WHY DALLAS?
LIVING IN DALLAS
Living - Dallas is a vibrant mosaic of distinct communities and has something for everyone.
Whatever your interests or preferences may be, you can find your best community and lifestyle in Dallas. Whether you are into historical enclaves, modern mansions, or hipster havens, each neighborhood has its own unique character.
Dallas is a vibrant mosaic of distinct communities.
Each one reflecting the city’s rich history, cultural tapestry, and diversity that can’t be found in more suburban areas. Our population is one of the most multilingual in the country, including a significant Spanish-speaking community. With over 30 languages spoken and only 60% of households speaking only English (vs. 78% nationally), Dallas is far ahead of the national curve on multiculturalism.
Over 42% of Dallas’s population is Hispanic/Latino, giving the city its signature Tex-Mex vibe. Dallas is home to one of the nation’s largest LGBTQ communities and has become a magnet for young Black professionals, showcasing our city as a beacon of inclusivity and diversity. With roots deeply embedded in a myriad of cultures, ethnicities, and traditions, Dallas serves up an endless array of arts, culinary delights, premier-to-eclectic shopping experiences, and a vibrant nightlife that reflects all of who we are.
Any Dallas native can tell you that our city’s charm goes beyond just the numbers. Dallas is a place where the cost of living doesn’t just stay below the national average — it invites you into a lifestyle where the vibrant cityscape meets the comforts of home. Here, you’re not just choosing between urban apartments and suburban homes — you’re deciding whether to live in the shadow of the iconic skyline near Deep Ellum’s live music venues, or in the family-friendly expanses of North Dallas, all without breaking the bank.
But it’s not just about affordable housing. In Dallas, the absence of personal income tax, combined with reasonable housing and transportation costs, means more of your paycheck stays in your pocket. It’s a city where you can savor the rich flavors of authentic Tex-Mex in Bishop Arts, enjoy the greenery of Klyde Warren Park, or explore the museums of the Arts District without fretting over finances. Use our Dallas Cost of Living Calculator to see just how much more you can enjoy the fruits of your labor here in Dallas.
Arts & Culture - Inspire and Uplift
Quality education is one of Dallas’ core strengths, powering our highly educated workforce from primary school to graduate school and beyond. With an emphasis on preparing students for success in STEM, technology, health care, and other key industries, we are growing the leaders of tomorrow in classrooms today.
The Crow Collection of Asian Art
Dallas Contemporary
Dallas Museum of Art
The Nasher Sculpture Center
The Perot Museum of Nature and Science
The South Dallas Cultural Center
Schools - The Talent Pipeline begins at Dallas ISD
Quality education is one of Dallas’ core strengths, powering our highly educated workforce from primary school to graduate school and beyond. With an emphasis on preparing students for success in STEM, technology, health care, and other key industries, we are growing the leaders of tomorrow in classrooms today. In addition to Dallas’s many award-winning public schools, we also have some of the highest-rated public charter and private schools in the state and the nation. The Uplift Education and Harmony School of Excellence networks boast 100% college acceptance rates, for example. Learn more about Texas charter schools.
If you are looking for a metro area with unparalleled educational excellence, look no further than Dallas. With 37% of public schools ranking in the top 25% nationally (113 schools), The Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington region stands at #33 among U.S. metros. The top-ranked school in Texas and #8 in the U.S. is Dallas School for the Talented and Gifted (TAG), which consistently ranks in the Top Ten in the nation. The School of Science and Engineering Magnet (#2 in Texas, #20 in U.S.) is known for its rigorous curriculum and preparing students for the future’s greatest challenges.
Collectively, our educational institutions form a robust talent pipeline that fuels Dallas’s vibrant community and economy.
