A Desirable Fort Worth Neighborhood Blending History With Modern Amenities

Ask someone to describe their ideal community, and you’ll get different responses. As you pose this question to a more people, common themes start to emerge. “Safety.” “Close to amenities.” “Green spaces.” “Easy to get around.” “Things to do.” “Good schools.”

If these descriptors align with your vision of an ideal community, then you need to look at Arlington Heights and its surrounding communities. It has real history, which is evident in the charming historical homes on some residential streets and the red brick of Camp Bowie Blvd. Arlington Heights residents are close to the best of Fort Worth’s amenities, making this a popular area with retirees, families, and young professionals alike. According to Neighborhood.com, “The Arlington Heights area of Fort Worth is consistently ranked as one of the best places to live in the city.” Let us detail why you need to consider Arlington Heights.

Arlington Heights Location

During the neighborhood’s boomtime, the Roaring Twenties, a short trolley ride dropped suburban residents downtown. In modern times, its proximity to the business and cultural district is still highly appealing. It’s roughly three miles west of the Central Business District. Reaching further destinations is as simple as jumping on the I-30 and Chisholm Trail Parkway.

Some sources will include North Hi Mount, Hillcrest, Monticello, Crestwood, and Como as part of the Arlington Heights area. The area designated by the Arlington Heights neighborhood association as “Arlington Heights” is shaped like a triangle, enclosed by I-30 on the South and West, by Montgomery Street to the East, and Camp Bowie Blvd on the North.

For a better picture, please see this map of Arlington Heights. You can clearly see Arlington Height’s proximity to Fort Worth’s museums, parks, and business centers. Historic Camp Bowie Blvd bisects the greater Arlington Heights area. This important corridor means residents never have to travel far to access professional services, dine out, or go shopping.

Arlington Heights Roots

Arlington Heights’ roots origins reach back to the 1850s when it was part of ranch land. Some areas saw residential development in the 1890s. However, researcher and historian Wini Klein says only a handful of homes had been built by the turn of the century in today’s Arlington Heights.

A push towards real development began in 1906 when a Denver-based developer began laying out the neighborhood. This “Chamberlin Arlington Heights” platting included a boulevard linking the future subdivision to downtown Fort Worth. Klein says over 3,000 trees were transplanted into the neighborhood to make it more attractive. Unfortunately, says the Arlington Heights Neighborhood Association history, the subdivision failed to take off. No houses were built in the historic Tremont block.

Real growth came with World War I. The failed “Chamberlin Arlington Heights” land was bought and donated to the U.S. Army for training. Over 100,000 men trained at Camp Bowie over the course of the war, with a peak of 30,901 men in October 1917.

Camp Bowie’s lasting result, besides the name on the boulevard, was vital modern infrastructure. The Army installed utilities including sewer and electricity in 1917. The camp closed after the war, but the remaining infrastructure spurred development in the 1920s and 30s. Arlington Heights was the fastest growing section of Fort Worth from 1920-1926, says Klein.

Today the historic area is known as the Hillcrest Addition or the Tremont Block. Home construction ran through the 1930s, halted during World War II, and finished filling in by 1947. You will see history in the architectural style. Homes along Twelfth and Eighteenth blocks trend towards an English Cottage style, and you can find some classic Arts and Crafts bungalows in the area.

Additionally, Camp Bowie Blvd. retains its historic character. The road was renamed in honor of the World War I camp in 1922 and paved with its distinct red brick in 1928. Today, driving on Camp Bowie Blvd is a trip into the past. Many businesses along the street have roots into the 1920s-1940s, like Blue Bonnet Bakery, Roy Pope Grocery, Kincaid’s and The Original Mexican Eats Café. Other buildings in the area, like the Arlington Heights Methodist Church, Zeloski’s commercial row, and Fire Station No. 18, have historic roots.

Arlington Heights Lifestyle Amenities

Today, the modern Arlington Heights neighborhood delivers plenty of perks. Area Vibes ranks the area 78 percent better than all the other places to live in Fort Worth, citing its excellent amenities, access to quality education, and employment opportunities. Around 27 Trulia visitors voted on the area’s best features. At the top were, “it’s dog-friendly,” and, “there are sidewalks,” which can be challenging to find in some Fort Worth neighborhoods.

Let’s look at some of the lifestyle bonuses of living in Arlington Heights.

