What's it like to live in Arlington Heights?
Arlington Heights sits right next to Fort Worth's Cultural District, between Camp Bowie Boulevard and I-30, and most of its houses are 1920s bungalows and Tudors. You can be at the Kimbell or a Dickies Arena show in a few minutes and still come home to a quiet street lined with trees.
It's one of the most established neighborhoods in the city, and you can tell. The houses have some age on them, and a lot of the people who buy here plan to stay a long time.
Where is Arlington Heights?
The Arlington Heights Neighborhood Association draws the neighborhood with Camp Bowie Boulevard on the north, Interstate 30 on the south and west, and Montgomery Street on the east. (Arlington Heights Neighborhood Association)
Montgomery Street is the line between Arlington Heights and the Cultural District. Downtown is a straight shot east on I-30, and the Ridglea neighborhoods are farther west along Camp Bowie.
A short history of Arlington Heights
The neighborhood started as a big idea that didn't quite work. Around 1890, a Denver promoter named H.B. Chamberlin set out to build an upscale suburb on the open prairie west of Fort Worth. His company built a dam to create Lake Como, a powerplant for a streetcar line, and a grand hotel called Ye Arlington Inn. The inn burned in 1894 and was never rebuilt, and the silver panic of 1893 had already sunk Chamberlin's finances. (UTA Libraries)
For years, growth was slow. What changed things was World War I. Camp Bowie, an Army training camp, opened nearby in August 1917 and trained more than 100,000 men before it closed in 1919. (Handbook of Texas) The boulevard that carried people out to Arlington Heights eventually took the camp's name, and by the 1920s it was paved with Thurber brick. (Camp Bowie District) Most of the houses you see today went up in the 1920s and the years right after.
The association itself formed in October 1999, and the City of Fort Worth named Arlington Heights its Neighborhood of the Year in 2007.
What kind of homes are in Arlington Heights?
Mostly 1920s bungalows and Tudors, with larger traditional homes scattered through and a fair amount of newer construction. An updated original can sit right next to a brand-new two-story.
That mix is the main thing to understand about buying here. If you love the original character, look closely at the block, not just the house. If you're planning to build, expect neighbors to care how a new home fits in.
Older homes mean older systems. Foundations are the big one on our clay soil, followed by original plumbing and wiring. I go through what to check in my historic home inspection guide.
Is Arlington Heights a historic district?
Mostly no, with one exception. Arlington Heights as a whole is not one of the City of Fort Worth's local historic districts. (City of Fort Worth historic districts)
The exception is the Hillcrest Historic District, a pair of facing blocks on Tremont Avenue between Bryce Avenue and El Campo Avenue. It's one of the city's local districts. Most of its houses are English Cottage style, built from 1925 into the late 1930s, and demolition, new construction, and major exterior changes there need a Certificate of Appropriateness before permits are issued. (Arlington Heights NA: Historic Hillcrest)
The city also lists a small Linden Avenue Historic District, between Belle Street and Clover Lane, as part of the broader Arlington Heights area, though it sits north of Camp Bowie and outside the association's boundaries. So if you're buying on that stretch of Tremont, plan for city review. Anywhere else in the neighborhood, you're generally working under regular zoning and permits. If historic status matters to your plans, my post on what makes a home historic in Fort Worth explains how designation works.
What's near Arlington Heights?
Camp Bowie Boulevard is the neighborhood's front porch. These were all open when I checked in fall 2026:
- Kincaid's Hamburgers, 4901 Camp Bowie Blvd. Family owned and serving burgers since 1946.
- Blue Bonnet Bakery, 4705 Camp Bowie Blvd. It opened on Camp Bowie in 1934 and now bakes in a former 1920s church.
- Lucile's Stateside Bistro, 4700 Camp Bowie Blvd, in a building that went up in 1927. Good for weekend brunch.
- Tokyo Cafe, 5121 Pershing Ave, open since the late '90s.
- Swiss Pastry Shop, 3936 W Vickery Blvd, just across I-30, baking since 1973.
East of Montgomery is the Cultural District: the Kimbell Art Museum, the Modern Art Museum, the Amon Carter Museum, and Dickies Arena next to the Will Rogers Memorial Center. The West 7th restaurants are just past that. The Trinity Trails are a short drive north.
What schools serve Arlington Heights?
Fort Worth ISD. Zoning goes by address and boundaries can change, so look up the specific house on the district's School Finder before you count on a particular campus.
Is Arlington Heights a good place to live?
For a lot of people, yes, and location is the main reason. You're close to the museums and downtown, Camp Bowie is at the top of the neighborhood, and the streets still feel residential. The houses have character, and the association has been around long enough to have earned the city's top neighborhood award.
Now the downsides. Prices reflect the location, so you'll pay more per square foot than in newer parts of the city. The older homes need upkeep. Teardowns and new builds keep changing the look of some blocks, which bothers some people and doesn't bother others. I-30 runs along two sides, and houses close to it hear it. And on big event nights at Dickies Arena or Will Rogers, traffic on the east side picks up.
It's a strong fit for buyers who want an older home close to the center of things and are fine paying for that. If you want a big new house with a big yard for the money, the farther west neighborhoods will stretch your budget further.
Arlington Heights FAQs
Where is Arlington Heights in Fort Worth?
On the west side, between Camp Bowie Boulevard on the north, I-30 on the south and west, and Montgomery Street on the east, right next to the Cultural District.
Is Arlington Heights a historic district?
Not as a whole. It isn't a City of Fort Worth local historic district, but the small Hillcrest Historic District on Tremont Avenue, between Bryce and El Campo avenues, is, and exterior projects there need city review.
When were most Arlington Heights homes built?
Mostly in the 1920s, after World War I brought Camp Bowie to the area. There's also a good amount of newer construction mixed in.
Is Camp Bowie Boulevard really brick?
Yes. The boulevard was paved with Thurber brick in the 1920s, and long stretches of it are still brick today. The neighborhood's residential streets are a different story, so don't assume a house is on a brick street.
What school district serves Arlington Heights?
Fort Worth ISD. Assigned schools depend on the address.
If you're trying to decide between an original 1920s house and a newer build on the same street, I can help you weigh it. Call or text me at 432.215.9177.