The Essential Guide to Moving to Fort Worth, Texas

Described by the city as “the most typically Texan of all Texas cities,” Fort Worth started as a tiny military outpost and now boasts nearly one million residents. The twelfth largest city in the country, population-wise, it’s also the fastest growing one—and the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area is the fourth largest in the nation. Not surprisingly, then, there’s plenty of opportunities to benefit from when you call Fort Worth your home.

If you’re moving to Fort Worth, Texas, connect with the experienced team at Daryl Flood, the leading moving company in North Texas for over 40 years.

Getting to Fort Worth

By Car: Relocating to Fort Worth, Texas? A car is important. Fortunately, plenty of interstate routes will take you to and from Fort Worth: I-20, I-820, I-30, I-35, I-635, I-45, and I-345.

By Air: The Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) is about twenty-five miles from downtown Fort Worth. There, you can rent a car, take a taxi, or use a rideshare service. The Fort Worth Meacham International Airport, meanwhile, is located in the city.

Things to Do in Fort Worth

1. Explore the Great Outdoors

Fort Worth maintains more than 300 city parks and public spaces with playgrounds, trails, forestry, pools, and more, including pickleball courts. Trinity Park, for example, dates back to 1892 and contains walking and biking paths along the Trinity River and connects Fort Worth to numerous surrounding cities and attractions.

Candleridge Park features a 4.5 acre lake with a low water crossing along with jogging trails, soccer and softball fields, an exercise course, and 2.51 miles of multi-use trails. Benches, bike racks, drinking fountains, and more add to the convenience.

Chisholm Trail Park supports micro-habitats and contains plenty of endemic species, serving as a registered Native Texas Prairie site. To preserve natural life, areas by trails and the community center are regularly mowed, but the rest is only mowed once a year.

Looking for more natural beauty? The Fort Worth Botanic Garden is ideal. The oldest botanic garden of significance in Texas, established in 1945, the garden contains more than 2,500 plant species and twenty-three specialty gardens. Especially known for its Japanese and rose gardens, you can also tour a forest boardwalk, a tropical conservatory, and a water conservation garden. Can’t get enough of gardens? Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden and its 66 acres of green spaces isn’t too far away. Neither are the Grapevine Botanical Gardens, the Clark Gardens in nearby Weatherford, and other lush green spaces.

2. Visit Historic Sites

Enjoy a thrilling living museum—the Fort Worth’s Stockyards National Historic District—with rodeos, historical artifacts, cattle drivers, and even a three-acre honky tonk. At the Bureau of Engraving And Printing, you can discover how money is made (a more sophisticated process that you may have considered!). The Bureau has two floors of interactive displays, a movie theater, and an elevator tour walkway for self-guided tours. While there, you can buy uncut currency. People interested in John F. Kennedy history may want to visit Lee Harvey Oswald’s grave.

The 23,000-square-foot Doss Heritage & Culture Center in Weatherford preserves the history of Parker County with exhibits about early Texas settlements, cattle drives, and more. The White Settlement Historical Museum focuses upon depicting the lives of early settlers while Top O’ Hill Terrace in Arlington allows you to glimpse a place where celebrities secretly caroused in the 1920s and 1930s, including John Wayne, Mae West, Frank Sinatra, and Bonnie and Clyde. During your tour, you can explore underground tunnels that they would have used to escape during a Prohibition raid.

3. Shop Till You Drop

If you love to shop—seeking upscale luxury goods, enjoying bargain hunting, or both—then Fort Worth is a dream location. Here are just some of the options:

• Sundance Square: This shopping extravaganza with Western architecture fills thirty-seven blocks in downtown Fort Worth with more than twenty dining establishments and oodles of retail stores.
• Stockyards: When you’re looking for Texas-style treasures like handmade leather saddles, cowboy hats, local wines, and more, head to the Stockyards. 
• The Shops at Clearfork: For a luxury experience with premier shopping that makes a statement and delicious dining, you can find what you need at Clearfork.
• Tanger Fort Worth: If outlet shopping is more your style, choose Tanger or the nearby Grapevine Mills and Allen Premium Outlets.
• Hulen Mall: Even more options for shopping, dining, and movie theater-going are available in Fort Worth at Hulen Mall.

4. Family-Friendly Attractions

The Fort Worth Zoo is home to nearly 7,000 animals from 540 species with the zoo conducting conservation work around the globe. Species include mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and more. The Mountains & Desert space in Texas Wild! has been fully renovated. The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth is located in the core of the Cultural District in a 53,000-square-foot concrete, steel, and glass structure designed by Tadao Ando, a celebrated Japanese architect. The museum also features landscaped grounds with outside sculptures, a theater, and a reflecting pond.

