Historically, Fort Worth has been the shipping, processing, and financial center for West Texas agricultural products and petroleum. Its economy relied on military bases, particularly Carswell Air Force Base. Its manufacturing base was closely linked to the aerospace industry and automobile production. In the early 1990s the realignment of Carswell into the Fort Worth Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base, the downsizing of both the defense and automobile industries, and the downturn in agricultural prices all damaged the Fort Worth economy. In recent years, however, the city's population and economy have grown, spurred by economic diversification in the region.
Although aerospace and automobiles remain an important part of its economy, Fort Worth's manufacturing base has not grown significantly. Instead the city has become more integrated into the economy of the Dallas-Fort Worth Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area, also known as the Metroplex, which has more than 4 million people, and has rebounded from the recent economic downturn with strong growth in the service, high-technology, financial, and transportation industries. The city relies on the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, one of the busiest in the nation. In December 1989, H. Ross Perot, Jr., the son and business partner of billionaire H. Ross Perot, Sr., opened the Alliance Airport 24 km (15 mi) north of Fort Worth. The largest privately owned commercial airport in the state, it is designed to exploit the growth of local high-tech firms and light-manufacturing companies.Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
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