Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex

Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington
Conurbation
From top: Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, showcasing Downtown Dallas and Downtown Fort Worth, and the Arlington Entertainment District
Country	United States
State	Texas
Principal cities[1]	Dallas Fort Worth Arlington Plano Irving Denton Richardson Grapevine
Area
• Urban	1,407.0 sq mi (3,644.2 km2)
• Metro	9,286 sq mi (24,059 km2)
Highest elevation	1,368 ft (417 m)
Population  (2020 Census)[2][3]
• Density	634/sq mi (245/km2)
• Urban	5,560,892 (6th)
• MSA	7,637,387 (4th)
• CSA	6,807,747 (7th)
	MSA/CSA/Urban: 2020
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code(s)	214, 254, 469, 682, 817, 903, 940, 972
Interstates

The Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, officially designated Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget,^[a] is a conurbated metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Texas encompassing 11 counties. It is the economic and cultural hub of North Texas. Residents of the area also refer to it as DFW (airport code), or the Metroplex. The Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area's population was 7,637,387 according to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2020 US Census,^[4] making it the most populous metropolitan area in both Texas and the Southern United States, the fourth-largest in the U.S., and the tenth-largest in the Americas. In 2016, the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex had the highest annual population growth in the United States.^[5]

The metropolitan region's economy also referred to as Silicon Prairie is primarily based on banking, commerce, insurance, telecommunications, technology, energy, healthcare, medical research, transportation and logistics. As of 2021, Dallas–Fort Worth is home to 22 Fortune 500 companies,^[6][7] the 4th-largest concentration of Fortune 500 companies in the United States behind New York City (54), Chicago (37), and Houston (24).^[8] In 2016, the metropolitan economy surpassed Houston to become the fourth-largest in the U.S. The Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex boasted a GDP of just over $620.6 billion in 2020.^[9] If the Metroplex were a sovereign state, it would have the twentieth largest economy in the world as of 2019. In 2015, the conurbated metropolitan area would rank the ninth-largest economy if it were a U.S. state.^[10] In 2020, Dallas–Fort Worth was recognized as the 36th best metropolitan area for STEM professionals in the U.S.^[11]

The Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex comprises the highest concentration of colleges and universities in Texas. The UT Southwestern Medical Center is home to six Nobel Laureates and was ranked No. 1 in the world among healthcare institutions in biomedical sciences.^[12][13] The Metroplex is also the second most popular metropolis for megachurches in Texas (tied with the Greater Houston metropolitan area),^[14] ranked the largest Christian metropolitan statistical area in the U.S.,^[15][16][17] and has one of the largest LGBT communities in Texas since 2005.^{[18][19][20][21]}

Etymology[]

A portmanteau of metropolis and complex, the term metroplex is credited to Harve Chapman, an executive vice president with Dallas-based Tracy-Locke, one of three advertising agencies that worked with the North Texas Commission (NTC) on strategies to market the region.^[22] The NTC copyrighted the term "Southwest Metroplex" in 1972 as a replacement for the previously-ubiquitous "North Texas",^[23] which studies had shown lacked identifiability outside the state. In fact, only 38 percent of a survey group identified Dallas and Fort Worth as part of "North Texas", with the Texas Panhandle also a perceived correct answer, being the northernmost region of Texas.^[24]

Geography[]

The United States Census Bureau determined the Metroplex encompasses 9,286 square miles (24,100 km²) of total area; 8,991 sq mi (23,290 km²) is land, and 295 sq mi (760 km²) is covered by water. The conurbated metropolitan area is larger in area than the U.S. states of Rhode Island and Connecticut combined,^[25] and larger than New Jersey.^[25] If the metropolitan area were a sovereign state, it would rank the 162nd largest state by total area after Lebanon. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget combines the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex with the Sherman–Denison metropolitan area and seven micropolitan statistical areas to form the Dallas–Fort Worth, TX–OK combined statistical area.

The Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex overlooks mostly prairie land with a few rolling hills dotted by man-made lakes cut by streams, creeks and rivers surrounded by forested land. The Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex is situated in the Texas blackland prairies region,^[26] so named for its fertile black soil found especially in the rural areas of Collin, Dallas, Ellis, Hunt, Kaufman, and Rockwall counties.

Many areas of Denton, Johnson, Parker, Tarrant, and Wise counties are located in the Fort Worth Prairie region of North Texas,^[27] which has less fertile and more rocky soil than that of the Texas blackland prairie; most of the rural land on the Fort Worth Prairie is ranch land. A large onshore natural gas field, the Barnett Shale, lies underneath this area; Denton, Tarrant and Wise counties feature many natural gas wells. Continuing land use change results in scattered crop fields surrounded by residential or commercial development. South of Dallas and Fort Worth is a line of rugged hills that goes north to south about 15 miles (24 km) that looks similar to the Texas Hill Country 200 miles (320 km) to the south.

Metropolitan divisions and counties[]

The Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area is formed by a combination of two separate metropolitan statistical divisions. The Dallas–Plano–Irving MDA and Fort Worth–Arlington–Grapevine MDA come together to form one full metropolitan area or conurbation.^[28][29]

Dallas–Plano–Irving metropolitan division^[30][31][]

• Collin County
• Dallas County
• Denton County
• Ellis County
• Hunt County
• Kaufman County
• Rockwall County

Fort Worth–Arlington–Grapevine metropolitan division^[30][32][]

• Johnson County
• Parker County
• Tarrant County
• Wise County

Climate[]

Dallas–Fort Worth has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfa).

