Bigger Than Football: The Stadium That Changed a City

The neighborhoods and the streets that coursed through them are gone.

So too are people who lived in the small homes just down the road from General Motors.

In their place is an entertainment district that has hosted everything from a Super Bowl to Taylor Swift and Beyoncé concerts. At its heart is AT&T Stadium, or “Jerry’s World,” the home of the Dallas Cowboys that reinvented the role NFL football venues can play in cities. This summer, it claims bragging rights to being the site of the most FIFA World Cup games.

The stadium is the vision of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who moved the team to Tarrant County once voters agreed to share the cost. At the time, the Jones family promised that the city would be getting more than a stadium.

The economic projections for AT&T Stadium were anticipated to surpass expectations, said Trey Yelverton, Arlington city manager. The construction of the new stadium was expected to generate roughly 800 jobs, and that did happen, but what officials didn’t see coming was how big the entertainment district would get.

There is now the Loews Hotel, which boasts 4.5 stars; Texas Live, an entertainment venue; Globe Life Field, the new home of the Texas Rangers; and the Arlington Museum of Art. Approximately 400 events a year happen at AT&T Stadium, according to the Dallas Cowboys, more than any other NFL team.

Sales Tax

Sales tax has been gradually going up over the years. Especially since 2021, post covid, when more people wanted to get out of the house and Globe Life Field opened.

Hotel Occupancy Tax

Since AT&T Stadium opened the hotel occupancy tax has steadily grown with more and more people coming into town for games and events.

What the residents say...

Peyton Thomas, a fifth-generation Arlington resident, says while living in a busy city isn’t ideal, it has more pros than cons. “We have culture and concerts 10 minutes down the road. Is it busy? Yes, but I would take that any day if I get to live in a city that has culture.” Her parents bought their house in south-central Arlington for $144,000 in 2000. Now people are knocking on their door and calling them weekly, trying to buy it from them. “Our house is almost 80 years old. Houses in our neighborhood have character, which you don't find a lot anymore,” said Thomas.

Elijah Nunez grew up on North Oak Street, four blocks from the stadium. “When the stadium was getting built, it was like the President was in town. Every day, there were always roads blocked off; there was always stuff going on.” He remembers having to take a different way to school for years because he couldn’t go down Randall Mill Road; there was constant construction.

Elijah Nunez, age 3, dressed as a cowboys player for Halloween. (Photo courtesy of Elijah Nunez)

“I remember going into the barbershop with my dad and everyone had mixed emotions about the Cowboys coming to town,” said Nunez. Everyone thought prices would skyrocket and Jerry Jones was going to take over. While prices around the entertainment district did fluctuate, Nunez loved the fact that his favorite NFL team was coming to his hometown. “I think what made it so cool is the fact that you would get to see some of the players just randomly at maybe a gas station, or a Chipotle,” said Nunez. “I got to have my Super Bowl when I was playing Pop Warner Football at AT&T Stadium. I got to go on field trips there and I actually got to graduate high school in the stadium.”

Everyday life changed for residents. “If there's a big game going on, we would hunker down and stay home. We don't plan dinners, or if we do, we plan them in Fort Worth,” said Thomas. “I guess it's just something that we got used to being here.” Nunez and his family, being big Dallas Cowboys fans, would cook out at their home or walk over to the stadium to tailgate. “I think it was something that united our community,” said Nunez. Not only was the stadium a financial gain for the city, but it was also a building that brought a community together, something they could call theirs.

Nunez and his dad, Quentin Williams. (Photo courtesy of Elijah Nunez)

The history...

When Cowboys owner Jerry Jones started looking around for new places to take his Dallas Cowboys in 2004, Arlington was one of the contenders. “It was former Mayor Robert Cluck’s vision to bring the Dallas Cowboys to Arlington,” said current Arlington Mayor Jim Ross. It all started when Arlington voters approved a half-cent tax increase on sales, a 2% hotel occupancy tax, and a 5% rental car tax to cover its $325 million contribution to the new home of the Dallas Cowboys in 2004. The new stadium, called Cowboys Stadium, would be placed near Choctaw Stadium, the home of the Texas Rangers at the time, making it a great destination in hopes of the area becoming an entertainment district.

The stadium would also be placed where homes and businesses currently stood. In August of 2005, businesses started getting offers from the city of Arlington to buy their land, said David Wethe, Star-Telegram staff writer. The city was trying to gather 200 acres for the stadium to come. According to Wethe, “Arlington's plan has been to first deal with property owners living at the center of the stadium site and work out to properties farther away. The entire site is bounded by Randol Mill Road, Collins Street, Division Street and Stadium Drive.” In those 200 acres, 30 acres of it is residential homes or apartments.

