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Dallas, Texas

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: North American Geography

   Dallas, Texas
   Skyline of Dallas, Texas

   Official flag of Dallas, Texas

                                 Official seal of Dallas, Texas
   Flag                          Seal
   Nickname: "Big 'D'"
   Location in the state of Texas
   Location in the state of Texas
   Country United States
   State Texas
   Counties Dallas, Collin, Denton, Kaufman, and Rockwall
   Mayor Laura Miller
   Area
    - City 997.1 km²  (385.0  sq mi)
    - Land 887.2 km²  (342.5 sq mi)
    - Water 110.0 km² (42.5 sq mi)
   Elevation 33 m  (108 ft)
   Population
    - City (2005) 1,213,825
    - Density 1,364/km² (3,534/sq mi)
    - Urban 4,638,000
    - Metro 5,819,475
   Time zone Central ( UTC-6)
    - Summer ( DST) Central ( UTC-5)
   Website: http://www.dallascityhall.com

   Dallas ( pronounced [ˈdæl.ʊs] or "DAL-us") is the third-largest city in
   the state of Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The city
   covers almost 400 square miles and is the county seat of Dallas County.
   As of 2005, U.S. Census estimates put Dallas at a population of
   1,213,825. The city is the main cultural and economic centre of the
   12-county Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan area—at over 5.8
   million people, it is the fifth-largest metropolitan area in the United
   States. Dallas is one of 11 U.S. world-class cities, as ranked by the
   Globalization and World Cities Study Group & Network.

   Dallas was founded in 1841 and formally incorporated as a city on 2
   February 1856. The city is known globally as a centre for
   telecommunications, computer technology, banking, and transportation.
   It is the core of the largest inland metropolitan area in the United
   States and lacks any navigable link to the sea—Dallas' prominence
   despite this comes from its historical importance as a centre for the
   oil and cotton industries, its position along numerous railroad lines,
   and its powerful industrial and financial tycoons.

   In a larger context, the area is seen as right-wing politically, with a
   heavy cultural emphasis placed on Protestant Christianity and close
   historical and cultural ties to both the rugged American West and
   agricultural South. The popular television series Dallas bolstered this
   view epitomizing the city with wealthy oil barons, big hair and cowboy
   hats. However, in the 2004 presidential election, 75.05% of Dallas
   voters voted for the Democratic candidate. In the 2006 elections for
   Dallas Country judges, 41 out of 42 seats went to Democrats. Dallas as
   an individual entity lies roughly at the centre of the political
   spectrum, and is locally much more diverse with significant Hispanic,
   Korean, German, African American, Muslim and Jewish populations.

History

   Caddo 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 of the Spanish-speaking territory was moved 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.
   The land that would become Dallas became part of the state of Coahuila
   y Tejas in the new nation. The Republic of Texas broke off from Mexico
   in 1836 and remained an independent country for nearly 10 years. In
   1839, four years into the nation's existence, John Neely Bryan surveyed
   the area around Dallas and two years later in 1841 he founded the city
   of Dallas on the site. Bryan, who shared Sam Houston's insight into the
   wisdom of Native American customs, realized that the Caddo trails in
   the region intersected at one of the few natural fords for hundreds of
   miles along the wide Trinity floodplain. In 1846 the Republic of Texas
   was annexed by the United States and Dallas County was established. It
   is speculated that both the county and the city were 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. The city had a few
   slaves, mostly brought by settlers from Alabama and Georgia. Dallas was
   just another small town dotting the Texas frontier until after the
   American Civil War in which it was part of the Confederate States of
   America, and only legally became a city in 1871. The city paid the
   Houston and Central Texas Railroad US$5,000 to shift its route 20 miles
   (32 km) 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. In
   1873, the major north-south and east-west Texas railroad routes
   intersected in Dallas, thus ensuring its future as a commercial centre.
   Dallas in 1905
   Enlarge
   Dallas in 1905

   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 centre 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. As
   it further entered the 20th century, Dallas transformed from an
   agricultural center to a centre of banking, insurance, and other
   businesses.
   A parade down Main Street c. 1920
   Enlarge
   A parade down Main Street c. 1920

   In 1930, oil was discovered 100 miles (160 km) east of Dallas and the
   city quickly became the financial centre for the oil industry in Texas
   and Oklahoma. In 1958 the integrated circuit was invented in Dallas by
   Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments; this event punctuated the Dallas
   area's development as a center for high-technology manufacturing.
   During the 1950s and 1960s, Dallas became the nation's third-largest
   technology centre, 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 Centre, the largest
   wholesale trade complex in the world. On 22 November 1963, President
   John F. Kennedy was assassinated on Elm Street while his motorcade
   passed through Dealey Plaza in downtown Dallas.