It is also continental, characterized by a relatively wide annual temperature range for the latitude. The Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex is located at the lower end of Tornado Alley, and can experience extreme weather.^[33]

In the Metroplex, summers are very hot and humid, although low humidity characteristics of desert locations can appear at any time of the year. July and August are typically the hottest months, with an average high of 96.0 °F (36 °C) and an average low of 76.7 °F (25 °C). Heat indices regularly surpass 105 °F (41 °C) at the height of summer. The all-time record high is 113 °F (45 °C), set on June 26 and 27, 1980 during the Heat Wave of 1980 at nearby Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.^[34][35]

Winters in the area are cool to mild, with occasional cold spells. The average date of first frost is November 12, and the average date of last frost is March 12.^[36] January is typically the coldest month, with an average daytime high of 56.8 °F (14 °C) and an average nighttime low of 37.3 °F (3 °C). The normal daily average temperature in January is 47.0 °F (8 °C) but sharp swings in temperature can occur, as strong cold fronts known as "Blue Northers" pass through the Metroplex, forcing daytime highs below the 50 °F (10 °C) mark for several days at a time and often between days with high temperatures above 80 °F (27 °C). Snow accumulation is seen in the city in about 70% of winter seasons, and snowfall generally occurs 1–2 days out of the year for a seasonal average of 1.5 inches (4 cm). Some areas in the region, however, receive more than that, while other areas receive negligible snowfall or none at all.^[37] The all-time record low temperature within the city is −3 °F (−19 °C), set on January 18, 1930.

Principal communities[]

The following are cities and towns categorized based on the latest population estimates from the North Central Texas Council of Governments (as of January 1, 2018).^[46] No population estimates are released for census-designated places (CDPs), which are marked with an asterisk (*). These places are categorized based on their 2010 census population.^[47]

Places with more than 100,000 inhabitants[]

Places designated "principal cities" by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget are italicized.^[48]

1,000,000+

• Dallas (1,343,573)

500,000–999,999

• Fort Worth (909,585)

200,000–499,999

• Arlington (398,854)
• Plano (287,677)
• Garland (239,928)
• Irving (239,798)
• Frisco (200,490)

100,000–199,999

• McKinney (199,177)
• Grand Prairie (194,543)
• Denton (141,541)
• Mesquite (140,937)
• Carrollton (139,248)
• Richardson (121,323)
• Lewisville (109,212)
• Allen (105,623)

Places with 10,000 to 99,999 inhabitants[]

Places with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants[]

Unincorporated places[]

Demographics[]

Historical populations – Dallas–Fort Worth (1980–2010)
Census	Pop.		%±
1980	2,974,805		—
1990	3,885,415		30.6%
2000	5,221,801		34.4%
2010	6,426,214		23.1%
2019 (est.)	7,573,136		17.8%
U.S. Decennial Census 2019 estimate

County	2019 estimate[49]	2010 Census	Change	Area	Density
Collin County	1,034,730	782,341	+32.26%	841.22 sq mi (2,178.7 km2)	1,230/sq mi (475/km2)
Dallas County	2,635,516	2,368,139	+11.29%	871.28 sq mi (2,256.6 km2)	3,025/sq mi (1,168/km2)
Denton County	887,207	662,614	+33.89%	878.43 sq mi (2,275.1 km2)	1,010/sq mi (390/km2)
Ellis County	184,826	149,610	+23.54%	935.49 sq mi (2,422.9 km2)	198/sq mi (76/km2)
Hood County	61,643	51,182	+20.44%	420.64 sq mi (1,089.5 km2)	147/sq mi (57/km2)
Hunt County	98,594	86,129	+14.47%	840.32 sq mi (2,176.4 km2)	117/sq mi (45/km2)
Johnson County	175,817	150,934	+16.49%	724.69 sq mi (1,876.9 km2)	243/sq mi (94/km2)
Kaufman County	136,154	103,350	+31.74%	780.70 sq mi (2,022.0 km2)	174/sq mi (67/km2)
Parker County	142,878	116,927	+22.19%	903.48 sq mi (2,340.0 km2)	158/sq mi (61/km2)
Rockwall County	104,915	78,337	+33.93%	127.04 sq mi (329.0 km2)	826/sq mi (319/km2)
Somervell County	9,128	8,490	+7.51%	186.46 sq mi (482.9 km2)	49/sq mi (19/km2)
Tarrant County	2,102,515	1,809,034	+16.22%	863.61 sq mi (2,236.7 km2)	2,435/sq mi (940/km2)
Wise County	69,984	59,127	+18.36%	904.42 sq mi (2,342.4 km2)	77/sq mi (30/km2)
Total	7,643,907	6,426,214	+18.95%	9,277.78 sq mi (24,029.3 km2)	824/sq mi (318/km2)

