ARLINGTON, TEXAS. Arlington is halfway between Dallas and Fort Worth in east Tarrant County. It was founded in 1876 on the Texas and Pacific Railway as a market town for the surrounding farms. From the 1840s the area had attracted farmers because of the fertile blackland in the eastern part of the region and the sandy loam, good for growing fruits and vegetables, in the western part. The place was also well watered by the Trinity River and its tributaries. Early settlements included Bird's Fort, Watson, and Johnson Station, founded by Middleton Tate Johnson.