Streetcar lines grew and prospered in Dallas from 1872 until

the 1920s. Automobile competition siphoned many of their

riders away, but ridership soared again during World War II .

After the war, the trolleys entered an era of gradual attrition, and

they were abandoned by 1956. Amazingly, in 1989, the nonprofit

McKinney Avenue Transit Authority (MATA ) returned restored

vintage trolley cars to the city in the Uptown neighborhood near

downtown. MATA evolved from a tourist attraction into a true

transit company and became the M-Line. Since then, the area

has experienced rapid growth and is now home to midrise office

buildings and upscale apartments.