Between two downtowns.
Living in Arlington, Texas
Arlington sits between Dallas and Fort Worth, with homes near $327,000 and five school districts depending on the address.
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Why Arlington
Tarrant County
Arlington is a city of about 402,134 people (July 2025 Census estimate) in Tarrant County, crossed by I-20, I-30, SH 360 and US 287. Its largest employers include General Motors, Arlington ISD and the University of Texas at Arlington, and the Entertainment District holds AT&T Stadium, Globe Life Field and Six Flags Over Texas. Zillow put the median sale price at about $327,000 in August 2026, and homes went pending in a median of 27 days in September 2026.
The lesson in Arlington is that one city can mean five school districts. Arlington ISD covers most addresses, but parts of the city are zoned to Mansfield ISD, Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD, Kennedale ISD or Fort Worth ISD, and each carries its own tax rate and campuses. Two homes a mile apart can differ by a full school system and by hundreds of dollars a year in taxes, so look up the district on the Tarrant Appraisal District record before you fall for a house.
The numbers
Schools, taxes, commute
Arlington ISD serves most of the city, while other neighborhoods are zoned to Mansfield ISD (much of far south Arlington), Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD (including Viridian in the north), Kennedale ISD or Fort Worth ISD. Arlington ISD's board voted in January 2026 to close Blanton Elementary at the end of the 2025-26 school year and rezone its students to nearby campuses. Because the district follows the address, confirm it on the appraisal record and with the district before you buy.
For tax year 2025, an Arlington ISD home paid about 2.19% combined (city 0.6298, Arlington ISD 1.0929, Tarrant County 0.1862, JPS hospital district 0.165, Tarrant County College 0.11228 per $100). Homes in Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD run about 2.12% and in Mansfield ISD about 2.24%. On a $327,000 Arlington ISD home that is about $7,150 a year, or roughly $596 a month, before exemptions; the city adds a 20% homestead exemption on top of the state's $140,000 school exemption, so filing it makes a real difference.
| Downtown Fort Worthapproximate off-peak via I-30 | 20-25 min |
| Downtown Dallasapproximate off-peak via I-30 | 25-30 min |
| DFW Airportapproximate off-peak via SH 360 | 20-25 min |
| Legacy West, Planoapproximate off-peak via SH 360, TX-121 and Dallas North Tollway | 40-45 min |
Where Arlington sits
Drive times, schools and shopping around it. Ask me for a tour of the area.
Being built now
Ground broke Aug. 3, 2026 on a $135 million-plus redevelopment of the 43-acre Lincoln Square into about 404,000 square feet of retail, dining, public space and entertainment, with completion slated for early 2028.[5]
The Sheraton in the Entertainment District was imploded in June 2026 to make way for a 507-room Loews hotel, with Loews investing more than $500 million and the city expected to contribute about $40 million.[6]
Six Flags Over Texas scheduled a new ride, The Tormenta, for summer 2026, and construction on Anthem continues through 2027.[8]
Blanton Elementary closes at the end of the 2025-26 school year, with students reassigned among Burgin, Crow, Goodman and Swift elementary schools.[7]
Where to look in Arlington
Settling in to Arlington
Arlington is in Oncor's delivery area, so you pick your retail electricity provider. Compare plans by ZIP code on the state's Power to Choose site.[16]
Open a water account with Arlington Water Utilities online or at 817-275-5931 (Spanish-speaking representatives are available), at least 24 hours ahead. Expect a $160 residential deposit and a $47 activation fee; the account covers water, sewer, trash pickup and storm drainage, and Republic Services handles collection (817-317-2000).[17]
File with the Tarrant Appraisal District online through your TAD.org account or on a paper form. There is no fee, and your Texas driver license address must match the home.[19]
Arlington ISD registration is online, and families new to the district finish at the campus. Your zoned school fills in from your address; if the home is in Mansfield, HEB, Kennedale or Fort Worth ISD, enroll with that district instead.[20]
Register your vehicle at the Tarrant County Arlington Subcourthouse, 700 E. Abram St. (817-548-3935). New residents have 30 days to register and 90 days to get a Texas license; the nearest DPS offices include Grand Prairie (701 N. Bagdad Rd.) and the Fort Worth Mega Center, by appointment.[23]
Before you buy or sell
Look up the school district and the full list of taxing units on the Tarrant Appraisal District record for each address, because Arlington ISD, Mansfield ISD and HEB ISD homes carry different rates. After you close, file the homestead exemption with TAD right away; the city's 20% exemption plus the state's school exemption lower your bill from the first year.
