Grand Prairie has a long history of flooding from Johnson Creek. In the 1980s, a major Army Corps of Engineers project was begun to straighten the channel, which has reduced the damage of flooding.
Climate Grand Prairie is part of the humid subtropical region.
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition +Grand Prairie city, Texas – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 2000Pop 2010% 2000% 2010White alone (NH)60,11851,05839,30347.18%29.11%20.04%Black or African American alone (NH)16,94834,43646,36013.30%19.63%23.64%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)6787096700.53%0.40%0.34%Asian alone (NH)5,57411,32914,7784.37%6.46%7.54%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)591291720.05%0.07%0.09%Other race alone (NH)1572447920.12%0.14%0.40%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)1,8552,5985,2761.46%1.48%2.69%Hispanic or Latino (any race)42,03874,89388,74932.99%42.70%45.26%Total127,427175,396196,100100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Grand Prairie had a population of 196,100 and a median age of 33.7 years. 27.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 9.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 92.5 males age 18 and over.
As of the 2020 census, 99.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.2% lived in rural areas.
As of the 2020 census, there were 65,008 households in Grand Prairie, of which 41.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 48.4% were married-couple households, 17.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 27.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 21.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older, and the census also counted 46,391 families residing in the city. There were 68,284 housing units, of which 4.8% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.3%.
+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census Race Number Percent White 57,515 29.3% Black or African American 47,351 24.1% American Indian and Alaska Native 2,339 1.2% Asian 14,982 7.6% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 228 0.1% Some other race 38,114 19.4% Two or more races 35,571 18.1% Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 88,749 45.3%
Government Local government
According to the city's 2007–2008 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the city's various funds had $275.5 million in revenues, $236.4 million in expenditures, $1,003.2 million in total assets, $424.9 million in total liabilities, and $305.9 million in cash and investments.City of Grand Prairie CAFR Retrieved 2009-07-16
The Parkland Health & Hospital System (Dallas County Hospital District) operates the E. Carlyle Smith, Jr. Health Center in Grand Prairie."Clinic Sites and Services: " Parkland Health & Hospital System. Retrieved on October 25, 2012.
Grand Prairie as of 2012 has 320 municipal police officers.
The city of Grand Prairie is a voluntary member of the North Central Texas Council of Governments association, the purpose of which is to coordinate individual and collective local governments and facilitate regional solutions, eliminate unnecessary duplication, and enable joint decisions.
Federal representation The Bureau of Prisons (BOP), of the U.S. Department of Justice runs the Grand Prairie Office Complex on the grounds of the Grand Prairie Armed Forces Reserve Complex."Grand Prairie Office Complex ." Federal Bureau of Prisons. Retrieved on January 9, 2010. Within the complex the BOP operates the Designation and Sentence Computation Center (DSCC), which calculates federal sentences, keeps track of the statutory "good time" accumulated by inmates and lump sum extra "good time" awards, and detainers.Zych, C. "Admission and Orientation Handbook Federal Correctional Institution Milan, Michigan ." Federal Bureau of Prisons. 6 (8 of 24). Retrieved on May 8, 2010. The BOP South Central Office is also on the armed forces complex grounds."RO South Central." Federal Bureau of Prisons. Retrieved on June 1, 2015. "US ARMED FORCES RESERVE CMPL GRAND PRAIRIE, TX 75051"
Economy
According to the city's 2023 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,Grand Prairie 2023 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report the top employers in the city were:
# Employer # of Employees 1Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control5,000 2 Grand Prairie Independent School District 3,800 3Poly-America Inc.2,000 4City of Grand Prairie1,706 5Flex-N-Gate 1,200 6Lear Seating1,105 7Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie950 8Forterra Pipe & Products Inc.950 9Republic National Distribution800 10K & N Filters800
Airbus Helicopters, Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of Airbus Helicopters, has its headquarters in Grand Prairie."Contact Us ." American Eurocopter. Retrieved on December 8, 2010. "American Eurocopter 2701 N. Forum Drive Grand Prairie, TX 75052."
In 1978 American Airlines announced that it would move its headquarters from New York City to the Dallas/Fort Worth area."American Airlines Finishes Moving into Headquarters Monday." Associated Press at Ocala Star-Banner. January 16, 1983. 6A. Google News 4 of 62. Retrieved on August 27, 2009. The airline moved its headquarters into two leased office buildings in Grand Prairie. The airline finished moving into its Fort Worth headquarters facility on January 17, 1983, when the airline left its Grand Prairie facility.
Attractions
In 1997 Lone Star Park opened, where each Memorial Day the Thoroughbred Meeting is held, with seven stakes races worth just over $1 million. In 2000 GPX Skate Park was opened next to Lone Star Park. It hosted the 2001 and 2002 X Games trials. The park closed in 2005 and was reopened in June 2006 by the Grand Prairie Parks and Recreation committee. Texas Trust CU Theatre previously, The Theatre at Grand Prairie and The Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie, NextStage and Nokia Live, is in Grand Prairie, and it hosts concerts and other events. Prairie Lights is a seasonal display, featuring more than three million lights on more than 500 lighted displays. In 1973, Traders Village was opened off of Mayfield Road, and State Highway 360. It describes itself as the largest flea market in Texas, open on weekends from 7 A.M. until dusk. The Grand Prairie AirHogs minor league baseball team and their stadium, The Ballpark in Grand Prairie, were established in Grand Prairie in May 2007 and started play in May 2008. The team ceased operations after the 2020 season. The Uptown Theatre in downtown Grand Prairie is a playhouse and venue for concerts. The National Recreation and Parks Association (NRPA) bestowed its highest national award, the Gold Medal Award, to the Grand Prairie, Texas Parks and Recreation Department at the 2008 NRPA's Congress and Exposition in Baltimore. Grand Prairie, Texas won the award in the population group of 100,000-250,000, once again being a finalist for the award in 2016. Located near I-30 and Beltline Rd, Turner Park became Grand Prairie's Heritage (first ever) Park back in the 1940s and features one of the top disc golf courses in North Texas.