Arlington, Texas: 2026 City Guide, Real Estate Market, Sports, Entertainment & Development
Arlington is the rare North Texas city where major-league sports, theme parks, higher education, manufacturing, tourism and established neighborhoods all overlap. The city reached an estimated 402,134 residents in 2025 and spent 2026 celebrating its 150th anniversary while also hosting nine FIFA World Cup matches, expanding Downtown housing, adding hotels and continuing to evolve the Entertainment District around AT&T Stadium and Globe Life Field.
Table of Contents
- Arlington at a Glance
- 150 Years of Arlington History
- Entertainment District
- Dallas Cowboys & AT&T Stadium
- Texas Rangers & Globe Life Field
- Museums, Six Flags, Downtown & Culture
- 2026 World Cup Legacy
- 2026 Arlington Real Estate Market
- Homes Sold This Year & This Month
- Arlington Housing Submarkets
- Buyer & Relocation Due Diligence
- Seller & Listing-Agent Strategy
- Major Planned Development
- Downtown Arlington’s Residential Shift
- UTA & Education
- Transportation & Commuting
- Property Taxes & Ownership Costs
- 2027 Outlook
- Official & Approved Resources
- Arlington FAQ
Arlington at a Glance
The U.S. Census Bureau estimates Arlington at 402,134 residents as of July 1, 2025, up about 2% from the April 2020 estimate base. Arlington sits almost exactly between Dallas and Fort Worth, making it geographically central to DFW – but culturally it operates as its own major destination.
99-square-mile city
Arlington’s large footprint includes older central neighborhoods, the Entertainment District, UTA, lake-adjacent housing, master-planned communities and newer southeast growth.
Five school districts
Arlington is served by multiple independent school districts, making exact-address school verification important for buyers.
Tourism + manufacturing
Arlington’s economy is unusually diversified between sports/tourism, education, healthcare, General Motors manufacturing and regional services.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts – Arlington; City of Arlington.
150 Years of Arlington: From Railroad Stop to Entertainment Capital
Arlington celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2026. The city’s modern story begins with the Texas and Pacific Railway: on July 19, 1876, a train arrived at the new townsite surveyed along the rail line. Over the next century and a half, Arlington moved from farming and rail commerce to automobile manufacturing, higher education, theme parks and nationally prominent sports and entertainment.
City sesquicentennial history • Arlington preservation program
The Entertainment District Is More Than Stadium Parking
Arlington’s Entertainment District now functions as a year-round tourism, convention and residential ecosystem. AT&T Stadium, Globe Life Field, Choctaw Stadium, Six Flags Over Texas, Hurricane Harbor, Loews hotels, Texas Live!, the National Medal of Honor Museum, Esports Stadium Arlington and new apartments all sit within a relatively compact area.
Entertainment District by the Numbers
3 Loews properties
When Americana by Loews opens, the Loews Arlington campus is planned to total 1,695 rooms and more than 374,000 square feet of indoor/outdoor meeting space.
100,000+ sq. ft. museum
The National Medal of Honor Museum opened in March 2025 with 31,000 square feet of exhibition galleries.
9 World Cup matches
AT&T Stadium hosted nine 2026 FIFA World Cup matches, including a semifinal, drawing 631,843 total spectators.
The district also continues to become more walkable. Arlington completed and accelerated sidewalks, crossings, lighting and traffic-technology upgrades before the World Cup, while maintaining those improvements as permanent infrastructure for residents and future events.
Entertainment District infrastructure • National Medal of Honor Museum
Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium
AT&T Stadium at One AT&T Way is the home of the Dallas Cowboys and one of the world’s most recognizable indoor sports venues. Beyond NFL games, it hosts college football, concerts, combat sports, motorsports and large special events. In April 2026, Arlington approved an agreement extending the Cowboys’ stadium lease through 2055.
Long-term Arlington commitment
An independent economic-impact analysis cited by the City estimated the Cowboys’ stadium use and operations generate roughly $324 million in annual economic impact in Arlington.
