More than eight million people live in the metro area centered on Dallas, a big, business-minded and polished city. Visitors usually start at the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, then head to the Arts District, where the Nasher Sculpture Center, the Dallas Museum of Art and Klyde Warren Park sit close together. The State Fair of Texas in the fall is a local institution, and Fort Worth is only about 30 miles west. Uptown, Bishop Arts and Oak Cliff each have a personality of their own.
This is a car city with long commutes. Costs are moderate, and rents have been falling as new apartments come online, though buying a home is not cheap. Summers regularly pass 100 degrees, and spring brings hail and tornado watches. Violent crime is above the national rate, concentrated in parts of South Dallas, and car break-ins are common in parking lots and garages.
