While oil-dependent cities have struggled significantly since the economic downturn, Dallas’ growth continues unabated, drawing startups and established companies alike to set up operations within its metro area. In 2014 its economy surpassed that of Washington, D.C., to become the fifth-largest in the United States, and last year Dallas led Texas cities in Forbes’ 2015 ranking of “The Best Places for Business and Careers.”

Dominated by the cotton and stockyard industries in the late 19th century and the oil boom in the 1930s, Dallas these days is more commonly known as the “Silicon Prairie” for its high concentration of telecommunications and technology companies. High-tech companies headquartered in the northern Dallas suburb of Richardson include AT&T, Samsung, Sprint, Texas Instruments and Verizon.

“We hear three things over and over again from companies that are looking to relocate to the Dallas region: labor quality and availability, central access, and low cost of living and doing business,” says Duane Dankesreiter, senior vice president, business information and research, Dallas Regional Chamber. “Companies are relocating and expanding to the Dallas region to draw on that talent, and people are moving to the area to take advantage of the low cost of living, our quality of life and the availability of great jobs.”

Among the large companies relocating to the Dallas area is Toyota, consolidating its manufacturing, sales and marketing, and corporate offices into a single national headquarters in the suburb of Plano. Set to open in 2016–2017, the site will employ more than 4,000 workers. In nearby Frisco, the Dallas Cowboys organization is developing its own 91-acre site to include the team’s new world headquarters.

Development isn’t limited to the suburbs; as downtown Dallas experiences a revival, more than 8 million square feet of office construction is underway. The largest redevelopment in progress, the former First National Bank Building’s $170 million conversion will transform a single 52-story skyscraper into a mixed-use complex taking up an entire city block. Drawn by the live-work-play environment available downtown, young Dallasites are increasingly making it their residential base.

“We expect to see the continuing resurgence of downtown Dallas next year,” Dankesreiter says. “We have one of the hottest multifamily markets in the country, with over two dozen mid- and high-rise residential towers announced or currently under construction in or near downtown Dallas.”

Created in 2015 as a public-private partnership, the Dallas Innovation Alliance will establish an Innovation District in downtown Dallas’ West End, already home to a concentration of startups and tech companies. The Alliance aims to develop the social and technological infrastructure needed to turn Dallas into a “smart city” for innovation, sustainability and collaboration.

Dallas West End Historic District entrance © Dnaveh | Dreamstime.com

“A major strength of our region is the historical success it’s seen in entrepreneurship — from two founders in a garage to multibillion-dollar exits,” says Michael Sitarzewski, publisher, Launch DFW, a digital news site covering Dallas startups and technology.

The city’s central U.S. location and two world airports — Dallas/Fort Worth International and Dallas Love Field — make it essential not only for manufacturing and distribution but also for business travel. Currently Dallas ranks as the third most popular U.S. city for business travelers and seeks to draw even more with ongoing improvements to infrastructure and convention facilities.

The Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in downtown Dallas offers more than 1 million square feet of space, including the world’s largest column-free exhibit hall. Recently the center completed the first phase of a $60 million expansion that included multimedia conference rooms and renovations to the function areas. Phase Two of construction, begun in 2015, will add another 100,000 square feet of space.

Dallas/Fort Worth Airport, currently the world’s ninthbusiest, plans to build an additional terminal and make improvements to the airfield, cargo areas and parking. Meanwhile, the Texas Central Partners’ plan to link Dallas and Houston via a 90-minute, high-speed train continues to gain support in both cities and recently earned the endorsement of Vice President Joe Biden.

True to the maxim that everything is bigger in Texas, Dallas boasts the largest arts district in the nation, with four of its newest buildings designed by Pritzker prize-winning architects. Even the city’s Trinity River Corridor Project, a $3 billion endeavor to create 10,000 acres of trails and green space, will create one of the largest urban parks in the world.

“If you’re shopping the world for a place to start or grow your company, make sure you spend time getting to know Dallas/Fort Worth,” says Sitarzewski. “It’s what we do.”

SCENIC DRIVES

Just 35 miles south of Dallas in Ennis, Texas, a blanket of bluebonnet flowers covers the countryside every April. Take Interstate 45 south to Ennis for the Bluebonnet Trails Festival in late April, offering live music, art and more than 40 miles of country roads to take in the blue-hued scenery.

Spring also proves an ideal time to visit horse country surrounding Denton, Texas, where numerous farms raise full-bred horses. Tour the area’s farms to learn about the horses and see springtime foals, or just make a leisurely drive on U.S. 377 past white picket fences and rolling green lawns. Denton lies 39 miles north of Dallas on Interstate 35.

If you don’t have time to leave the city limits, Dallas’ Swiss Avenue affords a look back in time at the turn-of-the-century homes of the city’s elite. Erected between 1880 and 1910, the neighborhood’s estates were required to cost at least $10,000, and they include examples of Victorian, Italian Renaissance and Spanish Revival architecture. Enjoy the 2.5-mile stretch, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, as a driving or walking tour.