Dallas Stats & Fun Facts

Find interesting facts about Dallas, including trivia, history, facts for kids, and the Dallas Cowboys.

Population

Dallas is the 9th largest city in the US and the third largest in Texas with a population of 1,300,239.

Location

Dallas is located in the Central Time Zone in North Central Texas, 30 miles east of Fort Worth, 240 miles north, northwest of Houston and 300 miles north of the Gulf of Mexico.

Dallas is the county seat of Dallas County. Some portions of the city also extend into Collin, Denton, Kaufman and Rockwall counties.

Dallas is part of the largest metropolitan area in the southern United States and is the largest inland metropolitan area in the US without a navigatable link to the sea.

Elevation

The city's elevation varies between 450-750 feet above sea level.

Taxes (Sales, Hotel Occupancy)

Sales - 8.25%; Hotel Occupancy - 13%

Annual Visitors

Dallas attracts 25.7 million annual visitors, contributing to the total 68.4 million who visit the Metroplex area each year.

Hotel Rooms

35,559 hotel rooms in Dallas provide accommodations for any preference and price point.

Centrally Located

Dallas is within a four-hour flight from almost all North American destinations. It is served by two airports, Dallas Fort Worth International and Dallas Love Field, providing more than 2,272 daily flights combined. AMTRAK also provides daily service to Dallas via Union Station.

For those that prefer to drive, below are the closest major cities to Dallas, the distance and the approximate drive time between them.

CityMilesDrive Time
Austin, TX1953 hours
Fort Worth, TX3040 minutes
Houston, TX2404 hours
Kansas City, MO4898.5 hours
Little Rock, AR3205 hours
Memphis, TN4528.5 hours
New Orleans, LA5208 hours
Oklahoma City, OK2073.5 hours
San Antonio, TX2754.5 hours
Shreveport, LA1873 hours
Texarkana, TX180

3 hours

Topeka, KS5018 hours
Tulsa, OK2584.5 Hours
Wichita, KS3636 hours

Climate - Annual Averages

Snow days: 1.3

Snowfall: 1 inch

Rain days: 81 days

Rainfall: 39.1 inches

Temperature – January: 56°/37°

Temperature – April: 77°/56°

Temperature – July: 96°/77°

Temperature – October: 79°/58°

Climate – Records

Snowfall: 11.2 inches, February 11, 2010

Rainfall: 5.28 inches, June 11, 2009

Coldest temperature: -3°, January 18, 1930

Hottest temperature: 112°, July 22, 2018, and June 27, 1980

Business Climate

The Dallas area is home to 24 Fortune 500 companies, including AT&T, HF Sinclair, Southwest Airlines, Texas Instruments, and others.

Sports & Recreation

The Dallas area is home to several professional sports teams: Dallas Cowboys (NFL); Dallas Stars (NHL); Dallas Mavericks (NBA); Texas Rangers (MLB); Dallas Wings (WNBA); FC Dallas (MLS); Dallas Jackals (rugby); Arlington Renegades (XFL) plus NASCAR and Indy racing. The area is also home to horse racing and more than 200 golf courses.

Dallas Fun Facts

  • The frozen margarita machine was invented in Dallas by restauranteur Mariano Martinez. The original machine now resides in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.
  • The integrated circuit computer chip (which became the microchip) was invented in Dallas in 1958 by Jack Kilby, an engineer at Texas Instruments.
  • At 52 feet tall, the State Fair of Texas mascot, 'Big Tex,' is the tallest cowboy in Texas.
  • With the roof enclosed, the Statue of Liberty could fit inside the Dallas Cowboys' AT&T Stadium.
  • The Galleria Dallas is home to the country's tallest indoor Christmas tree (95 feet tall) during the winter holiday season.
  • The Dallas Arts District is the largest urban arts district in the United States.
  • When completed, the Trinity River Corridor Project will be more than ten times the size of New York's Central Park.
  • Developed in 1931, Highland Park Village Shopping Center was America's first planned shopping center.
  • The world's first convenience store, 7-Eleven, opened in 1927 in Dallas. The corporation is still headquartered here today.
  • The Dallas Zoo, which opened in 1888, is the oldest zoo in Texas and one of the ten oldest zoos in the U.S.
  • The Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex is home to 27 billionaires.
  • Lamar Hunt, the founder of the American Football League and son of oil tycoon H.L. Hunt, was a noted Dallas resident when he coined the term 'Super Bowl.'
  • A few celebrities born in Dallas: Ernie Banks, Erykah Badu, Nick Jonas, Drew Brees, Sharon Tate, Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson, Robin Wright, Usher, Jensen Ackles, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Gina Carano, Meatloaf, Jordan Spieth, Vanilla Ice, Melinda Gates, Chris Bosh, Morgan Fairchild, Grant Hill, Jenna Bush Hager, and Aaron Spelling.
  • A few movies/TV series filmed in the area: Dallas; Silkwood; Tenet; Office Space; Places in the Heart; RoboCop; Born on the Fourth of July; Walker, Texas Ranger; Prison Break; Hard Knocks; JFK; Logan's Run; Bottle Rocket; Dr. T & the Women; and The Good Guys.
  • The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is Texas's No. 1 visitor and leisure destination.
  • The Dallas Public Library permanently displays one of the original copies of the Declaration of Independence, printed on July 4, 1776, and the First Folio of William Shakespeare's "Comedies, Histories & Tragedies."