[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 177 (Wednesday, December 2, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2863-E2864]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING CITY OF GRAND PRAIRIE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. KENNY MARCHANT

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 2, 2009

  Mr. MARCHANT. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the City of Grand 
Prairie. The city is celebrating its 100th anniversary, and I would 
like to take a moment to speak about the history of the city and its 
great future.
  In 1841, the area that is now Grand Prairie began to be settled by 
people accepting Republic of Texas land grants. In 1861, Alexander 
MacRae Dechman traded his wagon and oxen for 239.5 acres in what is now 
downtown Grand Prairie. He filed for a town plat in 1876, and named the 
town Dechman. That same year Alexander gave a portion of his land to 
the Texas and Pacific Railroad in exchange for operating a depot. In 
1877, the railroad renamed Dechman to Grand Prairie because of its 
location on the eastern edge of the prairie that stretched into West 
Texas. On March 20, 1909 the citizens of Grand Prairie voted to 
establish a local city government in order to create the civic 
infrastructure necessary for public safety, growth and prosperity.
  In 1909, the City of Grand Prairie had roughly 1,000 citizens. The 
city's growth accelerated during and after World War II when its 
population changed from 1,595 in 1940 to 14,594 in 1950. The population 
then doubled to 30,386 by 1960. Today the city is home to more than 
168,000 citizens. The growth is symbolic of the city's strength and 
success over the last hundred years.
  Grand Prairie has created a strong infrastructure to ensure continued 
growth. The city has constructed attractions for both economic 
development and tourism such as Lone Star Park in 1992, Nokia Theatre 
in 2001, the Ruthe Jackson Conference Center in 2002, the Uptown 
Theater, QuikTrip Ballpark and the AirHogs in 2008 and Market Square in 
2009.
  The city's success is also demonstrated by its long list of awards. 
Some recent awards include the Money Magazine 2008 Best Places to Live 
in USA, Today Newspaper 2008 Readers' Choice Award--Best Place to Live, 
the 2008 National Recreation and Parks Association Gold Medal Award for 
best parks system in America and named a Playful City USA in both 2008 
and 2009.
  Under the able leadership of Mayor Charles England, the City Council 
and City Manager's Office, Grand Prairie plans to continue growing 
stronger for their citizens and businesses. In 2010, the city will open 
a new Lake Rescue Center, Summit Activity Center for senior citizens 
and Public Safety Headquarters. A city known for being comfortably 
casual and incredibly friendly, Grand Prairie looks forward to the next 
100 years of dreaming big and making it happen.
  I am honored to represent the City of Grand Prairie and I ask my 
colleagues to join me in congratulating the city upon their 100th 
anniversary.

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