Harold Patterson Sports Center

If you or your children have been playing organized sports in Arlington for a while, chances are you’ve played at Harold Patterson Sports Center. Dedicated in 1990, this 135-acre park features baseball, football, soccer, and softball fields. Named for former mayor and lifelong Arlington resident Harold Patterson, this huge facility reflects Patterson’s equally impressive record during his days at City Hall. As Arlington’s population nearly doubled under his tenure, the city began developing projects such as The Parks at Arlington mall, Lincoln Square shopping center, and the Arlington Convention Center. Thanks to these focused efforts to build the City’s economic base, combined with big-name draws such as Six Flags over Texas and the Texas Rangers, tourism had become a half-billion-dollar industry attracting four million visitors a year by the mid-1980s.