In 2017, the metropolitan population stood at to 7,539,711.^[50] In 2019, the metropolitan statistical area had an estimated 7,573,136 residents.^[4] According to information gathered from the North Texas Commission, the Metroplex's racial makeup was 75% White, 15% Black or African American, 7% Asian American, and 3% from other races in 2017. Ethnically, Hispanics and Latinos of any race made up 29% of the metropolitan population.^[51] At the 2019 American Community Survey, 74% of the area was White, 16% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 7% Asian, 0.1% other races, and 2% from two or more races. Ethnically, 29% was Hispanic or Latin American of any race.^[52] From 2010 to 2017, Hispanics and Latinos increased an estimated 38.9% followed by Blacks and African Americans.^[51] In 2015, an estimated 101,588 illegal immigrants moved to the Metroplex. Of the immigrants, 44.1% were from Latin America, 35.8% Asia, 7.1% Europe, and 13.1% Africa. In 2010, 77,702 foreign nationals immigrated. Approximately 50.6% came from Latin America, 33.0% from Asia, 7.3% Europe, and 9.1% Africa.^[51]

At the 2010 U.S. census,^[53] there were 6,371,773 people. The racial makeup of the area was 65.6% White, 15.4% African American, 0.6% Native American, 5.9% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 10.0% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races. Ethnically, Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 27.5% of the population.

The median household income in Dallas–Fort Worth was higher than the state average in 2017, and its unemployment and poverty rate was lower.^[51] The median income for males was $51,498 and $44,207 for females. In 2019, the per capita income of DFW was $72,265 and the per capita income was $36,274. In 2010, the median income for a household in the metropolitan area was $48,062, and the median income for a family was $55,263. Males had a median income of $39,581 versus $27,446 for females. The per capita income for the Metroplex was $21,839.

The Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex's religious demographic are predominantly Christian and the largest metro area that identify with the religion in the United States (78%).^[17][15] Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, and Catholic churches are prominent in many cities and towns in the metropolitan region. The Methodist and Baptist communities anchor two of the area's major private universities (Southern Methodist University and Dallas Baptist University). Non-Christian faiths including Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, and contemporary paganism collectively form a little over 4% of the religious population.^[54]

Combined statistical area[]

The Dallas–Fort Worth, TX–OK combined statistical area is made up of 20 counties in North Central Texas and one county in South Central Oklahoma. The statistical area includes two metropolitan areas and seven micropolitan areas. The CSA definition encompasses 14,628 sq mi (37,890 km²) of area, of which 14,126 sq mi (36,590 km²) is land and 502 sq mi (1,300 km²) is water. The population density was 485 people per square mile according to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.^[55]

Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs)[]

• Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington (Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant, and Wise counties)
• Sherman-Denison (Grayson County); population 136,212 (2019 Estimate)^[49]

Micropolitan Statistical Areas (μSAs)[]

• Athens (Henderson County); population 82,737 (2019 Estimate)^[49]
• Bonham (Fannin County) (delineated and added in 2015); population 35,514 (2019 Estimate)^[49]
• Corsicana (Navarro County); population 50,113 (2019 Estimate)^[49]
• Durant, OK (Bryan County, Oklahoma); population 47,995 (2019 Estimate)^[49]
• Gainesville (Cooke County); population 41,257 (2019 Estimate)^[49]
• Granbury (Hood County) (delineated and added in 2018); population 61,643 (2019 Estimate)^[49]
• Mineral Wells (Palo Pinto County); population 29,189 (2019 Estimate)^[49]

Demographics[]

At the census^[53] of 2000, there were 5,487,956 people, 2,006,665 households, and 1,392,540 families residing within the CSA. The racial makeup of the CSA was 70.41% white, 13.34% African American, 0.59% Native American, 3.58% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 9.62% from other races, and 2.39% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 20.83% of the population. The median income for a household in the CSA was $43,836, and the median income for a family was $50,898. Males had a median income of $37,002 versus $25,553 for females. The per capita income for the CSA was $20,460.

At the 2010 census, the DFW CSA had a population of 6,817,483 (though a July 1, 2015 estimate placed the population at 7,504,362).^[56] In 2018 it had an estimated 7,994,963 residents.^[55] The American Community Survey determined 18% of the population was foreign-born. The median household income was $67,589 and the per capita income was $34,455. An estimated 11.5% lived below the poverty line. The median age of the DFW CSA was 35.3.

Economy[]

The cities of Dallas and Fort Worth are the two central cities of the Metroplex, with Arlington being a third economically important city; it is a center for sporting events, tourism and manufacturing. Most other incorporated cities in the Metroplex are "bedroom communities" serving largely as residential and small-business centers, though there are several key employers in these regions. Due to the large number of smaller, less well-known cities, Metroplex residents commonly divide the region roughly in half along Texas Interstate 35, which runs north–south, splitting into two 'branches' (I-35E in Dallas and I-35W in Fort Worth) through the Metroplex. They refer to places as being on the "Dallas side" or the "Fort Worth side", or in "the Arlington area", which is almost directly south of the airport; cities in the Arlington area form the Mid-Cities. It is nominally between the two major east–west interstates in the region (I-20, passing to the south of both downtowns, and I-30, connecting Dallas and Fort Worth city centers).

Business management and operations play a central role in the area's economy. Dallas and its suburbs have the third-largest concentration of corporate headquarters in the United States. Moreover, it is the only metro area in the country home to three of the top-ten largest Fortune 500 companies by revenue. The area continues to draw corporate relocation from across the nation, and especially from California. From late 2018 to early 2019, both McKesson and Charles Schwab announced they would be relocating from San Francisco to the DFW area.^[57] Later in 2019, San Francisco-based Uber announced a massive corporate expansion just east of downtown Dallas.