   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 some oil industry companies relocated to Houston,
   Dallas was beginning to benefit from a burgeoning technology boom
   (driven by the growing Computer, Microchip, and Telecommunications
   industries), while continuing to be a centre 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. Because
   of the immense worldwide success of the hit television series Dallas,
   the city became one of the most internationally recognizable U.S cities
   during the 80s. In the 1990s, Dallas became known as the "Silicon
   Prairie", similar to California's Silicon Valley.

   Like many major US cities, Dallas has experienced an "urban renewal" in
   the 2000s. From 1988 to 2005, not a single high-rise structure was
   built within the downtown freeway loop, and most new and upscale homes
   and subdivisions were being built in Richardson and Plano. In 2005,
   three towers began construction amid 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. Portions of the city extend
   into neighboring Collin, Denton, Kaufman and Rockwall counties.

   According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area
   of 385.0 square miles (997.1  km²)—342.5 square miles (887.2 km²) of it
   is land and 42.5 square miles (110.0 km²) of it (11.03%) is water.
   These statistics are only for the city of Dallas proper. In fact,
   Dallas only makes up about one-fifth of the much larger urbanized area
   known as the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. About a quarter of all Texans
   live in the DFW Metroplex.

Cityscape

   The City of Dallas has many vibrant communities and eclectic
   neighborhoods. Major areas in the city include:
   Near the Farmers Market in downtown
   Enlarge
   Near the Farmers Market in downtown
   The Good-Latimer tunnel in Deep Ellum
   Enlarge
   The Good-Latimer tunnel in Deep Ellum

   Central Dallas is anchored by Downtown, the centre of the city and the
   epicenter of urban revival, coupled with Oak Lawn and Uptown Dallas,
   the shiny new urban areas thriving with shops, restaurants, and
   nightlife. Downtown Dallas has a variety of neighborhoods, including
   the West End Historic District, the Arts District, the Main Street
   District, Farmers Market District, the City Centre business district,
   the Convention Centre District, the historic Vickery Place, the Reunion
   District and Victory Park. North of downtown is Oak Lawn, a
   densely-populated area that contains beautiful parks along Turtle Creek
   and the popular Uptown area with LoMac, Cityplace and the West Village.

   The east side of Dallas contains the community of east Dallas, home to
   Deep Ellum, a trendy arts area close to downtown, homey Lakewood, Bryan
   Place, and historically and architecturally significant homes on Swiss
   Avenue. Above the Park Cities is north Dallas, home to mansions as
   palatial as Versailles in Preston Hollow, strong middle and upper-class
   communities north into Bent Tree and Far North Dallas, and high-powered
   shopping at Galleria Dallas, NorthPark Centre, and Preston Centre. East
   of north Dallas and north of east Dallas is Lake Highlands, one of the
   most unified middle-class areas in the city, with the strongest
   definition—it is in the northeastern part of the city above White Rock
   Lake and east Dallas.
   Kidd Springs Park in Oak Cliff
   Enlarge
   Kidd Springs Park in Oak Cliff
   The West Village in Oak Lawn
   Enlarge
   The West Village in Oak Lawn

   The southern portion of Dallas is home to Oak Cliff, a hilly area in
   southwest Dallas that is predominately Hispanic and includes
   entertainment districts such as the Bishop Arts District. South Oak
   Cliff became a predominantly African American district after the early
   1970's and has struggled with high rates of poverty and crime. To the
   east, south Dallas lays claim to the Cedars, an eclectic artist hotbed
   south of downtown, Fair Park, and areas west of the Trinity River and
   east of Interstate 35E. The University of North Texas at Dallas,
   currently located south of Oak Cliff along Interstate 20, is being
   built in the area along Houston School Road. Further east, above (north
   and east of) the Trinity River, is Pleasant Grove—once an independent
   city, it is a predominantly black collection of neighborhoods
   stretching to Seagoville to the southeast.

