Fort Worth billionaire reigns in this week's 5 most popular stories

This week's hot headlines

Getty Images

Editor's note: A lot happened this week, so here's your chance to get caught up. Read on for the week's most popular headlines. Looking for the best things to do this weekend? Find that list here.

1. Fort Worth billionaire is 3rd richest woman on the planet in 2023, says Forbes. Her fortune took a tiny hit this year, but Fort Worth’s Alice Walton is the woman with the third biggest bank account in the world. According to the 2023 Forbes World’s Billionaires List, released April 4, Walton has a net worth of $56.7 billion.

2. Restaurant starring soup dumplings to open in Fort Worth's Near Southside. Fort Worth is getting an exciting new dumpling spot from a team of high-profile collaborators. Called Teddy Wong's Dumplings & Wine, it'll be a Chinese restaurant with a stellar selection of dumplings and Chinese classics, opening in the Near Southside, at 812 W. Rosedale St., in the space previously occupied by Le's Wok Asian Food.

3. Hill Country nature preserve steps up conservancy efforts with new wildlife plans. A Hill Country park is getting some new features and wildlife this year. The Horseshoe Bay Nature Park, located 60 miles northwest of Austin (about three-and-a-half hours from Fort Worth), will be expanding its conservancy this year through the use of new signage, bee populations, and owls.

4. Edgy new Asian restaurant Eazy Monkey coming to Fort Worth's Magnolia Ave. A rad new restaurant from a powerhouse chef will open in a coveted spot in Fort Worth’s Near Southside neighborhood. Called Eazy Monkey, it's an Asian-themed restaurant that will open in late summer at 401 W. Magnolia Ave., the space previously occupied by Fixture, which closed in late 2022.

5. Popular Fort Worth wine bar with innovative self-serve sips closes suddenly. An innovative wine bar in Fort Worth has closed: 38 & Vine, which notably allowed customers to pour self-serve sips, has closed its location in the Foundry District, as well as a sibling location in Boerne, Texas. As a silver lining for sad Fort Worth wine lovers, they are having a quick close-out sale featuring great wines at amazing prices.

Getty Images

Fort Worth billionaire is 3rd richest woman on the planet in 2023, says Forbes

Billionaire roll call

Her fortune took a tiny hit this year, but Fort Worth’s Alice Walton is the woman with the third biggest bank account in the world.

According to the 2023 Forbes World’s Billionaires List, released April 4, Walton has a net worth of $56.7 billion. That’s down slightly from $65.3 billion in 2022 and $61.8 billion in 2021.

As third richest woman in the world, Walton sits behind No. 1 Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, a French L’Oreal Beauty heiress worth $80.5 billion; and No. 2, American Julia Koch of Koch Industries, worth $59 billion.

Just 337 women appear on the 2023 Forbes list, making up only 13 percent of the planet’s 2,640 billionaires, they say.

Walton is the only daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton. While she devotes most of her time and energy now to her Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine in her native Bentonville, Arkansas, Forbes still lists her residence as Fort Worth.

In Forbes' complete list of billionaires for 2023, Walton ranks as the 21st richest person across the globe, just behind her No. 20-ranked brother Rob Walton, director of Walmart, worth $57.6 billion.

For the last several years, Alice Walton has "battled"Elon Musk for the top spot in Texas. The Austin-based founder of Tesla and Space-X continues his reign as the wealthiest Texan this year and, with a net worth of $180 billion, he’s the second richest in the world.

Musk notches his spot between No. 1 Bernard Arnault of France (overseer of the LVMH empire of 75 fashion and cosmetics brands, including Louis Vuitton and Sephora), with a net worth of $211 billion; and No. 3 Jeff Bezos, the American Amazon founder, worth $114 billion.

Other Fort Worth billionaires who made the 2023 list (including their global ranking and 2023 net worth) are:

Private equity magnate David Bonderman: No. 390, $6.5 billion
Oil and investment guru Robert Bass: No. 534, $5 billion
Investor and oilman Sid Bass: No. 699, $4 billion
Homebuilder Donald Horton: No. 1,027, $2.9 billion
Oilman and investorEdward Bass: No. 1,272, $2.4 billion
Oilman and investor Lee Bass: No. 1,312, $2.3 billion
Real estate magnate John Goff, No. 1,725, $1.7 billion

Ad Placement 300x100

Ad Placement 300x600

CultureMap Emails are Awesome

Property Showcase

'Yellowstone' stars to greet fans at Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo

Yellowstone news

Yellowstone fans, get your comfy shoes ready - there'll be a long line for this one. Cole Hauser a.k.a. "Rip Wheeler" on Yellowstone, and Taylor Sheridan, the show's co-creator, executive producer, and director of the series, will meet fans and sign autographs at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo.

The event will take place from 4:30-6:30 pm only on Friday, February 3. Location is the 6666 Ranch booth near the south end of Aisle 700 in the Amon G. Carter, Jr. Exhibits Hall.

According to a February 2 announcement from FWSSR, "fans will have the opportunity to snag an autograph as well as purchase some distinctive Yellowstone and 6666 Ranch merchandise while also enjoying all the features the Stock Show offers."

The event is free to attend (with paid Stock Show admission) and open to the public.

It's the second year in a row for Hauser to appear at FWSSR; in 2022, he and fellow cast mates drew huge crowds.

