Garland Proclaimed “Cowboy Hat Capital of Texas”

New nickname has city tipping hats to state lawmakers

State lawmakers came up with a new nickname for Garland that honors a Texas tradition.

The Texas house passed a resolution proclaiming Garland the "Cowboy Hat Capital of Texas."

Rep. Angie Chen Button, R-Garland, came up with the idea because the city is home to the leading manufacturers of the state's finest head gear.

Business owners such as Stan Redding tip their hats to state lawmakers for the new moniker.

"I think it's about time we got that recognition," said Redding, president of Hatco Inc.

Redding has been making hats for more than 20 years.

"It's not surprising that this is in Garland, Texas," he said. "Garland is by far one of the most industrial cities in the United States, and a lot of people don't know that."

"We do claim that title," Mayor Ronald E. Jones said. "It is a fact. It's not by accident that companies have come here and stayed here."

Each year, the city's four cowboy hat manufacturing factories make more than 1 million iconic staples of the Lone Star State.

Hatco alone employs more than 400 people. The factory first opened in Garland in 1938, making resistol hats. Now it also makes famous labels such as Stetson and Charlie 1 Horse.

All of the hats are made in Texas from start to finish.

"There's a real romance with the cowboy hats, and we're happy that people connect that with the state of Texas," Redding said. "Our customers expect this product to come from Texas."

"It stands for love, toughness and all about embracing what this country is," Jones said.

The city promises to have a barbecue celebration as a "hats off" to its latest achievement.

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