Difference between revisions of "Dallas, Texas" - New World Encyclopedia

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{{Images OK}}{{Submitted}}{{Approved}}{{Copyedited}}
 
{{Infobox Settlement
 
{{Infobox Settlement
|official_name            = City of Dallas
+
|name    |official_name            = Dallas
|settlement_type       Media:Example.ogg  = City
+
|settlement_type         = [[City (Washington)|City]]
|nickname                = Big D,D-Town,Triple D
+
|nickname                = "Big D," "D-Town," "The 214"                                       
|motto                    = Live Large. Think Big.
 
 
|image_skyline            = Dallas Downtown.jpg
 
|image_skyline            = Dallas Downtown.jpg
|imagesize                =  
+
|imagesize                =
 
|image_caption            =  
 
|image_caption            =  
|image_flag              =
+
|image_flag              = Flag of Dallas.svg
|image_seal              = {{#ifeq:Dallas, Texas|Dallas, Texas|Dallas seal.PNG|}}
+
|image_seal              = Dallas seal.PNG
 
|image_map                = Dallas County Texas Incorporated Areas Dallas highlighted.svg
 
|image_map                = Dallas County Texas Incorporated Areas Dallas highlighted.svg
 
|mapsize                  = 250px
 
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location in Dallas County and the state of Texas
+
|map_caption              = Location in [[Dallas County, Texas|Dallas County]] and the state of Texas
|image_map1              =  
+
|image_map1              =
|mapsize1                =  
+
|mapsize1                =
|map_caption1            =  
+
|map_caption1            =
 +
|pushpin_map              =
 +
|pushpin_map_caption      =
 +
|coordinates_region      = US-TX
 
|subdivision_type        = Country
 
|subdivision_type        = Country
|subdivision_name         = United States of America
+
|subdivision_name = United States
 
|subdivision_type1        = State
 
|subdivision_type1        = State
 
|subdivision_name1        = Texas
 
|subdivision_name1        = Texas
|subdivision_type2        = Counties
+
|parts_type              = [[List of counties in Texas|Counties]]
|subdivision_name2        = Dallas<br/>Collin<br/>Denton<br/>Rockwall<br/>Kaufman
+
|parts_style              = para
|government_type          = Council-manager
+
|parts                    = <!-- parts text, or header for parts list —>
 +
|p1                      = [[Dallas County, Texas|Dallas]]
 +
|p2                      = [[Collin County, Texas|Collin]]
 +
|p3                      = [[Denton County, Texas|Denton]]
 +
|p4                      = [[Rockwall County, Texas|Rockwall]]
 +
|p5                      = [[Kaufman County, Texas|Kaufman]]
 +
|government_type          = [[Council–manager government|Council-Manager]]
 +
|governing_body          = Dallas City Council
 
|leader_title            = Mayor
 
|leader_title            = Mayor
|leader_name              = Tom Leppert
+
|leader_name              = [[Mike Rawlings]]
 +
|unit_pref                = US
 
|area_magnitude          = 1 E9
 
|area_magnitude          = 1 E9
|area_total_sq_mi        = 385.0
+
|area_total_sq_mi        =  
|area_total_km2          = 997.1
+
|area_total_km2          = 999.3
|area_land_sq_mi          = 342.5
+
|area_land_sq_mi          =  
|area_land_km2            = 887.2
+
|area_land_km2            = 881.9
|area_water_sq_mi        = 42.5
+
|area_water_sq_mi        =  
|area_water_km2          = 110.0
+
|area_water_km2          = 117.4
|population_as_of        = 2007
+
|population_as_of        = 2010 United States Census
 
|urban_land_sq_mi        = 1407.2
 
|urban_land_sq_mi        = 1407.2
|urban_population        = 4145659
+
|urban_population        = 150
population_footnotes   =  
+
|population_footnotes     =<ref name=CENSUS>{{cite web |author=U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division | title = Population Estimates, Accepted Challenges to Vintage 2007 Estimates | url = http://www.news-journal.com/news/article_d1b2e9d2-3ad4-11e0-b390-001cc4c002e0.html | date = February 17, 2010 | accessdate =February 17, 2010}}{{dead link|date=June 2011}}</ref>
<ref name="EST">{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2007/cb07-91table1.pdf|title=Population Estimates for the 25 Largest U.S. Cities based on July 1, 2006 Population Estimates|publisher=US Census Bureau|accessdate=2007-06-28|format=PDF}}</ref><ref name=popurban>[http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/wup2003/WUP2003.htm United Nations World Urbanization Prospects]</ref><ref name=popmetro>[http://www.census.gov/population/www/estimates/metro_general/2006/CBSA-EST2006-01.csv U.S. Census Bureau] - Annual Estimates of the Population of Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas</ref>
+
|population_total        = 1,197,816 <small>([[List of United States cities by population|9th U.S.]])</small>
|population_total        = 1,232,940 (9th largest)
+
|population_note          =
|population_density_km2  =  
+
|population_density_km2  = 1358.2
|population_density_sq_mi = 3605.08
+
|population_density_sq_mi =  
|population_urban                 =  
+
|population_urban         =
|population_metro        = 6,145,037  (4th largest)
+
|population_metro        = 6,371,773 <small>([[List of United States metropolitan areas|4th U.S.]])</small>
|population_blank1_title = Demonym
+
|population_blank1_title = [[Demonym]]
|population_blank1 = Dallasites|population_blank1_title = Demonym
+
|population_blank1 = Dallasite
|population_blank1 = Dallasites
+
|timezone                = [[Central Time Zone (North America)|Central]]
|timezone                = Central
 
 
|utc_offset              = -6
 
|utc_offset              = -6
|timezone_DST            = Central
+
|timezone_DST            = [[Central Time Zone (North America)|Central]]
 
|utc_offset_DST          = -5
 
|utc_offset_DST          = -5
|postal_code_type        =  
+
|postal_code_type        =
|postal_code              =  
+
|postal_code              =
|area_code                = 214, 469, 972
+
|area_code                = [[Area code 214|214]], [[Area code 469|469]], [[Area code 972|972]]
 +
|area_code_type          = [[North American Numbering Plan|Area code]]
 
|elevation_ft            = 430 <!--USGS—>
 
|elevation_ft            = 430 <!--USGS—>
 
|elevation_m              = 131 <!--USGS—>
 
|elevation_m              = 131 <!--USGS—>
|latd = 32 |latm = 46 |lats = 58 |latNS = N
+
|latd = 32 |latm = 46 |latNS = N
|longd = 96 |longm = 48 |longs = 14 |longEW = W
+
|longd = 96 |longm = 48 |longEW = W|coordinates_display=y
 
|website                  = http://www.dallascityhall.com
 
|website                  = http://www.dallascityhall.com
|established_title        = Incorporated
+
|established_title        = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]]
|established_date        = 2 February 1856
+
|established_date        = February 2, 1856
|blank_name              = FIPS code
+
|blank_name              = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
 
|blank_info              = 48-19000{{GR|2}}
 
|blank_info              = 48-19000{{GR|2}}
|blank1_name              = GNIS feature ID
+
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
 
|blank1_info              = 1380944{{GR|3}}
 
|blank1_info              = 1380944{{GR|3}}
 
+
|blank2_name              = [[ZIP code prefixes|ZIP code prefix]]
 +
|blank2_info              = 752,753
 
----
 
----
|blank2_name             = Primary Airport
+
|blank3_name             = Primary Airport
|blank2_info             = Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport- DFW (Major/International)
+
|blank3_info             = [[Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport]]- DFW (Major/International)
|blank3_name             = Secondary Airport
+
|blank4_name             = Secondary Airport
|blank3_info             = Dallas Love Field- DAL (Major)
+
|blank4_info             = [[Dallas Love Field]]- DAL (Major)
|website                  = [http://www.dallascityhall.com/ dallascityhall.com]
+
|website                  = [http://www.dallascityhall.com/ www.dallascityhall.com]
|footnotes                =  
+
|footnotes                =
 
}}
 
}}
'''Dallas''' is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the ninth-largest in the [[United States]].
 
  
The city is the main economic center of the 12-county Dallas–Fort&nbsp;Worth–Arlington metropolitan area. At 6.1&nbsp;million people, it is the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States.
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'''Dallas''' is the third-largest city in [[Texas]], after [[Houston, Texas|Houston]] and San Antonio. It is and the ninth-largest city in the [[United States]], located in the north-central part of the state, near the junction of the Trinity River's three forks. The region is comprised of [[prairie]], [[tree]]-lined [[creek]]s and [[river]]s, and rolling hills. Dallas was founded in 1841 and formally incorporated in 1856.
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Dallas is the main economic center of the 12 county Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington metropolitan area. With 6.1 million people, it is the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States. The city's economy is today primarily based on [[banking]], [[commerce]], [[telecommunications]], [[computer|computer technology]], [[energy]], and [[transportation]].  
  
Founded in 1841 and formally incorporated as a city on February 1856, the city's economy is primarily based on [[banking]], [[commerce]], [[telecommunications]], [[computer|computer technology]], [[energy]], and [[transportation]]. Dallas is the core of the largest inland metropolitan area in the United States that lacks any navigable link to the sea. The city's prominence despite this comes from its historical importance as a center for the [[oil]] and [[cotton]] industries, its position along numerous railroad lines, its status as a major inland port, and a strong industrial and financial sector.
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Dallas is at the center of the largest inland metropolitan area in the United States. It lacks any navigable link to the [[sea]]. The city's prominence comes from its historical importance as a center for the [[cotton]] and [[Petroleum|oil]] industries, its position along numerous railroad lines, and its status as a strong industrial and financial sector. Today it is a cosmopolitan city, well-known for its cultural activities, including [[ballet]], [[opera]], [[Musical theatre|musicals]], and [[symphony]]. It is ethnically diverse, with less than half its population being of [[Europe]]an descent. About one-fourth of the residents are of [[Africa]]n descent, and more than one-third are of [[Hispanic]] origin.
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{{toc}}
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Dallas gained international attention as the city in which U.S. President [[John F. Kennedy]] was assassinated on November 22, 1963 as he rode in a motorcade through the downtown area. Dealey Plaza, in the historic West End district of downtown Dallas, was named a National Historic Landmark in 1993 as the location of the [[assassination]].
  
 
== Geography==
 
== Geography==
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 {{convert|385|sqmi|km2|1}}, {{convert|342.5|sqmi|km2|1}} of it being land and {{convert|42.5|sqmi|km2|1}} of it (11.03 percent) water. Dallas makes up one-fifth of the much larger urbanized area known as the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, in which one quarter of all Texans live.
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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 {{convert|385|sqmi|km2|1}}. Dallas makes up one-fifth of the much larger urbanized area known as the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, in which one-quarter of all Texans live.
  
 
=== Topography ===
 
=== Topography ===
[[Image:Whiterocklakeariel.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The Dallas area is mostly flat with marked terrain differences only found near waterways and along the Austin Chalk Formation. This aerial photo shows White Rock Lake and Downtown Dallas]].
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Dallas and its surrounding area are mostly flat; the city itself lies at elevations ranging from {{convert|450|ft|m|0}} to {{convert|550|ft|m|0}}.  
Dallas and its surrounding area are mostly flat; the city itself lies at elevations ranging from {{convert|450|ft|m|0}} to {{convert|550|ft|m|0}}. The western edge of the Austin Chalk Formation, a [[limestone]] escarpment, rises {{convert|200|ft|m|0}} and runs roughly north-south through Dallas County. South of the Trinity River (Texas), the uplift is particularly noticeable in the neighborhoods of Oak Cliff and the adjacent cities of Cockrell Hill, Cedar Hill, and Grand Prairie. Marked variations in terrain are also found in cities immediately to the west in Tarrant County surrounding Fort Worth, as well as along Turtle Creek north of Downtown.
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Dallas, like many other cities in the world, was founded along a [[river]], in this case at a ford of the Trinity River, where it was easier for wagons to cross in the days before ferries or [[bridge]]s.
 
 
Dallas, like many other cities in the world, was founded along a river. The city was founded at the location of a "white rock crossing" of the Trinity River, where it was easier for wagons to cross the river in the days before ferries or bridges. The Trinity River, though not usefully navigable, is the major waterway through the city. The river is flanked on both sides by {{convert|50|ft|m|0}} tall earthen levees to protect the city from frequent floods. Since it was rerouted in 1908, the river has been little more than a drainage ditch within a floodplain for several miles above and below downtown Dallas, with a more normal course further upstream and downstream, but as Dallas began shifting toward postindustrial society, public outcry about the lack of aesthetic and recreational use of the river ultimately gave way to the Trinity River Project, which was initialized in the early 2000s and is scheduled to be completed in the 2010s. If the project materializes fully, it promises improvements to the riverfront in the form of man-made lakes, new park facilities and trails, and transportation upgrades.
 