- The School for the Talented and Gifted – No. 1 in Texas, No. 8 national
- Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School – No. 2 in Texas, No. 20 national
- Science and Engineering Magnet School – No. 3 in Texas, No. 22 national
- Southern Methodist University
- University of Dallas
- Dallas College
TOP 3 SCHOOLS IN TEXAS:
Dallas swept the Top 3 spots in a 2023 TEXAS ranking of public schools, along with 11 Schools in the “Texas Top 100 Schools” (2022)
Magnet Program Schools with an emphasis on: Performing and Visual Arts, Communications & Humanities, Government, Law & Law Enforcement, Health, Leadership, Montessori, Multiple Careers, STEM & STEAM, Talented and Gifted, Two-Way Dual Language
Career and Technical Education (CTE) Programs in career clusters including: Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources, Architecture & Construction, Arts, Audio Video Technology & Communications, Business, Marketing & Finance, Education & Training, Health Science, Hospitality & Tourism, Human Services, Information Technology, Law & Public Service, Manufacturing, STEM, Transportation, Distribution & Logistics
P-TECH stands for Pathways in Technology Early College High School. Dallas ISD has 18 designated P-TECH campuses, where students can choose a career pathway and take courses that provide academic, technical, and workplace skills that are attractive to employers. Students have the potential to earn up to 60 credit hours or an associate degree while completing their high school requirements, along with industry certificates for their selected career pathway. Best of all, it is tuition free.
Parks/Nature - Explore Texas-sized Parks & Nature Preserves
A 10,000-acre park is under development in downtown Dallas, that will ultimately be over 10 times larger than Manhattan’s Central Park – Harold Simmons Park, situated within Trinity Park. While you’re waiting for the new park’s completion, get out and explore a few of with Dallas’s treasured 410 parks, 21 nature preserves, and abundant recreation opportunities. The city’s green spaces offer a balance between bustling urban life and tranquil natural spaces, with 21,000 park acres, 17 lakes, 62 miles of jogging and bike trails, 41 recreation centers, 1,020 sports complexes, 490 playgrounds and picnic areas, 21 pools, six 18-hole golf courses, two driving ranges and the 100-acre Dallas zoo. And if you want to get away for an afternoon or a weekend camping trip, you can reach 7 state parks and 12 major lakes within a two-hour drive from downtown Dallas.
White Rock Lake
Fair Park
Parks
The city’s green spaces offer a balance between bustling urban life and tranquil natural spaces, with 21,000 park acres, 17 lakes, 62 miles of jogging and bike trails, 41 recreation centers, 1,020 sports complexes, 490 playgrounds and picnic areas, 21 pools, six 18-hole golf courses, two driving ranges and the 100-acre Dallas zoo. And if you want to get away for an afternoon or a weekend camping trip, you can reach 7 state parks and 12 major lakes within a two-hour drive from downtown Dallas. Four urban parks are being developed for downtown, starting with Main Street Garden and Belo Garden (completed in 2009 and 2012) and a 5-acre deck park spanning Woodall Rodgers freeway (completed 2012) to connect downtown and Uptown.
Shopping/Dining - Save the Best of Dallas
Shopping and dining is elevated to an art form in Dallas. With 81 million square feet of retail space and the most restaurants per capita of any U.S. city. With options ranging from trendy to traditional and at all price levels, Dallas is a shopping and foodie mecca. Home to the original and flagship Neiman Marcus, Dallas is known for shopping. Major shopping centers include the Galleria Dallas, NorthPark Center and West Village and an array of culturally diverse shopping neighborhoods and center. with many other can’t miss destinations. Here are some highlights of what Dallas has on offer:
Sports & Leisure - Get Your Game On
Dallas is a sports-lovers paradise, boasting some of the most celebrated professional sports team in the world, including 5-time Super Bowl winners, The Dallas Cowboys. The American Airlines Center hosts the champion Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Stars, along with other sporting events and entertainment. Since 1937, the Cotton Bowl has hosted an annual New Year’s Day game, along with the Red River Rivalry between Texas and Oklahoma in October. The DFW area is also home to the Texas Rangers, Texas Motor Speedway, Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie for horse racing, FC Dallas, and numerous other sports franchises.
