The 1970s was a tumultuous decade filled with sweeping changes to social, economic, cultural, and political norms. It was a time of transition, and these photos from the 1970s reflect what life was like in the Metroplex:
Stylin’ in downtown Dallas meant wide ties, white shoes, and sports jackets for men.
NARA/Wikimedia Commons The businessmen in this 1972 photo were working downtown near Baker Hotel.
Real cowboys prevailed.
NARA/Wikimedia Commons While the younger set gravitated to bell-bottoms, mutton chops, long hair, and short shorts, the classic cowboy remained, as shown here in 1972 at a Northside Fort Worth Café.
White Rock Lake was a popular hangout in the mid 1970s.
NARA/Wikimedia Commons This idyllic scene is timeless, as locals still flock to the lake near Dallas just as much today… but maybe not quite as often by horseback.
Suburbia took hold with the massive residential growth in North Dallas.
NARA/Wikimedia Commons This 1972 photo shows a cookie cutter-style neighborhood in North Dallas, near what was then called L.B.J. Freeway.
Big D was already impressive.
NARA/Wikimedia Commons This 1972 image shows the downtown area and the busy freeways built up all around.
Downtown Dallas was thriving.
NARA/Wikimedia Commons It wasn’t until years later that shoppers turned to suburban malls, causing the shuttering of many retail stores downtown.
Track shorts, tube socks, and harvest gold. Oh my!
Craig Howell/Flickr Yeah, those were definitely the 1970s, all right!
Reddy Kilowatt was a fixture in downtown Fort Worth.
Craig Howell/Flickr It should come as no surprise that this 1975 parking lot no longer exists!
Dallas-based 7-Eleven opened its 5,000th store here in 1974.
Allen/Flickr The grab-and-go convenience store changed the concept of customers shopping for only a few necessities at a time.
Dance clothing called for leotards and tights.
Beth Scupham/Flickr Movement and theatrical training was on the rise in the 1970s, and Dallas’ International Stage Movement Institute was popular during the era.
Car dealerships looked a bit different.
Alden Jewell/Flickr But these classics will guarantee to make any car lover swoon.
Friday afternoon rush hour existed in Dallas, even in 1972.
NARA/Wikimedia Commons It looks like not much has changed in terms of heavy traffic on Stemmons Freeway at Continental Street!
Hollywood liked the area’s vibe and filmed several movies here.
That Hartford Guy/Wikimedia Commons This 1974 photo shows two cast members filming Logan’s Run in Dallas. Portions of the film were also shot in Fort Worth.
Commerce Street was busy in the 1970s. Note the American Airlines ticket counter.
NARA/Wikimedia Commons Before the internet, people actually had to drive to ticket counters to purchase plane tickets. Imagine that!
Chartered buses, especially ones that aligned with Amtrak trains, were a common means of transportation.
NARA/Wikimedia Commons But it was not always comfortable. Few busses were air conditioned in the 1970s.
Fort Worth boasted a popular train station.
Charles O’Rear/ National Archives Catalogue, Image ID: 556049 In 1974, the passenger terminals were full in this busy station.
Teens still liked to mug it up for the camera.
NARA / Wikimedia Commons These 1972 teens in Northside Fort Worth show that not much has changed in terms of posing for cameras… although they did require an extra person to snap photos before selfie technology was invented!
Were you in Dallas – Fort Worth in the 1970s? What do you remember about the era? Were there places you liked to frequent or fashions you remember? We’d love to hear about any special 1970s memories!
NARA/Wikimedia Commons
The businessmen in this 1972 photo were working downtown near Baker Hotel.
While the younger set gravitated to bell-bottoms, mutton chops, long hair, and short shorts, the classic cowboy remained, as shown here in 1972 at a Northside Fort Worth Café.
This idyllic scene is timeless, as locals still flock to the lake near Dallas just as much today… but maybe not quite as often by horseback.
This 1972 photo shows a cookie cutter-style neighborhood in North Dallas, near what was then called L.B.J. Freeway.
This 1972 image shows the downtown area and the busy freeways built up all around.
It wasn’t until years later that shoppers turned to suburban malls, causing the shuttering of many retail stores downtown.
Craig Howell/Flickr
Yeah, those were definitely the 1970s, all right!
It should come as no surprise that this 1975 parking lot no longer exists!
Allen/Flickr
The grab-and-go convenience store changed the concept of customers shopping for only a few necessities at a time.
Beth Scupham/Flickr
Movement and theatrical training was on the rise in the 1970s, and Dallas’ International Stage Movement Institute was popular during the era.
Alden Jewell/Flickr
But these classics will guarantee to make any car lover swoon.
It looks like not much has changed in terms of heavy traffic on Stemmons Freeway at Continental Street!
That Hartford Guy/Wikimedia Commons
This 1974 photo shows two cast members filming Logan’s Run in Dallas. Portions of the film were also shot in Fort Worth.
Before the internet, people actually had to drive to ticket counters to purchase plane tickets. Imagine that!
But it was not always comfortable. Few busses were air conditioned in the 1970s.
Charles O’Rear/ National Archives Catalogue, Image ID: 556049
In 1974, the passenger terminals were full in this busy station.
NARA / Wikimedia Commons
These 1972 teens in Northside Fort Worth show that not much has changed in terms of posing for cameras… although they did require an extra person to snap photos before selfie technology was invented!
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