Garland is an inner suburb located northeast of Dallas City. It is considered a crucial part of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Although a few small parts are located within Collin County, most of the city lies in Dallas County. It is the 12th most inhabited city in Texas with a present population of about 227,000. There are two DART Light Rail Line transit stations located in the city. One is at Jupiter Road and Forest Land whereas the other is situated in Historic Downtown Garland. The D/FW International Airport is located roughly 30 minutes away.
The area was first settled during 1850 with the community officially being launched during 1874. The settlement was named after the corn mill which was built by a man named Moles on the northwest bank of Duck Creek. Fortunately for the settlers, the black soil was perfect for growing cotton. Cotton rapidly became their main agricultural product and, by the year 1867, two cotton gins had been constructed. A post office was finally established during 1878.
Garland City over the last few years have seen lots of noticeable developments, specially in the northern sector of the city. During 2003 Garland City opened Hawaiian Falls Water Park, that was followed shortly by both the School District's Special Events Center and the Firewheel Town Center in 2005. The Firewheel Town Center hosts over 100 businesses within an outdoor mall background.
In conjunction with Trammell Crow Company in 2009, Garland City completed a public/private deal to develop the parking lot and old courthouse situated between 5th Street, 6th Street, and on the North Side of Austin Street into a transit oriented development referred to as 5th Street Crossing. This development comprises more than 189 residential apartment units along with 11,000 SF of flex retail. City Hall and the downtown DART Rail station are located cater-corner to 5th Street Crossing.