   The city is further surrounded by many suburbs, with enclaves such as
   Cockrell Hill, Highland Park and University Park.

Geology

   The DFW Metroplex at night, photographed from the International Space
   Station in early 2003. Dallas is the larger nexus of light on the right
   (east), Fort Worth the smaller on the left (west).
   Enlarge
   The DFW Metroplex at night, photographed from the International Space
   Station in early 2003. Dallas is the larger nexus of light on the right
   (east), Fort Worth the smaller on the left (west).

   Dallas, and its surrounding area, is mostly flat and lies at an
   elevation ranging from 450 to 550 feet (137 to 168  m). The western
   edge of the Austin chalk formation, a limestone escarpment, rises 200
   feet (61 m) and runs roughly north-south through Dallas County. The
   uplift is particularly noticeable in the neighbourhood of Oak Cliff and
   the adjacent cities of Cockrell Hill, Cedar Hill, Grand Prairie, and
   Irving. Marked variations in terrain are also found 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 downtown, and
   through and alongside 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 50
   feet (15 m) earthen levees to keep the city from flooding. Several
   bridges cross over 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 Estates neighborhoods
   of East Dallas. The lake also boasts the 66 acre (267,000  m²) 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 22,745 acre
   (9,205,000 m²) lake, is a vast and popular recreational lake located in
   an extension of Dallas surrounded by 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 September 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).

Climate

   A rare snow seen on the campus of Southern Methodist University.
   Enlarge
   A rare snow seen on the campus of Southern Methodist University.

   Dallas receives approximately 37.1  inches (941.1  mm) of rain per
   year, much of which is delivered in the spring.

   Dallas has a humid subtropical climate, yet this part of Texas also
   tends to receive hot, dry winds from the north and west in the summer.
   In the winter, strong cold fronts from the north pass through Dallas,
   plummeting temperatures well below freezing. The average annual
   snowfall in Dallas is 2.5 inches (6.35  cm), with snowfall seen six
   days out of the year and snow accumulation seen two days out of the
   year. 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 with the Texas Panhandle and with other states to the north.
   Dallas winters are occasionally interspersed with Indian summers.

   Spring and fall, and the moderate, pleasant temperatures accompanying
   these seasons, can sometimes be shorter-lived than residents would
   like. 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. 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. The sporadic
   volatility of the spring season is coupled with a very pleasant
   "normality"—barring storms, Dallas in spring is very mild and
   enjoyable. Similarly, late September, October, and early November is
   very pleasant and is typically storm-free.
   The spring and fall seasons are pleasant in Dallas, as seen in this
   March photograph from an Oak Cliff park
   Enlarge
   The spring and fall seasons are pleasant in Dallas, as seen in this
   March photograph from an Oak Cliff park

   Although uncommon, with the last touch-down in 1957, tornadoes are
   perhaps the biggest threat to the city of Dallas. 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 thunder
   storms are generated with spectacular lightning shows, occasional
   torrents of rain, hail, and, at times, tornadoes. They are common to
   the north, in Oklahoma, in the spring and summer, but the city itself
   is prone to the storms as it lies at the southern end of Tornado Alley,
   which runs through the prairie lands of the Midwest. Dallas was last
   hit by a tornado on 2 April 1957 that likely would have registered as
   an F3, but it missed downtown. In May 2000, the " Fort Worth Tornado"
   hit neighboring Fort Worth's downtown, causing damage to a pair of the
   city's skyscrapers.

   The Metroplex experiences a particularly acute springtime "monsoon"
   season every year—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. Every March, 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 8a. Dallas has the 12th worst ozone air pollution in the
   nation according to the American Lung Association, ranking it ahead of
   Los Angeles and Fresno, California, and Houston. Much of the air
   pollution in Dallas, and the DFW Metroplex in general, comes from a
   hazardous materials incineration plant in the southern-most suburb of
   Midlothian, as well as concrete installations in neighboring Ellis
   County.

