| |
| |
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
|
WHEREAS, Proud residents of Grand Prairie are gathering in |
|
|
Austin on March 1, 2017, to celebrate Grand Prairie Day at the State |
|
|
Capitol; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Founded during the Civil War and originally known as |
|
|
Deckman, the city was renamed Grand Prairie in the 1870s, and the |
|
|
Texas and Pacific Railway was built to the site in 1876; by 1890 the |
|
|
community boasted a public school, a steam gristmill-cotton gin, a |
|
|
broom factory, and a wagon factory; in 1928, Hensley Field was built |
|
|
just two miles east of Grand Prairie, and the field became the hub |
|
|
for area army operations; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Grand Prairie experienced a substantial boom during |
|
|
World War II, when a military flight training center and an aircraft |
|
|
production factory were built nearby, raising the city's population |
|
|
from 1,600 to 18,000; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Today, Grand Prairie continues to grow, with more |
|
|
than 187,000 residents and a wide range of industry and commerce; |
|
|
located in the heart of the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex, the city |
|
|
has been nationally ranked by WalletHub as the 13th best city for |
|
|
families, the 30th best city for jobs, and the 18th best city in |
|
|
Texas for Hispanic entrepreneurs, and Forbes named it one of the |
|
|
best places to retire in the United States; additionally, the Grand |
|
|
Prairie Fire Department has achieved the coveted ISO 1 rating, and |
|
|
according to the FBI and the Texas Department of Public Safety, |
|
|
Grand Prairie is the 8th safest major city in Texas with a |
|
|
population over 100,000; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Grand Prairie appeals to visitors and residents |
|
|
alike, and each year nearly 10 million people enjoy such |
|
|
attractions as Lone Star Park, Verizon Theatre, and Uptown Theater, |
|
|
as well as popular annual events, including the Prairie Dog Chili |
|
|
Cookoff, the Prairie Lights Christmas display, and the National |
|
|
Championship Indian Pow Wow; moreover, there are ample |
|
|
opportunities for recreation at scenic Joe Pool Lake, Mountain |
|
|
Creek Lake, and Lynn Creek and Loyd Parks; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Grand Prairie's excellent location and numerous |
|
|
amenities make it an ideal community in which to live and work, and |
|
|
its citizens may indeed take great pride in their contributions to |
|
|
the story of the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it |
|
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas |
|
|
Legislature hereby recognize March 1, 2017, as Grand Prairie Day at |
|
|
the State Capitol and extend to the visiting delegation sincere |
|
|
best wishes for an enjoyable day in Austin. |