 
 
The project area will reach for over {{convert|20|mi|km}} in length within the city, while the overall geographical land area addressed by the Land Use Plan is approximately {{convert|44000|acre|km2}} in size—about 20% of the land area in Dallas. Green space along the river will encompass approximately {{convert|10000|acre|km2}}, making it one of the largest and diverse urban parks in the world.
 
  
White Rock Lake, a reservoir constructed at the beginning of the 20th century, is Dallas's other significant water feature. The lake and surrounding park are a popular destination among boaters, rowers, joggers, and bikers, as well as visitors seeking peaceful respite from the city at the {{convert|66|acre|m2|-3|sing=on}} Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden, located on the lake's eastern shore.Bachman Lake, just northwest of Love Field Airport, is a smaller lake also popularly used for recreation. Northeast of the city is Lake Ray Hubbard, a vast {{convert|22745|acre|km2|0|sing=on}} reservoir located in an extension of Dallas surrounded by the suburbs of Garland, Rowlett, Rockwall, and Sunnyvale. To the west of the city is Mountain Creek Lake, once home to the Naval Air Station Dallas (Hensley Field) and a number of defense aircraft manufacturers. North Lake, a small body of water in an extension of the city limits surrounded by Irving and Coppell, initially served as a water source for a nearby power plant but is now being targeted for redevelopment as a recreational lake due to its proximity to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, a plan that the lake's neighboring cities oppose.
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The Trinity River, though not usefully navigable, is the major waterway through the city. The river is flanked on both sides by {{convert|50|ft|m|0}} tall earthen [[levee]]s to protect the city from frequent floods. Since it was rerouted in 1908, the river has been little more than a drainage ditch within a floodplain for several miles above and below downtown Dallas, with a more normal course farther upstream and downstream. But as Dallas began shifting toward a postindustrial society, public outcry about the lack of aesthetic and recreational use of the river ultimately gave way to the Trinity River Project, which is scheduled to be completed in the 2010s. If the project materializes fully, it promises improvements to the riverfront in the form of man-made lakes, new park facilities and trails, and transportation upgrades.
  
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White Rock Lake, a [[reservoir]] constructed at the beginning of the twentieth century, is Dallas's other significant [[water]] feature. The lake and surrounding park are a popular destination among boaters, rowers, joggers, and bikers, as well as visitors seeking peaceful respite from the city at the {{convert|66|acre|m2|-3|sing=on}} Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden, located on the lake's eastern shore.
  
 
=== Climate ===
 
=== Climate ===
[[Image:Kidd Springs Park 2.jpg|thumb|left|The spring and fall seasons are pleasant in Dallas, as seen in this March photograph from an Oak Cliff park]]
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[[Image:Kidd Springs Park 2.jpg|thumb|240px|The spring and fall seasons are pleasant in Dallas, as seen in this March photograph from an Oak Cliff park]]
Dallas has a humid subtropical climate, though it is located in a region that also tends to receive warm, dry winds from the north and west in the summer, bringing temperatures well over {{convert|100|°F|°C|0|lk=on}} at times and heat-humidity indexes soaring to as high as {{convert|117|°F|°C|0|lk=on}}.
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[[Image:SMU - Blanton Snow.jpg|thumb|240px|Snow on the campus of Southern Methodist University in nearby University Park]]
 
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[[Image:Kidd Springs Park.jpg|thumb|240px|Kidd Springs Park in Oak Cliff]]
Winters are generally mild, with typical daytime highs between {{convert|55|°F|°C|0|lk=on}} and {{convert|70|°F|°C|0|lk=on}} and nighttime lows between {{convert|35|°F|°C|0|lk=on}} and {{convert|50|°F|°C|0|lk=on}}. However, strong cold fronts known as "Blue Northers" sometimes pass through Dallas, plummeting nightly lows below {{convert|30|°F|°C|0|lk=on}}. [[Snow]]fall is seen on average 2–4 days out of the year and snow accumulation is typically seen at least once every winter. A couple of times each year, warm and humid air from the south overrides cold, dry air, leading to freezing rain, which often causes major disruptions in the city if the roads and highways become slick. On the other hand, daytime highs above {{convert|65|°F|°C|0|lk=on}} are not unusual during the winter season. In sum, extremes in weather are more readily seen in Dallas and Texas as a whole than along the [[Pacific]] and [[Atlantic]] coasts, due to the state's location in the interior of the United States.
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Dallas has a humid subtropical [[climate]], though it is located in a region that tends to receive warm, dry winds from the north and west in the summer, bringing temperatures well over {{convert|100|°F|°C|0|lk=on}} at times and heat-humidity indexes soaring as high as {{convert|117|°F|°C|0|lk=on}}.
 
 
Spring and autumn bring pleasant weather to the area. Vibrant [[wildflower]]s (such as the [[bluebonnet]], [[Castilleja|Indian paintbrush]] and other [[flora (plants)|flora]]) bloom in spring and are planted around the highways throughout Texas. Springtime weather can be quite volatile, but temperatures themselves are mild. The weather in Dallas is also generally pleasant between late September and early December, and unlike springtime, major storms rarely form in the area.
 
 
 
[[Image:SMU - Blanton Snow.jpg|thumb|left|Snow on the campus of Southern Methodist University in nearby University Park]]
 
In the spring, cool fronts moving south from [[Canada]] collide with warm, humid air streaming in from the [[Gulf Coast]]. When these fronts meet over north central Texas, severe [[thunderstorm]]s are generated with spectacular [[lightning]] shows, torrents of [[rain]], [[hail]], and occasionally, [[tornado]]es. Over time, tornadoes have perhaps been the biggest natural threat to the city.
 
  
According to the American Lung Association, Dallas has the 12th highest ozone [[air pollution]] in the nation, ranking it behind [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]] and [[Houston, Texas|Houston]]. Much of the air pollution in Dallas, and the Metroplex in general, comes from a hazardous materials incineration plant in the small town of Midlothian, as well concrete installations in neighboring Ellis County. Another major contributor to air pollution in Dallas are [[automobile]]s. Due to the area's spread-out nature and high amount of [[urban sprawl]], automobiles are the only viable mode of transportation for many.
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Winters are generally mild, with typical daytime highs between {{convert|55|°F|°C|0|lk=on}} and {{convert|70|°F|°C|0|lk=on}} and nighttime lows between {{convert|35|°F|°C|0|lk=on}} and {{convert|50|°F|°C|0|lk=on}}. However, strong cold fronts known as "Blue Northers" sometimes pass through Dallas. [[Snow]]fall is seen on average 2–4 days of the year, and snow accumulation is typically seen at least once every winter. Daytime highs above {{convert|65|°F|°C|0|lk=on}} are not unusual during the winter season.  
  
The city's all-time recorded high temperature is 113 °F (45 °C), while the all-time recorded low is -2 °F (-18.9 °C). The average daily low in Dallas is {{convert|57|°F|°C|0}}, and the average daily high in Dallas is {{convert|77|°F|°C|0}}. Dallas receives approximately {{convert|37.1|in|mm|1}} of rain per year.
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Spring and autumn bring pleasant weather. Vibrant wildflowers (such as the [[bluebonnet]] and [[Indian paintbrush]]) are planted along the [[highway]]s throughout Texas and bloom in the spring. Springtime weather can be quite volatile, but temperatures themselves are mild. The weather is also generally pleasant between late September and early December.
  
== History ==
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In the spring, cool fronts moving south from [[Canada]] collide with warm, humid air streaming in from the [[Gulf of Mexico|Gulf Coast]]. When these fronts meet over north-central Texas, severe [[thunderstorm]]s are generated with spectacular [[lightning]] shows, torrents of [[rain]], [[hail]], and occasionally, [[tornado]]es.  
Before Texas was claimed in the 16th century as a part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain by the [[Spanish Empire]], the Dallas area was inhabited by the [[Caddo]] [[Native Americans of the United States|Native Americans]]. Later, France also claimed the area, but in 1819 the Adams-Onís Treaty made the Red River the northern boundary of New Spain, officially placing Dallas well within Spanish territory. The area remained under Spanish rule until 1821, when [[Mexico]] declared independence from Spain and the area became part of the Mexican state of Coahuila y Tejas. In 1836, the Republic of Texas broke off from Mexico to become an independent nation. In 1839, four years into the Republic's existence, Warren Angus Ferris surveyed the area around present-day Dallas. Two years later, John Neely Bryan established a permanent settlement that later became the city of Dallas. The Republic of Texas was then annexed by the United States in 1845 and Dallas County was established the following year. It is uncertain whether the city was named after George Mifflin Dallas, the U.S. Vice President under James Knox Polk.
 
== Cityscape ==
 
[[Image:Xvixionx 29 April 2006 Dallas Skyline.jpg|thumb|right|<center>Dallas skyline from the Trinity River floodplain</center>]]
 
=== Architecture ===
 
Dallas's skyline contains several buildings over {{convert|700|ft|m|-1}} in height. Although some of Dallas's architecture dates from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, most of the notable architecture in the city is from the [[modern architecture|modernist]] and [[postmodern architecture|postmodernist]] eras. Iconic examples of modernist architecture include Reunion Tower, the JFK Memorial, I. M. Pei's Dallas City Hall. Fountain Place, Bank of America Plaza, Renaissance Tower, JPMorgan Chase Tower, and Comerica Bank Tower are good examples of postmodernist skyscrapers. Several smaller structures are fashioned in the [[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic Revival]] style, such as the Kirby Building, and the [[neoclassical architecture|neoclassical]] style, as seen in the Davis and Wilson Buildings. One architectural "hotbed" in the city is a stretch of historic houses along [[Swiss Avenue]], which contains all shades and variants of architecture from [[Victorian architecture|Victorian]] to neoclassical.
 
  
As part of the Trinity River Project, Dallas is also seeing construction of a series of new signature bridges designed by Santiago Calatrava. The first one to be built the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge will reach a height of over 40 stories above the river basin.
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The city's all-time recorded high temperature is 113°F (45°C), while the all-time recorded low is -2°F (-18.9°C). Dallas receives approximately {{convert|37.1|in|mm|1}} of [[rain]] per year.
  
 
===Neighborhoods===
 
===Neighborhoods===
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Central Dallas is anchored by Downtown, the center of the city and the epicenter of urban revival, along with Oak Lawn and Uptown, areas characterized by dense retail, restaurants, and nightlife.
  
[[Image:Dallas, Texas Harwood Street.jpg|thumb|right|Near the Farmers Market in Downtown]]
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Southwest of Downtown lies Oak Cliff, a hilly area that has undergone gentrification in recent years in neighborhoods such as the Bishop Arts District. Oak Cliff originated as a township founded in the mid-1800s and was annexed by the city of Dallas in 1903. Today, most of the area's northern residents are Hispanic. South Oak Cliff, on the other hand, became predominantly [[African American]] after the early 1970s. Much of the southern portion of the city has struggled with high rates of [[poverty]] and [[crime]].
Central Dallas is anchored by Downtown, the center of the city and the epicenter of urban revival, along with Oak Lawn and Uptown, areas characterized by dense retail, restaurants, and nightlife. Downtown Dallas has a variety of named districts, including the West End Historic District, the Arts District, the Main Street District, Farmers Market District, the City Center business district, the Convention Center District, and the Reunion District. "Hot spots" north of Downtown include Uptown, Victory Park, Oak Lawn, Turtle Creek, Cityplace and West Village.
 
  
East Dallas is home to Deep Ellum, a trendy arts area close to Downtown, the homey Lakewood neighborhood, historic Vickery Place and Bryan Place, and the architecturally significant Swiss Avenue. North of the Park Cities is Preston Hollow, home to Texas's wealthiest residents, as well as the most expensive homes in the state. The area is also characterized by a variety of high-powered shopping areas, including Galleria Dallas, NorthPark Center, Highland Park Village, and Preston Center. In the northeast quadrant of the city is Lake Highlands, one of Dallas's most unified middle-class neighborhoods.
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South Dallas, a distinct neighborhood southeast of Downtown, lays claim to the Cedars, an eclectic artist hotbed south of downtown, and Fair Park, home of the annual State Fair of Texas. The area is arguably the poorest in the city. While Oak Cliff is mostly lower-income but fairly vibrant, South Dallas contains large numbers of boarded-up buildings and vacant lots.
  
