The city of Dallas is one of the largest cities in Texas, with approximately 1.2 million residents. It ranks among the top three in the state and the top nine in the country. The city’s metro area, the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is quite large, ranking fourth, in terms of size, in the United Sates. Dallas is the economic and cultural hub.
Nearly 6.5 million people live in the metro area. Together, the residents and local businesses generate $374 billion in gross metropolitan product, one of the largest in the world.
Dallas is a major player in a number of industries, amongst them, medical research, logistics, computer technology, healthcare, energy and transportation. Many Fortune 500 companies have chosen to move their headquarters to Dallas in these industries and others, in part because the metro area is serviced by DFW airport, and the associated DFW parking.
Dallas’s cotton and oil industries were largely responsible for its initial growth. Being easily accessible by railroad played a large role as well. When the Federal government began investing heavily in the interstate highway program, Dallas would benefit from that as well. Four of the most traveled interstate highways in the country converged in the city and a fifth one traveled around it.
The city of Dallas was incorporated in 1856. However it was first established in 1841. It would eventually develop strong financial and industrial sectors, while becoming an extremely valuable, inland port. The city’s airport played a large role concerning the latter. It was and still is one of the country’s most utilized airports.
The Globalization and World Cities Study Group and Network, named Dallas an Alpha World City. Amazingly, it was the only city in its region to be bestowed the honor. In addition to the aforementioned, the city’s GDP was ranked amongst the top 15 in the world by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Dallas is a great town for foodies. Virtually, every food known to mankind can be found somewhere in the city. However, even with all that variety, the city is primarily known for tits steak, its barbeque, Tex-Mex and authentic Mexican cuisine.
Individuals that enjoy a good steak need look no further than Bob’s Steak & Chop House. It is the number one USDA Prime Steakhouses in the United States. Fearings, which is located in the Ritz-Carton Dallas, is another great restaurant. In 2009, Zagat named it the very best hotel/restaurant in America.
Dallas has a pretty impressive arts scene. The Dallas Museum of Art, Winspear Opera House, Meyerson Symphony Center and the Nasher Sculture Center, are all great places to visit while in the city, that is for those that appreciate the arts.
Dallas is a neat town. It’s a big city but it offers plenty of southern charm and hospitality. Visitors will find that there are lots of great things to do. Sports fans may want to consider catching a baseball (Texas Rangers), basketball (Dallas Mavericks) or football game (Dallas Cowboys) during their respective seasons. Dallas has a rich and storied sports history.