Arlington mayor talks big-time growth and publicity at State of the City address ahead of the World Series

ARLINGTON, Texas — Mayor Jim Ross' State of the City came just two days ahead of the World Series at Globe Life, as business owners across the city are scrambling to get ready for the influx of visitors.

"It's been nuts, our business has exploded!" Brandon Hurtado of Hurtado BBQ told WFAA.

Hurtado's place is not experiencing growth for the first time. Ever since he opened his food trailer in 2019, he's experienced an influx of customers. As the city's grown, so has his business. 

All the folks who come to town for sports, concerts, and conventions come to him for BBQ.

"And I cannot imagine how much busier it’s going to be this year now that our Texas Rangers are in the world series!" he said.

At his annual State of the City address Wednesday, Mayor Jim Ross told business owners like Hurtado to prepare for more business and more money.

The World Series, he told WFAA, will do wonders.  

"Putting Arlington on the map and letting everyone know that we’re the place to do these types of things, the world cups, the super bowls, the world series," he said.

Ross said he’s expecting the World Series to build on top of the growth the city’s already seen.  

Over the last two years, he said, nearly 2,000 businesses opened in or moved to Arlington.  He added that $4.1 billion dollars in private investments are in or coming to the city. 

"And we’re gonna continue making the investments necessary," he said.

Ross said that means the $355 million going towards road construction, plus completion of the I-30/360 project. But with so much traction in the entertainment district, is that enough?

"We’re in the middle of doing an environmental study for high-speed rail connecting downtown Dallas, to the entertainment district to downtown Fort Worth," he added. "I think something like that is critical needed for north Texas."