THE CITY’S NICKNAME, “BIG D,” could stand for Big Destination as companies and job applicants discover unlimited opportunities in the flourishing Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex of central Texas. Midway between America’s two coasts; a transportation hub of interstate highways, railroads and two busy airports; and with the country’s fourth-highest ranking of Fortune 500 companies, the country’s ninthmost populous metropolitan region teems with projects and programs designed to foster business and growth.

In an economy based on banking and commerce, telecommunications and computer technology, energy and transportation, health care and medical research, the Metroplex boasts one of the largest U.S. concentrations of corporate headquarters for publicly traded companies. Since 2010 more than 75 national companies relocated to the region. Toyota moved thousands of employees to its new Legacy West headquarters in Plano, MoneyGram picked up stakes and moved in from Minneapolis, and Jamba Juice transferred its offices from California. Factoring in expansion of local firms, more than half a million new jobs have been added to the market.

Enhancing a city seen as “a shining example” of business opportunities, the Dallas Regional Chamber worked with member companies to create programs targeted to attract business and talent. A strategic plan of 2015 named initiatives to promote future growth by ensuring good local education and attracting workers and firms to the area.

Recognizing millennials are the key to the future, the DRC launched “Say Yes to Dallas,” a key program enticing talent with diverse job opportunities; an affordable cost of living; unique neighborhoods; unlimited access to parks, culture, arts, sports and entertainment; and “something for everyone.” The sayyestodallas.com website incorporates a jobs portal, cost of living comparison calculator, neighborhood descriptions, articles on dining and entertainment options and testimonials from contented new residents.

Describing Dallas as “the best place to live, work, and do business,” the website dfwfacts.com aims at corporate recruitment. The site promises a welcoming environment with a wealth of resources. The region’s attractive quality of life, strong regional and state economy, low cost of living, skilled labor force, pro-business mindset and absence of corporate and personal income taxes all contribute to the thriving Dallas region. How-to blueprints on figuring taxes, recording registrations, relocating employees and startup processes are provided.

Already a city of colleges, universities and trade schools, Dallas bolsters its efforts with a commitment to supporting and improving education to ensure every child has the tools needed to one day enter and compete in the workforce.

Yoga at Klyde Warren Park © RITU JETHANI | DREAMSTIME

Vast city improvements back up these outreach efforts. Downtown, an urban green space now covers a once divisive section of the Woodall Rodgers Freeway. This new Klyde Warren Park provides walking trails; parks for children and dogs; a performance pavilion; and daily sessions of lectures, yoga and concerts.

To relieve the notorious congestion on I-635 — aka the Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway — that loops the city, a 13-mile stretch of the northern side has been rebuilt and expanded with a section of six new underneath lanes operated as TEX-Express. Tolled for congestion pricing, the lanes effectively double the thruway’s capacity and ease commutes to the newly developing Dallas Midtown, a city within a city of office towers, condo units, luxury hotels, restaurants and boutiques, hiking trails and gyms, a theater and a trolley system linking it to the Galleria Dallas mall.

Bus service and the nation’s longest light rail network support commuters. America’s largest contiguous arts center and the million-square-foot column-free exhibit hall of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center are additional attractive features of a city aiming to become “the most economically prosperous region — and the most desirable place to live, work and do business — in the United States.” DRC vice president Jessica Heer projects unlimited potential: “Project activity is still strong, there is a lot of growth in population and companies, our future is bright.”

SCENIC DRIVES

For an excursion, follow the Dallas Cowboys out to Frisco, where the team relocated its world headquarters and practice fields to The Star, a brand-new, 91-acre campus incorporating a state-of-the-art indoor stadium, restaurants and shops. Guided tours allow fans to see Super Bowl memorabilia; take a stroll along the Nike Star Walk, chronicling 10 milestones of the team’s history; and view the War Room, where the annual NFL draft is conducted. Nearby sports complexes house local hockey, baseball and soccer teams and the National Videogame Museum, where visitors can play on the world’s largest Pong console.

Just 20 minutes northwest of Dallas, Irving is home to the Toyota Music Factory, offering concerts and performances in many of its two dozen restaurants and bars, including a branch of the popular Alamo Draft House Cinema that screens films for dining movie fans. Adjacent Las Colinas features Old World Mandalay Canals, a section of office buildings, shops and restaurants where visitors stroll along tree-lined paths beside swimming waterfowl. A breathtaking bronze sculpture of nine wild mustangs gallops across pink granite Williams Square, and an essential stop includes partaking of squash enchiladas at Via Reál, a beloved Southwestern-style restaurant.