Tarrant is one of the counties on the north-central side of Texas. The largest town in Tarrant County is Fort Worth, with an approximate area of 920.9 km². Tarrant County had a population of 2,110,640 (3rd populous county in Texas) during the 2020 census.

Tarrant comprises some cities such as; Arlington, Fort Worth, Bedford, Grapevine, Colleyville, Azle, Blue Mound, Keller, Burleson, Mansfield, Benbrook, and Crowley. The County seat is Fort Worth.

Tarrant County Major Highways

Four major highways pass through and within Tarrant County’s borders. These are:

State Highway 10, 26, 97, 114, 121, 161, 170, 183, 303, and 360
Interstate 20, 30, 35W, and 820
Farm to Market Road 156 and 157
United States Highway 81, 287, 287 Bus, and 377

History of Tarrant County

European pioneers settled in the present-day Tarrant County during the 16th century. Hasinai Caddos and Tonkawas are amongst the groups thought to have been in the area at the time. Comanches, Wichitas, and Kiowas later moved into the county in the early 1700s.

White settlers who came to the county fought with the indigenous inhabitants. In 1841, General Edward H. Tarrant led a 70-man troop into the battle of village creek by destroying and seizing three Indian Villages. The expedition wiped out the Indian settlements from the county.

General Edward Tarrant’s forces built a Fort Bird outpost near Village Creek in August 1841. The forces named the outpost after Captain Jonathan Bird. However, the forces abandoned the outpost following a threatening attack from the Comanches.

In 1843, the Anglo-American and Indian settlers divided and re-occupied the area after signing a treaty. Other immigrants from Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia settled in the county later. The area had deep clay & loamy soils and water for farming.

Settlers established Tarrant County on December 20, 1849, and named it after General Edward Tarrant. They later organized Tarrant County in August 1850, the year they held their first elections. In the 1870s, clashes between White settlers and Comanches & Kiowas continued.

Other historical communities include Ederville, Bransford, Handley, Oak Grove, Belt Junction, Garden Acres, Johnson Station, Bisbee, and Center Point.

Geography of Tarrant County

Tarrant County has 902 square miles of area. The land part covers 864 square miles and the water part 39 square miles. It is 32°45′ on the northern latitude and 97°17′ on the western latitude.

The gently sloping terrain elevates from 420 to 960 feet above sea level. The Trinity River drains throughout the county from the northwestern to the southeastern region.

The following counties border Edwards County:

Denton County borders it to the northern side
Dallas to the eastern side
Parker to the western side
Johnson on the southern side
Val Verde on the west side
Ellis to the southeast
Wise to the northwest

Tarrant County Demographics

According to the 2019 Census, approximately 2,102,515 people were living within Tarrant County’s borders. Among these people, about 72.6% identified themselves as white only, 17.9% were black or African American, 45.3% white but not Hispanic and Latinos, 5.8% were Asian, 0.3% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, and 2.6% consisted of the population of more than two ethnic races.

Around 26.0% of the households have children under the age of 18 years old. Roughly 6.8% of the population consists of children under five years of age.

About 11.6% of persons are 65 years & above, 51.1% female, and 48.9% male. About 87.2% of the population aged 5+ years speaks English at home. That means 29.0% of the population speaks another language at home apart from English. One hundred eight thousand three hundred twenty-nine veterans were residing in Tarrant County between 2015 – 2019.

Tarrant County Offices

Several county offices are located throughout Tarrant, including the Sheriff’s Office, County Judge, Commissioner’s Court, District Attorney’s office, Clerk of County, and Tax Assessor/Collector, and many others:

County Judge: Judge B. Glen Whitley is the county judge who serves as the Tarrant County judicial branch head. He oversees the meeting agendas, court calendars, and all legal matters about the county.

His office is at 100 East Weatherford Street Fort Worth, Texas 76196. You can contact him via phone at 817-884-1441. You can find him during business hours from 8.00 am to 5.00 pm.

Sheriff: Sheriff Bill E. Waybourn is the Tarrant County sheriff who oversees law enforcement activities in the area. His office is at 200 Taylor Street – 7th Floor Fort Worth, Texas 76196. You can contact the sheriff’s department via phone by calling 817-884-3099.

Commissioners Court: This department comprises four precinct commissioners who oversee the jurisdictions of Tarrant County. You can reach Tarrant County Commissioner’s Court at the County Administration Building 100 E. Weatherford Room 502A Fort Worth, Texas 76196.

Precinct 1 Commissioner: Roy Charles Brooks’ office address is at 6551 Granbury Rd. Fort Worth, TX 76133. You can contact him via phone at (817) 370-4500.
Precinct 2 Commissioner: Devan Allen’s office address is 700 E Abram St # 304, Arlington, TX 76010. You can contact her via phone at 817-248-6099 or send mail at [email protected].
Precinct 3 Commissioner: Gary Fickes’s office address is 645 Grapevine Highway, Suite 200 Hurst, Texas 76054. You can contact him via phone at 817-248-6295.
Precinct 4 Commissioner: J.D. Johnson’s office address is 6713 Telephone Road, Suite 301 Fort Worth, Texas 76135. You can contact him via phone at 817-238-4400.

County Clerk: Mary Louise Nicholson is the county clerk of Tarrant County. Her office is at 100 W Weatherford St, Fort Worth, TX 76196. You can contact her via phone at 817-884-1195. You can also send her mail at [email protected].

District Clerk: Thomas A. Wilder is the district clerk of Tarrant county. His office address is 100 N. Calhoun St. Fort Worth, Texas 76196. You can contact his office at 817-884-1574.

District Attorney: Sharen Wilson is the district attorney of Tarrant county. She handles criminal cases involving state laws.

Her office address is 401 West Belknap Fort Worth, Texas 76196. You can contact her via phone at 817-884-1400.

Tarrant County Elections Administration Office

The Tarrant County Elections office is at 2700 Premier Street Fort Worth, TX 76111. However, you can reach the election department via phone at 817-831-8683 during business hours on Monday to Friday from 8 am – 5 pm.

County Tax Assessor-Collector: Wendy Burgess is the Tax Assessor-Collector of Tarrant County. Her office address is 100 E. Weatherford Street Fort Worth, Texas 76196. Contact her via 817-884-1100.