The community began when W.S. Peters agreed to bring 600 families into the area within a three-year period as part of a land grant. Families began arriving in the summer of 1848. In 1849, Tarrant County was established and named for General Edward H. Tarrant. The community of Birdville (adjacent to what is now the southwest boundary of North Richland Hills) was named the first
county seat. The area remained a rural farming and ranching community for more than 100 years. In 1952, Clarence Jones began to subdivide his
dairy farm into a suburban addition in the area that is now Cummings Drive. In 1953, the North Richland Hills Civic League sought to have the area annexed to Richland Hills, then voted to form their own city when annexation was denied. An election was held, and the of the Jones Farm, with a population of 500, became officially incorporated as the City of North Richland Hills. The first section of streets in North Richland Hills was named for the local families. The second section, which was added in 1954, was named for automobiles. There were 188 homes in the first part of the subdivision, which was restricted to brick and masonry construction. By 1957, the North Richland Hills' boundary was within of Smithfield, and by 1960, Smithfield had been annexed into North Richland Hills. In 1960, the population of North Richland Hills was beginning to rise at 8,662 residents, with that number more than doubling to 16,514 by 1970. The city's population continued to grow at a rapid pace, with the 1980 census at 30,592, and the 1990 census reflecting 45,895. In 2000, the population was at 55,635, and rise to 63,343 at the 2010 census. In 2020, the population was at 69,917. ==Geography==