The Camp Bowie District

The Camp Bowie District (CBD) aims to promote and advance this historic corridor, “to affect economic success for its merchants and businesses which will result is a thriving and sustainable district.” The CBD manages Fort Worth’s Public Improvement District No. 8. This PID includes Camp Bowie Blvd and extends from University to Lackland Road and includes portions of West 7th Street, Byers and Lovell. I am proud to serve on the CBD’s board of directors and to help our local economy by supporting the local businesses found in the district.

Along Camp Bowie and inside the CBD, you will find the lifestyle amenities many real estate professionals talk about: dining, retail, and entertainment.

Dining Out

Whether you want something fast and casual or a more upscale venue, the Arlington Heights dining scene has a venue to please your taste buds. Some decades-old historic locales, like Kincaid’s Hamburgers, Lucile’s, and the Blue Bonnet Bakery.

Along Camp Bowie Blvd are local favorites like Dough Boy Donuts and The Lunch Box. While you can find TexMex and barbeque, the dining scene is wonderfully diverse. Modern venues like Mash’D offer brunch, lunch, and dinner with gluten-free and vegetarian options. Grab pizza from Olivella’s, try lunch at The Black Rooster Cafe Westside, or hit happy hour at The Tavern. Go Asian with Little Lilly Sushi or Asia Bowl and Grill. Enjoy the Texas sunshine and dine outside, referring to the Camp Bowie District’s patio guide. Winslow’s Wine Cafe is a contemporary bistro, and La Madeleine is a modern bakery-cafe.

As you can see, locals have numerous the dining options around them. This list of dining choices near Arlington Heights gives a wider idea of the culinary fare serving the area.

Retailers of Camp Bowie District

Camp Bowie Blvd is home to trendy boutiques with the latest in men’s, women’s, and children’s fashions. Find the latest in home decor trends or source a unique gift item. Sample retailers include Big Dave’s Cigars, Byrd & Bleeker, Flores Antiques, and Wright at Home. Many retailers are locally owned. In fact, my family owns and operates the oldest liquor store in Texas, Chicotsky’s Liquor & Fine Wine, along Camp Bowie.

Professional Services

It’s important as a real estate professional to point out services beyond restaurants and entertainment. People need access to commercial amenities that improve and assist with our daily life.

In the Camp Bowie District, residents are close to a wide range of professional services, religious centers, and health and wellness vendors. Plan a wedding, find an interior designer or schedule family photos. Drop off the dog for a spa visit before heading to your own.

Vendors in the area include financial planners, tax professionals, real estate professionals and associated services, lawyers, and insurance agencies. Residents are minutes away from excellent healthcare providers.

With the wide range professionals calling CBD home, local residents address a range of needs that sometimes we forget about when hunting for our next dream home. Isn’t it nice to have professional services like dentists or dry cleaners or hair salons, minutes from your front door?

Parks and Recreation

On Fort Worth’s best spring and fall days, isn’t it nice to talk a walk outside? In Arlington Heights, besides being more likely to have a walkable sidewalk out your door, green spaces are close by. And the City of Fort Worth is working to make it easier to access these green spaces. For example, around Lake Como and Como Park, the city is installing more sidewalks and lighting.

Arlington Heights is near the Trinity River, Trinity Park, and its associated pedestrian trails. Trinity Park is a 252-acre green area. In a section of the Trinity Park area near the Fort Worth Zoo, there is a miniature train that’s been providing joy to young ones since 1959. The park has several playgrounds, picnic pavilions, restrooms, and water fountains across its expanse. The Trinity Trail system is the best hiking and biking trails in town. Cyclists can jump on the trails for miles of pedestrian-friendly riding. A loop runs around Trinity Park, plus it connects to the greater trail running across Fort Worth.

Another local green space that stands out is the fairways of River Crest Country Club. As Fort Worth’s oldest country club, it is just five miles from downtown Fort Worth. The golf course is 6,300 yards, par 70, with bent grass greens, 419 bermuda grass fairways and rough, and Zoysia grass tees. Tom Bendelow and A.W. Tillinghast originally designed River Crest’s course, with upgrades by Colligan Golf Design. River Crest is also notable as being one of the first golf clubs with residential development on acreage, meaning some storied homes can be found within its gates.

Cultural Amenities

What residents enjoy about Arlington Heights is proximity to “things to do,” of which Fort Worth has no shortage. And in Arlington Heights, you couldn’t be any closer to some of the city’s best cultural attractions.