[[Image:Kidd Springs Park.jpg|thumb|right|Kidd Springs Park in Oak Cliff]]
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To spur growth in the southern sector of the city, University of North Texas opened a Dallas campus in 2006 in south Oak Cliff. Large amounts of undeveloped land remain nearby, due to decades of slow growth.
[[Image:08130417l.jpg|thumb|left|The West Village in Uptown]]
 
  
Southwest of Downtown lies Oak Cliff, a hilly area that has undergone gentrification in recent years in neighborhoods such as the Bishop Arts District. Oak Cliff originated as a township founded in the mid-1800s and was annexed by the city of Dallas in 1903. Today, most of the area's northern residents are Hispanic. South Oak Cliff, on the other hand, became predominantly [[African-American]] after the early 1970s. Much of the southern portion of the city has struggled with high rates of poverty and crime.
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Farther east, in the southeast quadrant of the city, is the large neighborhood of Pleasant Grove. Once an independent city, it is a collection of mostly lower-income residential areas. Though a city neighborhood, Pleasant Grove is surrounded by undeveloped land on all sides, including [[swamp|swampland]] separating it from South Dallas that will in the future be part of the Great Trinity Forest, a subsection of the city's Trinity River Project.
  
South Dallas, a distinct neighborhood southeast of Downtown, lays claim to the Cedars, an eclectic artist hotbed south of downtown and Fair Park, home of the annual State Fair of Texas. The area, predominantly African-American, is arguably the poorest in the city. While Oak Cliff is mostly lower-income but fairly vibrant, South Dallas contains large numbers of boarded-up buildings and vacant lots.
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Dallas includes three enclaves within the city boundaries—Cockrell Hill, Highland Park, and University Park, each a municipality with its own government.
  
To spur growth in the southern sector of the city, University of North Texas opened a Dallas campus in October 2006 in south Oak Cliff near the intersection of Interstate 20 and Houston School Rd. Large amounts of undeveloped land remains nearby, due to decades of slow growth south of Downtown. Further east, in the southeast quadrant of the city, is the large neighborhood of Pleasant Grove. Once an independent city, it is a collection of mostly lower-income residential areas stretching all the way to Seagoville in the southeast. Though a city neighborhood, Pleasant Grove is surrounded by undeveloped land on all sides, including swampland separating it from South Dallas that will in the future be part of the Great Trinity Forest, a subsection of the city's Trinity River Project.
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== History ==
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Before [[Texas]] was claimed in the sixteenth century as a part of [[New Spain]] by the [[Spanish Empire]], the Dallas area was inhabited by the [[Caddo]] [[Native American]] tribe. Later, [[France]] also claimed the area, but in 1819 the Adams-Onís Treaty made the Red River the northern boundary of New Spain, placing Dallas well within Spanish territory. The area remained under Spanish rule until 1821, when [[Mexico]] declared independence from [[Spain]] and the area became part of the Mexican state of Coahuila y Tejas.
  
Dallas is further surrounded by many suburbs and includes three enclaves within the city boundaries—Cockrell Hill, Highland Park, and University Park.
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In 1836, the [[Texas|Republic of Texas]] broke off from Mexico to become an independent nation. In 1839, Warren Angus Ferris surveyed the area around present-day Dallas. Two years later, John Neely Bryan established the permanent settlement that later became the city of Dallas.
  
[[Image:02210506l.jpg|thumb|right|Pedestrians in Downtown]]
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The Republic of Texas was annexed by the [[United States]] in 1845, and Dallas County was established the following year. It is uncertain whether the city was named after George Mifflin Dallas, the U.S. vice president under [[James K. Polk]].
=== Politics ===
 
In terms of voting patterns, the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the third most liberal of the Texas metropolitan areas after Austin and El Paso. In contrast, 54% of Houston- and San Antonio-area voters and an even higher percentage of rural Texan voters are conservative. Nonetheless, Dallas is known to many as a high-profile center of [[Evangelicalism|evangelical]] [[Protestantism|Protestant]] [[Christianity]].
 
  
As a city, present-day Dallas can be seen as moderate, with conservative Republicans dominating the upper-middle class suburban neighborhoods of North Dallas and liberal Democrats dominating neighborhoods closer to Downtown as well as the city's southern sector. As a continuation of its suburban northern neighborhoods, Dallas's northern suburbs are overwhelmingly conservative. Plano, the largest of these suburbs, was ranked as the fifth most conservative city in America by The Bay Area Center for Voting Research, based on the voting patterns of middle-age adults. However, the city of Dallas (excluding its suburbs) generally votes for Democratic political candidates in local, state, and national elections.
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The [[assassination]] of [[John F. Kennedy]], the thirty-fifth president of the United States, took place on November 22, 1963, in Dallas. Kennedy was fatally wounded by gunshots while riding with his wife [[Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis|Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy]] in a presidential motorcade.
  
In the 2004 U.S. presidential elections, 57% of Dallas voters voted for [[John Kerry]] over [[George W. Bush]]. Dallas County as a whole was split evenly, with 50% of voters voting for Bush and 49% voting for Kerry. In the 2006 elections for Dallas County judges, 41 out of 42 seats went to Democrats.
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== Government and politics ==
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[[Image:Xvixionx 29 April 2006 Dallas Skyline.jpg|thumb|300px|Dallas skyline from the Trinity River floodplain]]
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The city uses a council-manager government, with a mayor, a city manager, and 14 council members serving as representatives to the 14 council districts in the city. This organizational structure was recently contested by some in favor of a strong-mayor city charter, only to be rejected by Dallas voters.
  
By the 2008 elections, both Dallas County and the city of Dallas had become overwhelmingly Democratic. In Dallas County as a whole, 57% of voters chose [[Barack Obama]], compared to the 42% who chose John McCain. By an even larger margin, the city of Dallas (not including the small portions of the city located in Collin and Denton Counties) favored Obama over McCain, 65% to 35%. When disregarding the city in Dallas County's results, Obama still squeaked past McCain by a margin of 0.7% in what was essentially a 50%-50% tie.
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The United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, which exercises original jurisdiction over 100 counties in north and west Texas, convenes in the Earle Cabell Federal Building and Courthouse. The same building houses United States Bankruptcy and Magistrate Courts and a United States Attorney office. Dallas also is the seat of the Fifth Court of Appeals of Texas.
  
In 2004, Lupe Valdez was elected Dallas County Sheriff. An open [[lesbian]], she is currently one of only two female sheriffs in the state of Texas, the other being Sheriff Rosanna Abreo of Bastrop County. Despite controversies in her handling of county jails, she won re-election in 2008 with a 10-point victory over Republican challenger Lowell Cannaday.
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=== Politics ===
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In terms of voting patterns, the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the third most liberal of the Texas metropolitan areas after [[Austin]] and [[El Paso]]. In contrast, 54 percent of Houston- and San Antonio-area voters and an even higher percentage of rural Texan voters are conservative.  
  
Bucking the city's Democratic trend, conservative Republican Tom Leppert defeated liberal Democrat Ed Oakley in the city's 2007 mayoral race by a margin of 58% to 42%. Had Oakley been elected, he would have become the first openly-gay mayor of a large U.S. city. Though candidates' political leanings are well publicized in the media, Dallas's elections are officially non-partisan. The city's previous mayor was Laura Miller, a liberal Jewish woman who had previously written for the ''Dallas Observer'', the city's most popular alternative newspaper.
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As a city, Dallas can be seen as moderate, with conservative [[Republican Party (United States)|Republicans]] dominating the upper-middle class suburban neighborhoods of North Dallas and liberal [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]] dominating neighborhoods closer to Downtown as well as the city's southern sector. As a continuation of its suburban northern neighborhoods, Dallas's northern suburbs are overwhelmingly conservative. Plano, the largest of these suburbs, was ranked as the fifth most conservative city in America. However, the city of Dallas (excluding its suburbs) generally votes for Democratic political candidates in local, state, and national elections.
  
=== Arts ===
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In the 2004 U.S. presidential elections, 57 percent of Dallas voters voted for [[John Kerry]] over [[George W. Bush]]. By the 2008 elections, both Dallas County and the city of Dallas had become overwhelmingly Democratic. In Dallas County as a whole, 57 percent of voters chose [[Barack Obama]], compared to the 42 percent who chose [[John McCain]]. The city of Dallas favored Obama over McCain by an even larger margin, 65 percent to 35 percent.  
[[Image:07110401l.jpg|thumb|right|The Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center]] in the Arts District
 
The Arts District in the northern section 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, the Nasher Sculpture Center, The Dallas Contemporary, and The Dallas Children's Theatre. Venues under construction or planned include the Winspear Opera House and the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts. The Arts District is also home to DISD's Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, a magnet school which was recently expanded.
 
  
Deep Ellum, immediately east of Downtown, originally became popular during the 1920s and 1930s as the prime [[jazz]] and [[blues]] hot spot in the [[Southern United States|South]]. Artists such as [[Blind Lemon Jefferson]], [[Robert Johnson (musician)|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. A major art infusion in the area results from the city's lax stance on [[graffiti]], and a number of public spaces 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.
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Bucking the city's Democratic trend, conservative Republican Tom Leppert defeated liberal Democrat Ed Oakley in the city's 2007 mayoral race by a margin of 58 percent to 42 percent. Had Oakley been elected, he would have become the first openly [[gay]] mayor of a large U.S. city. Though candidates' political leanings are well publicized in the media, Dallas's elections are officially non-partisan.
  
Like Deep Ellum before it, the Cedars neighborhood to the south of Downtown has also seen 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, an old Sears warehouse converted into lofts, studios, and retail. Current attractions include Gilley's Dallas and Poor David's Pub. Dallas Mavericks owner and local 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.
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== Economy ==
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In its beginnings, Dallas relied on [[agriculture|farming]], neighboring Fort Worth's [[cattle]] market, and its prime location on [[Native American|Indian]] trade routes to sustain itself. Dallas's key to growth came in 1873 with the building of multiple rail lines through the city. As Dallas grew and [[technology]] developed, [[cotton]] became its boon, and by 1900, Dallas was the largest inland cotton market in the world, becoming a leader in [[cotton gin]] machinery [[manufacturing]].
  
South of the Trinity River, the fledgling 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.
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By the early 1900s, Dallas was a hub for economic activity all over the [[Southwestern United States|Southwest]] and was selected in 1914 as the seat of the Eleventh Federal Reserve District. By 1925, Texas churned out more than one-third of the nation's cotton crop, with 31 percent of Texas cotton produced within a 100-mile (161 km) radius of Dallas.
  
Dallas has an Office of Cultural Affairs as a department of the city government. The office is responsible for six cultural centers located throughout the city, funding for local artists and theaters, initiating public art projects, and running the city-owned classical radio station WRR.
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In the 1930s, [[petroleum|oil]] was discovered east of Dallas near Kilgore, Texas. Dallas's proximity to the discovery put it immediately at the center of the nation's oil market. Oil discoveries in the Permian Basin, the Panhandle, the [[Gulf Coast of the United States|Gulf Coast]], and [[Oklahoma]] in the following years further solidified Dallas's position as the hub of the market.
  
=== Sports ===
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The end of [[World War II]] left Dallas seeded with a nexus of [[communications]], [[engineering]], and production talent by companies such as Collins Radio Corporation. Decades later, the [[telecommunications]] and information revolutions still drive a large portion of the local economy. The city is sometimes referred to as the heart of "Silicon Prairie" because of a high concentration of telecommunications companies in the region, the epicenter of which lies along the ''Telecom Corridor,'' home to more than 5700 companies. The Corridor is home to [[Texas Instruments]] and regional offices for Alcatel Lucent, [[AT&T]], Ericsson, Fujitsu, [[Nokia]], [[Rockwell]], [[Cisco Systems]], [[Sprint]], and [[Verizon]], as well as the national offices of [[CompUSA]] and [[Nortel]]. In December 2007, [[Ontario]]'s Research in Motion (RIM), makers of the BlackBerry handheld computer, announced Irving as the site of its U.S. headquarters.
[[Image:01220507l.jpg|thumb|right|American Airlines Center 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 Center.  
 
  
Nearby Irving is home to the Dallas Cowboys of the [[National Football League]].  
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In the 1980s, Dallas was a [[real estate]] hotbed, with the metropolitan population skyrocketing and the concurrent demand for housing and jobs. Several of Downtown Dallas's largest buildings are the fruit of this boom, but over-speculation and the [[savings and loan]] crisis prevented any further additions to Dallas's skyline. Between the late 1980s and the early 2000s, central Dallas went through a slow period of growth and has only recently bounced back. This time, the real estate market in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex has proven to be much more resilient than those of most other parts of the United States.
  
