Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex

Infobox Metropolitan Area
MSA_name = Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington Metroplex


name = The Metroplex
largest_city = Dallas
other_cities = Fort Worth
Arlington
rank_us = 4^th
population = 6,145,037 (2007 est.) [http://www.census.gov/population/www/estimates/CBSA-est2007-pop-chg.html Estimates of Population Change for Metropolitan Statistical Areas and Rankings: July 1, 2006 to July 1, 2007 ] ]
density_mi2 = 634
density_km2 = 245
area_mi2 = 9,286
area_km2 = 24,059
states = Texas
highest_ft = 1,368 [Slipdown Mountain, in western Parker County. "Note:" Some editions of the "Texas Almanac" prior to 2000 (the latest being the 1998-1999 edition, ed. Mary G. Ramos) give a maximum elevation of convert|1553|ft|m in Hunt County; this is probably an error. "Texas Almanac" data, depending on the edition, are obtained from the U.S. Geological Survey, the Texas Railroad Commission, and the Texas Department of Transportation.]
highest_m = 417
lowest_ft = < 295 [Southeastern Ellis County, [http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=32.32916&lon=-96.38308&s=25&size=l&u=4&datum=nad27&layer=DRG along the Trinity river] , where Ellis County, Navarro County and Henderson County meet. "Note:" "Texas Almanac" editions after 1998-1999 give a minimum elevation of 300 feet (approximately 90 m) for both Ellis and Kaufman Counties, but these appears to be estimates.]
lowest_m = < 90

The Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan area, a title designated by the U.S. Census as of 2003, encompasses 12 counties within the U.S. state of Texas. The metropolitan area is further divided into two metropolitan divisions: Dallas–Plano–Irving and Fort Worth–Arlington. Residents of the area informally refer to it as the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, or simply The Metroplex (the term was originally invented to refer to Dallas/Fort Worth), which is the economic and cultural hub of the region commonly called North Texas or North Central Texas.

According to the U.S. Census July 1, 2007 estimates, the metropolitan area has a population of 6.1 million. [http://www.census.gov/population/www/estimates/CBSA-est2007-pop-chg.html Estimates of Population Change for Metropolitan Statistical Areas and Rankings: July 1, 2006 to July 1, 2007 ] ] The Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington MSA is the largest metropolitan area in Texas and the fourth-largest in the United States. The metroplex also encompasses convert|9286|sqmi|km2|-2 of total area: convert|8991|sqmi|km2|abbr=on. is land, while convert|295|sqmi|km2|abbr=on. is water, making it larger in area than the U.S. states of Rhode Island and Connecticut combined. It is also the 4th largest metropolitan area by population and gross metropolitan product in the United States, but approximately tenth largest by GMP, in the world.

Metroplex counties

US Government Designated

* Collin County
* Dallas County
* Delta County
* Denton County
* Ellis County
* Hunt County
* Johnson County
* Kaufman County
* Parker County
* Rockwall County
* Tarrant County
* Wise County

Metroplex cities, towns, and CDPs

"Note: Cities and towns are categorized based on the latest population estimates from the United States Census Bureau (as of July 1, 2006) [cite web |url=http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/tables/SUB-EST2006-04-48.csv |title=Table 4. Annual Estimates of the Population for Incorporated Places in Texas: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2006 |format=CSV |publisher=United States Census Bureau, Population Division |date=2007-06-28 |accessdate=2008-04-14] and the North Central Texas Council of Governments (as of January 1, 2007) [cite web |url=http://www.nctcog.org/ris/demographics/population/City2007.txt |title=2007 Population Estimates by City |format=TXT |publisher=North Central Texas Council of Governments, Research and Services Division |date=2007-03-22 |accessdate=2008-04-14] . No population estimates are released for Census-designated places (CDPs), which are marked with an asterisk (*). These places are categorized based on their 2000 census population."

