Dallas, Texas
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Template:Infobox City Template:Redirect Dallas is the third-most-populous city in the state of Texas and the ninth-most-populous in the United States. The city is also large in geographic area as it covers 997 km² (385 mi²) and is the county seat of Dallas County. Dallas is one of 11 U.S. global cities as it is ranked "Gamma World City" by the Globalization and World Cities Study Group & Network.
As of the 2000 U.S. Census, Dallas had a total population of 1.1 million (though a 2006 estimate placed the population at more than 1.26 million <ref>2006 NCTCOG Population Estimates (PDF)</ref>.) The city is the main cultural and economic center of the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metropolitan area (colloquially referred to as Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex), which is the fifth-largest metropolitan area in the U.S. with a population of 5.7 million in 12 counties. The 16-county metropolitan area designated by the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) had a population of 6,242,800 in 2006 <ref>2006 NCTCOG Population Estimates (PDF) - See Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metropolitan area for differences in 12 and 16 county region.</ref>.
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History
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Image:Bandera de Nueva España.jpg Native Americans inhabited the Dallas area before it was claimed, along with the rest of Texas, as a part of the Spanish Province of New Spain in the 1500s. The area was very close to French territory, but the boundary was carried upward a bit in 1819 with the Adams-Onís Treaty. Present-day Dallas remained under Spanish rule until 1821, when Mexico declared independence from Spain. Dallas joined the new nation, and became part of the state of Coahuila y Tejas. The Republic of Texas broke off from Mexico in 1836 (and remained an independent country for nearly 10 years), and this is when Dallas's development began.
The city of Dallas was founded by John Neely Bryan in 1841 after first surveying the area in 1839. Bryan, who shared Sam Houston's insight into the wisdom of Native American customs, must also have realized that these Caddo trails intersected at one of the few natural fords for hundreds of miles along the wide Trinity floodplain. Dallas County was established in 1846 and was named after George Mifflin Dallas, who was the eleventh United States Vice President at the time. However, the origin of the city's name is debatable; Bryan stated only that it was named "after my friend Dallas".
Dallas was formally incorporated as a town in 1856. It was a fairly insignificant place until after the American Civil War, and only legally became a city in 1871. The city paid the Houston and Central Texas Railroad US$5,000 to shift its route 32 km (20 mi) to the west and build its north-south tracks through Dallas, rather than through Corsicana as planned. A year later, Dallas leaders could not pay the Texas and Pacific Railroad to locate there, so they devised a way to trick the Railroad—Dallas had a rider attached to a state law which required the railroad to build its tracks through Browder Springs—which turned out to be just south of Main Street. The major north-south and east-west Texas railroad routes intersected in Dallas in 1873, thus ensuring its future as a commercial center.
By the turn of the twentieth century Dallas was the leading drug, book, jewelry, and wholesale liquor market in the Southwestern United States. It also quickly became the center of trade in cotton, grain, and even buffalo. It was the world's leading inland cotton market, and it still led the world in manufacture of saddlery and cotton gin machinery <ref name="handbook">Handbook of Texas Online - DALLAS, TX. Retrieved 21 February 2006</ref>. As it further entered the 20th century, Dallas transformed from an agricultural center to a center of banking, insurance, and other businesses.
In 1930, oil was discovered 160 km (100 mi) east of Dallas and the city quickly became the financial center for the oil industry in Texas and Oklahoma. Then in 1958 the integrated circuit was invented in Dallas by Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments. During the 1950s and 1960s, Dallas became the nation's third-largest technology center, with the growth of such companies as Ling-Tempco-Vought (LTV Corporation) and Texas Instruments. In 1957 two developers, Trammell Crow and John M. Stemmons, opened a Home Furnishings Mart that grew into the Dallas Market Center, the largest wholesale trade complex in the world.