==== Recreation ====
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Dallas is no longer a hotbed for manufacturing like it was in the early twentieth century, but plenty of goods are still manufactured in the city. [[Texas Instruments]] employs 10,400 people at its corporate headquarters and chip plants in neighboring Richardson, and defense and aircraft manufacturing still dominates the economy of nearby Fort Worth.
[[Image:Reverchon Park.jpg|thumb|right|A local league baseball game at Reverchon Park]]
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[[Image:Dfw airport.jpg|thumb|Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport serves most passengers flying in and out of the Metroplex]]
The City of Dallas maintains and operates 406 parks on {{convert|21000|acre|km2|0}} of parkland. Its flagship park is the {{convert|260|acre|km2|2|sing=on}} Fair Park, which hosted the Texas Centennial Exposition in 1936. The city is also home to Texas's first and largest zoo, the {{convert|95|acre|km2|2}} Dallas Zoo, which opened at its current location in 1888.
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The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex as a whole has the largest concentration of corporate headquarters in the United States. New additions to the list include AT&T, which announced plans in June 2008 to relocate its corporate headquarters to Downtown Dallas from San Antonio, and Comerica Bank, which relocated in 2007 from [[Detroit]]. Suburban Irving is home to four Fortune 500 companies of its own, including Exxon Mobil, the most profitable company in the world and the second largest by revenue, Kimberly-Clark, Fluor (engineering), and Commercial Metals. Additional companies internationally headquartered in the Metroplex include Southwest Airlines, American Airlines, RadioShack, Neiman Marcus, 7-Eleven, Brinker International, id Software, ENSCO Offshore Drilling, Mary Kay Cosmetics, CompUSA, Zales and Fossil. Corporate headquarters in the northern suburb of Plano include EDS, Frito Lay, Dr Pepper, Snapple, and JCPenney.
  
The city's parks contain 17 separate lakes, including White Rock and Bachman lakes, spanning a total of {{convert|4400|acre|km2|2}}. In addition, Dallas is traversed by {{convert|61.6|mi|km|1}} of biking and 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 neighborhood tennis courts, 258 picnic areas, six 18-hole golf courses, two driving ranges, and 477 athletic fields.
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The city is home to 15 billionaires, placing it ninth worldwide among cities with the most billionaires. The ranking does not take into account the eight billionaires who live in the neighboring city of Fort Worth.<ref>Luisa Kroll and Allison Fass, March 8, 2007, [http://www.forbes.com/2007/03/07/billionaires-worlds-richest_07billionaires_cz_lk_af_0308billie_land.html The World's Billionaires] ''Forbes''. Retrieved December 3, 2008.</ref>
  
To the west of Dallas in Arlington is Six Flags Over Texas, the original franchise in the Six Flags theme park chain. Hurricane Harbor, a large water park owned by Six Flags, is also in Arlington.
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The most notable event held in Dallas is the State Fair of Texas, which has been held annually at Fair Park since 1886. The fair is a massive event, bringing in an estimated $350 million to the city's economy annually.
[[Image:Red River Shootout 2006.jpg|thumb|right|The UT-OU Red River Shootout in 2006]]
 
  
=== Media ===
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=== Transportation ===
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Dallas Morning News 2006 front cover.png|thumb|right|The ''Dallas Morning News]]'' —>
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Like many other major cities in the United States, the primary mode of local transportation in Dallas is the [[automobile]], though efforts have been made to increase the availability of alternative modes of transportation, including the construction of light rail lines, biking and walking paths, wide sidewalks, a trolley system, and buses.
Dallas has numerous local newspapers, magazines, television stations and radio stations that serve the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex as a whole, which is the fifth-largest media market in the United States.
 
  
Dallas has one daily [[newspaper]], ''The Dallas Morning News'' Other daily newspapers are ''Al Día'', a Spanish-language paper, ''Quick'', a free, summary-style version of the ''Morning News'', the Jewish community's Texas Jewish Post, and a number of ethnic newspapers printed in languages such as Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese.
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Dallas is served by two commercial airports: Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Dallas Love Field (DAL).
  
In terms of the larger metro area, the ''Fort Worth Star-Telegram'' is another significant daily newspaper, covering Fort Worth/Tarrant County and other suburban areas to the west and northwest of Dallas. It also publishes a major Spanish-language newspaper for the entire Metroplex known as La Estrella.  
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== Demographics ==
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As of the 2000 census, there were 1,188,580 people, 451,833 households, and 266,580 families residing in Dallas proper. 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).<ref>''U.S. Census Bureau''. [http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ACSSAFFFacts?_event=ChangeGeoContext&geo_id=16000US4819000&_geoContext=&_street=&_county=dallas&_cityTown=dallas&_state=&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=010&_submenuId=factsheet_1&ds_name=ACS_2006_SAFF&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null&reg=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry= 2006 American Community Survey Data Profile Highlights] Retrieved December 3, 2008.</ref>
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The racial makeup of Dallas was 35.32 percent [[white]], 40.88 percent [[African American]], 4.5 percent [[Asia]]n, 1 percent [[Native American]], 0.50 percent Pacific Islander, 14.92 percent from other races, and 5.3 percent from two or more races. 30.2 percent 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.
  
Hispanic Broadcasting Corporation (HBC), the largest company in the Spanish language radio station business, is based in Dallas. In 2003, HBC was acquired by Univision and became Univision Radio Inc., but the radio company remains headquartered in the city.
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The city has historically been predominantly white, but its population has diversified as it has grown in size and importance over the twentieth century to the point that non-Hispanic whites now represent only one-third of the city's population. In addition, almost 25 percent of Dallas's population and 17 percent of residents in the Metroplex as a whole are foreign-born.<ref>''Onboard Informatics''. [http://www.city-data.com/city/Dallas-Texas.html Dallas, Texas] Retrieved December 3, 2008.</ref>
  
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Dallas is a major destination for [[Mexico|Mexican]] immigrants, both legal and illegal. The southwestern and southeastern portions of the city, particularly Oak Cliff and Pleasant Grove, consist of a mixture of black and Hispanic residents, while the southern portion of the city is predominantly black. North Dallas, on the other hand, is mostly white, though many enclaves of predominantly black and Hispanic residents exist. In addition, Dallas and its suburbs are home to a large number of Asian American residents—Korean, Taiwanese, Chinese, Filipino, Vietnamese, Indian, Bangladeshi, Pakistani, and Arab all have large presences in the area, particularly in the suburbs of Garland, Richardson, Plano, Carrollton, Irving, Arlington, Frisco, and Allen.
  
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About half of Dallas's population was born outside of Texas. Many residents have migrated to the city from other parts of the country, particularly the [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]], [[Northeastern United States|Northeast]], and other [[Sunbelt]] states such as [[California]].
  
== Economy ==
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=== Religion ===
[[Image:01220501l.jpg|thumb|right|A portion of the downtown skyline]]
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[[Image:Xvisionx 23 April 2006 Cathedral Santuario de Guadalupe.jpg|thumb|200px|The Cathedral Santuario de Guadalupe]]
In its beginnings, Dallas relied on [[agriculture|farming]], neighboring Fort Worth's [[cattle]] market, and its prime location on [[Native American|Indian]] trade routes to sustain itself. Dallas's key to growth came in 1873 with the building of multiple rail lines through the city. As Dallas grew and technology developed, [[cotton]] became its boon, and by 1900, Dallas was the largest inland cotton market in the world, becoming a leader in cotton gin machinery manufacturing. By the early 1900s, Dallas was a hub for economic activity all over the [[Southwestern United States|Southwest]] and was selected in 1914 as the seat of the Eleventh Federal Reserve District. By 1925, Texas churned out more than ⅓ of the nation's cotton crop, with 31% of Texas cotton produced within a 100-mile (161&nbsp;km) radius of Dallas. In the 1930s, [[petroleum|oil]] was discovered east of Dallas near Kilgore, Texas. Dallas's proximity to the discovery put it immediately at the center of the nation's oil market. Oil discoveries in the Permian Basin, the Panhandle, the [[Gulf Coast of the United States|Gulf Coast]], and [[Oklahoma]] in the following years further solidified Dallas's position as the hub of the market.<
 
  
The end of [[World War II]] left Dallas seeded with a nexus of communications, engineering, and production talent by companies such as Collins Radio Corporation. Decades later, the [[telecommunications]] and information revolutions still drive a large portion of the local economy. The city is sometimes referred to as the heart of "Silicon Prairie" because of a high concentration of telecommunications companies in the region, the epicenter of which lies along the ''Telecom Corridor'', home to more than 5,700 companies. The Corridor is home to Texas Instruments and regional offices for Alcatel Lucent, AT&T, Ericsson, Fujitsu, Nokia, Rockwell, Cisco Systems, Sprint, and Verizon, as well as the national offices of CompUSA and Nortel. In December 2007, [[Ontario]]'s Research in Motion (RIM), makers of the BlackBerry handheld computer, announced Irving as the site of its U.S. headquarters.
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There is a large [[Protestantism|Protestant]] [[Christian]] influence in the Dallas community, as the city is deep within the [[Bible Belt]]. [[Methodism|Methodist]] and [[Baptist]] churches are prominent in many neighborhoods and anchor two of the city's major private universities (Southern Methodist University and Dallas Baptist University). The Cathedral of Hope, a [[Homosexuality|lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender]] Protestant church, is the largest congregation of its kind in the world. The city is also home to a sizable Mormon community, which led the [[Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] to build a major temple in the city in 1984.
  
In the 1980s, Dallas was a real estate hotbed, with the metropolitan population skyrocketing and the concurrent demand for housing and jobs. Several of Downtown Dallas's largest buildings are the fruit of this boom, but over-speculation and the [[savings and loan crisis]] prevented any further additions to Dallas' skyline. Between the late 1980s and the early 2000s, central Dallas went through a slow period of growth and has only recently bounced back. This time, the real estate market in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex has proven to be much more resilient than those of most other parts of the United States.
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The [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] Church is a significant organization in the Dallas area and operates the University of Dallas, a liberal-arts university in the Dallas suburb of Irving. Across the street from the university is one of only 13 [[Cistercian Abbey]]s in the United States and the only one that operates a private preparatory school as well. The Cathedral Santuario de Guadalupe in the Arts District oversees the second-largest Catholic church membership in the United States, with 70 parishes in the Dallas Diocese. Dallas is also home to three [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox Christian]] churches.
  
Dallas is no longer a hotbed for manufacturing like it was in the early twentieth century, but plenty of goods are still manufactured in the city. [[Texas Instruments]] employs 10,400 people at its corporate headquarters and chip plants in neighboring Richardson, and defense and aircraft manufacturing still dominates the economy of nearby Fort Worth.
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Further, a large [[Muslim]] community lives in the north and northeastern portions of Dallas, as well as in the northern Dallas suburbs. The oldest [[mosque]] in Texas is located in Denton, about {{convert|40|mi}} north of Downtown Dallas.
  
The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex as a whole has the largest concentration of corporate headquarters in the United States. New additions to the list include [[AT&T]], which announced plans in June 2008 to relocate its corporate headquarters to Downtown Dallas from San Antonio, and Comerica Bank, which relocated in 2007 from [[Detroit]]. Suburban Irving is home to four Fortune 500 companies of its own, including Exxon Mobil, the most profitable company in the world and the second largest by revenue, Kimberly-Clark, Fluor (engineering), and Commercial Metals. Additional companies internationally headquartered in the Metroplex include Southwest Airlines, American Airlines, RadioShack, Neiman Marcus, 7-Eleven, Brinker International, id Software, ENSCO Offshore Drilling, Mary Kay Cosmetics, CompUSA, Zales and Fossil. Corporate headquarters in the northern suburb of Plano include EDS, Frito Lay, Dr Pepper Snapple, and JCPenney.
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Dallas and its surrounding suburbs also have one of the largest [[Jewish]] communities in the United States, most of whom reside in North Dallas. Temple Emanu-El, the largest [[synagogue]] in the region, was founded in 1873.  
  
In addition to its large number of businesses, Dallas has more shopping centers per capita than any other city in the United States and is also home to the second shopping center built in the United States, Highland Park Village, which opened in 1931. Dallas is home of the two other major malls in North Texas, the Dallas Galleria and NorthPark Center, which is also the largest mall in Texas. Both malls feature high-end stores and are major tourist draws for the region.
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Dallas also has a large [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] community. Immigrants from [[Thailand]], [[Laos]], [[Cambodia]], [[Vietnam]], [[Nepal]], [[Tibet]], [[Japan]], [[China]], [[Taiwan]], and [[Sri Lanka]] have all contributed to the Buddhist population, which is concentrated in the northern suburbs of Garland and Richardson.
  