Principal cities

* Dallas
* Fort Worth
* Arlington

Cities with over 100,000 population

* Carrollton
* Denton
* Frisco
* Garland
* Grand Prairie
* Irving
* McKinney
* Mesquite
* Plano
* Richardson

Cities, towns, and CDPs with 10,000 to 100,000 inhabitants

* Addison
* Allen
* Azle
* Balch Springs
* Bedford
* Benbrook
* Burleson
* Cedar Hill
* Cleburne
* Colleyville
* Coppell
* Corinth
* Crowley

* Decatur
* DeSoto
* Duncanville
* Ennis
* Euless
* Farmers Branch
* Flower Mound
* Forest Hill
* Forney
* Glenn Heights
* Grapevine
* Greenville
* Haltom City

* Highland Village
* Hurst
* Keller
* Lancaster
* Lewisville
* Little Elm
* Mansfield
* Midlothian
* Mineral Wells (partial)
* Murphy
* North Richland Hills
* Rockwall
* Rowlett

* Sachse
* Saginaw
* Seagoville
* Southlake
* Terrell
* The Colony
* University Park
* Watauga
* Waxahachie
* Weatherford
* White Settlement
* Wylie

Cities, towns, and CDPs with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants

* Aledo
* Alma
* Alvarado
* Alvord
* Anna
* Annetta North
* Annetta South
* Annetta
* Argyle
* Aubrey
* Aurora
* Bardwell
* Bartonville
* Blue Mound
* Blue Ridge
* Boyd
* Briar*
* Briaroaks
* Bridgeport
* Caddo Mills
* Campbell
* Celeste
* Celina
* Chico
* Cockrell Hill
* Combine
* Commerce
* Cool
* Cooper
* Copper Canyon
* Corral City
* Cottonwood
* Crandall
* Cresson (partial)
* Cross Roads
* Cross Timber
* Dalworthington Gardens

* DISH
* Double Oak
* Eagle Mountain*
* Edgecliff Village
* Everman
* Fairview
* Farmersville
* Fate
* Ferris
* Garrett
* Godley
* Grandview
* Grays Prairie
* Gun Barrel City
* Hackberry
* Haslet
* Hawk Cove
* Heath
* Hebron
* Hickory Creek
* Highland Park
* Hudson Oaks
* Hutchins
* Italy
* Josephine
* Joshua
* Justin
* Kaufman
* Keene
* Kemp
* Kennedale
* Krugerville
* Krum
* Lake Bridgeport
* Lake Dallas
* Lake Worth
* Lakeside

* Lakewood Village
* Lavon
* Lincoln Park
* Lone Oak
* Lowry Crossing
* Lucas
* Mabank (partial)
* Maypearl
* McLendon-Chisholm
* Melissa
* Midlothian
* Milford
* Millsap
* Mobile City
* Nevada
* New Fairview
* New Hope
* Newark
* Neylandville
* Northlake
* Oak Grove
* Oak Leaf
* Oak Point
* Oak Ridge
* Ovilla
* Palmer
* Pantego
* Paradise
* Parker
* Pecan Acres*
* Pecan Gap (partial)
* Pecan Hill
* Pelican Bay
* Pilot Point
* Ponder

* Post Oak Bend City
* Princeton
* Prosper
* Quinlan
* Red Oak
* Rendon*
* Reno
* Rhome
* Richland Hills
* Rio Vista
* River Oaks
* Roanoke
* Rosser
* Royse City
* Runaway Bay
* Saint Paul
* Sanctuary
* Sanger
* Sansom Park
* Scurry
* Shady Shores
* Springtown
* Sunnyvale
* Talty
* Trophy Club
* Union Valley
* Van Alstyne (partial)
* Venus
* West Tawakoni
* Westlake
* Westminster*
* Weston
* Westover Hills
* Westworth Village
* Willow Park
* Wilmer
* Wolfe City

Unincorporated places

* Avalon
* Bolivar
* Brock
* Copeville
* Dennis
* Elizabethtown

* Elmo
* Floyd
* Forreston
* Garner
* Greenwood

* Klondike
* Lake Creek
* Lillian
* Merit
* Peaster

* Poolville
* Savannah
* Slidell
* Telico
* Whitt

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 5,161,544 people, 1,881,056 households, and 1,301,993 families residing within the MSA. The racial makeup of the MSA was 69.25% White, 13.88% African American, 0.57% Native American, 3.78% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 10.01% from other races, and 2.43% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 21.65% of the population.