Camp Bowie Blvd drops residents right into the heart of the Cultural District and into one of America’s best collections of museums. Some residents could walk to the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, the Will Rogers Memorial Center, and other attractions. A short bike or car ride away is the Kimbell Art Museum and the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. The artworks in this District span from antiquities to the modern era.

The Fort Worth Botanic Garden is adjacent to the neighborhood. Admire over 2,500 species as you stroll around the 23 free specialty gardens and Conservatory. Note: the world-renowned Japanese Garden does charge a small admission fee to non-members.

The garden is more than a place to admire nature at all seasons; the Botanic Garden Center has flexible meeting space perfect for professional events and weddings. Nearby is the Botanical Research Institute of Texas, an international center promoting conservation and knowledge.

Community Groups

Several non-denominational and religious groups are available in the Arlington Heights area. I personally am an officer at the Arlington Heights Masonic Lodge. For local places to worship, see the listing from the CBD.

Education

As mentioned in prior blogs, quality education is a common theme among homebuyers with children. Arlington Heights is home to one of Fort Worth’s best opportunities, the public North Hi Mount Elementary, which we featured in Fort Worth’s 12 Best Schools.

School-aged children in Arlington Heights are in the Fort Worth Independent School District. In addition to North Hi Mount, residents are likely zoned for South Hi Mount Elementary, Phillips Elementary, Como Elementary, Stripling Middle, Monnig Middle, and Arlington Heights High. The high school is conveniently located off Hulen St. south of I-30 and the official Arlington Heights neighborhood.

For other Fort Worth high-performing charter and private options near Arlington Heights, see our blog.

Arlington Heights Crime

It’s next to impossible to have a crime-free neighborhood. SpotCrime pulls recent reports from public records. As of drafting, only one theft and no violent crimes were reported in the last two months based on SpotCrime’s data. Other sources pull crime data for the last year, and shows a relatively lower risk compared to other areas in the city.

Arlington Heights Real Estate Market Profile

The result of Arlington Heights’ 100-plus years of development is a range of architectural styles in residential and commercial buildings. For this area, we will focus on residential real estate.

As a highly sought after community, housing prices reflect the demand. Developers have responded by building homes and multi-family complexes in and around the Arlington Heights area. However, the center of the community remains mostly single-family homes, typically of a historic nature with cottages dating to the 1920s-1930s.

There is a wide range of current pricing in the market. The recent median sale price of a Arlington Heights area home was $339,000, with an average of $207 per sq ft. Homes range in age (from 1893 to 2018) and in square footage. The average days on market was around 70 days. Neighborhood.com says, “Property taxes hover around $9,904 per year, and homeowners' association fees are approximately $347.” Of course, it’s important to do your research regarding taxes and fees with any property you may be considering; a real estate professional can help find this information.

Some historic areas of Arlington Heights have guidelines on retaining its character. According to real estate historian Wini Klein, “Fifty-three structures in Arlington Heights are listed in the Tarrant County Historic Resources Survey, published by the now-defunct Historic Preservation Council for Tarrant County and owned by Historic Fort Worth, Inc.”

For instance, the Hillcrest addition guidelines for the “Tremont Block” aimed to preserve the historic district’s character and identity. Actions like the demolition of existing structures original to the site or construction of a visible accessory structure require review by the Historic and Cultural Landmarks Commission and before any permits are issued. If this applies to you, read the published additional restrictions and design guidelines, which apply to fencing, roofing, painting, and other visible issues.

Neighborhood Association

In the Arlington Heights area, a few neighborhood associations operate as the liaison between residents and the City of Fort Worth. These associations additionally host activities throughout the year.

The Arlington Heights Neighborhood Association hosts activities like parades and Yard of the Month Awards. Their activities and upcoming meeting dates can be found on their Facebook page, their website, or the residents’ newsletter.

The Crestline Area Neighborhood Association is a voluntary neighborhood association for residents living north of Camp Bowie Blvd. They host a Labor Day Parade.

Looking at Arlington Heights Fort Worth

Choosing where to live in Fort Worth is a big deal. Arlington Heights is a popular neighborhood for all the reasons outlined above. It’s an excellent area that addresses a range of lifestyle needs. The proximity to business, retail, and entertainment centers is a huge selling point. The range of housing styles, from historic to modern, appeals to many buyers, too.

To find the right Arlington Heights home, you’ll need a dedicated professional. At the Chicotsky Real Estate Group, our long history in the area means we don’t need to pull stats and figures to understand the area. We know Arlington Heights and the people that call it home. Call our Fort Worth realtor today!