By Rick Mauch
Candy’s Dirt Contributor
The neighborhood of Pantego is actually not a neighborhood at all. It’s an incorporated town. It’s small, consisting of one square mile and a population of just under 2,500.
It’s a town within a city, plopped down into the southwest corner of Arlington, surrounded by Arlington on three sides and Dalworthington Gardens to the south. It’s bordered to the east by South Bowen Road and the western edge extends nearly as far as Country Club Road.
The town’s southeast edge crosses through State Highway 303 and West Arkansas Lane. To the northeast, a stretch of Pantego runs along West Park Row Drive.
Pantego is small, but it packs several amenities into its borders.
The median home value is $251,000 and the median household income is $66,250, according to Niche.com, which lists the town as the 37th-best place to retire in Texas. The town has lots of restaurants, coffee shops, and parks — ample amenities for retirees.
- Numerous golf courses are within a few miles, including the Texas Rangers Golf Club and Lake Arlington.
- The same goes for sites to play tennis and swim, including Arlington’s East Library and Recreation Center’s indoor pool.
- The town’s popular Bicentennial Park features walking trails, statues, a seasonal splash pad, a stretching zone, and more. Two pavilions and a gazebo can be reserved for use.
- Shopping includes places such as the eclectic gift shop Anything Goes; Storm Farms, where you can pick your strawberries; and the Trinity River Kayak Company.
- Restaurants include Pantego Cafe (great breakfasts and lunches), El Sitio Cocina de Amor Mexican food, Sasa’s Place Cafe, and Salon (home-style soups and gourmet sandwiches), Fattoush Mediterranean Kitchen, and Juniors Grill with American food.
The subdivisions are mostly ranch-style homes, but multi-level condominiums and townhomes can be found. According to Niche.com, 65 percent of the residents own their homes.
The town has a deep history. The earliest historical reference to Pantego is 1542 when an ill-fated DeSoto expedition under Luis de Moscoso is believed to have camped in what is now the Village Creek area.
After the war with Mexico (1846-48), many veterans were granted land in Tarrant County. These veterans included Col. Middleton Tate Johnson from South Carolina, sometimes referred to as the “father of Tarrant County” and founder of Johnson’s Station, southeast of the Pantego area. His holdings were vast and it is believed to have included the Pantego area.
According to local tradition, Col. Frederick Forney Foscue acquired the land that is now Pantego after the Civil War. Foscue had a Native American friend named Pantego. In 1883, Foscue donated land for a school. According to tradition, the school was named Pantego in honor of Foscue’s friend.
Pantego was incorporated in its present form on May 22, 1952, after the previous incorporation in June 1949 and a dis-incorporation in February 1952.
Several historical markers are near Pantego. Most notable is Lee Harvey Oswald’s gravesite just a few miles down the road on Lancaster Avenue in Fort Worth and the Fielder Museum in Arlington.
Concerning safety, Pantego’s police department is known for catching excessive speeders, especially those violators in school zones.
In reviews posted on Niche.com, the town was called a “hidden gem,” but the “hidden police cars [are] ready to get you for going 5 miles over.” Wrote another: “The police are extremely strict and people actively avoid the small community just to not chance a run-in with the local PD.”