The median income for a household in the MSA 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 MSA was $21,839.

Combined Statistical Area

thumb|250px|Components of the Dallas-Fort Worth Combined Statistical Area.">legend|#FF0000|Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington MSAlegend|#0033FF|Sherman-Denison MSAlegend|#663399|Athens μSAlegend|#99FFFF|Bonham μSAlegend|#CCCCCC|Gainesville μSAlegend|#66FF00|Granbury μSAlegend|#009966|Mineral Wells μSA

The Dallas–Fort Worth Combined Statistical Area is made up of 19 counties in north central Texas. The statistical area includes two metropolitan areas and five micropolitan areas. As of the 2000 Census, the CSA had a population of 5,487,956 (though a July 1, 2007 estimate placed the population at 6,498,410). [cite web |url=http://www.census.gov/popest/metro/tables/2007/CBSA-EST2007-02.csv |title=Table 2. Annual Estimates of the Population of Combined Statistical Areas: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2007 (CBSA-EST2007-02) |format=CSV |work=2007 Population Estimates |publisher=United States Census Bureau, Population Division |date=2008-03-27 |accessdate=2008-03-28] The CSA definition encompasses convert|14628|sqmi|km2|abbr=on. of area, of which convert|14126|sqmi|km2|abbr=on. is land and convert|502|sqmi|km2|abbr=on. is water. The Dallas/Fort Worth Combined Statistical Area is the largest Primary Census Statistical Area (PCSA) in Texas in both area and population.

Components

* Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs)
** Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington (Collin, Dallas, Delta, Denton, Ellis, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant, and Wise counties)
** Sherman-Denison (Grayson County)

* Micropolitan Statistical Areas (μSAs)
** Athens (Henderson County)
** Bonham (Fannin County)
** Gainesville (Cooke County)
** Granbury (Hood and Somervell counties)
** Mineral Wells (Palo Pinto County)

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 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. Hispanic or Latino 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.

Topography

The whole area the metroplex overlooks is mostly prairie with a few rolling hills dotted by man made lakes cut by streams creeks and rivers with most of the forest land near the rivers and creeks and streams. The areas around Dallas are in the blackland prairie named for the fertile black soil so there are cotton, and other crops that grow around Dallas in the following counties Collin, Rockwall, Hunt, Kaufman, rural parts of Dallas county and Ellis County. As these rural areas get developed into suburbs it is pretty common to see cotton fields close adjacent to development and new development is replacing the cotton fields especially in Collin county. North Dallas Southern Denton and Southern Collin county has most of the dense new development of the metroplex. While new development in the other counties around Fort Worth and South and East Dallas is more sprawled or spread out. The land around Fort Worth known as the Barnet Shale and Ft Worth Prairie is prairie but different soil type and being less fertile and more rocky means most of the rural land is used as ranchland and gas wells. This area includes Wise, rural parts of Tarrant, Parker, Johnson, and Denton county. Just like Dallas suburbs new developments are replacing the ranches and its pretty common to see new developments around the ranches and gas wells close to urban development and new developments. South of Dallas and Fort Worth is a line of rugged hills that goes north to south about convert|15|mi|km that looks similar to the Texas Hill Country convert|200|mi|km to the South. This is the most scenic area between Dallas and Fort Worth.