The city itself is home to 15 billionaires, placing it 9th worldwide among cities with the most billionaires. The ranking does not even take into account the eight billionaires who live in the neighboring city of Fort Worth.
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==Culture==
  
Dallas is currently the third most popular destination for business travel in the United States, and the Dallas Convention Center is one of the largest and busiest convention centers in the country, at over {{convert|1000000|sqft|m2}}, and the world's single-largest column-free exhibit hall.
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The Arts District in the northern section 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, the Nasher Sculpture Center, The Dallas Contemporary, and the Dallas Children's Theatre.  
  
The most notable event held in Dallas is the State Fair of Texas, which has been held annually at Fair Park since 1886. The fair is a massive event, bringing in an estimated $350 million to the city's economy annually.
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Deep Ellum, immediately east of Downtown, originally became popular during the 1920s and 1930s as the prime [[jazz]] and [[blues]] hot spot in the [[Southern United States|South]]. 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.
  
== Law and government ==
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=== Media ===
{{main|Law and government of Dallas, Texas}}
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Dallas has numerous local [[newspaper]]s, [[magazine]]s, [[television]] stations and [[radio]] stations that serve the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex as a whole, which is the fifth-largest media market in the United States.
The city uses a council-manager government, with Tom Leppert serving as Mayor, Mary Suhm serving as city manager, and 14 council members serving as representatives to the 14 council districts in the city. This organizational structure was recently contested by some in favor of a strong-mayor city charter, only to be rejected by Dallas voters.
 
  
National and state legislators representing Dallas:
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Dallas has one daily newspaper, ''The Dallas Morning News.'' Other daily newspapers are ''Al Día,'' a Spanish-language paper; ''Quick,'' a free, summary-style version of the ''Morning News''; the Jewish community's ''Texas Jewish Post''; and a number of ethnic newspapers.
{{Dallas politics}}
 
[[Image:12200413l.jpg|thumb|right|The Dallas Police headquarters in the Cedars neighborhood.]]
 
  
The United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, which exercises original jurisdiction over 100 counties in North and West Texas, convenes in the Earle Cabell Federal Building and Courthouse in the Government District of Downtown. The same building additionally houses United States Bankruptcy and Magistrate Courts and a United States Attorney office. Dallas also is the seat of the Fifth Court of Appeals of Texas.
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In terms of the larger metro area, the ''Fort Worth Star-Telegram'' is another significant daily newspaper, covering Fort Worth/Tarrant County and other suburban areas to the west and northwest of Dallas. It also publishes a major Spanish-language newspaper for the entire Metroplex known as ''La Estrella.''
  
=== Crime and enforcement ===
+
[[Hispanic Broadcasting Corporation]] (HBC), the largest company in the [[Spanish language]] radio station business, is based in Dallas. In 2003, HBC was acquired by [[Univision]] and became Univision Radio Inc., but the radio company remains headquartered in the city.
Policing in Dallas is provided predominantly by the Dallas Police Department, which has 2,977 officers. The Dallas chief of police is David Kunkle. The Police Headquarters are located in the Cedars neighborhood of South Dallas.
 
  
Dallas's violent crime rate (12.06 per 1,000 people) is lower than that of St Louis (24.81), Detroit (24.22), Baltimore (16.96), Philadelphia (15.62), Cleveland (15.47), Miami (15.09), Washington (14.48), Kansas City (14.44) and Boston (13.39). However, Houston (11.69), Los Angeles (7.87), and New York City (6.38) have lower violent crime rates than Dallas.<ref>[http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/06prelim/ucrtable4index.htm]</ref>
+
=== Sports ===
 
+
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. Nearby Irving is home to the Dallas Cowboys of the [[National Football League]].  
== Demographics ==
 
As of the 2000 census, there were 1,188,580 people, 451,833 households, and 266,580 families residing in Dallas proper. 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).  
 
  
There were 451,833 households out of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.8% were [[Marriage|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. 32.8% 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 3.00% and the average family size was 3.37%.
+
=== Recreation ===
  
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.  
+
The City of Dallas maintains and operates 406 parks on {{convert|21000|acre|km2|0}} of parkland. Its flagship park is the {{convert|260|acre|km2|2|sing=on}} Fair Park, which hosted the Texas Centennial Exposition in 1936. The city is also home to Texas' first and largest [[zoo]], the {{convert|95|acre|km2|2}} Dallas Zoo, which opened at its current location in 1888.
  
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.  
+
The city's parks contain 17 separate [[lake]]s, including White Rock and Bachman lakes, spanning a total of {{convert|4400|acre|km2|2}}. In addition, Dallas is traversed by {{convert|61.6|mi|km|1}} of biking and 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 neighborhood [[tennis]] courts, 258 picnic areas, six 18-hole [[golf]] courses, two driving ranges, and 477 athletic fields.
  
The racial makeup of Dallas was 35.32% white, 40.88% [[African American]], 4.5% [[Asia]]n, 1% [[Native American]], .50% Pacific Islander, 14.92% from other races, and 5.3% from two or more races. 30.2% 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.
+
To the west of Dallas in Arlington is [[Six Flags Over Texas]], the original franchise in the Six Flags theme park chain. Hurricane Harbor, a large water park owned by Six Flags, is also in Arlington.
 
+
<center>
The city has historically been predominantly white, but its population has diversified as it has grown in size and importance over the 20th century to the point that non-Hispanic whites now represent only one-third of the city's population. In addition, almost 25% of Dallas's population and 17% of residents in the Metroplex as a whole are foreign-born.
+
{|
 
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|+
Dallas is a major destination for [[Mexico|Mexican]] immigrants, both legally and illegally. The southwestern and southeastern portions of the city, particularly Oak Cliff and Pleasant Grove, consists of a mixture of black and Hispanic residents, while the southern portion of the city is predominantly black. North Dallas, on the other hand, is mostly white, though many enclaves of predominantly black and Hispanic residents exist. In addition, Dallas and its suburbs are home to a large number of Asian American residents—Korean, Taiwanese, Chinese, Filipino, Vietnamese, Indian, Bangladeshi, Pakistani, and Arab all have large presences in the area, particularly in the suburbs of Garland, Richardson, Plano, Carrollton, Irving, Arlington, Frisco, and Allen.
+
|-
 
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| valign="top"|
About half of Dallas's population was born outside of Texas. Many residents have migrated to the city from other parts of the country, particularly the [[Midwest]], [[Northeastern United States|Northeast]], and other [[Sunbelt]] states such as California.
+
[[Image:Reverchon Park.jpg|thumb|190px|A local league baseball game at Reverchon Park]]
 
+
| valign="top"|
=== Religion ===
+
[[Image:Red River Shootout 2006.jpg|thumb|190px|College football game - The University of Texas Longhorns vs. the Oklahoma Sooners in the 101st Red River Shootout, October 7, 2006.]]
[[Image:Xvisionx 23 April 2006 Cathedral Santuario de Guadalupe.jpg|thumb|left|The Cathedral Santuario de Guadalupe]]
+
| valign="top"|
 
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|-
There is a large [[Protestantism|Protestant]] Christian influence in the Dallas community, as the city is deep within the Bible Belt. [[Methodism|Methodist]] and [[Baptist]] churches are prominent in many neighborhoods and anchor two of the city's major private universities (Southern Methodist University and Dallas Baptist University). The Cathedral of Hope, a [[LGBT|Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender]] Protestant church, is the largest congregation of its kind in the world. The city is also home to a sizable Mormon community, which led the [[Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] to build a major temple in the city in 1984.
+
|}
 
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</center>
The [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] Church is also a significant organization in the Dallas area and operates the University of Dallas, a liberal-arts university in the Dallas suburb of Irving. Across the street from the university is one of only 13 [[Cistercian]] Abbeys in the United States and the only one that operates a private preparatory school as well. The Cathedral Santuario de Guadalupe in the Arts District oversees the second-largest Catholic church membership in the United States, with 70 parishes in the Dallas Diocese. Dallas is also home to three [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox Christian]] churches.
 
 
 
Further, a large [[Muslim]] community exists in the north and northeastern portions of Dallas, as well as in the northern Dallas suburbs. The oldest mosque in Texas is located in Denton, about {{convert|40|mi}} north of Downtown Dallas.
 
 
 
Dallas and its surrounding suburbs also have one of the largest [[Jewish]] communities]] in the United States. Most of the city's Jewish residents reside in North Dallas, particularly within {{convert|3|to|4|mi|0}} miles on either side of Hillcrest Road. Temple Emanu-El, the largest [[synagogue]] in the South/Southwest, was founded in 1873.
 
 
 
Dallas also has a large [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] community. Immigrants from [[Thailand]], [[Laos]], [[Cambodia]], [[Vietnam]], [[Nepal]], [[Tibet]], [[Japan]], [[China]], [[Taiwan]], and [[Sri Lanka]] have all contributed to the Buddhist population, which is concentrated in the northern suburbs of Garland and Richardson.
 
  
 
== Education ==
 
== Education ==
There are 337 public schools, 89 private schools, 38 colleges, and 32 libraries in Dallas.
+
There are 337 [[public school]]s, 89 [[private school]]s, 38 [[college]]s, and 32 [[library|libraries]] in Dallas.
  
 
=== Primary and secondary schools ===
 
=== Primary and secondary schools ===
[[Image:12200402l.jpg|thumb|right|[[Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts]] (Dallas ISD) in the Arts District]]
+
Most neighborhoods in the city of Dallas are located within the Dallas Independent School District, the 12th-largest school district in the United States. The school district operates independently of the city and enrolls over 161,000 students. There are also many private schools in Dallas.
Most neighborhoods in the city of Dallas are located within the Dallas Independent School District, the 12th-largest school district in the United States. The school district operates independently of the city and enrolls over 161,000 students.  
 
  
A few areas of Dallas also extend into other school districts. 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.
+
A few areas of Dallas also extend into other school districts. 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 many private schools in Dallas.
 
 
=== Colleges and universities ===
 
=== Colleges and universities ===
The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School is a medical school that is part of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, one of the largest grouping of medical facilities in the world. The school is very selective, admitting only around 200 students a year. The facility is home to four [[Nobel Prize|Nobel Laureates]]—three in [[Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine|physiology/medicine]] and one in [[Nobel Prize in Chemistry|chemistry]].
+
The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School is a medical school that is part of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, one of the largest groupings of medical facilities in the world. The school is very selective, admitting only around 200 students a year. The facility is home to four [[Nobel Prize|Nobel Laureates]]—three in [[Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine|physiology/medicine]] and one in [[Nobel Prize in Chemistry|chemistry]].
  
At the two-year level, the Dallas County Community College District has seven campuses located throughout the area with branches in Dallas as well as the surrounding suburbs.
+
At the two-year level, the Dallas County Community College District has seven campuses located throughout the area, with branches in Dallas as well as the surrounding suburbs.
  
 
==== Colleges and universities near Dallas ====
 
==== Colleges and universities near Dallas ====
 
[[Image:Dallas Hall1.JPG|right|thumb|Dallas Hall at Dedman College at Southern Methodist University]]
 
[[Image:Dallas Hall1.JPG|right|thumb|Dallas Hall at Dedman College at Southern Methodist University]]
Dallas is a major center of education for much of the south central United States. In addition to those located in the city, the surrounding area also contains a number of universities, colleges, trade schools, and other educational institutions.
+
Dallas is a major center of education for much of the south-central United States. In addition to those located in the city, the surrounding area also contains a number of universities, colleges, trade schools, and other educational institutions.
  
 
Southern Methodist University (SMU) is a private, coeducational university in University Park, an independent city that, together with the adjacent town of Highland Park, is entirely surrounded by Dallas.  
 
Southern Methodist University (SMU) is a private, coeducational university in University Park, an independent city that, together with the adjacent town of Highland Park, is entirely surrounded by Dallas.  
Line 274: Line 261:
 
The University of Texas at Dallas, part of the state public university system, is located in the city of Richardson, adjacent to Dallas. The University of Dallas, in the suburb of Irving, is an enclave of traditional [[Roman Catholicism]] in the mostly [[Protestant]] religious landscape of Dallas.  
 
The University of Texas at Dallas, part of the state public university system, is located in the city of Richardson, adjacent to Dallas. The University of Dallas, in the suburb of Irving, is an enclave of traditional [[Roman Catholicism]] in the mostly [[Protestant]] religious landscape of Dallas.  
  
Dallas Baptist University, located in south-western Dallas County, is a premier school for Baptists worldwide. Also in the nearby suburbs and neighboring cities are the University of North Texas and Texas Woman's University in Denton, as well as the University of Texas at Arlington in Arlington. Fort Worth also has two major universities within its city limits, Texas Christian University and Texas Wesleyan University. A number of colleges and universities are also located outside the immediate metropolitan area.
+
Dallas Baptist University, located in southwestern Dallas County, is a premier school for [[Baptist]]s worldwide. Also in the nearby suburbs and neighboring cities are the University of North Texas and Texas Woman's University in Denton, as well as the University of Texas at Arlington. Fort Worth also has two major universities within its city limits, Texas Christian University and Texas Wesleyan University. A number of [[college]]s and [[university|universities]] are also located outside the immediate metropolitan area.
  