Banking and finance play a key role in the area's economy. DFW recently surpassed Chicago to become the second-largest financial services hub in the nation, eclipsed only by New York.^[58] Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, Liberty Mutual, Goldman Sachs, State Farm, TD Ameritrade, Charles Schwab, and Fidelity Investments maintain significant operations in the area. The Metroplex also contains the largest Information Technology industry base in the state (often referred to as Silicon Prairie or the Telecom Corridor, especially when referring to US-75 through Richardson, Plano and Allen just north of Dallas itself). This area has a large number of corporate IT projects and the presence of numerous electronics, computing and telecommunication firms such as Microsoft, Texas Instruments, HP Enterprise Services, Dell Services, Samsung, Nokia, Cisco, Fujitsu, i2, Frontier^{[disambiguation needed]}, Alcatel, Ericsson, CA, Google, and Verizon. AT&T, the largest telecommunications company in the world, is headquartered at the Whitacre Tower in downtown Dallas. ExxonMobil and McKesson, respectively the 2nd and 7th largest Fortune 500 companies by revenue, are headquartered in Irving, Texas. Fluor, the largest engineering & construction company in the Fortune 500, is also headquartered in Irving.^[59] In October 2016, Jacobs Engineering, a Fortune 500 company and one of the world's largest engineering companies, relocated from Pasadena, California to Dallas.^[60] Toyota USA, in 2016, relocated its corporate headquarters to Plano, Texas. Southwest Airlines is headquartered in Dallas. The airline has more than 53,000 employees as of October 2016 and operates more than 3,900 departures a day during peak travel season.

On the other side of the Metroplex, the Texas farming and ranching industry is based in Fort Worth, though the area's economy is diverse. American Airlines, the largest airline in the world, recently completed their new $350M corporate HQ complex in Fort Worth.^[61] American Airlines is the largest employer in the Metroplex.^[62] Several major defense manufacturers, including Lockheed Martin, Bell Helicopter Textron, and Raytheon, maintain significant operations in the Metroplex, primarily on the "Fort Worth side." They are concentrated along State Highway 170 near I-35W, commonly called the "Alliance Corridor" due to its proximity to the Fort Worth Alliance regional airport.

Changes in house prices for the Metroplex are publicly tracked on a regular basis using the Case–Shiller index; the statistic is published by Standard & Poor's and is also a component of S&P's 20-city composite index of the value of the U.S. residential real estate market.

Sports[]

The Metroplex is one of the 13 U.S. metropolitan areas that has a team in each of the four major professional sports leagues. Major professional sports first came to the area in 1952, when the Dallas Texans competed in the National Football League for one season.^[63] In 1960, major professional sports returned when the Dallas Cowboys began competing in the National Football League and the Dallas Texans began competing in the American Football League.^[64][65] The Dallas Texans later relocated to Kansas City and became the Chiefs.^[66] In 1972, Major League Baseball's Washington Senators moved to Arlington to become the Texas Rangers,^[67] named after the statewide law enforcement agency. The National Basketball Association expanded into North Texas in 1980 when the Dallas Mavericks were added to the league.^[68] The fourth sport was added in 1993 when the Minnesota North Stars of the National Hockey League moved to Dallas, becoming the Dallas Stars.^[69]

The Major League Soccer team FC Dallas is based in Frisco, and the Dallas Wings of the WNBA play in Arlington. The area is also home to many minor-league professional teams, and four colleges that compete in NCAA Division I athletics. Two Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races are hosted annually at Texas Motor Speedway, the Duck Commander 500 and the AAA Texas 500, and two PGA Tour events are held annually in the Metroplex, the AT&T Byron Nelson and the Colonial National Invitation Tournament. The Metroplex has hosted many premiere sports events on both an annual and one-time basis.^[70][71]

Major professional sports teams[]

Club	Sport	Founded	League	Venue
Dallas Cowboys	Football	1960	NFL	AT&T Stadium
Texas Rangers	Baseball	1972^	MLB	Globe Life Field
Dallas Mavericks	Basketball	1980	NBA	American Airlines Center
Dallas Stars	Hockey	1993^	NHL	American Airlines Center
FC Dallas	Soccer	1996	MLS	Toyota Stadium
Dallas Wings	Basketball	2015^	WNBA	College Park Center

^- Indicates year team relocated to the area

Other notable professional and amateur teams[]