   The average daily low in Dallas is 57 °F (14 °C) and the average daily
   high in Dallas is 77 °F (25 °C).
   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 in ( mm) 1.89 (48) 2.31 (59) 3.13 (80) 3.46 (88) 5.30 (135)
   3.92 (100) 2.43 (62) 2.17 (55) 2.65 (67) 4.65 (118) 2.61 (66) 2.53 (64)
   37.1 (942)

Demographics

   CAPTION: Dallas's Population by year

       Year          Pop.
           1860 678
           1870 3,000
           1880 10,358
           1890 38,067
           1900 42,638
           1910 92,104
           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
   2005 ( est.) 1,213,825

   As of the census^ GR2 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 3,469.9 people per square mile (1,339.7/km²). There were 484,117
   housing units at an average density of 1,413.3 per square mile
   (545.7/km²). 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 was 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 such as Oak Cliff that
   were once predominately African American. While Hispanics have moved
   in, many African Americans have migrated further south to cities such
   as Cedar Hill, Lancaster and DeSoto that until recently were
   predominately White communities.

   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. About 14.9% of families and 17.8% of the population were
   below the poverty line, including 25.1% of those under age 18 and 13.1%
   of those aged 65 or over. In 2006 the median price for a house was
   $123,800, and save a 2003 recession, Dallas has seen a steady increase
   in the cost of homes over the past 6 years.

Economy

   A portion of the downtown skyline
   Enlarge
   A portion of the downtown skyline

   In its beginnings, Dallas relied on farming, neighboring Fort Worth's
   cattle market, and its prime location on trade routes with Indians to
   sustain itself. Dallas' real key to growth came in 1873 though with the
   building of multiple rail lines through the city. As Dallas grew and
   technology developed, cotton became its boon—By 1900 Dallas was the
   largest inland cotton market on Earth and led the world in cotton gin
   machinery manufacturing. By the early 1900s, Dallas was a hub for
   economic activity all over the Southwestern United States; by 1925,
   Texas churned out more than ⅓ of the nation's cotton crop, and 31% of
   Texas cotton was produced within a 100 mile (161  km) radius of Dallas.
   In the 1930s, oil was discovered east of Dallas near Kilgore, Texas and
   Dallas' proximity to the discovery put it at the centre of the nation's
   oil market. Oil discoveries in the Permian Basin, the Panhandle, the
   Gulf Coast and Oklahoma in the following years further solidified
   Dallas' position as the hub of the market as it was roughly the
   geographic centre of all 5 regions.

   After World War II, Dallas was seeded with a nexus of communications
   engineering and production talent by companies such as Collins Radio
   Corp. The telecommunication and information revolutions that ensued
   still drive a great deal of the local economy. The city is sometimes
   referred to as Texas's Silicon Valley or the "Silicon Prairie" because
   of a high concentration of telecommunications companies—the epicenter
   of which lies along the " Telecom Corridor", home to more than 5,700
   companies. The corridor is also home to Texas Instruments and regional
   offices for Alcatel, AT&T, Ericsson, Fujitsu, MCI, Nokia, Nortel,
   Rockwell, Sprint and Verizon.

   In the 1980s, Dallas was a real-estate hot-bed, with populations
   skyrocketing and the demand for housing and jobs soaring along with it.
   Downtown Dallas's largest buildings are all the fruit of this boom, but
   over-speculation and the Savings and Loan crisis knocked the area to
   its knees. Between the crash and the early 2000s, Dallas suffered a
   lengthy recession and has only recently bounced back—like much of the
   country, the real estate market is once again very hot in Dallas, and
   with relatively low costs of living, a real estate bubble is
   unexpected.

   Dallas is no longer a hotbed for manufacturing like it was in the early
   20th century—partially due to constraints placed by the DFW Ozone
   Nonattainment Area—but plenty of goods are still manufactured in the
   city. Texas Instruments employs 10,400 people at its corporate
   headquarters and chip plants in Dallas and neighborhing Richardson. Oak
   Farms Dairy also headquarters and has a plant in the city.

