On the edge of the grand prairie — a railroad town between two cities that built fighter planes and runs racehorses. Grand Prairie sits squarely between Dallas and Fort Worth, on the eastern edge of the great Texas grassland that gave the city its name. It started as a rail stop called Dechman in 1863; the Texas & Pacific renamed it Grand Prairie in 1877. In World War II its plant turned out P-51 Mustang fighters and B-24 Liberator bombers, and today thoroughbreds run at Lone Star Park. Prairie, propellers, and post position — this page tells the story.
The twentieth century turned Grand Prairie into an aviation town. In 1941 a great aircraft plant opened on the prairie, and through World War II it built P-51 Mustang fighters and B-24 Liberator bombers; the successor plants kept the city in the aerospace business for decades, building Cold War jets and missiles. After the war the prairie filled with subdivisions and shopping centers as the Metroplex grew around it, and in 1996 Lone Star Park opened its grandstand, bringing thoroughbred racing to the city — it hosted the Breeders' Cup in 2004. Farms to fighter planes to finish lines: the prairie kept reinventing what ran across it.
Why People Visit Grand Prairie Texas
- Spend a day at Loyd Park on Joe Pool Lake, with trails, campsites, and boating.
- Catch live thoroughbred and quarter-horse racing at Lone Star Park during the spring and fall meets.
- Walk the historic downtown around the Texas & Pacific rail depot.
- Cool off at the Epic Waters indoor waterpark, or browse the weekend stalls at Traders Village.
- Take in the prairie horizon and the lakes that frame the city north and south.