Stadium-scale event infrastructure
AT&T Stadium’s event spaces include a nearly 98,200-square-foot field floor and large indoor/outdoor hospitality areas, supporting events far beyond football.
AT&T Stadium official site • Dallas Cowboys stadium information • Cowboys lease extension
Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field
Globe Life Field became the Texas Rangers’ home in 2020. The retractable-roof ballpark was developed through a public-private partnership between the City and the Rangers, giving Arlington a climate-controlled venue capable of hosting baseball plus major concerts, rodeo and special events.
Third Rangers home in Arlington
The franchise played at Arlington Stadium from 1972-1993, then at the Ballpark in Arlington / Globe Life Park from 1994-2019 before moving across the street.
Retractable roof
The approximately 1.8-million-square-foot building includes a 5.5-acre retractable roof, reducing weather risk for games and large events.
Mixed-use catalyst
Globe Life Field sits beside Texas Live!, Loews Arlington and newer residential/hospitality projects, helping extend activity beyond game days.
Texas Rangers – Globe Life Field • Globe Life Field facts & figures
Six Flags, Museums, Downtown & Live Entertainment
Six Flags Over Texas
The original Six Flags park celebrated its 65th season in 2026 and opened Tormenta Rampaging Run, marketed as the world’s tallest, fastest and longest giga dive coaster.
National Medal of Honor Museum
Opened in March 2025, the museum gives Arlington a national cultural institution directly inside the Entertainment District.
Arlington Museum of Art
The museum’s move to the Entertainment District strengthens the concentration of sports, tourism and cultural destinations around the stadiums.
Levitt Pavilion
Downtown Arlington’s outdoor concert venue anchors free music, DreamFest and community programming in a walkable civic setting.
Downtown Arlington
Restaurants, theaters, UTA, the public library and new mixed-use projects are shifting Downtown toward more residential activity.
Public art
The City planned 16 new public-art installations during 2026, expanding an official collection that now exceeds 35 works.
Six Flags Over Texas • Tormenta Rampaging Run • Arlington public-art updates
World Cup Legacy: Arlington Hosted Nine Matches
AT&T Stadium – temporarily branded “Dallas Stadium” for the tournament – hosted nine FIFA World Cup 2026 matches between June 14 and July 14, including group-stage matches, knockout rounds and a semifinal.
The event accelerated permanent improvements to sidewalks, streets, lighting, wayfinding and traffic technology. For real estate and economic development, the important story is what remains after the tournament: upgraded public infrastructure, a globally marketed destination, and a stronger case for additional hotels, convention business and entertainment investment.
City tourism record report • Arlington World Cup host events
Arlington Real Estate Market: 2026
Arlington remains one of DFW’s broad middle-market housing cities, but its neighborhoods behave very differently. Realtor.com’s September 2026 city summary reports a $355,000 median listing price, a $336,187 median sold price, approximately 1,310 active listings and 50 median days on market.
Zillow’s August 2026 data puts the typical Arlington home value at $309,891, down 0.8% year over year, with 1,092 for-sale listings and a median 26 days to pending. Redfin’s city tracker, which uses rolling three-month city metrics for smaller geographies, reports an August median sale price of $334,279, 830 homes sold in August and a median 38 days on market.
Arlington is buyer-selective
Realtor.com labels Arlington a buyer’s market in September 2026. Redfin also shows 42% of listings with price drops in its current city metrics.
Pricing is relatively stable
Redfin’s three-month August median was up 1.3% year over year, while Zillow’s typical-value index was down 0.8%. Different methodologies are measuring different things.
Neighborhood spreads are large
North Arlington, Viridian and parts of 76016/76017 can trade materially above Central and East Arlington, while condos add another price tier.
Tourism is not the whole housing market
The stadium district gets headlines, but most Arlington housing demand comes from established neighborhoods, local employment, UTA, schools and central DFW access.
