Your guide to Garland: Find things to do, restaurants, parks and more

Garland is a city of many identities.

The suburb of around 250,000 residents just northeast of Dallas is at once a major manufacturing hub, a major suburban arts hub and the Cowboy Hat Capital of Texas. Downtown Garland has developed a knack for adding new restaurants in recent years.

Here’s your guide to Garland:

Population: 250,571
Median Age: 32.4
Median income: $75,797
Unemployment rate: 4.5%

• One race, white: 29.1%
• One race, Black or African American: 14.9%
• One race, American Indian or Alaska Native: 0%
• One race, Asian: 10.1%
• One race, Native Hawaiian: 0%
• One race, some other race: 7.1%
• Two or more races: 37.5%
• Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race): 50.6%
• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: 22.4%

For ages 18-24 (roughly 10.4% of the population)

• Less than high school degree or equivalent: 14.3%
• High school graduates (or equivalent): 40.1%
• Some college or associate’s: 35.4%
• Bachelor’s degree or higher: 10.2%

For ages 25+ (roughly 62.7%)

• High school graduates (or equivalent): 26.6%
• Bachelor’s degree: 17.4%
• Graduate or professional degree: 8.1%

86,420 units; 81,428 occupied (94.2%)

• 47,064 owner occupied
• 34,364 renter occupied

Unit types

• 54,625 1-unit detached
• 2,704 1-unit attached
• 28,964 multi-unit
• 127 mobile homes

Median home value: $298,200
Median rent: $1,679

Compiled by staff researcher Rachel Friend. Data from U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-Year Estimates Subject Tables, Tables S0601, S1501, S1903, S2301, DP04

The origins of Garland trace back to two 19th-century settlements in the area: Duck Creek and Embree, according to the Texas State Historical Association. In 1887, the town of Embree attempted to incorporate, but was alleged to have illegally counted Duck Creek’s population in doing so. The legal challenge was resolved by congressman Joseph Abbott who created the town of Garland between the two old communities and established the post office there.

Garland grew in its early years with several businesses including mills and hotels springing up, as well as four churches, according to TSHA. The town was incorporated in 1891, but a fire in 1899 destroyed most of the businesses in town. The town was able to rebuild and continued growing early in the 20th century.

Garland’s population had grown to more than 1,400 by 1920 and the town had several banks, restaurants and other retail stores, TSHA wrote. The town even had telephone and telegraph connections and by 1923, the Garland Power and Light Company had been set up as a city utility. A 1927 tornado proved a major setback as much of the city was destroyed and 17 people died, including then-mayor S.E. Nicholson.

Garland began to attract manufacturing in the 1930s with the Craddock food company and the Byer-Rolnick hat factory moving to the city, according to the TSHA. The town also hosted several aircraft plants during World War II.

By 1950, Garland had grown to more than 10,000 people and continued to add residents in the post-war period. By 1970, the town had a population of around 75,000. Several big developments arrived in 1983 with the opening of the Garland Performing Arts Center, now the Granville Arts Center, and the Firewheel Golf Park. The former was the first arts center in a Dallas suburb. That year, Garland joined Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), which eventually added two light-rail stops in the city.

By 2000, Garland’s population had surpassed 200,000, with growth slowing as the city’s undeveloped land became scarce. Today, the city has nearly a quarter of a million residents and remains a major manufacturing and industrial hub with more than 300 manufacturers in the city, according to its website.

The Big Hat: This sculpture in downtown Garland  — which is 20 feet long, 16 feet wide, 6 feet tall and stands 15 feet in the air — was unveiled in 2025. The art installation celebrates the city’s official designation as the Cowboy Hat Capital of Texas.

Bankhead Cultural District: This area of downtown Garland, which includes the Granville Arts Center, the Landmark Museum and the Plaza Theatre, was designated an official cultural district in 2023. According to the website, the arts in Garland draw more than 200,000 patrons a year. 

Garland has more than 60 public parks and trails throughout the city. Here’s a look at some:  

• Audubon Park and Recreation Center
• Bradfield Park, Recreation Center and Pool
• Central Park
• Duck Creek Greenbelt Park and Trail
• Holford Park and Recreation Center
• John Paul Jones Park and Trail
• Lake Ray Hubbard Greenbelt
• Naaman Forest Walking Trail
• Rick Oden Park
• Rowlett Creek Preserve
• Spring Creek Forest Preserve

Find more here.

• Garland Landmark Museum
• Granville Arts Center
• Plaza Theater

Firewheel Town Center

The city’s nickname of the Cowboy Hat Capital of Texas was given to it by the Texas Legislature in 2013. Three major cowboy hat makers: Hatco (which makes Stetson and Resistol hats), Dorfman Milano, and Master Hatters of Texas have all been making hats in Garland for decades.