   Companies headquartered in Dallas include ExxonMobil, the largest
   company in the world (by revenue), 7-Eleven, Blockbuster, DR Horton
   Homes, EDS, ENSCO Offshore Drilling, Kimberly-Clark, Mary Kay
   Cosmetics, Southwest Airlines, Texas Instruments, and Zales. Corporate
   headquarters in the northern suburb of Plano include Frito Lay, Dr
   Pepper and JCPenney.

   The Dallas metroplex has more shopping centers per capita than any
   other United States city and metro, and the city itself is home to 11
   billionaires—concentrated in the Preston Hollow area of north
   Dallas—placing it 9th worldwide among cities with the most
   billionaires.

Law and government

   The current mayor of Dallas is Laura Miller. The city is split into 14
   different council districts with council members appointed to the city
   council for each district. The city operates as a mayor-council
   government. This organizational structure was recently contested by
   some in favour of a strong-mayor city charter only to be rejected by
   Dallas voters.

   In the 2006-2007 fiscal year, the city's total budget (the sum of
   operating and capital budgets) was US$2,344,314,114. The city has seen
   a steady increase in its budget throughout its history due to sustained
   growth: the budget was $1,717,449,783 in 2002-2003, $1,912,845,956 in
   2003-2004, $2,049,685,734 in 2004-2005 and $2,218,345,070 in 2005-2006.
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   House of Representatives Senate
   Name Party District Name Party
   Sam Johnson Republican District 3 Kay Bailey Hutchison Republican
   Ralph Hall Republican District 4 John Cornyn Republican
   Jeb Hensarling Republican District 5
   Kenny Marchant Republican District 24
   Eddie Bernice Johnson Democrat District 30
   Pete Sessions Republican District 32
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   Texas Legislature
   Name Party District Name Party District
   Bob Deuell ^Republican District 2 John Carona ^Republican District 16
   Florence Shapiro ^Republican District 8 Royce West ^Democrat District
   23
   Chris Harris ^Republican District 9 Craig Estes ^Republican District 30
   The Dallas Police headquarters in the Cedars neighborhood.
   Enlarge
   The Dallas Police headquarters in the Cedars neighbourhood.

Protection

   Recently in 2006 Dallas was named Texas' Most Dangerous City.

   Policing in Dallas is provided by the Dallas Police Department which
   has 2,977 officers. The Dallas chief of police is David Kunkle. The
   central police station is located in the Cedars, a south Dallas
   neighbourhood near downtown.

   From 1998 until 2005 (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. Violent crime in
   Dallas was also ranked #1 during the same time period. 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, and finally 198 in 2005, marking a
   sharp decline over the two previous years. However, Dallas was again
   ranked in 2005 as the most dangerous city out of the ten largest cities
   in the United States.

   Fire protection in the city is provided by Dallas Fire-Rescue, which
   has 1,670 firefighters and 55 working fire stations in the city limits.
   The Dallas Fire & Rescue chief is Eddie Burns, Sr. The department also
   operates the Dallas Firefighter's Museum at Dallas's oldest remaining
   fire station, built in 1907, along Parry Avenue near Fair Park.

Culture

   Pedestrians in downtown
   Enlarge
   Pedestrians in downtown

   The city has historically been predominately white but its population
   diversified over the 20th century. It is a major destination for
   Mexican immigrants seeking opportunity in the United States while
   staying close to their home in Mexico. Generally, the southwest area of
   the city is Hispanic, the southern and southeastern areas of the city
   are black, the north and eastern parts of the city are white and the
   northwestern portion of the city is Hispanic and Asian.

   Dallas is renowned for barbeque, authentic Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine.
   Famous products of the Dallas culinary scene include El Fenix, Mi
   Cocina, Bone Daddy's Barbeque, the Mansion on Turtle Creek, and the
   frozen margarita. On average, Dallasites eat out about four times every
   week, which is the third highest rate in the country, behind Houston
   and Austin, and Dallas has more restaurants per capita than New York
   City.