Just a short drive away, you can enjoy:

• Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington
• SEA LIFE Grapevine Aquarium 
• Professional Dallas sports galore:
  • The Dallas Cowboys (NFL) football team
  • The Dallas Mavericks (NBA) basketball team
  • The Texas Rangers (MLB) baseball team
  • The Dallas Wings (WNBA) basketball team
  • The Dallas Stars (NHL) hockey team
  • FC Dallas (MLS) soccer team

5. Arts & Culture

When moving to Fort Worth, Texas, you can enjoy the following (and much more):

• Fort Worth Cultural District: This marvelous hub includes the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, National Cowgirl Hall of Fame & Museum, the Modern Art Museum highlighted above, and numerous shopping and dining locales. 
• Dallas World Aquarium: About thirty miles away from downtown Fort Worth, you can explore the mystery of nature in this award-winning aquarium. 
• Downtown Arlington Cultural District: Designated this way by the state of Texas in 2016, the district contains the Levitt Pavilion, Theatre Arlington, Arlington Music Hall, Symphony Arlington, and more.

Dining & Nightlife Options in Fort Worth

When looking at Texas as a whole, in 2023, DataPanda placed Texas in the top three best foodie states, naming the Lone Star State first on its affordability scale. Homing in closer, in 2024, the Dallas Morning News listed twenty-two restaurants in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area that could be Michelin Star contenders. They’re an intriguing mix of fine and casual dining, and they include these:

• Caterina’s Ristorante: Spearheaded by Chef Tim Love, servers dress to the nines, bartenders roll up a cocktail cart directly to tables, and diners are asked to shut off their phones to focus on their dining experience. 
• Don Artemio: This contemporary Mexican restaurant was a James Beard finalist in 2023 for Best New Restaurant. Don Artemio is open for both lunch and dinner. 
• Goldee’s Barbecue: In 2021, Texas Monthly chose this restaurant as the best barbecue joint in the state. Will this be the restaurant that causes barbecue to be considered fine dining?
• Grace: This modern American restaurant is ideal for special occasions, known for its hospitality and quality service. 
• Joe T. Garcia’s: Opened by Joe and Jessie Garcia in 1935, this is one of the area’s oldest restaurants—and it’s still run by the Garcia family. They’re especially well known for their fajitas and margaritas. 
• Texas de Brazil: You can eat all the open flame grilled meat you want at this high-end steakhouse, carved at your table, and enjoy the goodies at a tasty salad bar.

When moving to Fort Worth, Texas, you can also enjoy plenty of nightlife, which includes following the Fort Worth Ale Trail. At the Lost Oak Winery in nearby Burleson, you can taste award-winning wines and enjoy music and other entertainment. In Weatherford, you can appreciate fine wines at Dove Ridge Winery. Looking for a more swanky drink? The Amber Room in Fort Worth may be one of the city’s best kept secrets with its top tier service, unique drinks, and funky appearance: steel and brick with comfortable vintage furniture. If live music is your thing, you’ll find plenty of options when relocating to Fort Worth, Texas.

Coffee Shops

Coffee shops are part of the Fort Worth vibe. Here are some intriguing ones where you can sip your caffeine in comfort:

• Casa Azul: You know that saying, “you can’t miss it?” This shop’s bright blue hue and pink sign shows you the way.
• Black Coffee: Brilliantly colored murals created by local artists, both inside and out, give this cafe a unique appearance. 
• Cherry Coffee: Enjoy an intimate setting with cozy nooks for working or socializing.
• Sons of Liberty Coffee: Comfortable seating, ample parking, and WiFi make this a place to go.

Local Events and Festivals

Event calendars can be chock-full in Fort Worth as you can see here, here, and here. In-demand festivals include:

• Texas State Fair: Begun in 1886, it helps to prove that saying that Texas is larger than life. Besides being one of the biggest state fairs in the country, at twenty-four days, it’s also the longest.
• Fort Worth holds two nationally recognized arts festivals annually: the Main Street Arts Festival—full of art, entertainment, and good eats—and ArtsGoggle, combining great local art and music.
• Mayfest: Billed as Fort Worth’s community celebration, families can enjoy four days of music, arts, food, carnival rides, live performances, and more.

Education in Fort Worth

The fifth largest school district in the state, Fort Worth Independent School District is a diverse district where every child has the opportunity to become bilingual. The system has the largest junior cadet middle school program in the state, preparing students who are considering the military, and is in the top ten percent of music programs in Texas.

