Grand Prairie, Texas

Everything Grand Prairie is known for

5 songs mention this city 9 artists from here

Music in Grand Prairie

Songs About Grand Prairie

Grand Prairie
The Boy Scouts of America
83%
"TITLE"
On the Grand Prairie Texas
Dennis Fisher & University of North Texas Symphonic Band
80%
"On the Grand Prairie Texas"
Grand Prairie, TX: Homesick Blues
Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer
79%
"Grand Prairie, Texas, home on the range"
Grand Prairie
Alpha Shakes
78%
"TITLE"
Grand Prairie
Tim Reisert
78%
"TITLE"

Artists From Grand Prairie

S
Selena Gomez
pop Pop: 81
K
Kaash Paige
r-n-b Pop: 64
W
Whey Jennings
country Pop: 31
J
Joel Adam Russel
country Pop: 27
S
Stephen Keech
gospel Pop: 22
A
Asia O’Hara
pop Pop: 15
N
Nikki McKibbin
rock Pop: 13
T
Tami
pop Pop: 1
E
Eric Vale
other Pop: 1

Rivers & Roads in Song near Grand Prairie

Songs written about the waterways and highways that run near Grand Prairie.

Interstate 20 13 songs Trinity River 10 songs Interstate 45 7 songs Texas State Highway 199 8 songs Interstate 35 42 songs Chisholm Trail 7 songs

Musical Heritage

The High School That Sent Out a Slugger and a ZZ Top Drummer RoadyGoat

Irving High School at 900 North O'Connor Road, the city's oldest high school, dating to 1929, has quietly turned out a couple of genuine standouts. Trevor Story was born in Irving in 1992 and starred here as a shortstop before the Colorado Rockies drafted him; he broke into the majors in spectacular fashion, becoming one of the most explosive power-hitting infielders in baseball and later signing with the Boston Red Sox. Decades earlier, these same halls educated a future rock star. Frank Beard, who grew up in the area and attended Irving High, went on to become the drummer for ZZ Top, the bearded Texas trio whose boogie-blues sound became one of the most recognizable in rock. The franchise punchline is that Beard is famously the one member of the band without the long beard. Between a big-league shortstop and the backbeat of a Texas rock institution, this ordinary-looking campus on O'Connor Road has a deeper bench than its scoreboard lets on. (Source: Wikipedia; irvingtexas.com.)

RoadyGoat → · 6.1 mi away

History of Grand Prairie

Grand Prairie, TX RoadyGoat

Grand Prairie has a long history with the defense and aviation industry. 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, which eventually became Airbus Helicopters, Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of Airbus Helicopters. Today, Airbus Helicopters, Inc. has its headquarters in Grand Prairie, making it a significant player in the aviation industry.

RoadyGoat →

When 18,000 People Built Warplanes on the Prairie RoadyGoat

In 1940 the federal government picked the flat ground beside Hensley Field for a wartime aircraft plant, and within months Grand Prairie was transformed. North American Aviation transferred trainer production here from California, and on March 30, 1941, the first AT-6 Texan rolled off the new assembly line. The plant turned out Texan trainers and the Navy's SNJ version by the thousands, then became the country's exclusive builder of the P-51C variant of the legendary Mustang fighter. At peak the factory was one of the most productive in the nation and the region's single largest employer, drawing tens of thousands of workers, many of them women, onto the line. The town felt it instantly: Grand Prairie's population was about 1,595 in 1940 and had ballooned to roughly 18,000 by 1945. When the war ended the contracts evaporated, but the plant didn't close for good, it just changed hands, and the sleepy depot town never went back to being small. This stretch of prairie helped win a world war one airframe at a time. (Source: Handbook of Texas.)

RoadyGoat →

Selena Gomez Was Born Here RoadyGoat

Before the platinum records, the streaming numbers, and the global fame, there was a baby born in Grand Prairie on July 22, 1992. Selena Marie Gomez came into the world here to teenage parents, Ricardo Gomez and Mandy Teefey, who named her after the Tejano superstar Selena Quintanilla, then near the height of her own fame. Gomez has spoken about a modest, tight-knit childhood, raised largely by her mother and grandparents after her parents divorced, and she got her first big break a short drive away on the Houston-shot kids' series Barney & Friends before Disney made her a household name. From there came a music and acting career that turned a girl from a Dallas suburb into one of the most-followed people on the planet. It's a useful reminder as you pass through: the working-class prairie towns of North Texas have a long habit of quietly producing people who go on to fill arenas. (Source: Wikipedia, Selena Gomez.)