 +
==Looking to the future==
 +
The Trinity Project area will reach for over {{convert|20|mi|km}} in length within the city, while the overall geographical land area addressed by the Land Use Plan is approximately {{convert|44000|acre|km2}} in size—about 20 percent of the land area in Dallas. Green space along the river will encompass approximately {{convert|10000|acre|km2}}, making it one of the largest and most diverse urban parks in the world.
  
 +
According to the American Lung Association, Dallas has the 12th highest ozone [[air pollution]] in the nation, ranking it behind [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]] and [[Houston, Texas|Houston]]. Much of the air pollution in Dallas, and the Metroplex in general, comes from a hazardous materials incineration plant in the small town of Midlothian, as well as [[concrete]] installations in neighboring Ellis County. Another major contributor to air pollution in Dallas are [[automobile]]s. Due to the area's spread-out nature and high amount of urban sprawl, automobiles are the only viable mode of transportation for many.
  
=== Libraries ===
+
== Notes ==
[[Image:04220601e.jpg|thumb|right|The J. Erik Jonsson Central Library in the [[Government District, Dallas|Government District]] of [[downtown Dallas]].]]
+
<references/>
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 in raising money led to a grant from philanthropist and steel baron [[Andrew Carnegie]], which enabled the construction of the first branch of the library system in 1901.<ref>[http://dallaslibrary.org/ DallasLibrary.org] - [http://www.dallaslibrary.org/100/historySynopsis.htm History]. Retrieved 1 May 2006.</ref> Today, the library operates 25 branch locations throughout the city, including the 8-story [[J. Erik Jonsson Central Library]] in the [[Government District, Dallas|Government District]] of [[Downtown Dallas|Downtown]].<ref>[http://dallaslibrary.org/ DallasLibrary.org]. Retrieved 13 March 2006.</ref>
 
 
 
The former [[Texas School Book Depository]], where according to the [[Warren Commission]] Report, [[Lee Harvey Oswald]] [[JFK assassination|shot and killed]] president [[John F. Kennedy]] in 1963, has served since the 1980s as a [[Local government|county government]] office building, except for its sixth and seventh floors, which house the "museum of the assassination," known officially as [[Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza|The Sixth Floor Museum]].
 
 
 
== Infrastructure ==
 
=== Health systems ===
 
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:StemmonsJan2006-2.jpg|thumb|right|[[University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas|UT Southwestern Medical Center]]]] —>
 
Dallas has many hospitals and a number of medical research facilities within its city limits. One major research center is [[University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas|UT Southwestern Medical Center]] in the [[Stemmons Corridor]], along with  the affiliated [[University of Texas Southwestern Medical School|UT Southwestern Medical School]]. The health care complex includes within its bounds [[Parkland Memorial Hospital]], [[Children's Medical Center (Dallas)|Children's Medical Center]], St. Paul University Hospital, and the Zale Lipshy University Hospital.
 
 
 
Dallas also has a [[United States Department of Veterans Affairs|VA]] hospital in the southern portion of the city, the Dallas Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The center is home to a [[Consolidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacy]] (CMOP), part of an initiative by the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide mail-order prescriptions to veterans using computerization at strategic locations throughout the United States.
 
 
 
Other hospitals in the city include [[Baylor University Medical Center]] in [[East Dallas]], Methodist Dallas Medical Center in [[Oak Cliff]], Methodist Charlton Medical Center near [[Duncanville, Texas|Duncanville]], [[Medical City Dallas Hospital]] and [[Presbyterian Hospital (Dallas)|Presbyterian Hospital]] in [[North Dallas]], and the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children in [[Oak Lawn, Dallas|Oak Lawn]].
 
 
 
=== Transportation ===
 
{{main|Transportation in Dallas, Texas}}
 
[[Image:DSCN4925.JPG|thumb|left|[[Central Expressway (Dallas)|North Central Expressway]] ([[U.S. Highway 75 (Texas)|US 75]]) southbound towards downtown Dallas]]
 
 
 
Like many other major cities in the United States, the primary mode of local transportation in Dallas is the automobile, though efforts have been made to increase the availability of alternative modes of transportation, including the construction of light rail lines, biking and walking paths, wide sidewalks, a trolley system, and buses.
 
 
 
The city is at the confluence of four major [[interstate highway system|interstate highways]]—Interstates [[Interstate 20 (Texas)|20]], [[Interstate 30 (Texas)|30]], [[Interstate 35E (Texas)|35E]], and [[Interstate 45 (Texas)|45]]. The Dallas area freeway system is set up in the popular [[Spoke-hub distribution paradigm|hub-and-spoke]] system, shaped much like a wagon wheel. Starting from the center of the city, a [[downtown freeway loop (Dallas)|small freeway loop]] surrounds Downtown, followed by the [[Interstate 635 (Texas)|Interstate 635]] loop about {{convert|10|mi|0}} outside Downtown, and ultimately the tolled [[President George Bush Turnpike]]. Inside these freeway loops are other [[boulevard]]- and [[parkway]]-style loops, including [[Texas State Highway Loop 12|Loop 12]] and [[Belt Line Road (Texas)|Belt Line Road]]. Another beltway around the city upwards of {{convert|45|mi|km|0}} from Downtown is under plan in Collin County.
 
 
 
Radiating out of Downtown Dallas's freeway loop are the spokes of the area's highway system—Interstates 30, 35E, and 45, [[U.S. Highway 75 (Texas)|U.S. Highway 75]], [[U.S. Highway 175 (Texas)|U.S. Highway 175]], [[Texas State Highway Spur 366|State Spur 366]], the [[Dallas North Tollway]], [[Texas State Highway 114|State Highway 114]], [[U.S. Highway 80 (Texas)|U.S. Highway 80]], and [[U.S. Highway 67 (Texas)|U.S. Highway 67]]. Other major highways around the city include [[Texas State Highway 183|State Highway 183]] and [[Texas State Highway Spur 408|State Spur 408]]. The recently-completed interchange at the intersection of Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway ([[Interstate 635 (Texas)|Interstate 635]]) and [[Central Expressway (Dallas)|Central Expressway]] (U.S. Highway 75) contains 5 stacks and is aptly called the [[High Five Interchange]]. It is currently one of the few 5-level interchange in Dallas and is one of the largest freeway interchanges in the United States.
 
 
 
[[Image:08130408l.jpg|thumb|right|Passengers at [[White Rock Station]] on DART's {{DART B}}]]
 
[[Dallas Area Rapid Transit]] (DART) is the Dallas-area public transportation authority, providing buses, rail, and [[HOV]] lanes to commuters. 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 {{DART R}} and the {{DART B}}. The {{DART R}} travels through [[Oak Cliff]], [[South Dallas]], [[downtown Dallas|Downtown]], [[Uptown Dallas|Uptown]], [[North Dallas]], [[Richardson, Texas|Richardson]] and [[Plano, Texas|Plano]], while the {{DART B}} goes through Oak Cliff, Downtown, Uptown, [[East Dallas]], [[Lake Highlands]], and [[Garland, Texas|Garland]]. The {{DART R|style=nl}} and {{DART B|style=nl}} lines are conjoined 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 has also begun construction on its {{DART G|style=nfnl}} and {{DART O|style=nfnl}} lines, which will serve [[Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport|DFW Airport]], [[Dallas Love Field|Love Field Airport]], [[Irving, Texas|Irving]] and [[Las Colinas]], Carrollton, [[Farmers Branch, Texas|Farmers Branch]], the [[Stemmons Corridor, Dallas, Texas|Stemmons Corridor]], [[Victory Park, Dallas, Texas|Victory Park]], downtown, [[Deep Ellum, Dallas, Texas|Deep Ellum]], [[Fair Park]], south Dallas and [[Pleasant Grove, Dallas|Pleasant Grove]].
 
 
 
[[Image:Dfw airport.jpg|thumb|left|[[Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport]] serves most passengers flying in and out of the [[Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex|Metroplex]]]]
 
[[Fort Worth, Texas|Fort Worth]]'s smaller public transit system, [[Fort Worth Transportation Authority|The T]], connects with DART via a commuter rail line, the {{DART TRE}}, linking Downtown Dallas's [[Union Station (Dallas)|Union Station]] and Downtown Fort Worth's [[T&P Station]], with several points in between. As is happening in other cities around the country with high-speed regional train service, DART's rail system has skyrocketed land values in parts of Dallas and has led to a flurry of residential and transit-oriented development.
 
 
 
Dallas is served by two commercial airports: [[Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport]] (DFW) and [[Dallas Love Field]] (DAL). In addition, [[Dallas Executive Airport]] (formerly Redbird Airport), serves as a [[general aviation]] airport for the city, and [[Addison Airport]] functions similarly just outside the city limits in the suburb of Addison. Two more general aviation airports are located about {{convert|35|mi|0}} north of Dallas in [[McKinney, Texas|McKinney]], and another two are located in [[Fort Worth, Texas|Fort Worth]], on the west side of the Metroplex.
 
 
 
[[Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport|DFW International Airport]] is located in the suburbs slightly north of and equidistant to Downtown Fort Worth and Downtown Dallas. In terms of size, DFW is the largest airport in the state, the 2nd largest in the United States, and 3rd largest in the world; DFW International Airport is larger than the city of [[Manhattan]]. In terms of traffic, DFW is the busiest airport in the state, 3rd busiest in the United States, and 6th busiest in the world. The headquarters of [[American Airlines]], the largest air carrier in the world, is located less than a mile from DFW within the city limits of Fort Worth. Similarly, [[Dallas Love Field|Love Field]] is located within the city limits of Dallas about {{convert|6|mi|0}} 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.<ref>[http://www.dallascityhall.com/dwu/water_utilities.html Dallas Water Utilities] - [http://www.dallascityhall.com/dwu/water_utilities_functions.html Functions]. Retrieved 15 October 2006.</ref> The city's electric system is maintained by several companies, including [[Cirro Energy]] and [[TXU]],<ref>[http://www.txuelectricdelivery.com/ TXU Electric Delivery] - [http://www.txuelectricdelivery.com/electricity/territory/default.asp Service Territory]. Retrieved 14 October 2006.</ref> whose parent company, [[Energy Future Holdings Corporation]], has headquarters in the city.<ref>[http://www.txucorp.com/ Energy Future Holdings Corporation ] - [http://www.txucorp.com/contact/default.aspx Contact Us]. Retrieved 14 October 2006.</ref> The city offers garbage pickup and recycling service weekly through its Sanitation Services department.<ref>[http://www.dallascityhall.com/html/sanitation_collection.html City of Dallas Sanitation Servces] - [http://www.dallascityhall.com/html/faq_s.html Sanitation FAQ]. Retrieved 14 October 2006.</ref> Telephone networks, broadband internet, and cable television service are available from several companies, including [[AT&T]], [[Time Warner Cable]], and [[Verizon FiOS]].
 