Description of economic activity

The cities of Dallas and Fort Worth are the anchor cities of the Metroplex. Dallas and its suburbs have one of the highest concentrations of corporate headquarters in the United States. As such, one of the largest industries in the Metroplex is conducting business. The Metroplex also contains the largest Information Technology industry base in the state (often referred to as Silicon Prairie), owing to the large number of corporate IT projects and the presence of numerous electronics, computing and telecom firms such as Texas Instruments, Electronic Data Systems, Perot Systems, i2, AT&T, and Verizon in and around Dallas. On the other end of the business spectrum, and on the other side of the Metroplex, the Texas farming and ranching industry is based in Fort Worth. According to the Dallas Business Journal's 2006 Book of Lists, American Airlines is the largest employer in the Metroplex. Several major defense manufacturers, including Lockheed Martin, Bell Helicopter Textron, and Raytheon, maintain significant operations in the Metroplex. ExxonMobil, the #2 corporation on the Fortune 500 listings, is headquartered in Irving, Texas.

Transportation

The Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (IATA airport code: DFW) is the largest airport in the state of Texas. The airport is located between Dallas and Fort Worth. American Airlines, based in Fort Worth, has its headquarters next to DFW Airport. American is the largest airline in the world in terms of passengers transported and fleet size. It is also a predominant leader in domestic routes and operations.

Love Field Airport (IATA Airport Code: DAL) is located in Dallas. Southwest Airlines, based in Dallas, has its headquarters next to Love Field. The airline is considered as a predominant U.S. low-cost airline for domestic routes.

Public transit options exist but are limited in scope. Dallas County has bus service and light rail operated by DART, going as far north as Plano, but there are still many suburbs without service. Denton County has bus service limited to Denton and Lewisville owned by the Denton County Transportation Authority, although a light rail line is planning that would parallel I-35 to connect Carrollton, Lewisville, Lake Dallas, and Denton. Tarrant County has bus service operated by the T available only in Fort Worth. The train that serves Fort Worth and the eastern suburbs is operated by Trinity Railway Express; it connects from downtown Fort Worth to downtown Dallas, where it links to the DART rail system.

The Dallas-Fort Worth area has hundreds of lane miles of freeways and interstates. The Metroplex has the second most freeway per capita in the nation, behind only the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. Like most major metropolitan areas in Texas, most Interstates and freeways have access roads where most of the businesses are located; these access roads have slip ramps that merge onto the freeways and interstates. 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. I-30 connects Dallas and Fort Worth and I-45 connects Dallas to Houston. HOV lanes currently 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, loops 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 342 ultimately connect to I-20 southwest of Dallas make the west bypass around Dallas to complete the loop. 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.

Related topics

* List of major companies in Dallas/Ft.Worth

Largest area private-sector employers

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 were restricted in readership to their own counties; Tarrant County households would never read the "Morning News" and vice versa. As the two cities' suburbs have grown together in recent years, it is now common to find locations where both of the newspapers are sold. This pattern has been repeated in other print media, radio, and television, but 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. A recent phenomenon seen most clearly in the DFW market has been the rise of "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 has 38 AM stations, 58 FM stations (many of them class Cs), and 18 full-power television stations.

See Also:
*
*

Sports

The Metroplex is one of just thirteen American metropolitan areas that has a team in each of the four major professional sports leagues. Major professional sports first came to the area in 1960, when the Dallas Cowboys began competing in the National Football League and the Dallas Texans began competing in the American Football League (the Texans would later relocate to Kansas City and become the Chiefs). In 1972, Major League Baseball's Washington Senators moved to Arlington to become the Texas Rangers. The National Basketball Association expanded into North Texas in 1980 when the Dallas Mavericks were added to the league. The fourth piece was added in 1993 when the Minnesota North Stars of the National Hockey League became the Dallas Stars. The area is also home to many other minor-league professional teams, four colleges that compete in NCAA Division I athletics and has played host to many premiere sports events on both an annual and one-time basis.

