A list of historical locations and markers in and surrounding the Grand Prairie area has been compiled for your convenience. Please call the Marketing Department at 972-237-8140 if you have further questions.

• Incorporated as "Grand Prairie" in 1909, the community was first recognized as Dechman in 1863, founded by Alexander McRae Dechman.  Before 1863, Grand Prairie was a stop on the stage coach line from Dallas to Fort Worth and an Indian Trading Post.  Buffalo roamed the prairie, and one of the only known Buffalo Wallows still remains untouched in town.

• In his journal, Dechman says he learned, while in Birdville, that he could trade his oxen and a wagon for land in Dallas County.  Dechman traveled to Dallas and traded his oxen and wagon to W. Caruth & Brothers for 239.5 acres of prairie land on east of the Trinity River and 100 acres of timber land on the west of the river.

• He tried to establish a home on the property, but ran into difficulties, so returned his family to Birdville before joining the Civil War.  In 1876 he filed a town plat consisting of 50 acres with Dallas County.

• While Dechman was serving in the Civil War, his wife, whom he left on a rented farm in Birdville, "with skill in trading, purchased 200 acres of land, paying for same with Confederate money, so that on my return home I was indebted to my wife for a home and piece of land our own."

• After the war, he returned to Birdville for two years before selling that farm in 1867 and moving to Houston, where Yellow Fever broke out causing the family to settle in Bryan.

• In 1876, Dechman traded half his "prairie" property to T&P Railroad to ensure the railroad came through the town.  The railroad named the depot "Dechman," prompting its namesake to relocate his home from Bryan to Dechman.  His son Alexander had been living in Dechman and operating a trading post and farm.

• The post office was opened in 1877 under the name "Deckman" rather than "Dechman" because the U.S. Post Office couldn't read the writing on the form completed to open the post office.

• The name of the town changed to Grand Prairie later in 1877.  Dechman sold the remainder of his Grand Prairie land in 1890 and apparently moved to Waxahachie.  He is buried in historic Greenwood Cemetery in Dallas.

• Grand Prairie incorporated as a city in 1909.

• Today, Grand Prairie is 81 square miles and is ideally located between Dallas and Fort Worth.  Nearly 170,000 people call Grand Prairie home. The average age of residents is 32, the average household income is $58,395 (2007) and the average price of a new home was $250,000 in 2007.

• Grand Prairie features Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie, Nokia Theatre, AirHogs Baseball minor league team, Joe Pool Lake, Trader's Village, Ripley's Believe It or Not!, the Alliance Skate Park, the Palace of Wax, the internationally regarded Greenhouse spa, and the city's Tangle Ridge Golf Course ranked in the top courses in Texas by The Dallas Morning News, and the popular Prairie Lakes Golf Course.

• With 35 percent of Grand Prairie available for development and its prime location in the Metroplex, Grand Prairie has become a hotbed of economic development.  Recent efforts have attracted more than 3,000 jobs and $150 million in investments.

• Known for its hometown atmosphere, Grand Prairie boasts a prosperous economy, growing community, a network of caring citizens, and one of the lowest crime rates in the Metroplex.