The history of the Southwest Metroplex has been defined by the explosive growth experienced within the DFW region in the past 60 years. The special collections department of UNT Libraries holds fascinating evidence of this growth in the form of original documents, photographs and collections of personal papers, however many of these resources have been hidden away for far too long. Over the next two years the UNT special collection department, through the assistance of the Council of Library and Information Resources and the Andrew Mellon Foundation, will make these resources available to the community.<\/p>\r\n
Collections identified as part of this project relate to urban planning, politics, industry, industrial education and major infrastructure projects in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metropolitan area of North Texas. Topics included in these collections are especially relevant today– affordable housing, urban design, transportation (highway expansion, mass transit), crime, education and employment.<\/p>\r\n
The papers of Texas Representative Lanny Hall document his constituent’s concerns during years of massive growth in Fort Worth and Arlington as well as political redistricting taking place on the state level (1979-1984.) The planning and creation of DFW International Airport are well documented in the archive of Texas Metro magazine and in the papers of Dr. John T. Thompson (1966-1975). Collections reveal how implementation of the federal Model Cities program (1966-1974) and the Community Development Block Grant programs of the 1970\u2019s affected North Texas. These files contain detailed documents and maps submitted by municipalities across four counties. Site proposals for the Superconducting Super Collider contain extensive documentation of the North Texas site chosen for the project in 1987<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The history of the Southwest Metroplex has been defined by the explosive growth experienced within the DFW region in the past 60 years. The special collections department of UNT Libraries holds fascinating evidence of this growth in the form of original documents, photographs and collections of personal papers, however many of these resources have been… Read more »<\/a>","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p60UnY-i","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":126,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/2015\/05\/19\/the-texas-triangle\/","url_meta":{"origin":18,"position":0},"title":"The Texas Triangle","author":"UNT Special Collections","date":"May 19, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 The collections being exposed within the Southwest Metroplex blog all share the chaos and excitement that overcame the Dallas-Fort Worth area in the decades following World War II. UNT\u2019s Special Collections department houses items documenting the enormous population boom in North Texas, tremendous strides made in transportation and urban\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"dfwstats","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/05\/dfwstats-400x502.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":284,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/2015\/09\/09\/tmpa-and-the-gibbons-creek-steam-electric-station\/","url_meta":{"origin":18,"position":1},"title":"TMPA and the Gibbons Creek Steam Electric Station","author":"Alexandra","date":"September 9, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Where would our world be without electricity? Well, we\u2019d certainly be in the dark! It\u2019s hard to believe now that people used to thrive with nothing but sunshine and candlelight. Cities in North Texas began to get electricity in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, but its usage was\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"electricity\"","block_context":{"text":"electricity","link":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/tag\/electricity\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Architectural Rendering of the Gibbons Creek Power Project","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/09\/UNTA_BA18-028-002_11-740x539.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/09\/UNTA_BA18-028-002_11-740x539.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/09\/UNTA_BA18-028-002_11-740x539.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":229,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/2015\/08\/03\/golden-triangle-communications-and-catv\/","url_meta":{"origin":18,"position":2},"title":"Golden Triangle Communications and CATV","author":"Alexandra","date":"August 3, 2015","format":"gallery","excerpt":"\u00a0 In 2015, there aren\u2019t many people who pay a cable bill anymore. Instead, they opt for streaming services that offer more flexibility with a much lower cost. However, it wasn\u2019t long ago when people were so excited to get a clear picture on their TV\u2019s, they\u2019d eagerly pay the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"cable\"","block_context":{"text":"cable","link":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/tag\/cable\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Golden Triangle Communications, Inc. Logo. Taken from Cable Television Proposal Prepared for Denton, Texas. Tom Harpool Collection, University of North Texas Special Collections.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/08\/gtclogo-400x266.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":145,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/2015\/05\/18\/ennis-national-polka-festival\/","url_meta":{"origin":18,"position":3},"title":"Ennis National Polka Festival","author":"UNT Special Collections","date":"May 18, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"The Lester Strother collection not only contains information about the growth and development of the Southwest Metroplex, but also surrounding communities and other regions throughout Texas. Many small towns that were just beginning to grow would send information to the Texas Metro Magazine about upcoming events to\u00a0attract people from the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Brave Combo\"","block_context":{"text":"Brave Combo","link":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/tag\/brave-combo\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/05\/ennis02-1-740x469.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/05\/ennis02-1-740x469.jpeg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/05\/ennis02-1-740x469.jpeg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/05\/ennis02-1-740x469.jpeg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":212,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/2015\/07\/29\/the-north-central-texas-council-of-governments\/","url_meta":{"origin":18,"position":4},"title":"The North Central Texas Council of Governments","author":"Alexandra","date":"July 29, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"After the second World War, people across the nation were staking claims in North Texas. In Fort Worth, the population jumped 57% between 1940 and 1950 (177,662 to 278,778), and the population mushroomed another 28% by 1960 (up to 356,268). And in Dallas, the population rose 47% between 1940 and\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"North Central Texas Council of Government Planning Group Records, University of North Texas Special Collections. ","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/07\/img003-740x572.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/07\/img003-740x572.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/07\/img003-740x572.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/07\/img003-740x572.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":327,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/2015\/09\/23\/fort-worths-aviation-industry\/","url_meta":{"origin":18,"position":5},"title":"Fort Worth’s Aviation Industry","author":"Alexandra","date":"September 23, 2015","format":"gallery","excerpt":"Everyone everywhere was hit hard by the depression in the 1930s, but some areas were more resilient than others. Fort Worth was one of those cities that enjoyed a profitable comeback, and it was largely due to the area\u2019s burgeoning aviation industry as the country prepared to enter the second\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"aviation\"","block_context":{"text":"aviation","link":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/tag\/aviation\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"An Assembly Line at Bell Helicopter in Fort Worth","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/09\/UNTA_AR0327-018-001_01-740x603.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/09\/UNTA_AR0327-018-001_01-740x603.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/09\/UNTA_AR0327-018-001_01-740x603.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/09\/UNTA_AR0327-018-001_01-740x603.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":593,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18\/revisions\/593"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}