Homeowners in the path of the new stadium were shocked by what the city offered them. They received a letter stating that Pinnacle Consulting, which handled the land acquisition, would be in touch. Arlington verbally promised to offer residents market value for their homes and an additional $22,500. Renters would be given $5,250 for moving expenses. Businesses would be given fair market value and an additional $10,000.

When homeowners started to receive offer letters, they weren't happy with what Arlington offered. They felt that they were owed more. That’s where the imminent domain appeared. Imminent domain is when the government can take someone’s private property for a public project, even if the owner doesn’t want to sell, as long as the owner is paid a fair price for it. This is what the city of Arlington did. "My house isn't being bought. It's being stolen," said a woman who lived in a house owned by her family for 32 years. Wethe wrote, “Many homeowners in the area reacted similarly and used words like' "violated" and "abused" to describe how they felt about the acquisition process.

Not only were businesses and homes taken away, but the businesses that did make it out safe suffered a loss of customers. According to Wethe in 2005, Tuan Nguyen said he was scared for his future. His business didn’t get taken away, but the customers who funded his livelihood did. “My business will die, I'll be broke and I'll lose everything."

The roads...

With the amount of traffic that was projected to hit Arlington, the highways around the new entertainment district were not suitable. “The Interstate 30 project was long overdue. It was called the three bridges project because there were three bridges in Arlington,” said Gordon Dickson, former Star-Telegram staff writer. Toll lanes were built on Interstate 30 from Dallas to Arlington for the people who could afford it. They were built on a lane originally dedicated to carpool lanes, but now would be TollTag lanes, said Dixon. “Toll prices will change during the day as congestion changes, a strategy known as 'value pricing '." The busier the toll lanes, the higher the price.” The emphasis on this project was to get drivers in and out of the entertainment district easier and for people who could afford the toll lanes, to be able to get by quicker.

The money....

Jerry Jones originally projected Cowboys Stadium to cost $650 million. $325 million paid by Arlington taxpayers, and $325 million paid by the Dallas Cowboys. After the stadium was done being built, the final cost came out to be $1.2 billion. The Jones family covered the extra $550 million. Arlington’s initial debt was planned to be paid off within 30 years, by 2035, but because of how well the Cowboys Stadium brought in revenue, the city was able to pay it off 10 years early. In total, the City of Arlington paid $490,325,273 for the Cowboys Stadium. This was almost $151 million less than what was projected, according to the city. This tax measure will stay in place until Globe Life Field, the new home of the Texas Rangers, debt is paid off. That debt is set to be paid off by 2034. Voters approved this in 2017.

The stadium changed Arlington…

The official name of the home of the Dallas Cowboys was changed from Cowboys Stadium to AT&T Stadium in 2013 when Jones announced a multiyear brand deal with the telecommunications conglomerate.

AT&T Stadium had its official opening ceremony on May 27, 2009 and its first public event on June 6, 2009, which was a George Strait concert, country legend and music hall of famer. A testament to what this stadium was going to be, a world-class venue.

The stadium changed Arlington…

Tourism has become a major component of Arlington’s overall tax base. Revenue generated from tourism adds to the city’s total sales tax income, helping fund high-quality public services while easing the burden on property taxes.

The sales tax revenue in the City of Arlington has nearly doubled from 48.8 million in 2005 to an estimated $97 million in 2025, according to the city. The city sales tax goes directly into a general fund. This general fund, like any city, helps support roads, police, fire, parks, libraries, etc. The growth of sales tax over the past two decades is due to several factors. “These include Arlington’s population increased by 16%, major retailers, such as the Arlington Highlands shopping center and Summit Racing Equipment, opening, and state law changes requiring online sellers to remit sales and use tax to cities. The Entertainment District, which is home to venues such as AT&T Stadium, Globe Life Field, Six Flags Over Texas and Hurricane Harbor and the National Medal of Honor Museum, also plays a role. As a major tourist destination centrally located in the country, more than 15 million visitors come to eat, shop and stay here each year” - City report

AT&T Stadium has helped not only the entertainment district thrive, but the city overall as well. Susan Schrock, the Managing Editor for the City of Arlington, said, “This venue has helped the city secure state and federal grant funding for years to improve and increase our public safety. Police and fire departments have been able to get additional training vehicles, technology, and other tools to keep residents and visitors safe during these high profile events.”

Person with red luggage walking on a sunny outdoor walkway, capturing a travel moment.

Photo by Atlantic Ambience on Pexels

“The stadium has put Arlington on the map and helped distinguish the city as more than just a suburb of Dallas or Fort Worth,” said a former Star-Telegram reporter. Now, the world’s biggest sporting event has come to town. The first match in Arlington of the 2026 FIFA World Cup took take place on June 14. The semi-final game concluded Arlington’s stretch of games on July 14. “There's nothing bigger than the World Cup. This is definitely the feather in [Jerry Jones’] hat,” said Joe Trahan, the director of PR and communications for the FIFA World Cup.