Image:01220501l.jpg In the 1970s and 1980s, Dallas underwent the building boom which produced a distinctive contemporary profile for the downtown area and a prominent skyline, influenced by nationally acclaimed architects. By the 1980s, when the oil industry mostly relocated to Houston, Dallas was beginning to benefit from a burgeoning technology boom (driven by the growing computer and telecom industries), while continuing to be a center of banking and business. Also in the mid-to-late 1980s, many banks, especially in Dallas, collapsed during the Savings and Loan crisis, nearly destroying the city's economy and scrapping plans for hundreds of structures. In the 1990s, Dallas became known as Texas's Silicon Valley, or the "Silicon Prairie."
Like many major US cities, Dallas has experienced an "urban renewal" in the 2000s. From the mid-1980s to 2005, not a single highrise structure was built within the downtown freeway loop. In 2005, three towers began construction amid tens of residential conversions and smaller residential projects. By the year 2010, the North Central Texas Council of Governments expects 10,000 residents to live within the loop. Just north, Uptown is one of the hottest real estate markets in the country.
Geography and environment
Dallas is the county seat of Dallas County. A small portion of the city also extends into the neighboring counties of Collin County, Denton County, Kaufman County, and Rockwall County.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 997.1 km² (385.0 mi²). 887.2 km² (342.5 mi²) of it is land and 110.0 km² (42.5 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 11.03% water. These statistics are only for the city of Dallas proper. In fact, Dallas is a relatively small part of the much larger urbanized area known as the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. About one in four Texans lives in the DFW metroplex.
Geology
Dallas, and its surrounding area, is mostly flat and lies at an elevation ranging from 137.16 to 167.64 m (450 to 550 ft). The western edge of the Austin chalk formation, a limestone escarpment, rises 60.96 m (200 ft) and runs roughly north-south through Dallas County. The uplift is particularly noticeable in the neighborhood of Oak Cliff and the adjacent cities of Cockrell Hill, Cedar Hill, Grand Prairie, and Irving. Marked variations in terrain are found as well in cities immediately to the west in Tarrant County surrounding Fort Worth.
The Trinity River is a major Texas waterway that passes from the city of Irving into West Dallas, where it is paralleled by Interstate 35E along the Stemmons Corridor, then flows alongside western and southern downtown, and ultimately between South Dallas and Pleasant Grove, paralleled by Interstate 45, where it exits into unincorporated Dallas County and heads southeast to Houston. The river is flanked on both sides with a 15.24 m (50 ft) earthen levee to keep the city from flooding. Several bridges traverse the river connecting southern Dallas to downtown Dallas. From the early 2000s to the 2010s, the Trinity River Project, a major public works project undertaken by the city of Dallas, will improve the river along its length.
White Rock Lake is Dallas's other significant water feature. The lake and surrounding park is a popular destination among boaters, joggers, bikers, and skaters in the Lakewood/Casa Linda neighborhoods of East Dallas. The lake also boasts the 267,092.524 m² (66 acre) <ref>Home Page.htm Dallasarboretum.org - General Info. Retrieved 17 April 2006.</ref> Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden on its shore. Bachman Lake, just northwest of Love Field, is a smaller lake and surrounding park that is also used for recreation. Lake Ray Hubbard, a 92,045,749.3 m² (22,745 acre) <ref>Lake Ray Hubbard - the Hook! Guide to Lone Star Lakes and Lunkers. Retrieved 17 April 2006.</ref> lake is a vast and popular recreational lake located in an extension of Dallas between Garland, Rowlett, Rockwall and Sunnyvale. Mountain Creek Lake is a small lake along Dallas's border with Grand Prairie and is home to the (defunct as of 1998) Naval Air Station Dallas (Hensley Field). North Lake, a small lake in an extension of Dallas surrounded by Irving and Coppell, served primarily as a water source for a nearby power plant but the surrounding area is now being targeted for redevelopment due to its proximity to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (a plan that the neighboring cities oppose <ref>Dallas Morning News - 18 May 2005. Foes say North Lake development a threat to lifestyle. (Original Location of article.) Retrieved 7 April 2006.</ref>.)