Excellent opportunities exist at Fort Worth colleges and universities such as these:

• Texas Christian University
• Texas Wesleyan University
• Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

Other nearby ones include these:

• University of Texas at Arlington
• University of North Texas at Denton
• University of Texas at Dallas
• Texas Woman’s University
• Texas A&M University
• Southern Methodist University

Opportunities available at community colleges in the area include:

• College of Health Care Professionals
• Dallas County Community College District
• Tarrant County College
• Collin College
• North Central Texas College

Fort Worth Health and Wellness Opportunities

The U.S. News & World Report lists the UT Southwestern Medical Center as the number one healthcare system in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, ranking it number two in the state. As far as adult medical specialties in the system, UT Southwestern is top ranking in eleven of them, being “high performing” in nineteen others. 

The number two hospital in the Dallas-Fort Worth area is the Baylor University Medical Center, ranking nationally in six specialties and serving as high performing in four specialties and a dozen procedures/consultations. The U.S. News & World Report also lists and ranks multiple other medical facilities in the area highly.

Fort Worth Neighborhoods

When relocating to Fort Worth, Texas, you can choose from a variety of neighborhoods that each have a unique ambiance that reflects its diversity: ethnically, culturally, and historically. Popular choices include these. 

Downtown

If you want to live in a vibrant, active area filled with culture and historic appeal, then the downtown area offers exactly that. You’ll be close to Sundance Square and all of its amenities plus cultural treasures. Housing options include modern high rise apartment buildings and Victorian and Art Deco loft conversions. 

Arlington Heights

If you’d rather live in an area that’s largely residential, then this historic neighborhood overflows with charm and a range of architectural styles in homes: all the way from Craftsman bungalows to Mock Tudor homes. You’ll be close to popular Fort Worth attractions while also having a scattering of stores and restaurants along the community’s tree-lined streets. 

Cultural District

As the name implies, you’ll be in the heart of Fort Worth’s rich and diverse cultural attractions as well as near the natural beauty of Trinity Park. Housing options include condos and homes: from historic to modern.

East Fort Worth

If you enjoy proximity to several parks, then this expansive neighborhood might be right for you. Located near the Historic Handley district, housing options in East Fort Worth range from apartment complexes to single family homes. 

Near Southside

This area also features plenty of parks along with a nice blend of shopping, dining, and entertainment locations. Modern apartment buildings are available and so are homes in a broad range of styles: from Victorian to contemporary. 

North Side

This is where you’ll find the Fort Worth Stockyards, which means that engaging Texas-style events will take place in your neighborhood across the seasons. This is also a community with attractive parks with both apartment buildings and single-family homes. 

Rivercrest

If you’re looking for high-end residences, Rivercrest is known for its large and luxurious homes, typically in Colonial Revival and Mediterranean architectural styles, and beautiful landscaping. This neighborhood also contains the River Crest Country Club and all of its amenities.

Important Fort Worth Links

After moving to Fort Worth, Texas, you’ll need to take care of several nuts and bolts items after settling into your new home. 

• Driver’s licenses: You can quickly find the closest driver’s license office through the Texas Department of Public Safety search tool; you can prepare yourself by reading these Driver’s License FAQs. Through their “Mega Centers,” you can secure a place online before leaving home to save time. 
• Voter registration and voting locations: The Tarrant County website provides helpful information to get set up, including what you can handle online.
• Vehicle registration: The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles offers a useful “new to Texas” web page to provide the intel you need to be on the road. 
• Utility companies: The Public Utility Commission of Texas provides electricity options at Power to Choose. The city of Fort Worth provides the services for water, sewage, and trash collection while companies like AT&T, DISH Network, and DIRECTV offer cable services.

Fort Worth can be quite walkable, and public transportation is also available: 

• Trinity Metro: Managed by the Fort Worth Transportation Authority, this system provides bus, train, and on-demand services. 
• Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART): Serving 700 square miles in North Texas, this light rail system conveniently provides 65 stations with four lines. 
• Trinity Railway Express: Every day but Sunday, trains connect Fort Worth with Dallas, making convenient stops along the way. This is a good way to get to the DFW International Airport.

Contact Our Expert Fort Worth Movers

Relocating to Fort Worth, Texas, or in the surrounding area? Our moving services in Fort Worth, TX will get you there. In fact, our movers in Fort Worth, TX will transport your belongings to a house or an apartment from another Texas city, another state, or even another country. 

To make your move more seamless, we provide a full range of professional packing and unpacking services and convenient storage services. To get your free, no-obligation moving quote for our Fort Worth movers—promptly and transparently with no hidden fees—just reach out!