Club	Sport	Founded	League	Venue
Dallas Renegades	American football	2020	XFL	Globe Life Park
Frisco RoughRiders	Baseball	2003^	Texas League	Dr Pepper Ballpark
Cleburne Railroaders	Baseball	2017	AAIPBL	The Depot at Cleburne Station
Texas Legends	Basketball	2010^	NBA G League	Comerica Center
Dallas Empire	eSports	2019	Call of Duty League	Toyota Music Factory
Dallas Fuel	eSports	2017	Overwatch League	Blizzard Arena
Allen Americans	Ice hockey	2009	ECHL	Allen Event Center
Lone Star Brahmas	Ice hockey	1999	NAHL	NYTEX Sports Centre
Mid-Cities Junior Stars	Ice hockey	2013	NA3HL	Children’s Health StarCenter
Texas Jr. Brahmas	Ice hockey	2014	NA3HL	NYTEX Sports Centre
Frisco Fighters	Indoor football	2020	Indoor Football League	Comerica Center
Panther City Lacrosse Club	Indoor lacrosse	2021	National Lacrosse League	Dickies Arena
Dallas Sidekicks	Indoor soccer	2012	Major Arena Soccer League	Allen Event Center
Mesquite Outlaws	Indoor soccer	2019	Major Arena Soccer League	Mesquite Arena
Dallas City FC	Soccer	2013	NPSL	Roffino Stadium
Fort Worth Vaqueros	Soccer	2014	NPSL	Farrington Field
FC Cleburne	Soccer	2017	PDL	The Depot at Cleburne Station
Texas United	Soccer	2017	PDL	AirHogs Stadium
FC Dallas	Soccer	1996	Women's Premier Soccer League	Dr. Pink Stadium
FC Dallas U-23	Soccer	1996	Women's Premier Soccer League	Toyota Soccer Complex
Texas Spurs FC	Soccer	1998	Women's Premier Soccer League	Willow Springs Middle School
Dallas Roughnecks	Ultimate	2015	American Ultimate Disc League	The Colony Five Star Complex
Arlington Impact	Women's American football	2015	Women's Football Alliance	Pennington Field
Dallas Elite	Women's American football	2015	Women's Football Alliance	Alfred Loos Stadium

^- Indicates year team relocated to the area

Division I college athletics[]

School	City	Mascot	Conference
University of Texas at Arlington	Arlington	Mavericks	Sun Belt Conference
University of North Texas	Denton	Mean Green	Conference USA
Southern Methodist University	University Park	Mustangs	American Athletic Conference
Texas Christian University	Fort Worth	Horned Frogs	Big 12 Conference
Dallas Baptist University	Dallas	Patriots	Missouri Valley Conference (baseball only)

The headquarters for both the Big 12 and American Athletic Conference are located in Irving, Conference USA headquarters are in Dallas and the Southland Conference headquarters are in Frisco.

Sports events hosted[]

Note: Venues are listed with their current names, not necessarily those in use when an event took place.

Event	Sport	Year(s)	Venue
Red River Showdown	College Football	1912–present	Cotton Bowl
Battle for the Iron Skillet	College Football	1915–present	Cotton Bowl, Amon G. Carter Stadium, Ownby Stadium, Texas Stadium, Ford Stadium
Fort Worth Classic	College Football	1921	Panther Park
Dixie Classic	College Football	1922, 1925, 1934	Fair Park Stadium
State Fair Classic	College Football	1925–present	Cotton Bowl
PGA Championship	Golf	1927, 1963	Cedarcrest Golf Course, Dallas Athletic Club
AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic	College Football	1937–present	Cotton Bowl, AT&T Stadium
U.S. Open	Golf	1941, 1952	Colonial Country Club, Northwood Club
Byron Nelson Golf Classic	Golf	1944–present	Multiple courses in Dallas
Colonial National Invitational	Golf	1946–present	Colonial Country Club
Pro Bowl	Football	1973	Texas Stadium
The Players Championship	Golf	1975	Colonial Country Club
Dallas Grand Prix	Auto Racing	1984–1996	Fair Park, Addison, Reunion Arena
NBA All-Star Game	Basketball	1986, 2010	Reunion Arena, AT&T Stadium
NCAA Men's Final Four	Basketball	1986, 2014	Reunion Arena, AT&T Stadium
NCAA Women's Final Four	Basketball	2017	American Airlines Center
U.S. Women's Open	Golf	1991	Colonial Country Club
FIFA World Cup Preliminaries	Soccer	1994	Cotton Bowl
Major League Baseball All-Star Game	Baseball	1995	Globe Life Park in Arlington
Duck Commander 500	Auto Racing	1997–present	Texas Motor Speedway
Bombardier Learjet 550	Auto Racing	1997–present	Texas Motor Speedway
Big 12 Championship Game	College Football	2001, 2009, 2010, 2017–present	Texas Stadium, AT&T Stadium
Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl	College Football	2003–present	Amon G. Carter Stadium
Frisco Bowl	College Football	2017–present	Toyota Stadium
Breeders' Cup	Horse Racing	2004	Lone Star Park
AAA Texas 500	Auto Racing	2005–present	Texas Motor Speedway
MLS Cup	Soccer	2005, 2006	Toyota Stadium
NHL All-Star Game	Hockey	2007	American Airlines Center
CONCACAF Gold Cup	Soccer	2009, 2011, 2013, 2015	AT&T Stadium, Toyota Stadium
Cowboys Classic	College Football	2009–present	AT&T Stadium
Southwest Classic	College Football	2009–2011	AT&T Stadium
First Responder Bowl	College Football	2010–present	Gerald J. Ford Stadium
Manny Pacquiao vs. Antonio Margarito	Professional Boxing	November 13, 2010	AT&T Stadium
NCAA Division I Football Championship	College Football	2011–2014	Toyota Stadium
Super Bowl XLV	Football	2011	AT&T Stadium
College Football Playoff National Championship	College Football	2015	AT&T Stadium
WrestleMania 32	Wrestling	2016	AT&T Stadium
NFL Draft	Football	2018	AT&T Stadium
NHL Entry Draft	Hockey	2018	American Airlines Center
NHL Winter Classic	Hockey	2020	Cotton Bowl

