Dallas is known as the “city that works,” in other words people move to Dallas because of its business-friendly environment and its international access due to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Dallas attracts many people because of its low tax base, available land and large work force.
Unique characteristics of Dallas:
- Corporate headquarters - the Dallas-Fort Worth area is home to more than 10,000 corporate headquarters. A few of the Fortune 500 companies based here include Exxon-Mobil (which earned more than $40 billion in 2007, making it the most profitable company in the United States), Texas Instruments (which invented the handheld calculator and the integrated circuit), American Airlines, Electronic Data Systems, J.C. Penney, Kimberley Clark, Southwest Airlines and Neiman Marcus.
- Temperate climate - Dallas residents enjoy year-round outdoor living. While much of the U.S. is experiencing cold weather in the winter months, affluent Dallas residents enjoy entertaining poolside in their outdoor cabanas with kitchens.
- Fashion sense - outside of New York and L.A., no other U.S. city is more fashion-conscious. Luxury retailer Neiman Marcus is based in Dallas. Its president, Stanley Marcus, was responsible for many innovations in the fashion industry. In 1939, he established the annual Neiman Marcus Christmas Catalogue, which became famous for extravagant “his and hers” gifts, such as airplanes.
- Dining - While many cities claim this recognition, studies have shown that Dallas has more restaurants per capita than any city in the United States. Dallasites enjoy eating out often. The city is home to several of the nation’s top chefs, including Dean Fearing (whose Fearings restaurant at The Ritz-Carlton-Dallas was named No. 1 in the U.S. in hotel dining by Zagat), Stephan Pyles (the founding father of Southwestern cuisine) and Kent Rathbun, who has created some of the most talked about restaurant concepts in the nation.
- Shopping - Dallas is not only the home of Neiman Marcus, it is the home of Dallas Market Center, the world’s largest wholesale merchandise resource with more than $8 billion in annual transactions. Shopping is the favorite past time of many Dallasites. The city is home to scores of upscale stores such as Barneys New York, Tiffany & Co. and Nordstrom.
- Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport - in terms of passenger traffic, it is the seventh-busiest airport in the world. It is operated like a small city. It has its own ZIP code, post office and public services. It serves 128 domestic destinations and 36 international destinations, offering Dallasites and visitors to Dallas an ease of access that is rare among American cities.
By: 
Dave Perry-Miller, a luxury real estate expert serving Dallas, TX