Climate
Dallas gets about 941.1 mm (37.1 in) of rain per year, much of which is delivered in the spring. The climate of Dallas is classified a humid subtropical climate, yet this part of Texas also tends to get hot, dry winds from the north and west in the summer. In the winter, strong cold fronts from the north pass through Dallas, which often causes temperatures in the region to fall below freezing. The average annual snowfall in Dallas is 2.5 inches, with snowfall seen on six days per year and snow accumulations seen two days per year on average <ref>NOAA DFW Climate Retrieved 26 March 2006</ref>. Occasionally, warm and humid air from the south overrides cold, dry air, leading to freezing rain, which usually causes major disruptions in the city for a day or two if the roads and highways become dangerously slick. Regardless, winters are relatively mild compared to the Texas Panhandle and other states to the north. Dallas winters are occasionally interspersed with Indian summers.
Spring and fall and the pleasant, moderate temperatures accompanying those seasons are somewhat short-lived in Dallas. However short the seasons are, residents and visitors appreciate the beauty of the vibrant wildflowers (such as the bluebonnet, Indian paintbrush and other flora) which bloom in spring and are planted around the highways throughout Texas <ref>TXDOT Wildflower Facts Retrieved 26 March 2006</ref>. In the spring the weather can also be quite volatile and change quickly in a matter of minutes. The cliché about volatile climates popular in various parts of the US—"if you don't like the weather, wait a little while and it'll change"—applies well to Dallas's spring weather. Many consider autumn, around late September and October, to be the best time to visit the Metroplex. Yet many events are also scheduled for the more volatile season of spring.
Dallas lies near the southern end of Tornado Alley, which runs through the prairie lands of the midwest. In the spring, cool fronts moving from Canada collide with warm, humid air streaming in from the Gulf Coast. When these fronts meet over Dallas, severe storms are generated with spectacular lightning shows, torrents of rain, large hail and, at times, tornadoes.
Tornadoes are perhaps the biggest threat to the city of Dallas. They are common in the Dallas suburbs in the spring and summer, but the city itself is not immune to being hit by a major tornado. Many experts fear a direct hit on downtown Dallas by an F4 or F5 tornado can cause major devastation and kill hundreds, perhaps thousands and leave a large part of the city in ruins. Dallas was hit by a tornado on April 2, 1957 that likely would've registered as an F3 <ref>Stormtrack.org - APRIL 2, 1957: DALLAS' DATE WITH DISASTER. Retrieved 17 April 2006.</ref>, but it luckily missed downtown. Next-door Fort Worth suffered a direct hit from a tornado in 2000 causing great damage to many of the city's downtown skyscrapers <ref>Kenuhl.com - Personal Account of tornado. Accessed 17 April 2006.</ref>.
D/FW experiences a particularly acute springtime "monsoon" season every yearTemplate:Fact--around the middle of March--that rapidly feeds a unique region-wide runoff that swells Johnson Creek (in Arlington and Grand Prairie), as well as the West and Elm Forks of the Trinity River, onto several square miles of flood plain inside the metro area, much of it inhabited. Annually in this month, many neighborhoods in these cities have 4 or more feet of water inside dwellings, and low-lying developed areas adjacent to the Stemmons Corridor and Oak Cliff in Dallas experience severe flooding.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture places the city of Dallas in Plant Hardiness Zone 8. Dallas has the 10th worst ozone air pollution in the nation according to the American Lung Association, worse than Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and New York City, but better than Los Angeles, Fresno, California, and Houston <ref>Lungusa.com - Retrieved 02 March 2006.</ref>. In reality, much of the air pollution in Dallas, and the DFW Metroplex in general, comes from a hazardous materials incineration plant in Midlothian, a small town just south of Dallas, as well as many concrete installations in neighboring Ellis County <ref>Downwindersatrisk.org - Polluion in Midlothian. Retrieved 17 April 2006.</ref>.