Realtor.com Arlington market • Redfin Arlington market • Zillow Arlington home values
Homes Sold This Year & This Month
Public portals use different time windows. Redfin’s city tracker reports 830 homes sold in August 2026, down 1.9% year over year. Its current “recently sold” search shows roughly 737-774 recent sold listings depending on crawl timing, which is a rolling recent-sales result rather than a clean September calendar-month count. Homes.com currently indexes more than 3,300 recently sold Arlington properties, but that is a multi-period inventory of sold records rather than a 2026 year-to-date statistic.
| 2026 checkpoint | Sales / inventory measure | Price measure | Source interpretation |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 2026 | Redfin city trend available | $320,000 median sale price | City rolling market metric. |
| May 2026 | 293 homes sold in archived Redfin market data | $329,000 median sale price | Older Redfin monthly-city methodology; useful as a checkpoint, not directly additive to current rolling series. |
| August 2026 | 830 homes sold | $334,279 median sale price | Redfin current city tracker; rolling three-month price metric with August sales count. |
| September 2026 | 1,310 active listings | $336,187 median sold price | Realtor.com city market summary. |
| Current recent-sales search | ~737-774 sold listings | Property-specific | Redfin rolling recently-sold search; not a calendar-month total. |
Redfin recently sold Arlington • Homes.com recently sold Arlington • NTREIS
Arlington Housing Submarkets: Why Citywide Medians Can Mislead
North Arlington / 76006
Established homes, condos, I-30 access and proximity to the Entertainment District. Redfin showed a roughly $375K three-month median in mid-2026.
Viridian / 76005
Master-planned new construction, townhomes, lakes, trails and newer schools create a separate competitive set from older North Arlington neighborhoods.
West Arlington / 76013-76016
Mature trees, established neighborhoods, lake access and larger custom homes create some of Arlington’s most varied price points.
Southwest / 76017
Established subdivisions, proximity to I-20 and a wide price range make renovation quality and school zoning important comp variables.
Southeast Arlington
Newer subdivisions and comparatively attainable pricing compete with nearby Mansfield and Grand Prairie growth corridors.
Central / Heart of Arlington
Older housing stock, UTA, Downtown access, redevelopment and smaller lots can create strong block-by-block differences.
What Arlington Buyers Should Verify
- Exact school district: Arlington is served by multiple ISDs, not only Arlington ISD.
- Event traffic: test routes around AT&T Stadium, Globe Life Field and Six Flags on major-event days if buying nearby.
- Short-term-rental rules: Arlington limits permitted STR operation to specific zoning and a defined zone near the Entertainment District.
- Airport / rail access: Arlington does not have its own fixed-rail station, but Arlington On-Demand connects riders to CentrePort TRE and regional transit.
- HOA / master-plan costs: Viridian and other newer communities can have different HOA, amenity and maintenance obligations than older neighborhoods.
- Flood / drainage: verify FEMA, survey and drainage information for Trinity River-adjacent and creek-area properties.
- Future zoning: Downtown form-based zoning and the Innovate Arlington comprehensive-plan process can affect future land-use expectations.
- Property age: Arlington’s large 1960s-1990s housing inventory means roof, HVAC, foundation, plumbing and electrical updates often matter as much as cosmetics.
How Arlington Sellers Can Stand Out in 2026
Market the district correctly
A 76005 Viridian home, a 76016 lake-area home and a 76010 central home should not share the same marketing story.
Make renovation visible
In established Arlington neighborhoods, buyers compare system age and renovation quality closely. Document roofs, HVAC, windows, plumbing and major upgrades.
Use aerial context strategically
Proximity to stadiums, parks, Lake Arlington, UTA, highways and master-planned amenities can be explained far better with aerial media than with a street-level photo alone.
Major Arlington Development Projects to Watch
Americana by Loews Hotels
Construction began after the former Sheraton’s June 2026 demolition. The new hotel is planned for 507 rooms, 39 suites and more than 83,000 square feet of indoor/outdoor meeting and event space.