Arts

   The Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center in the Arts District
   Enlarge
   The Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Centre in the Arts District

   The Arts District in 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 Centre, The
   Trammell & Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art, the Nasher Sculpture
   Centre, and nearby The Dallas Contemporary. Venues under construction
   or planned include the Winspear Opera House and the Dallas Centre 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.

   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 such as 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; consequently, several public ways
   including tunnels, sides of buildings, sidewalks, and streets are
   covered in murals. One major example, the Good-Latimer tunnel, was torn
   down in late 2006 to accommodate the construction of a light rail line
   through the site.

   The Cedars has a growing population of studio artists and an expanding
   roster of entertainment venues. 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 purchased land along Lamar Avenue near Cedars Station in
   September 2005 and locals speculate that he is planning an
   entertainment complex for the site.

   The Bishop Arts District in Oak Cliff is home to a number of studio
   artists living in converted warehouses. Walls of buildings along
   alleyways and streets are painted with murals and the surrounding
   streets contain many eclectic restaurants and shops.

   Dallas has an Office of Cultural Affairs as a department of the city
   government. The City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs is
   responsible for six cultural centers located throughout the city,
   funding for local artists and theatres, public art projects and running
   the city owned radio station WRR.

Religion

   The Cathedral Santuario de Guadalupe
   Enlarge
   The Cathedral Santuario de Guadalupe

   There is a large Protestant influence on the Dallas community and the
   city is deep within the Bible Belt— 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, which led The Church of Jesus Christ of
   Latter-day Saints to build the Dallas Texas Temple in 1984. There is a
   large Jewish community in the Dallas area, especially notable in
   northern Dallas. Dallas has a significant Muslim community and is also
   home to the Cathedral of Hope, the largest GLBT congregation in the
   world. Dallas is also home to three Eastern Orthodox Christian
   churches. The First Unitarian Church of Dallas describes itself as
   "liberal religious presence in Dallas since 1899."

Events

   The UT-OU Red River Shootout in 2006
   Enlarge
   The UT-OU Red River Shootout in 2006

   Dallas is home to several significant events throughout the year.
   Perhaps the most notable is the annual State Fair of Texas held
   annually at Fair Park since 1886. The fair is a massive event for the
   state's 22 million people and brings an estimated US$350 million to the
   city's economy annually. The Red River Shootout (UT- OU) game at the
   Cotton Bowl and other Cotton Bowl games also bring significant crowds
   to the city. Other festivals in the area include Cinco de Mayo
   festivities, extravagant Independence Day events, Saint Patrick's Day
   parades in Irish communities such as Lower Greenville, Juneteenth
   festivities, and the annual Halloween parade on Oak Lawn.

Architecture

   Most of the notable architecture in Dallas is modernist and
   postmodernist. Iconic examples of modernist architecture include I. M.
   Pei's Fountain Place, the Bank of America Plaza, Renaissance Tower, and
   Reunion Tower. Examples of postmodernist architecture include the
   JPMorgan Chase Tower and Bank One Centre. Several smaller structures
   are fashioned in the Gothic Revival ( Kirby Building) and neoclassical
   ( Davis and Wilson Buildings) styles. One architectural "hotbed" in the
   city is a stretch of homes along Swiss Avenue, which contains all
   shades and variants of architecture from Victorian to neoclassical.
   Dallas skyline from the Trinity River floodplain
   Enlarge
   Dallas skyline from the Trinity River floodplain

   Tallest structures in Dallas
By structural height                    By roof height
 1. Bank of America Plaza 921 ft (281 m)
 2. Renaissance Tower 886 ft (270 m)
 3. Bank One Centre 787 ft (240 m)
 4. JPMorgan Chase Tower 738 ft (225 m)
 5. Fountain Place 720 ft (219 m)

                                         1. Bank of America Plaza 921 ft (281 m)
                                         2. Bank One Centre 787 ft (240 m)
                                         3. JPMorgan Chase Tower 738 ft (225 m)
                                         4. Fountain Place 720 ft (219 m)
                                         5. Renaissance Tower 710 ft (216 m)

Education

Colleges and universities

   Dallas Hall at Dedman College at Southern Methodist University
   Enlarge
   Dallas Hall at Dedman College at Southern Methodist University

   Dallas is a major centre 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.