Education[]

Notable colleges and universities[]

Public universities

School	Enrollment	Location	Mascot	Athletic Affiliation (Conference)	University System
University of Texas at Arlington	42,496	Arlington	Mavericks	NCAA Division I (Sun Belt) Non–Football	University of Texas System
University of North Texas	40,796	Denton	Mean Green	NCAA Division I FBS (C–USA)	University of North Texas System
University of Texas at Dallas	26,793	Richardson	Comets	NCAA Division III (American Southwest) Non–Football	University of Texas System
Texas Woman's University	15,472	Denton	Pioneers	NCAA Division II (Lone Star) Women's sports only	Independent
Texas A&M University–Commerce	12,385	Commerce	Lions	NCAA Division II (Lone Star)	Texas A&M University System
University of North Texas at Dallas	3,030	Dallas	Trailblazers	NAIA (Sooner) Non–Football	University of North Texas System
UT Southwestern	2,235	Dallas	N/A	N/A	University of Texas System

Private universities

School	Enrollment	Location	Mascot	Athletic Affiliation (Conference)
Southern Methodist University	11,643	University Park	Mustangs	NCAA Division I FBS (American)
Texas Christian University	10,394	Fort Worth	Horned Frogs	NCAA Division I FBS (Big 12)
Dallas Baptist University	5,445	Dallas	Patriots	NCAA Division II (Lone Star) Non–Football, compete in the Missouri Valley Conference at the Division I level for baseball
Texas Wesleyan University	3,378	Fort Worth	Rams	NAIA (Sooner)
University of Dallas	2,387	Irving	Crusaders	NCAA Division III (SCAC) Non–Football, compete in Texas Rugby Union at the Division II level for Rugby
Southwestern Assemblies of God University	2,012	Waxahachie	Lions	NAIA NCCAA (Sooner and Central States Football League)
Paul Quinn College	600	Dallas	Tigers	NAIA (Red River) Non–Football

Politics[]

Presidential Election Results in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington MSA ^[72][73]

Year	Republican	Democratic
2020	48.5% 1,495,550	49.8% 1,535,525
2016	50.7% 1,218,897	44.4% 1,066,312
2012	56.4% 1,205,855	42.2% 900,749
2008	54.6% 1,188,570	44.6% 969,541
2004	61.5% 1,188,915	37.9% 732,160
2000	60.8% 971,927	36.7% 587,163

Republican Party national candidates have won in the Dallas–Fort Worth area, including in presidential elections, although recently since 2016, Democrats have been making big inroads in the suburbs. The DFW Area is considered a bellwether polity in recent history. Factors causing this shift include an influx of Democratic-voting younger professionals and families from states such as California, Illinois, New York, amongst other Democratic states, as well as a more diverse population (with increasing numbers of African-Americans along with recent immigrants and their children). Many other suburban Texas counties, including its immediate neighbors in Collin County, Denton County, Tarrant County as well as those around Houston and Austin, showed similar swings since 2016. Democratic voters dominate a majority of areas in the large cities of Dallas, Fort Worth, Grand Prairie, and Arlington (especially areas east of Interstate 35W).^[74][75] Republicans dominate North Dallas, western Fort Worth and the rest of Tarrant County, most suburbs, exurbs, and the rural areas of the Metroplex.

Media[]

The cities of Dallas and Fort Worth have their own newspapers, The Dallas Morning News and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, respectively. Historically, the two papers had readership primarily in their own counties. As the two cities' suburbs have grown together in recent years (and especially since the demise of the Dallas Times Herald in 1991), many sites sell both papers. This pattern of crossover has been repeated in other print media, radio, and television.

Since the 1970s all of the television stations and most of the FM radio stations have chosen to transmit from Cedar Hill so as to serve the entire market, and are programmed likewise. There has been a rise in "80–90 move-ins", whereby stations have been moved from distant markets, in some cases as far away as Oklahoma, and relicensed to anonymous small towns in the Metroplex to serve as additional DFW stations. According to RadioTime, the market had 38 AM stations, 58 FM stations (many of them class Cs), and 18 full-power television stations. Per another study the area has a total of 62 FM stations and 40 AM stations as of 2020.^[76]

Dallas–Fort Worth is the fifth-largest television market in the United States, behind only New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Philadelphia. Two of the Metroplex's AM radio stations, 820 WBAP and 1080 KRLD, are 50,000-watt stations with coverage of much of the North American continent and beyond during nighttime hours. The South Asian population (Indian Sub-continent) has increased considerably in the DFW metroplex. They have the FM 104.9 radio channel and 700 AM radio.^[77] Recently Sony TV, a subsidiary of Sony TV Asia, launched its FTA (free to Air OTA) channel on 44.2 station in DFW. It was one of the two locations they chose in the United States, the other being New York City, where there is also a large South Asian demographic.

TV stations[]

The following are full-powered stations serving the Dallas–Fort Worth television market. Network owned-and-operated stations are highlighted in bold.