Trammell Crow Mixed-Use Development
Approved in September 2026, the project will replace major surface parking with at least 390 market-rate residential units, 31,250 square feet of office, at least 8,000 square feet of restaurant/retail and a 600-space garage. Private investment must total at least $123 million.
Wolverine Mixed-Use Project
A separate 3.41-acre Downtown project approved in March 2026 requires at least $60 million in private investment and a minimum of 248 multifamily units, plus retail, restaurant and office space.
Caravan Court Hotel
The 145-room boutique project reimagines the former Caravan Motor Hotel site with a mid-century motor-court concept and is intended to help link Downtown with the Entertainment District along the historic Bankhead Highway corridor.
2027 starts to watch
The Trammell Crow Downtown project must begin construction by September 2027. Arlington’s new North Police Substation and evidence/crime-lab facility is scheduled to open in spring 2027. Mansfield Webb Road widening is scheduled through July 2027, while multiple city infrastructure projects continue under prior bond programs.
Downtown Arlington Is Adding Housing, Not Just Events
Downtown’s development story differs from the stadium district. The City is using new form-based zoning, public-private partnerships and UTA adjacency to create a more walkable residential center around Abram, Main, Center and Mesquite streets.
In April 2026, Arlington adopted a new Downtown Form-Based Zoning district designed to streamline development while emphasizing active ground floors, building form, walkability and transitions to surrounding neighborhoods.
Downtown form-based zoning • September 2026 Downtown development
UTA: A 42,000+ Student Economic Engine
The University of Texas at Arlington reported 42,787 students in fall 2026, including a record 5,332 new first-time-in-college students. UTA’s presence supports apartments, restaurants, research, healthcare, workforce development and Downtown activity.
31,165 undergraduates
UTA reported undergraduate enrollment up 1.5% from the prior fall.
Downtown adjacency
UTA’s campus sits directly beside central Arlington, creating a stronger university-downtown relationship than in many DFW suburbs.
Investor caution
Student-oriented rentals require careful review of zoning, parking, occupancy, property condition and actual lease economics rather than assumptions based only on campus proximity.
Arlington’s Unusual Transit Model
Arlington is unusual among large U.S. cities because it has no conventional citywide fixed-route bus network or rail station inside the city. Instead, Arlington On-Demand provides shared rides across the city and connects riders to the CentrePort TRE Station for regional rail access toward Dallas, Fort Worth and DFW Airport.
Arlington On-Demand
Shared rides operate six days a week with distance-based fares, including a flat $3 CentrePort connection.
I-30 / SH 360 / I-20
Arlington depends heavily on freeway access, making interchange construction and event-day traffic important to residential location decisions.
Walkability upgrades
The Entertainment District and Downtown have added sidewalks, crosswalks and public-realm improvements, but many residential areas remain car-oriented.
Arlington Property Taxes: FY 2027
Arlington adopted a $0.6298 per $100 of assessed value City property-tax rate for FY 2027, unchanged from FY 2026. The fiscal year begins October 1, 2026. The City also funds available exemptions such as the homestead exemption and qualifying senior/disabled exemptions.
City financial transparency / tax history • Arlington property tax • Tarrant Appraisal District
Arlington Real Estate & Development Outlook for 2027
Arlington’s 2027 outlook is driven less by outward suburban expansion than by redevelopment, hotel/convention growth, Downtown housing, transportation upgrades and continued investment around existing anchors. The City’s draft Innovate Arlington Comprehensive Plan, released for review in August 2026, is intended to guide growth and public investment over the next 20 years.
Downtown housing
The Trammell Crow and Wolverine projects can add hundreds of apartments and ground-floor activity, strengthening the residential base around UTA.
Entertainment hospitality
Americana by Loews extends Arlington’s convention and leisure capacity around the stadiums, while existing hotels benefit from event-driven demand.
Established-home competition
With Arlington largely built out compared with outer-ring suburbs, renovation quality and neighborhood differentiation should remain important resale variables.