RoadyGoat →

The Six Flags over Texas

1519

Flags of six different countries have been raised over Texas. In 1519 the land was claimed for Spain, whose explorers came later in search of silver and gold, but found buffalo, Indians and mirages. They planted the red and gold banner of Spain, with its lions and castles, beside the cross of the missionaries intent on converting the Red Men. The gold and white standard of France arrived in 1685 with the expedition of La Salle, the first resident Governor of Texas. Around a fort built near the Lavaca River, La Salle tried to establish a permanent colony for his King. He failed and in 1687 was killed by his own men. French activity in Texas caused Spain to renew her interest. Finding the fort of La Salle in ruins, the Spaniards in 1689 began to build missions and presidios, and grant land for ranches and colonies. Smoldering rebellion in 1821 brought an end to Spanish rule. Afterward the green, white and red flag of Mexico--with its eagle, serpent and cactus--flew in Texas for 15 years. The settlers joined together in building towns, farming, fighting Indians. Then the policies of dictator Santa Anna provoked revolution. On March 2, 1836, the Texas Declaration of Independence was adopted and signed at Washington-on-the-Brazos. The Republic of Texas was born in the dark era of the fall of the Alamo, Goliad Massacre and "Runaway Scrape" of settlers fleeing before the coming of Santa Anna and his army. The glorious victory of the Texans at San Jacinto on April 2, 1836, established the sovereignty of the Lone Star Flag. As a nation, Texas built towns and mills; developed strong commerce; fought against the Indians and foreign raiders; established patterns of justice, with homestead acts and other laws; and won the respect of all the world. However, after nine yeas as a Republic, the people voted in favor of annexation to the United States. On February 16, 1846, the Lone Star banner became a state flag and Texas took her position as the 28th star in the United States flag. Until 1861 no other state adopted a flag, but the Lone Star has been the pride of Texas through all the years since 1836. For 4 years, 1861-1865, the stars and bars of the Confederate States of America flew over Texas. 90,000 Texans served the South. The state supplied large amounts of cotton, food and other goods. At the end of the Civil War, Old Glory with its stars and stripes again was raised. Some other flags have flown somewhat briefly over parts of Texas, but the six national banners shown here are those of enduring history. The exhibits associated with the Six Flags over Texas make vivid the colorful history of the Lone Star State.

Historical Marker → · 4.2 mi away

Avion Village

1941

As early as the mid-1940s, housing was scarce in Dallas as well as in other centers of defense production and military activity throughout the nation. The private housing industry was unable to keep up with the demand for shelter in these areas. Some federal officials saw the situation as an opportunity for experimentation in architecture and planning, as well as establishment of a pilot program aimed at lowering the cost of quality housing through the use of prefabrication and mass production building techniques. Defense housing officials also wanted to introduce industrial workers to mutual home ownership as an alternative to traditional suburban home ownership. Avion Village was one of several early developments intended to be permanent additions to community housing stock. The facility's layout promoted both privacy and resident interaction. Built under the auspices of the Federal Works Agency and its assistant administrator, Texas native Lawrence Westbrook, the facilities were designed by Roscoe DeWitt and David R. Williams in cooperation with Richard J. Neutra. Avion Village was launched amid high media attention in May 1941 as two teams of workers raced to complete the first house in the planned 300-unit development. The first unit was built in less than one hour. The entire development was finished in 100 days with the help of an on-site makeshift prefabrication plant. Civilian employees of the North American Aviation Company were the first to live in the complex. The Avion Village Mutual Housing Corporation purchased the development from the federal government in 1948. Avion Village continues to be mutually owned by residents. (1999)