Channel	Call Sign (branding)	Primary Network Affiliation	Subchannel(s)	City of License	Owner
2.1	KDTN	Daystar	None	Denton, TX	Word of God Fellowship (Community Television Educators of DFW, Inc.)
4.1	KDFW (Fox 4)	Fox	None	Dallas	Fox Television Stations (NW Communications of Texas, Inc.)
5.1	KXAS-TV (NBC 5)	NBC	5.2 Cozi TV	Fort Worth	NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations (Station Venture Operations, LP)
8.1	WFAA (WFAA-TV Channel 8)	ABC	8.2 AccuWx 8.3 True Crime Network 8.4 Quest	Dallas	Tegna Media (WFAA-TV, Inc.)
11.1	KTVT (CBS 11)	CBS	11.2 Start TV	Fort Worth	ViacomCBS (CBS Stations Group of Texas, Inc.)
13.1	KERA-TV (KERA)	PBS	13.2 KERA Kids 13.3 Create	Dallas	North Texas Public Broadcasting
18.1	KPFW-LD	Hope Channel broadcasting	None	Dallas	Iglesia JesuCristo es mi Refugion, Inc. (Sale to DTV America Corporation pending)
20.1	KBOP-LD	Infomercial	20.2 Infomercial 20.3 3ABN (Spanish) 20.4 3ABN	Dallas	Randolph W. Weigner (D.T.V., LLC.)
21.1	KTXA (TXA 21)	Independent	21.2 CBSN Dallas–Fort Worth	Fort Worth	CBS Corporation (Television Station KTXA Inc.)
22	KNAV-LD	Hot TV Network	None (low-power analog)	Dallas, TX	Tuck Properties
23.1	KUVN-DT (Univision 23)	Univision	23.2 Bounce TV 23.3 Escape 23.4 LAFF	Garland, TX	Univision Communications (KUVN License Partnership, LP)
25.1	K25FW-D	HSN	None	Corsicana, TX	Ventana Television, Inc.
26.1	KODF-LD (KODF-TV)	Guide US TV	26.2 Soul of the South TV 26.3 Almavision 26.4 HSN2	Britton, TX	Mako Communications, LLC
27.1	KDFI (My27)	MyNetworkTV	27.2 Movies! 27.3 Buzzr 27.4 Heroes and Icons 27.5 Light TV	Dallas	Fox Television Stations (NW Communications of Texas, Inc.)
28.1	KHPK-LD	SonLife	28.2 Guide US TV 28.3 Shop LC 28.4 Soul of the South TV	DeSoto, TX	Mako Communications, LLC
29.1	KMPX (Estrella TV KMPX 29)	Estrella TV	29.2 Inmigrante TV	Decatur, TX	Liberman Broadcasting (Liberman Television of Dallas License LLC)
31.1	K07AAD-D	SonLife	31.2 Hot TV Network 31.3 Hot TV Network 31.4 RTV	Fort Worth, TX	Mako Communications, LLC
33.1	KDAF (CW33)	The CW	33.2 Antenna TV 33.3 This TV 33.4 Charge	Dallas	Nexstar Media Group (Tribune Media Company)
34.1	KJJM-LD (Access 34)	HSN	34.2 Shop LC 34.3 HSN2 34.4 Jewelry TV 34.5 Infomercial	Dallas & Mesquite, TX	Mako Communications, LLC
38.1	KVFW-LD (KVFW 38)	Infomercial	38.3 RTN 38.4 Rev'n	Fort Worth	CMMB America (New York Spectrum Holding Company, LLC)
39.1	KXTX-TV (Telemundo 39)	Telemundo	39.2 TeleXitos	Dallas	NBCUniversal (NBC Telemundo License LLC)
44.1	KLEG-CD (Vmas)	TVC+Latino	44.3 Diya TV - America's first South Asian broadcast television network 44.4 SAB TV (Indian)	Dallas	Dilip Viswanath
46.1	KUVN-CD (Univision 23)	Univision	None (mirror broadcast of KUVN-DT)	Garland, TX	Univision Communications (KUVN License Partnership, LP)
47.1	KTXD-TV (Texas 47)	Independent	47.2 Comet 47.3 Charge 47.4 TBD 47.5 SonLife	Greenville, TX	London Broadcasting Company (KTXD License Company, LLC)
49.1	KSTR-DT (UniMás 49)	UniMás	49.2 GetTV 49.3 Grit	Irving, TX	Univision Communications (UniMas Dallas, LLC)
51.1	KHFD-LD	The Walk TV	51.2 Cornerstone Television 51.4 Global Christian Network	Cedar Hill, TX	Randall & Adrienne Weiss (EICB-TV West LLC)
52.1	KFWD	SonLife	52.3 QVC Plus 52.4 Evine	Fort Worth	NRJ Holdings LLC (NRJ TV DFW License Co, LLC)
55.1	KAZD (Azteca 55)	Azteca América	55.2 Decades 55.3 Azteca América	Lake Dallas, TX	Weigel Broadcasting
58.1	KDTX-TV	TBN	58.2 Hillsong Channel 58.3 JUCE TV 58.4 Enlace 58.5 Smile	Dallas	Trinity Broadcasting Network (Trinity Broadcasting of Texas, Inc.)
68.1	KPXD-TV (Ion Television)	Ion Television	68.2 Court TV 68.3 Grit 68.4 Laff 68.5 QVC 68.6 HSN	Arlington, TX	Ion Media Networks (Ion Media Dallas License, Inc.)

