8 Things You Should Know About Dallas
Planning to join the thousands who want to relocate and call Dallas, Texas home? Read up on these 8 insider tips, and you’ll have a head start on life and culture in the Big D!
Dallas is one of the fastest-growing cities in the US.
Since the pandemic, Dallas was the top city people chose to relocate to from within the US. Many come from California and Florida, however the stream of new residents from outside the US is also steady, with over 190,000 moving here in 2019. There are lots of reasons Dallas is exploding. Corporate headquarters here number about 42, so job opportunities are plentiful. And Dallas residents maintain a higher annual salary average ($67,500) than much of the country. But one of the top reasons people move to Dallas is affordable real estate. In fact, according to a Zillow report, people who moved to Dallas moved to a home that was over $35,000 cheaper than the home in the city they moved from.
Plan your home location around your commute
That brings us to one key tip for boosting satisfaction with life in Dallas: plan where you live based on your commute to work or school. Many residents live in a suburb of the Dallas Fort Worth area, and commute to Dallas for work, but that drive can be unpleasantly long. Hoards of drivers pile up on the major thoroughfares around the city around rush hour, and this can add considerable hours to your work day. Pro tip: if your route involves a long distance on US-75, I-35, I-635, I-20 or the Dallas North Tollway, consider living very close to work to minimize traffic time.
A car is a must-have
Sure, Dallas is a major city, with over 1.3 million people in the Dallas area alone, but unlike New York or San Francisco, it’s not very well-linked by public transportation. Anyone who lives here will tell you: it’s essential to have a car. Dallas’ transit system, the DART, doesn’t connect a lot of popular areas within the city limits, and the trains only run until 12:30 AM. The buses also have their issues, with many arriving at stops early and an inconsistent routine of stopping for every bus stop. Most find there is no truly convenient way to use public transport, so Dallas residents drive everywhere.
Dallas has Excellent Suburbs
Dallas has loads of great livable suburbs that are like mini-cities in their own right. Lots of people choose to move to a suburb of Dallas to get more economical housing, or for the excellent school options.
Among the suburbs, Richardson, north of Dallas, is an older suburb with a highly rated public school system. It has a historic downtown, a 417-acre Breckenridge park, and a nature preserve. Richardson also is home to the Eisemann Center, a modern performance hall with theater and musical performances year-round.
Frisco is another popular suburb about 25 minutes north of Dallas. Frisco has been on the radar a lot, thanks to a recently built enormous complex to house the Dallas Cowboys football team. It’s also attracted a lot of corporate headquarters, like T Mobile, Dr. Pepper and Toyota.
West of Dallas, Coppell is a suburb with about 41,000 residents. Coppell is close to the airport, which makes traveling for work easier. It also feels very residential, and is less densely populated than other Dallas suburbs. Coppell’s public schools are also highly rated, which draws families.
The Big “D” is not all cowboys
Dallas might be historically known for oil barons and cowboys, but it has become far more diverse in recent decades. About 36% of the city’s residents are Mexican, and more than 25% of Dallasites were born outside the U.S. This means there is a huge range of cultural experiences to celebrate its many diverse people. Among them, annual Thai cultural celebration. Dallas also boasts the world famous Dallas Black Dance Theater, and it celebrates the annual Holi Festival and the yearly Chinese Festival at the Crow Collection of Asian Art, to name just a few.
Not Just Pro Sports
Dallas has over six professional sports teams. Most notably, the Dallas Cowboys football team and the Texas Rangers baseball team. There are also the Mavericks, (basketball), the Stars (hockey) and the Dallas Wings (basketball) and FC Dallas (soccer). You could easily fill your annual calendar just going to sports events in Dallas.
Year-Round Concerts
But you’d be missing out on the plethora of other offerings Dallas has in the entertainment category. There’s the AT&T Stadium and The American Airlines Center which host major bands, as well as and the Morton Meyerson Symphony Center where the Dallas Symphony and other classical music and choral groups perform. Dallas has historic small venues, too, like The Sons of Hermann Hall , a dance and concert hall in Deep Ellum, which has been around since 1911 and the Kessler Theater, with films and music shows. There are Broadway shows and musicals galore at the Music Hall at Fair Park and the Winspear Opera House.
Cool, Unique Nightlife
Dallas offers plenty of small entertainment districts, each with their own character– like Deep Ellum, near downtown, which has loads of music venues like Club Dada (known for jazz), the Bomb Factory and Adair’s Salloon, a must-visit for “honky-tonk” shows. Deep Ellum also is popular for its many bars, tattoo shops and lively nightlife. And Bishop Arts, a unique older neighborhood south of Dallas, offers over 60 walkable, mostly independent restaurants and shops.
From a thriving economy to sports to culture, most people can find something that suits them in Dallas. There is a lot to discover about the city, and many neighborhoods and communities where people find they feel at home. Start with this list, and you’ll have a good grasp on the city’s vibe before you move to Dallas.