The average daily low in Dallas is 57°F (14°C) and the average daily high in Dallas is 77°F (25°C). <ref>Weather.com Climatology Graph - Dallas, Texas, United States. Retrieved 28 March 2006. Applies to following graph as well.</ref>
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high °F(°C) | 55 (13) | 61 (16) | 69 (21) | 77 (25) | 84 (29) | 92 (33) | 96 (36) | 96 (36) | 89 (32) | 79 (26) | 66 (19) | 57 (14) | 77 (25) |
| Avg low °F(°C) | 36 (2) | 41 (5) | 49 (9) | 56 (13) | 65 (18) | 73 (23) | 77 (25) | 76 (24) | 69 (21) | 58 (14) | 47 (18) | 39 (4) | 57 (14) |
| Rainfall inches (mm) | 1.89 (88.4) | 2.31 (78.0) | 3.13 (104.6) | 3.46 (77.7) | 5.30 (106.2) | 3.92 (83.3) | 2.43 (100.6) | 2.17 (102.9) | 2.65 (103.1) | 4.65 (81.0) | 2.61 (87.6) | 2.53 (93.7) | 37.1 (941.1) |
Economy
Image:02140503l.jpg Dallas and the surrounding metroplex are very important economically. The city is sometimes referred to as Texas's Silicon Valley or the "Silicon Prairie" because of a high concentration of telecom companies. Originally seeded with a nexus of communications engineering and production talent following World War II by companies like Collins Radio Corp., the epicenter of the area's telecom industry is along the "Telecom Corridor" which is home to more than 5,700 companies <ref>Telecom Corridor website. Retrieved 21 February 2006.</ref> and regional offices for Alcatel, AT&T, Ericsson, Fujitsu, MCI, Nokia, Nortel, Rockwell, Sprint and Verizon. The headquarters for Texas Instruments is also located there.
AMR Corporation (parent company of American Airlines), Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation, Radio Shack, and Pier 1 Imports are based in Fort Worth. id Software is based in Mesquite. ExxonMobil, Kimberly-Clark, Michael's Stores, and Zale Corporation are headquartered in Irving. Electronic Data Systems, Frito Lay, Dr Pepper and JCPenney are headquartered in Plano. FUNimation is headquartered in North Richland Hills. Educational Products, Inc. is headquartered in Carrollton. Sabre Holdings, the owner of the Sabre System, is headquartered in Southlake. Halliburton Energy Services was once based in Dallas, but moved to Houston in 2003.
Dallas has more shopping centers per capita than any United States city and metro <ref>Visit Dallas.com - Shopping in Dallas. (PDF) Retrieved 29 March 2006.</ref>. There are several malls scattered around the Dallas/Ft.Worth Metroplex.
The city of Dallas is also home to 12 billionaires, concentrated in the Preston Hollow area of North Dallas. This designation places Dallas in 8th place (a tie with Paris, France) among cities in the World with the most billionaires. Nearby Fort Worth holds 11th place with 8.
Demographics
| Year | Pop. |
|---|---|
| 1860 | 678 |
| 1870 | 3,000 |
| 1880 | 10,385 |
| 1890 | 38,067 |
| 1910 | 150,000 |
| 1920 | 158,976 |
| 1930 | 260,475 |
| 1940 | 294,734 |
| 1950 | 434,462 |
| 1960 | 679,684 |
| 1970 | 844,401 |
| 1980 | 904,078 |
| 1990 | 1,006,877 |
| 2000 | 1,188,580 |
| 2004 (est.) | 1,210,393 |
| 2006 (est.) | 1,260,950 |
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 1,188,580 people, 451,833 households, and 266,581 families residing in the city proper, which is bounded by largely developed suburbs and exurbs. The population density was 1,339.7/km² (3,469.9/mi²). There were 484,117 housing units at an average density of 545.7/km² (1,413.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 50.83% White, 25.91% Black or African American, 0.54% Native American, 2.70% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 17.24% from other races, and 2.72% from two or more races. 35.55% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Hispanics outnumbered African-Americans for the first time in the 2000 census as the largest minority group in Dallas. Many newly-arrived Hispanics have settled in poorer neighborhoods like Oak Cliff that were once predominately African American. While Hispanics have moved in, many African Americans have migrated further south to cities like Cedar Hill or DeSoto that were predominately White communities until recently.
