Between Dallas and Fort Worth, right beside DFW Airport, Irving is easy to dismiss as another stretch of the Metroplex. Look closer and Las Colinas has real personality. The Mandalay Canal runs through it with gondola and boat rides, the Mustangs of Las Colinas sculpture is the photo stop, and Water Street's lakefront restaurants and the Toyota Music Factory carry the evenings. About 257,000 people live in the city itself, in a metro of more than eight million.
It is a very diverse place, and Spanish, Hindi, Telugu, Vietnamese, Urdu and Arabic are all heard around town. Costs are about at the national norm and the housing market is flat to slightly soft, with Las Colinas priced well above the rest of the city. Violent crime is below the national median, but vehicle theft is high, so lock up and keep valuables hidden. Summer heat runs 95 to 105 F, spring brings hail and the odd tornado, and highway traffic is heavy at most hours.