Transportation[]

The Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (IATA airport code: DFW), located between the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth, is the largest and busiest airport in the state of Texas. At 17,207 acres (6,963 ha) of total land area, DFW is also the second-largest airport in the country and the sixth-largest in the world. It is the third-busiest airport in the world in terms of aircraft movements and the world's seventh-busiest by passenger traffic, transporting 62.9 million passengers in FY 2014.^[78] Based in Fort Worth, American Airlines' headquarters are adjacent to DFW. Recently having regained the title as the largest airline in the world in terms of both passengers transported and fleet size, American is a predominant leader in domestic routes and operations.^[79]

The Dallas Love Field Airport (IATA airport code: DAL) is located in northwest Dallas. Based in Dallas, Southwest Airlines is headquartered next to Love Field.

The Dallas–Fort Worth area has thousands of lane-miles of freeways and interstates. The Metroplex has the second-largest number of freeway-miles per capita in the nation, behind only the Kansas City metropolitan area. As in most major metropolitan areas in Texas, most interstates and freeways have access or frontage roads where most of the businesses are located; these access roads have slip ramps allowing traffic to transition between the freeway and access road. North–south interstates include I-35 and I-45. East–west routes include I-30 and I-20. I-35 splits into I-35E and I-35W from Denton to Hillsboro: I-35W goes through Fort Worth while I-35E goes through Dallas. (This is one of only two examples of an interstate splitting off into branches and then rejoining as one; the other such split is in Minneapolis-St. Paul where I-35E goes into St. Paul and I-35W goes through Minneapolis.) I-30 connects Dallas and Fort Worth, and I-45 connects Dallas to Houston. The "multiple-of-5" numbers used for the interstate designations are notable, as these numbers were designed to be used for major multi-state arteries of the U.S. Interstate Highway System. The North Texas region is the terminus for two of them, and I-45 is located only within Texas.

HOV lanes exist along I-35E, I-30, I-635, US 67, and US 75. I-20 bypasses both Dallas and Fort Worth to the south while its loop, I-820, goes around Fort Worth. I-635 splits to the north of I-20 and loops around east and north Dallas, ending at SH 121 north of DFW Airport. I-35E, Loop 12, and Spur 408 ultimately connect to I-20 southwest of Dallas, completing the west bypass loop around Dallas. A large number of construction projects are planned or are already underway in the region to alleviate congestion. Due largely to funding issues, many of the new projects involve building new tollways or adding tolled express lanes to existing highways, which are managed by the North Texas Tollway Authority. It was originally established to manage the Dallas North Tollway and oversees several other toll projects in the area.^{[citation needed]}

Public transit[]

Public transit options continue to expand significantly throughout the Metroplex. However, it is limited in several outlying and rural suburbs. Dallas County and portions of Collin and Rockwall counties have bus service and light rail operated by Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), covering thirteen member cities. DART's rail network currently sprawls for 93 miles throughout the area. The Red Line extends north to Plano and southwest to Westmoreland Road. The Blue Line reaches from Rowlett in the northeast to the University of North Texas at Dallas campus near I-20 in the south. The 28-mile Green Line, which opened in December 2010, connects Carrollton in the northwest through downtown Dallas to Pleasant Grove in the southeast. The Orange Line, which completed expansion in 2014, parallels the Red Line from Plano to downtown Dallas and the Green Line from downtown Dallas to Northwest Hwy before extending through the Las Colinas area of Irving to reach DFW International Airport.

Denton County has bus service limited to Denton, Highland Village, and Lewisville (with commuter service to downtown Dallas) provided by the Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA). The A-train, a diesel commuter rail line, parallels I-35E to connect Denton, Highland Village, Lewisville, and Carrollton. Several smaller towns along this line, Corinth, Shady Shores, and Lake Dallas, voted to abstain from DCTA and do not have stations. There is an across-the-platform transfer in Carrollton to the DART Green Line. A-Train service began June 20, 2011.^[80]

Tarrant County has bus services operated by Trinity Metro (formerly the Fort Worth Transportation Authority, popularly known as 'The T'), available only in Fort Worth. It additionally operates TEXRail commuter rail, which serves to connect downtown Fort Worth with DFW Airport and the DART Orange Line. The diesel commuter train that serves Fort Worth and its eastern suburbs is operated as the Trinity Railway Express; it connects downtown Fort Worth to downtown Dallas, where it links to the DART light rail system. A station near its midpoint, Centerport, also serves DFW Airport via a free airport shuttle bus. The TRE is jointly owned by FWTA and DART.^[81] Amtrak serves two stations in the Metroplex—Dallas Union Station and Fort Worth Central Station. Both are served by the Texas Eagle route, which operates daily between Chicago and San Antonio (continuing on to Los Angeles three days a week), though only the latter station is served by the Fort Worth-Oklahoma City Heartland Flyer.

As of 2016 the Taiwanese airline EVA Air operates a shuttle bus service from George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston to Richardson, so that Dallas-based customers may fly on its services to and from Houston.^[82]

See also[]

• DFW Area Tourism Council
• Greater Dallas Korean American Chamber of Commerce
• List of museums in North Texas
• List of metropolitan statistical areas
• Texas Triangle

Notes[]

References[]

External links[]

• Dallas–Fort Worth Property Tax Rates by City and County

Coordinates: 32°45′47″N 97°01′57″W / 32.7630°N 97.0326°W / 32.7630; -97.0326