Arlington homes went pending in a median of 27 days in September 2026 and sold for about 98.5% of list in August, so a well-priced home moves, but about 54% still sold below list. Lead your listing with the school district and campus, since buyers shop by district here, and fix the items that kill appraisals and inspections on older Arlington homes: roof age, HVAC and visible foundation movement. Cosmetic updates like paint and lighting help photos, but they rarely make up for an inspection report that scares a buyer off.
See what clients say.
Read reviews from buyers, sellers and renters on Google, then ask me anything. I answer the same day, in English or Spanish.
Questions people ask about Arlington
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Your realtor in Arlington
Buying or selling in Arlington means knowing more than the city average. Homes here can fall in Arlington ISD, Mansfield ISD, Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD or Kennedale ISD; combined 2025 tax rates run about 2.12% to 2.24% depending on the address, and communities like Viridian, Old Town and The Hill, Town North and Westador each behave like their own market.
As your Arlington realtor I verify the school zoning, the full tax rate and any HOA, MUD or PID for every home before you write an offer, and I bring more than ten years of construction and remodeling experience to every inspection and pricing decision. I work from Formation at The Star in Frisco and help clients in English and Spanish.
Thinking about Arlington?
Tell me what you're looking for and I'll come to the conversation prepared. Same-day response.
- Zillow Home Value Index, city level data (Sept 2026), 2026-10
- Zillow Research data: median sale price, median days to pending and sale-to-list ratio by city (Aug and Sept 2026), 2026-10
- U.S. Census Bureau: City and town population estimates, Vintage 2025, 2026-10
- Tarrant Appraisal District: 2025 Tax Rates per $100 Valuation, 2026-10
- City of Arlington: Anthem groundbreaking ushers in Lincoln Square transformation (Aug 2026), 2026-10
- Hoodline: Arlington's Sheraton imploded as Americana by Loews moves in (June 2026), 2026-10
- Arlington ISD: Board votes to close Blanton Elementary (Jan 2026), 2026-10
- Globe Life Field: New 2026 openings in the Arlington Entertainment District (May 2026), 2026-10
- CultureMap Dallas: Arlington's Viridian master-planned community (July 2015), 2026-10
- City of Arlington: North Central Historic Neighborhoods plan (Old Town and The Hill, adopted Oct 2023), 2026-10
- City of Arlington: Westador Neighborhood Plan (June 2014), 2026-10
- City of Arlington: Tierra Verde Golf Club, 2026-10
- NewHomeSource: Mayfield Farms by Sandlin Homes, Arlington 76002, 2026-10
- City of Arlington: Town North Neighborhood Plan, 2026-10
- Wikipedia: Arlington, Texas (school districts, highways, employers), 2026-10
- Public Utility Commission of Texas, Power to Choose: electricity plans and delivery utility by ZIP code, 2026-10
- City of Arlington Water Utilities: Open a water account, 2026-10
- City of Arlington: Garbage and Recycling (Republic Services), 2026-10
- Tarrant Appraisal District: Homestead exemption application, 2026-10
- Arlington ISD: Student registration, 2026-10
- Tarrant County Tax Assessor-Collector: Motor vehicle locations and maps, 2026-10
- Texas Department of Public Safety: Driver License Office Locations (appointment only), 2026-10
- Texas Department of Motor Vehicles: New to Texas (30 days to register, 90 days for a Texas license), 2026-10
Figures change. Verify school zoning, tax rates and HOA or MUD fees for any specific address before you buy. Albert does this on every home he shows.