   Southern Methodist University (SMU) is a private, coeducational
   university in University Park, an enclave of Dallas. It was founded in
   1911 by the Southern Methodist Church and now enrolls 6,500
   undergraduates, 1,200 professional students in the law and theology
   departments, and 3,500 postgraduates.

   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 Centre 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 3,255 postgraduates and is home to four Nobel Laureates: three
   in physiology/medicine and one in chemistry.

   Dallas Baptist University (DBU) is a private, coeducational university
   located in the Mountain Creek area of southwestern Dallas. Originally
   in Decatur, it moved to Dallas in 1965. The school currently enrolls
   over 5,100 students.

   Paul Quinn College is a private, historically Black college located in
   southeast Dallas. Originally 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, Jr., 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 North Texas at Dallas, currently located at a
   temporary site south of Oak Cliff along Interstate 20, is being built
   in south Dallas along Houston School Road. The school will be the first
   public university within Dallas city limits.

   Also in the nearby suburbs and neighboring cities are the University of
   Texas at Dallas in Richardson, the University of Dallas in Irving, the
   University of North Texas in Denton, and the University of Texas at
   Arlington in Arlington.

Schools

   Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts
   (DISD) in the Arts District
   Enlarge
   Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (
   DISD) in the Arts District

   The city of Dallas is mostly within the Dallas Independent School
   District, the twelfth-largest school district in the United States. The
   school district operates independently of the city and enrolls over
   161,000 students. In 2006, one of the district's magnet schools, The
   School for the Talented and Gifted, was named the best school in the
   United States (among public schools) by Newsweek. Another one of DISD's
   schools, the Science and Engineering Magnet, came in at number eight in
   the same survey. Other DISD schools named to the list were * Woodrow
   Wilson High School, Hillcrest and W.T. White Highs. "Woodrow" as it is
   colloquially known, was also named the top comprehensive high school in
   Dallas by local publication D Magazine. The Wildcats regularly produce
   as many or more National Merit Scholars as local private and suburban
   schools.

   Dallas 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.

   Many school districts in Dallas County, including Dallas ISD, are
   served by a governmental agency called Dallas County Schools. The
   system provides busing and other transportation services, access to a
   massive media library, technology services, strong ties to local
   organizations for education/community integration, and staff
   development programs.

   There are also several highly prestigious private schools in Dallas,
   most notably St. Mark's School of Texas, The Hockaday School, Episcopal
   School of Dallas, Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas, Bishop
   Dunne Catholic School, Bishop Lynch High School, and Ursuline Academy
   of Dallas. Cistercian Preparatory School, attended by many Dallas
   residents, is in nearby Irving and Greenhill School is in adjacent
   Addison. Time magazine once called St. Mark's School of Texas the
   "best-equipped day school in the country."

Libraries

   The city is served by the Dallas Public Library system. The system was
   originally created by the Dallas Federation of Women's Clubs with
   efforts spearheaded by then-president Mrs. Henry (May Dickson) Exall.
   Her work raising money led to a grant from philanthropist and steel
   baron Andrew Carnegie, which enabled the construction of the first
   branch in 1901. Today the library operates 22 branch locations
   throughout the city including the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library, the
   8-story main branch in the Government District of downtown.

Infrastructure

Health and medicine

   UT Southwestern Medical Center
   Enlarge
   UT Southwestern Medical Centre

   The city of Dallas has many hospitals within its bounds and a number of
   medical research facilities. One major research centre is UT
   Southwestern Medical Centre in the Stemmons Corridor, along with its
   affiliate medical school, UT Southwestern Medical School. The system
   includes Parkland Memorial Hospital and Children's Medical Centre
   Dallas.

   The city also has a VA hospital in south Dallas, the Dallas Veterans
   Affairs Medical Centre. Dallas is the home of a Consolidated Mail
   Outpatient Pharmacy (CMOP). It is part of an initiative by the
   Department of Veterans Affairs to provide mail order prescriptions to
   veterans using computerization at strategic loactions throughout the
   United States.