Major Professional Sports Teams "Club""Sport""Founded""League""Venue" Dallas CowboysFootball1960NFLTexas StadiumTexas RangersBaseball1972^MLBRangers Ballpark in ArlingtonDallas MavericksBasketball1980NBAAmerican Airlines CenterFC DallasSoccer1996Major League SoccerPizza Hut ParkDallas StarsHockey1993^NHLAmerican Airlines Center^- Indicates year team relocated to the area

Other Professional Teams "Club""Sport""Founded""League""Venue" Dallas DesperadosArena Football2002Arena Football LeagueAmerican Airlines CenterFrisco RoughRidersBaseball2003^Texas LeagueDr Pepper BallparkFort Worth CatsBaseball2001AAIPBLLaGrave FieldGrand Prairie AirHogsBaseball2007AAIPBLQuikTrip ParkFort Worth FlyersBasketball2005NBA D-LeagueFort Worth Convention Center^- Indicates year team relocated to the area

Division I College Athletics "School""City""Nickname""Conference" Texas Christian UniversityFort WorthHorned FrogsMountain WestSouthern Methodist UniversityDallasMustangsConference USAUniversity of North TexasDentonMean GreenSun BeltUniversity of Texas at ArlingtonArlingtonMavericksSouthland

Sports Events Hosted "Event""Sport""Year(s)""Venue" Texas vs. OklahomaCollege Football1912-PresentCotton BowlBattle for the Iron SkilletCollege Football1915-PresentCotton Bowl, Amon G. Carter Stadium, Ownby Stadium, Texas Stadium, Ford StadiumAT&T Cotton BowlCollege Football1937-PresentCotton BowlU.S. OpenGolf1941Colonial Country ClubPGA ChampionshipGolf1927Cedarcrest Golf CourseByron Nelson Golf ClassicGolf1944-PresentMultiple courses in DallasColonial National InvitationalGolf1946-PresentColonial Country ClubU.S. OpenGolf1941Colonial Country ClubPro BowlFootball1973Texas StadiumThe Players ChampionshipGolf1975Colonial Country ClubNBA All-Star GameBasketball1986Reunion ArenaNCAA Men's Final FourBasketball1986Reunion ArenaU.S. Women's OpenGolf1991Colonial Country ClubFIFA World Cup PreliminariesSoccer1994Cotton BowlMLB All-Star GameBaseball1995Rangers Ballpark in ArlingtonSamsung 500Auto Racing1997-PresentTexas Motor SpeedwayBombardier Learjet 550Auto Racing1997-PresentTexas Motor SpeedwayBig 12 Championship GameCollege Football2001, 2009, 2010Texas Stadium, Dallas Cowboys New StadiumBell Helicopter Armed Forces BowlCollege Football2003-PresentAmon G. Carter StadiumDickies 500Auto Racing2005-PresentTexas Motor SpeedwayMLS CupSoccer2005, 2006Pizza Hut ParkNHL All-Star GameHockey2007American Airlines CenterTexas A&M vs. ArkansasFootball2009Dallas Cowboys New StadiumSuper Bowl XLVFootball2011Dallas Cowboys New Stadium

See also

* Census-designated place
* Geology of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex
* United States metropolitan area

Notes

External links

Official sites

* [http://www.ntc-dfw.org/ North Texas Commission]
* [http://www.dfwairport.com/ DFW International Airport]
* [http://www.gdc.org/ Greater Dallas Chamber]
* [http://www.dallasfortworthtravel.com/ Visit Dallas Fort Worth]
* [http://www.metroplexbusiness.com/ Metroplex Business Directory]

Additional information

* Fort Worth Star-Telegram - major Fort Worth newspaper
* Dallas Morning News - major Dallas newspaper
* [http://www.metroplexdaily.com/ Metroplex Daily]
* [http://dallasfortworthtravel.com/ Dallas Fort Worth Travel Guide]
* TourTexas.com: [http://www.tourtexas.com/dfw/ DFW travel and entertainment information guide]

Transportation

* [http://www.dart.org/ DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit) - Dallas Area Bus and Rail Service]
* [http://www.the-t.com/ The "T" (Fort Worth Transportation Authority) - Fort Worth Bus Service]
* [http://www.trinityrailwayexpress.org/ TRE (Trinity Railway Express) - Rail Service]
* [http://www.dcta.net/ DCTA (Denton County Transportation Authority) - Denton/Highland Village/Lewisville Bus Service]