There were 451,833 households out of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.8% were married couples living together, 14.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.0% are classified as non-families by the United States Census Bureau. Of 451,833 households, 23,959 are unmarried partner households: 18,684 heterosexual, 3,615 same-sex male, and 1,660 same-sex female households. 32.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.37.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.6% under the age of 18, 11.8% from 18 to 24, 35.3% from 25 to 44, 17.7% from 45 to 64, and 8.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 101.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $37,628, and the median income for a family was $40,921. Males had a median income of $31,149 versus $28,235 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,183. 17.8% of the population and 14.9% of families were below the poverty line. 25.1% of those under the age of 18 and 13.1% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Crime
From 1998 till 2004 (the most recent year with available statistics), the city of Dallas has had the highest overall crime rate for the nine United States cities with over 1 million people <ref>infoplease.com. The nine cities are New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, San Antonio, and Dallas.</ref>. Violent crime in Dallas was also ranked #1 during the same time period, though the crime was centered mainly around the city's expressways and run-down apartment complexes. Murders peaked at 500 in 1991. It then fluctuated from 227 in 2000 to 240 in 2001, 196 in 2002, 223 in 2003, 275 in 2004 <ref>AnalyzeDallas.org, Violent Crime Statistics for 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004 Retrieved 09 February 2006.</ref>, and finally 198 in 2005, the lowest in recent years.
Religion
Dallas is located in the "Bible Belt", and there is a large Protestant influence on the community. Methodist and Baptist churches are prominent in many neighborhoods and anchor the city's two major private universities. The Catholic Cathedral Santuario de Guadalupe in the Arts District oversees the second largest membership in the country. There is a vibrant Mormon community, and many members of the Jewish faith have long contributed to the city. Dallas also has a significant Muslim community. Dallas is also home to the Cathedral of Hope, the largest GLBT congregation in the world <ref>Cathedralofhope.com - History. Retrieved 17 April 2006.</ref>.
People and culture
Image:02210506l.jpg Template:Seealso
The people of Dallas, Dallasites, are stereotypically proud, cosmopolitan, and sophisticated. The city itself has historically been white but has diversified over the past century. The city is a major destination for Mexican immigrants seeking opportunity in the United States while staying close to their home in Mexico. For the most part, the southwest area of the city is predominantly Hispanic, the southern and southeastern area of the city is predominantly black, the northern part of the city is predominantly white and the northwestern portion of the city is Hispanic and Oriental. These definitions are of course quite generalized, and the city boasts a high degree of diversity in all of its neighborhoods.
On average, Dallasites eat out about four times every week, which is the third highest rate in the country; Dallas has twice as many restaurants per capita than New York City. Dallasites are very fond of their local sports teams especially "America's Team," the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys-- five time Super Bowl champions-- are well loved by locals, even during losing seasons, and even if another local team is a leader in its sport. Sports calendars and other memorabilia are very common, and on Sundays people tend to watch sports games on television.
Arts
Image:07110401l.jpg Dallas is the epicenter of the North Texas region's art scene. Some areas known especially for the local art and culture include:
The Arts District of downtown is home to several arts venues, both existing and proposed. Notable venues in the district include the Dallas Museum of Art, the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, The Trammell & Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art and the Nasher Sculpture Center. Venues currently under construction or planned include the Winspear Opera House and the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts. The district is also home to DISD's Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, which is currently being expanded <ref>Artsmagnet.org - Retrieved 20 April 2006.</ref>.