   Other hospitals include Baylor University Medical Centre in east
   Dallas, Central Methodist Hospital in Oak Cliff, Charlton Methodist
   Hospital near Duncanville, Medical City Dallas Hospital and
   Presbyterian Hospital in north Dallas, and the Texas Scottish Rite
   Hospital for Children in Oak Lawn.

Transportation

   North Central Expressway (US 75) southbound towards downtown Dallas
   Enlarge
   North Central Expressway ( US 75) southbound towards downtown Dallas

   The primary mode of local transportation in the city is the automobile.
   Efforts to diversify including the construction of light rail lines,
   biking and walking paths, wider sidewalks, and more efficient public
   transportation are currently major priorities of the city and its
   residents. The city is much like other United States cities developed
   primarily in the late 20th century—criss-crossed by a vast network of
   highways which has led to and contributes to Dallas being a very
   low-density city.

   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, the 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 46.50 miles (70 km) 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. Other major highways within the city that do not serve primarily as
   spokes include TX 183 and TX Spur 408. The recently completed
   interchange for Interstate 635 and Central Expressway, called the High
   Five Interchange, contains five stacks and is one of the largest
   freeway interchanges in the United States.
   Passengers at White Rock Station on DART's Blue Line
   Enlarge
   Passengers at White Rock Station on DART's Blue Line

   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 travels through Oak
   Cliff, South Dallas, downtown, Uptown, north Dallas, Richardson and
   Plano. The blue line goes through south Dallas, downtown, Uptown, east
   Dallas, Lake Highlands, 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.

   Fort Worth's smaller public transit system, The T, 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 boom in downtown.
   Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport serves most passengers flying
   in and out of the Metroplex
   Enlarge
   Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport serves most passengers flying
   in and out of the Metroplex

   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 two
   more general aviation airports are in Fort Worth, on the west side of
   the Metroplex.

   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. Love Field is located within the city
   limits of Dallas, 6 miles (10 km) northwest of downtown, and is
   headquarters to Southwest Airlines.

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 Electric Delivery,
   whose parent company, TXU, headquarters in the city. The city offers
   garbage pickup and recycling service weekly through its Sanitation
   Services department. Telephone networks are available from several
   companies and broadband Internet and cable television service is
   available for the majority of the city.

Sports

   American Airlines Center in Victory Park
   Enlarge
   American Airlines Centre in Victory Park

   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
   Centre. The Major League Soccer team FC Dallas, formerly the Dallas
   Burn, used to play in the Cotton Bowl but moved to Pizza Hut Park in
   Frisco upon the stadium's opening in 2005. The college football game,
   aptly named the Cotton Bowl is still played there, however. The Dallas
   Sidekicks, a former team of the Major Indoor Soccer League, used to
   play in Reunion Arena. The Texas Tornado, three-time defending
   champions of the North American Hockey League, plays at the Deja Blue
   Arena in Frisco.

   Nearby Irving is home to the 5-time Super Bowl Champions, 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, the two-time national champions of the
   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.

Recreation

   A local league softball game at Reverchon Park
   Enlarge
   A local league softball game at Reverchon Park

   The City of Dallas maintains and operates 406 parks on 21,000 acres
   (8,500,000  m²) of parkland. Its flagship park is the 260 acre
   (1,000,000 m²) Fair Park which was originally developed to host the
   Texas Centennial Exposition in 1936. The city is also home to Texas'
   first and largest zoo at 95 acres (405,000 m²) — the Dallas Zoo, which
   first opened in 1888.

   The city's parks contain 17 separate lakes, including White Rock and
   Bachman lakes, spanning a total of 4,400 acres (1,780,000 m²). The city
   is criss-crossed with 61.6 miles (99  km) of bike & jogging trails,
   including the Katy Trail, and is home to 47 community and neighborhood
   recreation centers, 276 sports fields, 60 swimming pools, 232
   playgrounds, 173 basketball courts, 112 volleyball courts, 126 play
   slabs, 258 neighbourhood tennis courts, 258 picnic areas, six 18-hole
   golf courses, two driving ranges, and 477 athletic fields.

   To the west of Dallas in Arlington is Six Flags Over Texas, one of the
   biggest theme parks in the United States. Hurricane Harbour, a large
   water park, is also in Arlington.
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