One of the questions we get asked most often (even by people who were born and raised in Fort Worth) is, “Where did you get the name Panther City?”

Panther City is a nickname for Fort Worth springing from the city’s long-standing rivalry with Dallas. Just before the turn of the century, a lawyer who had visited Fort Worth on a business trip returned to Dallas and wrote in the Herald that Fort Worth was so quiet he'd seen "a Panther asleep on Main street, undisturbed by the rush of men or the hum of traffic." B.B. Paddock, editor of the Fort Worth Democrat, took his comment as a challenge and added a panther to his newspaper's masthead. Thus, the intended insult instead became an enduring symbol of the city's strength.

Today the influence of the Panther City nickname can still be seen throughout Fort Worth. The image of the panther has been used as a design element (FWPD badges), and architectural element (the Flatiron building), school mascot (Paschal High School), professional sports mascot (the Fort Worth Cats were originally the Panthers), and in countless business names over the years. We chose the name to reflect our pride in both our business and our hometown, and our goal of becoming Fort Worth's favorite bicycle shop.