Historical Marker →

Grand Prairie Airfield

1940

(U. S. Navy Flight Training Facility) The Curtiss Flying Service Corporation of New York purchased 275 acres of land one mile west of the Grand Prairie city limits in 1929. The Curtiss Wright Airport of Fort Worth-Dallas was opened on this site in 1930. Though the airport and flying school were a sensation, they closed late in 1930 due to the Depression and the field became the Grand Prairie Municipal Airport. In 1940 Lou Foote purchased the property to establish his own flying school. The U. S. Navy chose the airfield as a primary training facility and purchased the land from Foote in June 1942 for $120,336. The naval development cost was approximately $823,000 which included two 1,500-foot hexagon landing mats, two personnel barracks, a hangar, new maintenance and operations buildings, roadways, sidewalks and utilities. About 1,000 men trained on this site during World War II, some flying at night without permanent landing lights. The field was regarded as an excellent training ground for its capabilities. At the close of World War II, the Navy discontinued its training operations at the Grand Prairie site, using it instead as an emergency landing field. In 1953 the Navy authorized the Department of the Army to use the installation for the air section (later the 149th Aviation Battalion) of the 49th Armored Division of the Texas National Guard. In 1962 the Army authorized the City of Grand Prairie to use 195 acres as a public airport. The city sold 127 acres in 1964 and built a larger airport south of this site. The 19th Aviation Battalion remained until 1976, when the airfield was closed. (1998)

Historical Marker →

Great Southwest Industrial District

1956

The Great Southwest Industrial District (GSWID) is a more than 8,000-acre industrial park in Arlington and Grand Prairie, Texas. Real estate mogul Angus G. Wynne, Jr. , established the GSWID in 1956, and it continues to be one of the largest master-planned industrial parks in Texas in the twenty-first century. Wynne, a World War II U. S. Navy veteran, returned home from duty and sought business and employment opportunities. With his business partners, in December 1945 Wynne purchased the American Home Realty Company. The business's Wynnewood housing development was a success, which inspired Wynne to explore more real estate and investment opportunities in the Arlington and Grand Prairie area. In 1955 the Texas Highway Department and the Texas Turnpike Authority began construction on the six-lane Dallas-Fort Worth Turnpike that would improve connectivity between the two cities and open the Arlington and Grand Prairie area to increased commercial and residential development. The turnpike (present-day IH-30) provided the perfect opportunity for development in the area, and in late 1955 Wynne envisioned constructing a large-scale industrial park. In 1956, along with New York real estate tycoon William Z. Zeckendorf, they purchased Paul Waggoner's 2,387-acre 3D Ranch estate, formerly the site of Arlington Downs racetrack . Wynne purchased additional land in the surrounding area and eventually amassed more than 5,000 acres, and formed the Great Southwest Corporation to oversee the large-scale project, which he dubbed the Great Southwest Industrial District. Wynne appointed himself president of the Great Southwest Corporation and hired experts in architecture , engineering, warehousing, and other fields to implement a series of design standards and architectural controls. At its outset, Wynne envisioned the GSWID to be the largest master-planned business park in the nation, with stringent deed restrictions and design specifications, and it set the standard for industrial and business development in the post-World War II era. The Great Southwest Corporation secured world-renowned architect I.M. Pei as consulting architect on the development, however, his position was primarily for marketing purposes, and it does not appear that he provided any direct contributions to the design or implementation of the project. Most of the initial work was completed by the firm Associated Architects and Land Planners, which consisted of architects Richard Colley , O'Neil Ford , A.B. Swank, Jr. and planner S.B. Zisman. O'Neil Ford was already a celebrated modern architect in Texas and had gained a reputation for his innovative design and engineering techniques, specifically his use of concrete. Ford, along with Richard Colley and engineer and architect Félix Candela of Mexico City, devised a new architectural feature of thin shell concrete, called hyperbolic paraboloids. Some of the earliest known examples of hyperbolic paraboloids were constructed on buildings within the GSWID. Plans for the GSWID included three separate "communities," north of the turnpike, south of the turnpike, and west of present-day SH 360. Each community was slated to be self-sustaining, with individual community cores consisting of hotels, restaurants, and other amenities. The Great Southwest Corporation created a stringent set of standards that regulated deed restrictions, signage, and building design to create a one-of-a-kind aesthetic. Construction on the first warehouse commenced in 1956, and by 1957 there were five buildings under construction that would include 300,000 square feet of floor area in the club restaurant area, as well as three multi-purpose industrial buildings of thin-shell concrete, including some featuring hyperbolic paraboloids. At that time, 750 acres of the GSWID were already under construction. The Great Southwest Corporation also succeeded in starting its own rail lane, the Great Southwest Railroad, which connected the industrial park to the Texas and