 
 
==Places of Interest==
 
* [[Cotton Bowl]]
 
* [[Dallas Museum of Art]]
 
* [[Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center]]
 
* [[Nasher Sculpture Center]]
 
* [[Reunion Arena]]
 
* [[Southern Methodist University]]
 
* [[State Fair of Texas]]
 
* [[Six Flags over Texas]] / [[Hurricane Harbor]]
 
* [[Texas Stadium]]
 
* [[University of Texas at Dallas]]
 
* [[Victory Park]] also known as Victory Plaza
 
 
 
 
 
==Sister Cities==
 
Dallas has the following [[sister cities]]:<ref>[http://www.sister-cities.org/icrc/directory/usa/TX Sister Cities International<!-- Bot generated title —>]</ref>
 
 
 
*{{flagicon|CZE}} [[Brno]], [[Czech Republic]]
 
*{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Dijon]], [[France]]
 
*{{flagicon|MEX}} [[Monterrey]], [[Mexico]]
 
*{{flagicon|LVA}} [[Riga]], [[Latvia]]
 
*{{flagicon|UK}} [[Cardiff]], [[United Kingdom]]
 
*{{flagicon|IRQ}} [[Kirkuk]], [[Iraq]]
 
*{{flagicon|RUS}} [[Saratov]], [[Russia]]
 
*{{flagicon|TWN}} [[Taipei]], [[Taiwan]]
 
*{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Sendai]], [[Japan]]
 
*{{flagicon|PRC}} [[Tianjin City]], [[People's Republic of China]]
 
*{{flagicon|IND}} [[Hyderabad, India|Hyderabad]], [[India]]
 
  
 
== References ==
 
== References ==
<!-- Please DO NOT use a scroll template or form/table for the reflink, please read warning on the scoll template page. Thank you —>
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*Bolton, Herbert E. ''Athanase de Mezieres and the Louisiana-Texas Frontier 1768-1780.'' Cleveland: Arthur H Clark Company, 1914.  
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}
+
*Hill, Patricia Evridge. ''Dallas the making of a modern city.'' Austin: University of Texas Press, 1996. ISBN 978-0585263618
 
+
*Rogers, John William. ''The lusty Texans of Dallas.'' (Society in America series.) New York: Dutton, 1951.
== See also==
 
* [[JFK Assassination|The John F. Kennedy assassination]]
 
* ''[[Dallas (TV series)|Dallas]]'', the TV series
 
 
 
== Further reading ==
 
<div class="references-small">
 
#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
 
</div>
 
  
 
== External links ==
 
== External links ==
{{portal|Dallas|}}
+
All links retrieved January 24, 2024.
{{portal|Texas|Texasflaginstate.PNG}}
 
{{sisterlinks|Dallas}}
 
*[http://www.dallascityhall.com/ Official City Website]
 
*[http://www.dallascityhall.com/pwt/bike_links.html/ Dallas Bike Plan]
 
*[http://www.dallascvb.com/visitors/ Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau]
 
*[http://www.cityofdallasemployees.com/ Dallas Civilian Employees Website]
 
*[http://www.dallashistory.org/ Dallas Historical Society]
 
*[http://www.dallaslibrary.org/CTX/murphyandbolanz/ Historical city maps, including streets, streams and trolley lines, circa 1880-1920]
 
*[http://texashistory.unt.edu/browse/contributor/DHS/ Dallas Historical Society photographs hosted by the Portal to Texas History]
 
*[http://dallaslibrary.org/ Dallas Public Library]
 
*[http://www.dallasobserver.com/bestof/ Best of Dallas guide to city culture]
 
*[http://www.wildtexas.com/parks/results.php?nearby_cities=Dallas Dallas area parks]
 
*{{Gnis|1380944|USGS Elevation data}}
 
*{{Handbook of Texas|id=DD/hdd1|name=Dallas}}
 
*{{wikitravel|Dallas}}
 
  
 +
* [http://www.dallascityhall.com/ Official City Website]
 +
* [http://www.dallashistory.org/ Dallas Historical Society]
 +
* [http://texashistory.unt.edu/browse/contributor/DHS/ Dallas Historical Society photographs] hosted by the Portal to Texas History
 +
* [http://www.dallasobserver.com/bestof/ Best of Dallas guide to city culture]
  
 
[[Category:Geography]]
 
[[Category:Geography]]
 
[[Category:United States]]
 
[[Category:United States]]
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[[Category:Cities]]
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{{Credit|Dallas,_Texas|254382673}}

Latest revision as of 18:06, 24 January 2024

Dallas
Dallas Downtown.jpg
Flag of Dallas
Flag
Official seal of Dallas
Seal
Nickname: "Big D," "D-Town," "The 214"
Location in Dallas County and the state of Texas
Location in Dallas County and the state of Texas
Coordinates: 32°46′N 96°48′W
Country United States
State Texas
Incorporated February 2, 1856
Counties Dallas, Collin, Denton, Rockwall, Kaufman
Government
 - Type Council-Manager
 - Mayor Mike Rawlings
Area
 - City 385.8 sq mi (999.3 km²)
 - Land 340.5 sq mi (881.9 km²)
 - Water 45.3 sq mi (117.4 km²)
Elevation 430 ft (131 m)
Population (2010 United States Census)[1]
 - City 1,197,816 (9th U.S.)
 - Density 3,517.7/sq mi (1,358.2/km²)
 - Metro 6,371,773 (4th U.S.)
 - Demonym Dallasite
Time zone Central (UTC-6)
 - Summer (DST) Central (UTC-5)
Area code(s) 214, 469, 972
FIPS code 48-19000GR2
GNIS feature ID 1380944GR3
ZIP code prefix 752,753
Primary Airport Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport- DFW (Major/International)
Secondary Airport Dallas Love Field- DAL (Major)
Website: www.dallascityhall.com

Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas, after Houston and San Antonio. It is and the ninth-largest city in the United States, located in the north-central part of the state, near the junction of the Trinity River's three forks. The region is comprised of prairie, tree-lined creeks and rivers, and rolling hills. Dallas was founded in 1841 and formally incorporated in 1856.

Dallas is the main economic center of the 12 county Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington metropolitan area. With 6.1 million people, it is the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States. The city's economy is today primarily based on banking, commerce, telecommunications, computer technology, energy, and transportation.

Dallas is at the center of the largest inland metropolitan area in the United States. It lacks any navigable link to the sea. The city's prominence comes from its historical importance as a center for the cotton and oil industries, its position along numerous railroad lines, and its status as a strong industrial and financial sector. Today it is a cosmopolitan city, well-known for its cultural activities, including ballet, opera, musicals, and symphony. It is ethnically diverse, with less than half its population being of European descent. About one-fourth of the residents are of African descent, and more than one-third are of Hispanic origin.

Dallas gained international attention as the city in which U.S. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963 as he rode in a motorcade through the downtown area. Dealey Plaza, in the historic West End district of downtown Dallas, was named a National Historic Landmark in 1993 as the location of the assassination.

Geography

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 square miles (997.1 km²). Dallas makes up one-fifth of the much larger urbanized area known as the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, in which one-quarter of all Texans live.

Topography

Dallas and its surrounding area are mostly flat; the city itself lies at elevations ranging from 450 feet (137 m) to 550 feet (168 m). Dallas, like many other cities in the world, was founded along a river, in this case at a ford of the Trinity River, where it was easier for wagons to cross in the days before ferries or bridges.

The Trinity River, though not usefully navigable, is the major waterway through the city. The river is flanked on both sides by 50 feet (15 m) tall earthen levees to protect the city from frequent floods. Since it was rerouted in 1908, the river has been little more than a drainage ditch within a floodplain for several miles above and below downtown Dallas, with a more normal course farther upstream and downstream. But as Dallas began shifting toward a postindustrial society, public outcry about the lack of aesthetic and recreational use of the river ultimately gave way to the Trinity River Project, which is scheduled to be completed in the 2010s. If the project materializes fully, it promises improvements to the riverfront in the form of man-made lakes, new park facilities and trails, and transportation upgrades.

White Rock Lake, a reservoir constructed at the beginning of the twentieth century, is Dallas's other significant water feature. The lake and surrounding park are a popular destination among boaters, rowers, joggers, and bikers, as well as visitors seeking peaceful respite from the city at the 66-acre (267,000 m²) Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden, located on the lake's eastern shore.

Climate

The spring and fall seasons are pleasant in Dallas, as seen in this March photograph from an Oak Cliff park
Snow on the campus of Southern Methodist University in nearby University Park
Kidd Springs Park in Oak Cliff

Dallas has a humid subtropical climate, though it is located in a region that tends to receive warm, dry winds from the north and west in the summer, bringing temperatures well over 100 °F (38 °C) at times and heat-humidity indexes soaring as high as 117 °F (47 °C).

Winters are generally mild, with typical daytime highs between 55 °F (13 °C) and 70 °F (21 °C) and nighttime lows between 35 °F (2 °C) and 50 °F (10 °C). However, strong cold fronts known as "Blue Northers" sometimes pass through Dallas. Snowfall is seen on average 2–4 days of the year, and snow accumulation is typically seen at least once every winter. Daytime highs above 65 °F (18 °C) are not unusual during the winter season.

Spring and autumn bring pleasant weather. Vibrant wildflowers (such as the bluebonnet and Indian paintbrush) are planted along the highways throughout Texas and bloom in the spring. Springtime weather can be quite volatile, but temperatures themselves are mild. The weather is also generally pleasant between late September and early December.

In the spring, cool fronts moving south from Canada collide with warm, humid air streaming in from the Gulf Coast. When these fronts meet over north-central Texas, severe thunderstorms are generated with spectacular lightning shows, torrents of rain, hail, and occasionally, tornadoes.

The city's all-time recorded high temperature is 113°F (45°C), while the all-time recorded low is -2°F (-18.9°C). Dallas receives approximately 37.1 inches (942.3 mm) of rain per year.

Neighborhoods

Central Dallas is anchored by Downtown, the center of the city and the epicenter of urban revival, along with Oak Lawn and Uptown, areas characterized by dense retail, restaurants, and nightlife.

Southwest of Downtown lies Oak Cliff, a hilly area that has undergone gentrification in recent years in neighborhoods such as the Bishop Arts District. Oak Cliff originated as a township founded in the mid-1800s and was annexed by the city of Dallas in 1903. Today, most of the area's northern residents are Hispanic. South Oak Cliff, on the other hand, became predominantly African American after the early 1970s. Much of the southern portion of the city has struggled with high rates of poverty and crime.

South Dallas, a distinct neighborhood southeast of Downtown, lays claim to the Cedars, an eclectic artist hotbed south of downtown, and Fair Park, home of the annual State Fair of Texas. The area is arguably the poorest in the city. While Oak Cliff is mostly lower-income but fairly vibrant, South Dallas contains large numbers of boarded-up buildings and vacant lots.

To spur growth in the southern sector of the city, University of North Texas opened a Dallas campus in 2006 in south Oak Cliff. Large amounts of undeveloped land remain nearby, due to decades of slow growth.

Farther east, in the southeast quadrant of the city, is the large neighborhood of Pleasant Grove. Once an independent city, it is a collection of mostly lower-income residential areas. Though a city neighborhood, Pleasant Grove is surrounded by undeveloped land on all sides, including swampland separating it from South Dallas that will in the future be part of the Great Trinity Forest, a subsection of the city's Trinity River Project.

Dallas includes three enclaves within the city boundaries—Cockrell Hill, Highland Park, and University Park, each a municipality with its own government.

History

Before Texas was claimed in the sixteenth century as a part of New Spain by the Spanish Empire, the Dallas area was inhabited by the Caddo Native American tribe. Later, France also claimed the area, but in 1819 the Adams-Onís Treaty made the Red River the northern boundary of New Spain, placing Dallas well within Spanish territory. The area remained under Spanish rule until 1821, when Mexico declared independence from Spain and the area became part of the Mexican state of Coahuila y Tejas.

In 1836, the Republic of Texas broke off from Mexico to become an independent nation. In 1839, Warren Angus Ferris surveyed the area around present-day Dallas. Two years later, John Neely Bryan established the permanent settlement that later became the city of Dallas.

The Republic of Texas was annexed by the United States in 1845, and Dallas County was established the following year. It is uncertain whether the city was named after George Mifflin Dallas, the U.S. vice president under James K. Polk.

The assassination of John F. Kennedy, the thirty-fifth president of the United States, took place on November 22, 1963, in Dallas. Kennedy was fatally wounded by gunshots while riding with his wife Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy in a presidential motorcade.

Government and politics

Dallas skyline from the Trinity River floodplain

The city uses a council-manager government, with a mayor, a city manager, and 14 council members serving as representatives to the 14 council districts in the city. This organizational structure was recently contested by some in favor of a strong-mayor city charter, only to be rejected by Dallas voters.

The United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, which exercises original jurisdiction over 100 counties in north and west Texas, convenes in the Earle Cabell Federal Building and Courthouse. The same building houses United States Bankruptcy and Magistrate Courts and a United States Attorney office. Dallas also is the seat of the Fifth Court of Appeals of Texas.

Politics

In terms of voting patterns, the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the third most liberal of the Texas metropolitan areas after Austin and El Paso. In contrast, 54 percent of Houston- and San Antonio-area voters and an even higher percentage of rural Texan voters are conservative.

As a city, Dallas can be seen as moderate, with conservative Republicans dominating the upper-middle class suburban neighborhoods of North Dallas and liberal Democrats dominating neighborhoods closer to Downtown as well as the city's southern sector. As a continuation of its suburban northern neighborhoods, Dallas's northern suburbs are overwhelmingly conservative. Plano, the largest of these suburbs, was ranked as the fifth most conservative city in America. However, the city of Dallas (excluding its suburbs) generally votes for Democratic political candidates in local, state, and national elections.

In the 2004 U.S. presidential elections, 57 percent of Dallas voters voted for John Kerry over George W. Bush. By the 2008 elections, both Dallas County and the city of Dallas had become overwhelmingly Democratic. In Dallas County as a whole, 57 percent of voters chose Barack Obama, compared to the 42 percent who chose John McCain. The city of Dallas favored Obama over McCain by an even larger margin, 65 percent to 35 percent.

