The 1960s were tumultuous at times in Dallas – Fort Worth, but were also marked a period of steady growth and significant progress. A dark cloud was cast over Dallas as the site of the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy, and the tragedy led to the city working hard to overcome its image as “The City of Hate.” Progress ensued and the promise of a strong economy, and with it good jobs and affordable housing helped to make the Metroplex a place that thrived. Here are 17 mesmerizing photos taken in the 1960s:

Elephants were part of the appeal of newly-opened Six Flags Over Texas in 1961.
Six Flags Over Texas
The large theme park in Arlington was quite different than it is for the thrill seekers of today!
Both cities featured active military and aircraft plants.
Wikimedia Commons
The Vought Aircraft plant thrived in Dallas in the 1960s. In January 1960, the U.S. Air Force announced its intention to activate the first Convair B-58 Hustler wing. Its evaluation process was transferred to Carswell in Fort Worth in March of that year.
White shirts and dark ties were the uniform "look," although some businessmen started to dare to be different.
James R. Biard/Wikimedia Commons
Dallas - Fort Worth was a draw to engineering and technology companies. These engineers worked at Texas Instruments in Dallas in the early 1960s.
Dallas was in a period of growth and expansion.
coltera/Flickr
This aerial shot of Dallas in the 1960s shows how large the city had already become.
Fort Worth's Northside Main Street looked a lot different in the 1960s.
Historic Fort Worth
Liquor stores and bars lined the roadway then.
The young Van Cliburn, a Texas pianist protégé, was already well-known and loved in 1962.
Israel National Photo Collection/ Wikimedia Commons
This Fort Worth resident and acclaimed musician died in 2013 at age 78. He was credited with bringing world-class musicians to Fort Worth for the esteemed Van Cliburn Competition for more than 50 years.
Dallas resident Lee Harvey Oswald became a household name.
Marina Oswald/Wikimedia Commons
He proudly posed with his rifle in his backyard on Neely Street in this now-infamous March 1963 photo. His confidence in this photo, taken by his wife Marina, is quite foreboding considering his actions seven months later.
President John F. Kennedy's final day was spent first in Fort Worth and then Dallas on November 22, 1963.
Cecil Stoughton/Wikimedia Commons
Kennedy is shown here at the "Parking Lot Rally" in Fort Worth. He greeted supporters outside of Hotel Texas downtown just prior to heading indoors for a formal Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce Breakfast.
Dallas streets were lined up with fans anxious to catch a glimpse of the President and First Lady.
Cecil W. Stoughton/Wikimedia Commons
The photo is of Main Street at Griffin Street in Dallas, as seen from the second photographer's car.
The Dallas Trade Mart in the 1960s was a popular commerce spot.
Allen/Flickr
This is the site where President F. Kennedy was to speak at a luncheon following the motorcade in downtown Dallas on that tragic day in 1963.
Dallas' Texas Theater was also a popular place in 1963.
Texas Theater/Wikimedia Commons
This is where Oswald was located and arrested by law enforcement after he assassinated Kennedy.
Despite the tragedy that rocked the entire nation, the Dallas - Fort Worth area persisted and continued to grow throughout the decade.
austrini/Wikimedia Commons
First National Bank Tower was still under construction in 1964.
Locals still loved the railroads in the 1960s.
DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University /Wikimedia Commons
The Atchison, Topeka, & Santa Fe Railroad made a stop in Garland during summer 1965 to an excited crowd. The line was showing off 'Cyrus K. Holliday' Locomotive No. 1.
Downtown Dallas was booming in 1965.
Justin Cozart/Wikimedia commons
This photo shows highway markers for U.S. Route 67, U.S. Route 75, and U.S. Route 80, and the first southbound marker for U.S. Route 175. This road was formerly numbered Texas State Highway 1.
Fort Worth utilized streetcars for efficient commuter traffic and control.
Roger Puta/Wikimedia Commons
This photo shows one of the streetcars of Tandy Center (then Leonard's) Subway in 1967.
Traffic was already congested on the highway passing through downtown Fort Worth in the 1960s.
Historic Fort Worth

The 1960s in Dallas – Fort Worth also saw considerable changes in civil rights, local growth and jobs by defense contractors, and the era of some outstanding professional sports teams.

Do you have any local family photographs or stories to share? If so, we’d love to see them in the comments below!

Be sure to check out these Dallas – Fort Worth photos from the 1970s while taking a trip down memory lane.

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