Tsha Handbook → · 4.3 mi away

Joe Pool Lake

1985

Joe Pool Lake, also known as Joe Poole Lake, Joe Pool Reservoir, and Lakeview, is on Mountain Creek in southwestern Dallas and southeastern Tarrant counties (at 32°38' N, 97°00' W). The northeastern corner of the lake is in the city limits of Dallas, and most of the remainder is in the city limits of Grand Prairie. The lake was named after Joe Pool, a congressman from Oak Cliff, and is operated by the Trinity River Authority for conservation, flood control, recreation, and municipal water supply. The dam, a rolled earthfill structure with a spillway elevation of 536 feet, was completed in December 1985, and impoundment of water began in January 1986. The lake was filled by June 1989. It covers 7,470 surface acres, has a conservation storage capacity of 176,900 acre-feet, and drains an area of 232 square miles. Recreation facilities at Joe Pool Lake include a number of parks, paved boat ramps and parking lots, public swimming areas, and a public marina. Loyd Park and Lynn Creek Park are on the lake's northern edge, Estes Park is between the two arms of the lake, and Pleasant Valley Park and Cedar Hill State Park are on its southern side. The lake is stocked with bass and catfish.

Tsha Handbook → · 4.3 mi away

Things to Do in Grand Prairie

historical 11.2 mi away
The Sixth Floor Museum

Where Lee Harvey Oswald fired from. The JFK assassination site at Dealey Plaza.
historical 11.2 mi away
Dealey Plaza

On November 22 1963 President John F Kennedy rode through Dealey Plaza in an open Lincoln convertible and was shot from the sixth floor window of the Texas…
quirky 14.0 mi away
Big Tex at the State Fair

A fifty-five-foot cowboy named Big Tex has welcomed visitors to the State Fair of Texas in Fair Park Dallas every fall since 1952. He booms howdy folks over a…
food 19.7 mi away
Joe T. Garcia's

Joe T opened his little family restaurant behind the packing plant in the Fort Worth Stockyards in 1935. There was no menu. His wife Jessie served whatever she…
historical 20.4 mi away
Fort Worth Stockyards

Daily cattle drives down the street. Honky-tonks and rodeos in the old West.
historical 20.5 mi away
Billy Bob's Texas

Billy Bob's opened in 1981 in an old cattle barn in the Fort Worth Stockyards and at one hundred twenty-seven thousand square feet it is the largest honky-tonk…
food 12.6 mi away
Pecan Lodge

Dallas' best BBQ. The beef rib alone is worth the drive.
spooky 16.7 mi away
Lady of White Rock Lake

Since the 1930s drivers along White Rock Lake report picking up a soaking-wet woman in a white dress. She asks for a ride home then vanishes leaving the seat…
day trip
Day Trip to Grand Prairie: 🐎 BBQ, Horse Racing, Indoor Rock Climbing (FULL EPISODE)

Featured on The Daytripper — a full-episode local travel guide.

Sports in Grand Prairie

⭐ HOMETOWN LEGENDS Class 6A · Football

South Grand Prairie The Warriors — South Grand Prairie — a college & pro athletic pipeline

5 alumni who reached major-college or pro sports

South Grand Prairie High School, a Class 6A institution, has a proud history of athletes moving on to major college and professional sports. The dedication fostered in Grand Prairie has propelled many Warriors to higher levels of competition. This tradition includes athletes like Remi Ayodele, a professional football player, and Jennifer McFalls, an Olympic softball gold medalist. Their journeys highlight the athletic development nurtured within the South Grand Prairie community.

The school's alumni also feature Josh Stephan, a professional baseball player, and Jonathan Villanueva, a professional soccer player. Craig Woodson, a professional football player, further adds to the list of Warriors who have achieved professional careers. These individuals represent the diverse athletic talents that have emerged from South Grand Prairie High School, showcasing a range of sports at the professional and Olympic levels.

Pro/D1 alumni
5
Class
6A
Founded
1969
Key Players
  • Remi Ayodele — , professional football player
  • Jennifer McFalls — , Olympic softball gold medalist in 2000
  • Josh Stephan — , professional baseball player
  • Jonathan Villanueva — , professional soccer player
  • Craig Woodson — , professional football player
The moment

Jennifer McFalls was an Olympic softball gold medalist.

Sources: Wikipedia · SI High School (ScoreBook Live)

Everything Near Grand Prairie

1795 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.

Explore Grand Prairie on the Map
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