Sheridan, a Paschal High School graduate, is no stranger to Fort Worth; he lives in a ranch near Weatherford and filmed 1883, the prequel to Yellowstone, in and around Fort Worth. Currently, another spinoff, 1883: The Bass Reeves Story, is filming in North Texas.

The Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo is winding up its 2023 run on Saturday, February 4.

Mr Gatti's Pizza returns to home turf Fort Worth with Camp Bowie location

Pizza News

A Fort Worth-based pizzeria concept has opened a location in Fort Worth: Mr Gatti's Pizza has opened a restaurant off Camp Bowie at 2812 Horne St. #100, a space previously occupied by Helen's Hot Chicken, where they're open with pizza, pizza rolls, and their signature ranch dressing.

The location is a franchise owned by Kirk Jefferies, who also owns and operates franchises of Jason’s Deli and Chicken Express. This is his first Mr Gatti’s, but he has more locations planned.

“When people talk about Mr Gatti's Pizza, you can see a spark in their eyes. We love being able to bring that 'excitement' and combine it with our passion for pizza,” Jefferies says in a release. “Mr Gatti's Pizza has been satisfying cravings for over 50 years. It truly is an honor to be a part of this legacy brand that people cherish."

Menu favorites from about a dozen pizza options include The Sampler, The Deluxe with sausage, pepperoni, & smoked provolone, and BBQ chicken. A basic 12-inch cheese pizza with one topping is $12.

There are lunch specials from 10:30 am-3 pm including pepperoni rolls and salad for $10; 8 wings and salad for $13; and a medium pizza with 2 salads for $15.

The chain was first founded in Stephenville, Texas as The Pizza Place, in September 1964. In 1969, founder James Eure moved to Austin and opened the first Mr Gatti’s Pizza, named for his wife's maiden name.

They have a major presence in South Texas but only two in the DFW area: Plano and Allen.

There was a location that opened in Fort Worth in 2016, at 3280 W. Seventh St. in Museum Place, which at the time, was the first to use the Mr. Gatti’s name; the chain had been going by "Gatti's." So many name changes! It closed in 2018. There was also a location in North Richland Hills which opened in 2016 and closed in early 2019; and a location in Richardson that closed in 2018.

Back in the day they had a big buffet as well as a big game room, two features for which many longtime fans are nostalgic. But this location is just about the pizza.

There are now more than 70 locations in states across the Southeast, including Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Tennessee.

Surprising Fort Worth suburb named No. 5 most family-friendly U.S. city

a great place to live

If Fort Worth-area residents are looking for the perfect new place to buy a home and raise a family, they should steer their interest toward Watauga. The northeast Fort Worth suburb, impressively, has been named the fifth most family-friendly city in the U.S. by real estate marketplace Opendoor.

Opendoor's second annual "Family-Friendly Cities" list focuses on local communities that offer plenty of recreational outdoor activities that are suitable for families of any age. Watauga was the only city in Dallas-Fort Worth to make the new list and the only Texas city to make the top 10. (Bellaire, near Houston, ranks No. 12.)

Cities were identified using the average number of family-friendly activity tags found on OpenStreetMap that are used for addresses in a city where the marketplace operates. Factors that were considered include cities with community centers, gardens, museums, parks, playgrounds, swimming pools, and more.

Watauga - which is bordered by Fort Worth to the west, Keller to the north, Haltom City to the southwest, and North Richland Hills to the south and east - has plenty of family-friendly attractions. Yet it often gets overshadowed by bigger, busier, more affluent Northeast Tarrant cities like Grapevine and Southlake.

There are seven different parks around Watauga, including the popular 37-acre Capp Smith Park, with its four pavilions, two playgrounds, amphitheater, and several acres dedicated to open space and stunning views.

The City of Watauga calls the park the heart of the city's recreational activities.

"[Capp Smith Park] features a lighted one mile walking trail that surrounds a spring fed one acre pond fully stocked with several species of aquatic wildlife," the city's website says. "In addition, the park is home to several other forms of wildlife which have also taken up residence in the park."

The park is also the host of Watauga Fest, an annual family-friendly festival that brings in carnival rides, food trucks, vendors, and much more for all residents to enjoy.

In addition, Watauga residents can make use of a thriving public library, visit the city's 9/11 Memorial and Veterans Memorial, Foster Village Park, a splash pad, and more. The city is also adjacent to the expansive Arcadia Park, with its many trails, playgrounds, tennis courts, and disc golf course.

According to recent reports, the average home price in Watauga is $283,845 - significantly less than the average home value in Fort Worth proper, $307,939. It's become an attractive place for new restaurants and retailers in recent years.

Opendoor's 15 best family friendly cities in 2023 are:

No. 1 – Somerville, Massachusetts
No. 2 – Berkeley, California
No. 3 – Cliffside Park, New Jersey
No. 4 – Arlington, Virginia
No. 5 – Watauga, Texas
No. 6 – Chandler, Arizona
No. 7 – Denver, Colorado
No. 8 – Portland, Oregon
No. 9 – Valley Stream, New York
No. 10 – Garden Grove, California
No. 11 – Coral Gables, Florida
No. 12 – Bellaire, Texas
No. 13 – Ann Arbor, Michigan
No. 14 – Mission, Kansas
No. 15 – Avondale Estates, Georgia

The full report can be found on opendoor.com.

View All Listings