Health Care - Outstanding Health Care Assets
Dallas is renowned for its exceptional health care landscape, featuring premier medical institutions like the UT Southwestern Medical Center, the top hospital in Texas, known for cutting-edge research and a distinguished medical school with six Nobel laureates. With a robust network of over two dozen hospitals and a vast community of medical professionals in DFW, Dallas ensures premier medical care is always within reach. The city is also home to Children’s Health, providing specialized pediatric care, and Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, famed for its treatment of orthopedic conditions.
In addition, Dallas has an abundance of Health care including:
- UT Southwestern Medical Center has six Nobel Prize recipients since 1985.
- Two Level 1 trauma centers: Parkland Hospital and Baylor University Medical Center.
- Children’s Medical Center Dallas is the only Level 1 pediatric trauma center in Dallas-Fort Worth.
- Children’s Medical Center Dallas is ranked 5th in the nation in pediatric orthopedics, 8th in pediatric nephrology, 14th in pediatric cancer, 15th in pediatric gastroenterology, 19th in pediatric urology and nationally ranked in the top 40 in five other categories.
- Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas is ranked in the top 50 in six categories.
- UT Southwestern Medical Center is ranked in the top 45 nationally in two categories of care.
- Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas
- Children’s Medical Center Dallas
- Medical City Dallas
- Methodist Charlton Medical Center
- Methodist Dallas Medical Center
- Parkland Health and Hospital System
- Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas
- University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSWMC)
- VA North Texas Health Care System
- William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital
- Children’s Hospital
- Sottish Rite Hospital
- Center for Brain Health
The Center for Brain Health at The University of Texas at Dallas stands out for its groundbreaking work in brain research and rehabilitation. Parkland Hospital complements these with its top-tier Level 1 Trauma Center and acclaimed Burn Center.
Children’s Medical Center Dallas is ranked 5th in the nation in pediatric orthopedics, 8th in pediatric nephrology, 14th in pediatric cancer, 15th in pediatric gastroenterology, 19th in pediatric urology and nationally ranked in the top 40 in five other categories.
Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas is ranked in the top 50 in six categories. UT Southwestern Medical Center is ranked in the top 45 nationally in two categories of care.
Sustainability - Committed to a Sustainable Future and Environment
We’re quite fond of our natural surroundings here in Dallas, and we aim to keep them as clean and green as possible. As a national leader in sustainability, the City of Dallas has been at the forefront of protecting and improving the environment:
- The first U.S. city to implement the ISO 14001 certified environmental management system (2008)
- 100 percent of grid-based electricity used by city facilities comes from wind power
- Nearly 40% of city vehicles are alternative-fueled or hybrids
- Methane gas captured in wastewater treatment produces renewable energy to offset a percentage of Dallas Water Utilities’ electricity grid needs
- Residential recycling reached 80 percent participation in 2016, increasing waste diversion to over 56,000 tons
The Dallas Innovation Alliance is implementing Phase One of its Smart Cities Initiative in the West End, testing new technologies that improve infrastructure, mobility and connected living to create a more sustainable and efficient city, working with partners that include the City of Dallas, Dallas Area Rapid Transit, the Dallas Regional Chamber of Commerce, AT&T, and the Dallas Entrepreneur Center.
Dallas lies between the Piney Woods of east Texas and the Great Plains in the Blackland Prairie. Rolling grasslands are laced with bottomland forests along rivers and creeks. The Trinity River runs through the city and just south of downtown is the 6,000-acre Great Trinity Forest, home to an estimated 1,300 plant and animal species.
Climate
The weather in Dallas is moderate, with very warm summers and cool but comfortable winters. Dallas experiences four distinct seasons. Temperatures reach their zenith during July and August when they can reach 100°F (38°C). Winter in Dallas is usually mild, when daytime temperatures can get up to 66°F (19°C), but temperatures can dip below freezing at times. Dallas receives most of its visitors in the spring when the weather is generally mild and pleasant.
- Average rainfall is 34.7 inches per year.
- Average snowfall is 2.6 inches per year.
- Annual number of sunny/partly sunny days is 232.