Living in Dallas, Texas
Dallas
One big city holding many lifestyles, from Deep Ellum to Lake Highlands.
What it's like
The short version
Dallas covers about 340 square miles of land and is not one lifestyle. Downtown is towers and the Arts District, Uptown and Oak Lawn are dense restaurants and nightlife, and Deep Ellum is live music east of downtown. Oak Cliff and Bishop Arts are murals and independent shops southwest of downtown, East Dallas is Lakewood and Swiss Avenue, Lake Highlands fills the northeast, North Dallas and Preston Hollow run north, and South Dallas holds Fair Park and the Cedars.
What's for sale
Homes sold at a median near $450,000 in September 2026. It depends on the area. Swiss Avenue has historic houses from Victorian to neoclassical, Munger Place is known for its architecture, and Lakewood has one of the largest collections of prairie-style homes in the country. Downtown office buildings are being converted to homes and hotels.
What it does well
Strong here
- Transit options●●●
DART runs 93 miles of light rail with 66 stations, plus bus, the Dallas Streetcar and Trinity Railway Express. - Vibrant, big-city energy●●●
AT&T is based downtown, the city has 11 Fortune 500 companies, and the Arts District anchors the core. - A real downtown●●●
Downtown holds the Arts District, the largest contiguous arts district in the country. - Restaurants●●●
Deep Ellum, Bishop Arts, Lower Greenville and Knox-Henderson each run their own restaurant strip. - Nightlife●●●
Deep Ellum, Bishop Arts and Lower Greenville fill with live music, cocktail bars and late kitchens. - Shopping●●●
NorthPark Center is the second-largest mall in Texas, and the Dallas Galleria adds high-end stores. - Parks and trails●●●
Over 400 parks on more than 21,000 acres, with over 180 miles of developed trails. - Lake days●●●
Seven lakes in the park system cover 4,353 surface acres, including White Rock Lake. - Golf●●●
The city operates six golf courses and four driving ranges. - Established neighborhoods●●●
Swiss Avenue, Munger Place and Lakewood hold historic homes. - Walkable●●○
Walk Score rates the city 46, with Oak Lawn at 85 and Henderson at 87.
The honest part
What to know first
- The total runs about 2.23 per $100 on a Dallas County address with Dallas ISD.
- Walk Score rates the city 46, and most errands take a car.
Not its strength: quiet, small-town pace, new construction, luxury homes.
Not rated yet: land and acreage, horses welcome. That means I haven't confirmed it either way, not that it isn't here.
Get outside
- White Rock Lake
A reservoir and park for boating, jogging and biking, with the Dallas Arboretum on its eastern shore. - Klyde Warren Park
Built across Woodall Rodgers Freeway, connecting Downtown to Uptown and Victory Park. - Fair Park
A National Historic Landmark with the Cotton Bowl and Texas Discovery Gardens. - Cedar Ridge Nature Preserve
A nature preserve in the city park system. - Trinity River Audubon Center
A nature center in the city park system.
Eat and drink
- Ruins
Oaxacan-style food and live music in Deep Ellum, with the kitchen open until 2 a.m. on weekends. - Birrieria Aguinaga
Mexican food and a late-night stop in Bishop Arts. - Plomo
A Lower Greenville quesadilla bar open until 4 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. - Serious Pizza
Deep Ellum pizza until 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. - Granada Theater
A historic theater on Lower Greenville that opened in 1946 as an Art Deco movie house. - Revelers Hall
New Orleans-style jazz daily in Bishop Arts.
Shop and errands
- NorthPark Center
The second-largest mall in Texas, with high-end stores. - Dallas Galleria
A high-end shopping center that draws visitors. - Bishop Arts
Murals, eclectic restaurants and shops in North Oak Cliff.
On the calendar
- State Fair of Texas
Held at Fair Park from late September through mid-October.
What's coming
- A long-term effort to restore the river corridor for recreation and flood control.
- Older office buildings are becoming homes and hotels, with new towers rising nearby.
Taxes
2025 combined rate per $100, Dallas County address with Dallas ISD: city 0.698800, Dallas County 0.215500, Parkland Hospital 0.212000, Dallas College 0.106575, Dallas ISD 0.993835. Homestead not applied.
About 52,000 people live in the Collin County part of Dallas and about 28,500 in the Denton County part, where county rates differ. The total assumes Dallas ISD, so check the unit list on the address.
School facts
- Dallas ISD: TEA rating B, 2025-26
Take it with you
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