Deep Ellum originally became popular during the 1920s and 1930s as the prime jazz and blues hotspot in the south. Artists such as Blind Lemon Jefferson, Robert Johnson, Huddie "Leadbelly" Ledbetter, and Bessie Smith played in original Deep Ellum clubs like The Harlem and The Palace. Today, Deep Ellum is home to hundreds of artists who live in lofts and operate in studios throughout the district alongside bars, pubs, and concert venues. One major art infusion in the area is the city's lax stance on graffiti, thusly several public ways including tunnels, sides of buildings, sidewalks, and streets are covered in murals.
The Cedars is home to a growing population of studio artists and an expanding host of entertainment venues as well. The area's art scene began to grow in the early 2000s with the opening of Southside on Lamar, a Sears warehouse converted into lofts, studios, and retail. Current attractions include Gilley's Dallas and Poor David's Pub. Entrepreneur Mark Cuban recently purchased land in the area near Cedars Station, and locals speculate that he is planning an entertainment complex <ref>DallasNews.com - Mark Cuban snaps up tracts near downtown. Retrived 20 April 2006.</ref>.
The Bishop Arts District in Oak Cliff is home to a growing number of studio artists living in converted warehouses. Walls of buildings along alleyways and streets are painted with murals and the surrounding district is home to many eclectic restaurants and shops.
Architecture
Tallest Structures
Neighborhoods
Image:Uptown street.jpg The city of Dallas has many areas, communities, and neighborhoods. To conserve space, separate articles have been written for each. Template:Further
Major areas
Education
Colleges and universities
Template:Further Image:Dallas Hall1.JPG Dallas is a major center of education for much of the South Central United States. The city itself contains several universities, colleges, trade schools, and educational institutes. Several major Universities also lie in enclaves, satellite cities, and suburbs of the city, including the University of Texas at Dallas in Richardson, the University of Dallas in Irving, the University of North Texas in Denton and the Southwestern Assemblies of God University in Waxahachie.
Southern Methodist University (SMU) is a private, coeducational university located in University Park, an enclave of Dallas. It was founded in 1911 by the Southern Methodist Church and now enrolls 6,200 undergraduates and 4,700 postgraduates.
Dallas Baptist University (DBU) is a private, coeducational university located in the Mountain Creek area of southwestern Dallas. Originally located in Decatur, it moved to Dallas in 1965. The school currently enrolls almost 5,000 students.
Paul Quinn College is a private, historically Black college located in southeast Dallas. Originally located in Waco Texas, it moved to Dallas in 1993 and is housed on the campus of the former Bishop College, another private, historically Black college. Dallas billionaire and entrepreneur Comer Cottrell, founder of ProLine Corporation, bought the campus of Bishop College and bequeathed it to Paul Quinn College in 1993. The school enrolls 3,000 undergraduate students.
The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School is a prestigious medical school located in the Stemmons Corridor of Dallas. It is part of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, again one of the largest facilities of its kind in the world. The school is highly selective, admitting around 200 students a year. The facility enrolls 3255 postgraduates.
Schools
Image:12200402l.jpg The Dallas Independent School District, which covers most of the city, is one of the largest school districts in the United States. It operates independently of the city, which also extends into several other school districts including Carrollton-Farmers Branch, Duncanville, Garland, Highland Park, Mesquite, Plano, and Richardson. The Wilmer-Hutchins Independent School District once served portions of southern Dallas but it was shut down for the 2005-2006 year. WHISD students started attending other Dallas ISD schools during that time. Following the close, the Texas Education Agency consolidated WHISD into Dallas ISD, which will work to restructure and rebuild the WHISD system.
A governmental agency called Dallas County Schools provides transportations services and other services to the school districts in Dallas County.
Libraries
The city is served by the Dallas Public Library system. The J. Erik Jonsson Central Library is the 8-story main branch in the Government District of downtown. The library also operates 22 branch locations throughout the city <ref>DallasLibrary.org. Retrieved 13 March 2006.</ref>.