Mortgage rates
Texas Real Estate Research Center’s statewide forecast through summer 2027 anticipates a roughly 6%-7% 30-year mortgage-rate range around August 2027.
Infrastructure
Road rebuilds, widening projects and public-safety investment continue through 2027, improving some corridors while temporarily increasing construction friction.
Event tourism legacy
After hosting the World Cup, Arlington enters 2027 with stronger international awareness and permanent infrastructure improvements around its entertainment core.
Innovate Arlington draft plan • Texas Real Estate Research Center forecast
Arlington Official & Approved Resource Directory
Arlington, Texas FAQ
How many people live in Arlington, Texas?
The U.S. Census Bureau estimated Arlington’s population at 402,134 on July 1, 2025.
When was Arlington founded?
Arlington traces its modern founding to July 19, 1876, when the Texas & Pacific Railroad arrived at the townsite. The city celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2026.
Where do the Dallas Cowboys play?
The Dallas Cowboys play at AT&T Stadium at One AT&T Way in Arlington. In 2026 the City and team extended the stadium lease through 2055.
Where do the Texas Rangers play?
The Texas Rangers play at Globe Life Field at 734 Stadium Drive in Arlington. The retractable-roof ballpark opened for the Rangers in 2020.
How many World Cup matches did Arlington host in 2026?
AT&T Stadium hosted nine FIFA World Cup 2026 matches, including a semifinal. The City reports total match attendance of 631,843.
What is the Arlington median home price in 2026?
Different sources use different methodologies. Realtor.com reported a September 2026 median sold price of $336,187, while Redfin’s rolling three-month August median sale price was $334,279.
How many homes sold in Arlington in August 2026?
Redfin reports 830 Arlington homes sold in August 2026.
How many homes sold in Arlington this month?
Current public recently-sold searches show roughly 737-774 recent Arlington sales depending on crawl timing, but that is a rolling search rather than a clean October calendar-month total. For exact month-to-date sales, use NTREIS.
Is Arlington a buyer’s market?
Realtor.com characterizes Arlington as a buyer’s market in September 2026, with approximately 1,310 active listings and 50 median days on market.
What major development is coming to Downtown Arlington?
In September 2026 Arlington approved a Trammell Crow mixed-use project with at least 390 apartments, 31,250 square feet of office space, restaurant/retail space and a 600-space garage. Construction must begin by September 2027.
What is Americana by Loews?
Americana by Loews is a planned 507-room hotel replacing the former Sheraton in Arlington’s Entertainment District, with more than 83,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting/event space.
What is Arlington’s city property-tax rate?
Arlington adopted a $0.6298 per $100 of assessed value municipal tax rate for FY 2027, unchanged from FY 2026.
Does Arlington have public transportation?
Yes. Arlington On-Demand provides shared rides across the city and connects riders to the CentrePort TRE Station, but Arlington does not operate a conventional fixed-route local bus network or an in-city rail station.
How large is UTA?
The University of Texas at Arlington reported 42,787 students in fall 2026, including 31,165 undergraduate students.
What should buyers know about homes near the Entertainment District?
Evaluate event traffic, parking restrictions, short-term-rental rules, noise, access on stadium days, and future hotel or mixed-use construction in addition to ordinary home condition and pricing.
Is Six Flags Over Texas still in Arlington?
Yes. Six Flags Over Texas celebrated its 65th season in 2026 and opened Tormenta Rampaging Run, a new record-setting giga dive coaster.
Which school district serves Arlington?
Arlington is served by multiple school districts. Buyers should verify the exact property address with the appropriate district rather than assuming every Arlington address is in Arlington ISD.
Guide disclaimer: This guide is for general informational and marketing purposes and is not legal, tax, lending, appraisal, inspection or investment advice. Housing portals use different methodologies and time windows. Development plans can change. Verify taxes, school assignments, zoning, floodplain, HOA obligations, transportation projects and municipal rules for the specific property and decision date. Fair-housing laws apply to real-estate marketing and client guidance.