Bucking the city's Democratic trend, conservative Republican Tom Leppert defeated liberal Democrat Ed Oakley in the city's 2007 mayoral race by a margin of 58 percent to 42 percent. Had Oakley been elected, he would have become the first openly gay mayor of a large U.S. city. Though candidates' political leanings are well publicized in the media, Dallas's elections are officially non-partisan.

Economy

In its beginnings, Dallas relied on farming, neighboring Fort Worth's cattle market, and its prime location on Indian trade routes to sustain itself. Dallas's key to growth came in 1873 with the building of multiple rail lines through the city. As Dallas grew and technology developed, cotton became its boon, and by 1900, Dallas was the largest inland cotton market in the world, becoming a leader in cotton gin machinery manufacturing.

By the early 1900s, Dallas was a hub for economic activity all over the Southwest and was selected in 1914 as the seat of the Eleventh Federal Reserve District. By 1925, Texas churned out more than one-third of the nation's cotton crop, with 31 percent of Texas cotton produced within a 100-mile (161 km) radius of Dallas.

In the 1930s, oil was discovered east of Dallas near Kilgore, Texas. Dallas's proximity to the discovery put it immediately at the center 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's position as the hub of the market.

The end of World War II left Dallas seeded with a nexus of communications, engineering, and production talent by companies such as Collins Radio Corporation. Decades later, the telecommunications and information revolutions still drive a large portion of the local economy. The city is sometimes referred to as the heart of "Silicon Prairie" because of a high concentration of telecommunications companies in the region, the epicenter of which lies along the Telecom Corridor, home to more than 5700 companies. The Corridor is home to Texas Instruments and regional offices for Alcatel Lucent, AT&T, Ericsson, Fujitsu, Nokia, Rockwell, Cisco Systems, Sprint, and Verizon, as well as the national offices of CompUSA and Nortel. In December 2007, Ontario's Research in Motion (RIM), makers of the BlackBerry handheld computer, announced Irving as the site of its U.S. headquarters.

In the 1980s, Dallas was a real estate hotbed, with the metropolitan population skyrocketing and the concurrent demand for housing and jobs. Several of Downtown Dallas's largest buildings are the fruit of this boom, but over-speculation and the savings and loan crisis prevented any further additions to Dallas's skyline. Between the late 1980s and the early 2000s, central Dallas went through a slow period of growth and has only recently bounced back. This time, the real estate market in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex has proven to be much more resilient than those of most other parts of the United States.

Dallas is no longer a hotbed for manufacturing like it was in the early twentieth century, but plenty of goods are still manufactured in the city. Texas Instruments employs 10,400 people at its corporate headquarters and chip plants in neighboring Richardson, and defense and aircraft manufacturing still dominates the economy of nearby Fort Worth.

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport serves most passengers flying in and out of the Metroplex

The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex as a whole has the largest concentration of corporate headquarters in the United States. New additions to the list include AT&T, which announced plans in June 2008 to relocate its corporate headquarters to Downtown Dallas from San Antonio, and Comerica Bank, which relocated in 2007 from Detroit. Suburban Irving is home to four Fortune 500 companies of its own, including Exxon Mobil, the most profitable company in the world and the second largest by revenue, Kimberly-Clark, Fluor (engineering), and Commercial Metals. Additional companies internationally headquartered in the Metroplex include Southwest Airlines, American Airlines, RadioShack, Neiman Marcus, 7-Eleven, Brinker International, id Software, ENSCO Offshore Drilling, Mary Kay Cosmetics, CompUSA, Zales and Fossil. Corporate headquarters in the northern suburb of Plano include EDS, Frito Lay, Dr Pepper, Snapple, and JCPenney.

The city is home to 15 billionaires, placing it ninth worldwide among cities with the most billionaires. The ranking does not take into account the eight billionaires who live in the neighboring city of Fort Worth.[2]

The most notable event held in Dallas is the State Fair of Texas, which has been held annually at Fair Park since 1886. The fair is a massive event, bringing in an estimated $350 million to the city's economy annually.

Transportation

Like many other major cities in the United States, the primary mode of local transportation in Dallas is the automobile, though efforts have been made to increase the availability of alternative modes of transportation, including the construction of light rail lines, biking and walking paths, wide sidewalks, a trolley system, and buses.

Dallas is served by two commercial airports: Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Dallas Love Field (DAL).

Demographics

As of the 2000 census, there were 1,188,580 people, 451,833 households, and 266,580 families residing in Dallas proper. 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).[3]

The racial makeup of Dallas was 35.32 percent white, 40.88 percent African American, 4.5 percent Asian, 1 percent Native American, 0.50 percent Pacific Islander, 14.92 percent from other races, and 5.3 percent from two or more races. 30.2 percent 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.

The city has historically been predominantly white, but its population has diversified as it has grown in size and importance over the twentieth century to the point that non-Hispanic whites now represent only one-third of the city's population. In addition, almost 25 percent of Dallas's population and 17 percent of residents in the Metroplex as a whole are foreign-born.[4]

Dallas is a major destination for Mexican immigrants, both legal and illegal. The southwestern and southeastern portions of the city, particularly Oak Cliff and Pleasant Grove, consist of a mixture of black and Hispanic residents, while the southern portion of the city is predominantly black. North Dallas, on the other hand, is mostly white, though many enclaves of predominantly black and Hispanic residents exist. In addition, Dallas and its suburbs are home to a large number of Asian American residents—Korean, Taiwanese, Chinese, Filipino, Vietnamese, Indian, Bangladeshi, Pakistani, and Arab all have large presences in the area, particularly in the suburbs of Garland, Richardson, Plano, Carrollton, Irving, Arlington, Frisco, and Allen.

About half of Dallas's population was born outside of Texas. Many residents have migrated to the city from other parts of the country, particularly the Midwest, Northeast, and other Sunbelt states such as California.

Religion

The Cathedral Santuario de Guadalupe

There is a large Protestant Christian influence in the Dallas community, as the city is deep within the Bible Belt. Methodist and Baptist churches are prominent in many neighborhoods and anchor two of the city's major private universities (Southern Methodist University and Dallas Baptist University). The Cathedral of Hope, a lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Protestant church, is the largest congregation of its kind in the world. The city is also home to a sizable Mormon community, which led the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to build a major temple in the city in 1984.

The Catholic Church is a significant organization in the Dallas area and operates the University of Dallas, a liberal-arts university in the Dallas suburb of Irving. Across the street from the university is one of only 13 Cistercian Abbeys in the United States and the only one that operates a private preparatory school as well. The Cathedral Santuario de Guadalupe in the Arts District oversees the second-largest Catholic church membership in the United States, with 70 parishes in the Dallas Diocese. Dallas is also home to three Eastern Orthodox Christian churches.

Further, a large Muslim community lives in the north and northeastern portions of Dallas, as well as in the northern Dallas suburbs. The oldest mosque in Texas is located in Denton, about 40 miles (64 km) north of Downtown Dallas.

Dallas and its surrounding suburbs also have one of the largest Jewish communities in the United States, most of whom reside in North Dallas. Temple Emanu-El, the largest synagogue in the region, was founded in 1873.

Dallas also has a large Buddhist community. Immigrants from Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Nepal, Tibet, Japan, China, Taiwan, and Sri Lanka have all contributed to the Buddhist population, which is concentrated in the northern suburbs of Garland and Richardson.

Culture

The Arts District in the northern section 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, the Nasher Sculpture Center, The Dallas Contemporary, and the Dallas Children's Theatre.

Deep Ellum, immediately east of Downtown, originally became popular during the 1920s and 1930s as the prime jazz and blues hot spot in the South. 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.

Media

Dallas has numerous local newspapers, magazines, television stations and radio stations that serve the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex as a whole, which is the fifth-largest media market in the United States.

Dallas has one daily newspaper, The Dallas Morning News. Other daily newspapers are Al Día, a Spanish-language paper; Quick, a free, summary-style version of the Morning News; the Jewish community's Texas Jewish Post; and a number of ethnic newspapers.

In terms of the larger metro area, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram is another significant daily newspaper, covering Fort Worth/Tarrant County and other suburban areas to the west and northwest of Dallas. It also publishes a major Spanish-language newspaper for the entire Metroplex known as La Estrella.

Hispanic Broadcasting Corporation (HBC), the largest company in the Spanish language radio station business, is based in Dallas. In 2003, HBC was acquired by Univision and became Univision Radio Inc., but the radio company remains headquartered in the city.

Sports

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. Nearby Irving is home to the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League.

Recreation

The City of Dallas maintains and operates 406 parks on 21,000 acres (85 km²) of parkland. Its flagship park is the 260-acre (1.05 km²) Fair Park, which hosted the Texas Centennial Exposition in 1936. The city is also home to Texas' first and largest zoo, the 95 acres (0.38 km²) Dallas Zoo, which opened at its current location in 1888.

The city's parks contain 17 separate lakes, including White Rock and Bachman lakes, spanning a total of 4,400 acres (17.81 km²). In addition, Dallas is traversed by 61.6 miles (99.1 km) of biking and 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 neighborhood 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, the original franchise in the Six Flags theme park chain. Hurricane Harbor, a large water park owned by Six Flags, is also in Arlington.

A local league baseball game at Reverchon Park
College football game - The University of Texas Longhorns vs. the Oklahoma Sooners in the 101st Red River Shootout, October 7, 2006.

Education

There are 337 public schools, 89 private schools, 38 colleges, and 32 libraries in Dallas.

Primary and secondary schools

Most neighborhoods in the city of Dallas are located within the Dallas Independent School District, the 12th-largest school district in the United States. The school district operates independently of the city and enrolls over 161,000 students. There are also many private schools in Dallas.

A few areas of Dallas also extend into other school districts. 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.

Colleges and universities

The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School is a medical school that is part of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, one of the largest groupings of medical facilities in the world. The school is very selective, admitting only around 200 students a year. The facility is home to four Nobel Laureates—three in physiology/medicine and one in chemistry.

At the two-year level, the Dallas County Community College District has seven campuses located throughout the area, with branches in Dallas as well as the surrounding suburbs.

Colleges and universities near Dallas

Dallas Hall at Dedman College at Southern Methodist University

Dallas is a major center of education for much of the south-central United States. In addition to those located in the city, the surrounding area also contains a number of universities, colleges, trade schools, and other educational institutions.

Southern Methodist University (SMU) is a private, coeducational university in University Park, an independent city that, together with the adjacent town of Highland Park, is entirely surrounded by Dallas.

The University of Texas at Dallas, part of the state public university system, is located in the city of Richardson, adjacent to Dallas. The University of Dallas, in the suburb of Irving, is an enclave of traditional Roman Catholicism in the mostly Protestant religious landscape of Dallas.

Dallas Baptist University, located in southwestern Dallas County, is a premier school for Baptists worldwide. Also in the nearby suburbs and neighboring cities are the University of North Texas and Texas Woman's University in Denton, as well as the University of Texas at Arlington. Fort Worth also has two major universities within its city limits, Texas Christian University and Texas Wesleyan University. A number of colleges and universities are also located outside the immediate metropolitan area.

Looking to the future

The Trinity Project area will reach for over 20 miles (32 km) in length within the city, while the overall geographical land area addressed by the Land Use Plan is approximately 44,000 acres (180 km²) in size—about 20 percent of the land area in Dallas. Green space along the river will encompass approximately 10,000 acres (40 km²), making it one of the largest and most diverse urban parks in the world.

According to the American Lung Association, Dallas has the 12th highest ozone air pollution in the nation, ranking it behind Los Angeles and Houston. Much of the air pollution in Dallas, and the Metroplex in general, comes from a hazardous materials incineration plant in the small town of Midlothian, as well as concrete installations in neighboring Ellis County. Another major contributor to air pollution in Dallas are automobiles. Due to the area's spread-out nature and high amount of urban sprawl, automobiles are the only viable mode of transportation for many.

Notes

  1. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division (February 17, 2010). Population Estimates, Accepted Challenges to Vintage 2007 Estimates. Retrieved February 17, 2010.
  2. Luisa Kroll and Allison Fass, March 8, 2007, The World's Billionaires Forbes. Retrieved December 3, 2008.
  3. U.S. Census Bureau. 2006 American Community Survey Data Profile Highlights Retrieved December 3, 2008.
  4. Onboard Informatics. Dallas, Texas Retrieved December 3, 2008.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Bolton, Herbert E. Athanase de Mezieres and the Louisiana-Texas Frontier 1768-1780. Cleveland: Arthur H Clark Company, 1914.
  • Hill, Patricia Evridge. Dallas the making of a modern city. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1996. ISBN 978-0585263618
  • Rogers, John William. The lusty Texans of Dallas. (Society in America series.) New York: Dutton, 1951.

External links

All links retrieved January 24, 2024.

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