Infrastructure
Transportation
Airports
Dallas is served by two commercial airports: Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (known as DFW International) and Dallas Love Field. In addition, Dallas Executive Airport (formerly Redbird Airport), is a general aviation airport located within the city limits, and Addison Airport is another general aviation airport located just outside the city limits in the suburb of Addison. Two more general aviation airports are located in the outer suburb of McKinney, and on the west side of the Metroplex, two general aviation airports are located in Fort Worth.
DFW International Airport is located in the suburbs north of and equidistant to downtown Fort Worth and downtown Dallas. In terms of size, DFW is the largest airport in the state, the second largest in the United States, and third largest in the world. In terms of traffic, DFW is the busiest in the state, third busiest in the United States, and sixth busiest in the world. DFW is also home base to American Airlines, the world's largest airline which operates eighty-four percent of all passenger traffic at the airport. DFW was also named as "The Best Cargo Airport in the World".
Love Field is located within the city limits of Dallas, 6 miles (10 km) northwest of downtown, and is headquarters to Southwest Airlines. Under the Federal "Wright Amendment" and "Shelby Amendment" laws, no large jet air service is allowed from Dallas Love Field to any point beyond Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Kansas, Mississippi, Alabama, and most recently Missouri. As such, Southwest and Continental Express are the only major airlines flying out of that airport. Southwest Airlines announced service to Kansas City and St. Louis in early 2006. American Airlines responded by commencing service to 4 cities. (see Love Field Airport for a history of the Wright Amendment).
Mass transportation
Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) is the Dallas area public transportation authority, providing buses, rail, and HOV lanes.
DART began operating the first light rail system in the Southwest United States in 1996 and continues to expand its coverage. Currently, two light rail lines are in service. The red line goes through Oak Cliff, downtown, Uptown, North Dallas, Richardson and Plano. The blue line goes through South Dallas, downtown, Uptown, North Dallas, and Garland. The red and blue lines are conjoined in between 8th & Corinth Station in Oak Cliff and Mockingbird Station in North Dallas. The two lines service Cityplace Station, the only subway station in the Southwest.
DART will open two more lines by the end of the decade bringing the length of the light rail system to around 150 km (93 mi). They will connect Pleasant Grove to far north Carrollton and LBJ Freeway to DFW International Airport; both via Love Field Airport. The future northwest line will meet Denton County's future commuter rail system. Further ambitions include expanding the commuter rail network in the region to over 402 km (250 mi); expanding the DART light rail network to over 241 km (150 mi) with a downtown subway included (which is very small compared to the New York system); expanding the M-Line streetcar; starting a modern streetcar line in Fort Worth; utilizing the elevated Las Colinas Automated Personal Transit system with DART rail connections.
The DART light rail system remained the only light rail system in Texas until Houston opened METRORail, its starter light rail system (one line running less than 10 miles), in 2004. Fort Worth's smaller public transit system connects with Dallas's via a commuter rail line, the Trinity Railway Express, connecting downtown Dallas's Union Station with downtown Fort Worth's T&P Station and several points in between. The system of light rail transit, especially through downtown, has skyrocketed land values and has sparked a residential living boom in downtown. Although the system is increasingly popular, most people in the Metroplex still choose to drive their vehicles rather than take public transportation.
Highways
Image:DSCN4925.JPG Template:Seealso The city of Dallas is at the confluence of a large number of major interstate highways — Interstates 20, 30, 35E, and 45 all run through the city. The city's freeway system, as it has no major geographical inhibitors surrounding it, is set up in the popular hub-and-spoke system, much like a wagon wheel. Starting from downtown Dallas, there is the main downtown freeway loop, Interstate 635/20 Lyndon B. Johnson loop, and ultimately the tolled President George Bush Turnpike. Inside these freeway loops are other partially-limited-access and parkway-style loops including Loop 12 and Belt Line Road. Another beltway around the city is planned upwards of 70 km (46.50 mi) from downtown in Collin County. Radiating out of downtown as the spokes of the system are Interstates 30, 35E, and 45, US 75, US 175, TX Spur 366, the tolled Dallas North Tollway, and further out TX 114, US 80 and US 67.
