Azle and Weatherford Real Estate Listings of Houses and Homes for Sale in Tarrant and Parker County, Texas


	Azle and Weatherford Houses for Sale

Azle and Weatherford

Azle is on State Highway 199, a short drive northwest of Downtown Fort Worth in the northwest corner of Tarrant County; the town extends partly into Parker County. The first recorded settlement at the site occurred in 1846, when a young doctor named James Azle Steward moved here. Other settlers came and established themselves near the local streams: Ash Creek, Silver Creek and Walnut Creek. The first post office opened in 1881, and the town took the name O'Bar in honor of the man who obtained the postal service. However, the name was changed at the request of Steward, who donated the land for a town site in order to have the town named Azle.

The community's economy was based on agriculture. Several crops were grown, including wheat, corn, peanuts, sorghum and cotton. Watermelons, cantaloupes, peaches, plums, and pears were also produced. Dairy farming became important in the early decades of the 20th century, when local milk products were sold to creameries in Fort Worth. The population of Azle grew steadily, and by 1920 the census recorded 150 residents. After the 1930s agriculture gradually declined; fields were converted from wheat and corn production to housing developments. Manufacturing increased and in 1984 Azle had 26 businesses. The town's proximity to Fort Worth and its position as the “Gateway to Eagle Mountain Lake” have made Azle a popular place to live.

Weatherford residents find themselves able to achieve a rural lifestyle without sacrificing the conveniences and labor market of a major metropolitan area. Many Weatherford residents commute into the Metroplex to work. Much of the city's commercial and industrial growth is directly attributable to its relative location to the Metroplex. The city's major commercial and industrial employers find Weatherford attractive since it offers the advantages of convenient access to the region's major transportation and shipping infrastructure without the disadvantages related to physically locating within a major urban area.

Named by the State Legislature as the “Peach Capital of Texas,” Weatherford and Parker County growers produce the biggest, sweetest, juiciest peaches in all of Texas. The peach is celebrated each year at the Parker County Peach Festival, Weatherford's largest one-day event. Known as the “Cutting Horse Capital of the World,” Weatherford is home to dozens of professional trainers, hall-of-fame horses and is in close proximity to Silverado, where several National Cutting Horse Association affiliates hold local competitions.

The city was named after Jefferson Weatherford, a member of the Texas Senate when the county was created. In the early years, the town was the last settlement on the Western frontier on the route of wagon trains operating between Fort Worth and Fort Belknap.

A noteworthy attraction in Weatherford is the bronze Peter Pan statue sculpted by artist Ronald Thomason that honors Weatherford native Mary Martin who created the role of Peter Pan on Broadway. The statue stands in front of the library at 1214 Charles St. where a room contains some original musical scores, costumes and other memorabilia on Miss Martin.

Reno is on Farm Road 1542, 18 miles northeast of Weatherford in the northwestern corner of Parker County. Settlement began in the early 1880s near the banks of Walnut Creek. A post office was established in 1884. Originally Reno served area farmers as a school and church community. The population remained under 200 until the late 1960s, when the growth of Fort Worth transformed Reno into a bedroom community.

Springtown is located about 23 miles northwest of Fort Worth at the Highway 199 and Highway 51 intersection. Families moving in from the cities are discovering a wholesome country lifestyle, excellent schools and low crime rates. Among the settlers who arrived in newly formed Parker County in 1859 was Captain Joseph Ward, a native of Patterson, New Jersey. When Ward arrived at the headwaters of Walnut Creek, the wild, untamed beauty of the countryside impressed him. The rolling hills were dotted with thick clumps of oak and elm trees, which sheltered bears, panthers, deer, wolves, quail and wild turkeys. He found Littleton Springs where 25 cold springs flowed from the base of a rolling hillside especially beautiful. Ward began laying out a town site and despite the problems brought on by nature, Comanche warriors and the Civil War, the town grew and later changed its name to Springtown.

In more recent times, Springtown has experienced a period of slow but steady growth which has greatly accelerated in the last few years. The community has continued to express the spirit of the pioneers who fought Indians and nature to establish a town in the wilderness. The Tabernacle continues to represent the collective community spirit of Springtown as it has for many generations.