The city of Dallas's freeways, much like the city, are generally relatively new and in good condition. TxDOT is famous for its highway system in the state and many of what could be considered "flagship freeways" lie within the city. One example is North Central Expressway or US 75, which was trenched, immaculately landscaped and heavily ornamented between downtown and Loop 12 in the 1990s. Interstate 30 west of downtown Dallas was recently brought to a level near North Central Expressway and Interstate 635, Interstate 30 east of downtown, and Interstate 35E all share similar futures. Construction, like many cities, is a constant burden for the city's heavily automobile-centered culture.
Utilities
Dallas is served by Dallas Water Utilities, which operates several waste treatment plants and pulls water from several area reservoirs. The city's electric system is maintained by TXU, who headquarters in the city. The city offers garbage pickup and recycling service weekly. Telephone networks are available from several companies and broadband internet and cable television service is available for the majority of the city.
Sports
Image:01220507l.jpg Template:Seealso Dallas is home to the Dallas Desperados (Arena Football League), Dallas Mavericks (National Basketball Association), and Dallas Stars (National Hockey League). All three teams play at the American Airlines Center. The Major League Soccer team F.C. Dallas, formerly the Dallas Burn, used to play in the Cotton Bowl but moved to the recently constructed Pizza Hut Park in Frisco in 2005. The college football game, aptly named the Cotton Bowl is still played there, however. The Dallas Sidekicks, a team of the Major Indoor Soccer League, plays in Reunion Arena. The Texas Tornado, two time defending champions of the North American Hockey League, play at the Deja Blue Arena in Frisco.
Nearby Irving is home to the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League while Arlington is home to the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball.
Other teams in the Dallas area include the Dallas Harlequins of the USA Rugby Super League, and the Frisco RoughRiders of Minor League Baseball in Frisco. The Dallas Diamonds, a Women's Professional Football League Women's American football team, plays in North Richland Hills. McKinney is home to the Dallas Revolution, an Independent Women's Football League Women's American football team.
Sister cities
Dallas has seven sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):
- Image:Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Brno (Czech Republic)
- Image:Flag of France.svg Dijon (France)
- Image:Flag of Mexico.svg Monterrey (Mexico)
- Image:Flag of Latvia.svg Riga (Latvia)
- Image:Flag of Iraq.svg Kirkuk (Iraq)
- Image:Flag of Russia.svg Saratov (Russia)
- Image:Flag of the Republic of China.svg Taipei (Taiwan)
Dallas also maintains a friendship city relationship with Image:Flag of Japan.svg Sendai (Japan), although it is not recognized by Sister Cities International.
See also
- List of mayors of Dallas
- List of movies set in Dallas
- List of newspapers in Dallas
- List of radio stations in Texas
- List of television stations in Texas
Further reading
- Herbert E. Bolton, "Athanase de Mezieres and the Louisiana-Texas Frontier 1768-1780," Cleveland: Arthur H Clark Company, 1914.
- John William Rogers, "The Lusty Texans of Dallas " E P Dutton, 1951
References
External links
- Official City Website
- Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau
- Dallas Historical Society (including message board)
- Dallas Historical Society photographs hosted by the Portal to Texas History
- Dallas Fort Worth Metropolis
- Dallas Public Library
- Dallas Independent School District
- Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART)
- North Texas Tollway Authority
- Dallas Children's Museum
- Dallas Museum of Art
- The Dallas Center for Contemporary Art
- Dallas Police
- Dallas Civilian Employees
- Geology of Dallas
- The Handbook of Texas Online: Dallas, Texas
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