Dallas is the third largest city in Texas and the ninth largest in the United States. As of 2006, U.S. Census estimates put Dallas at a population of 1,298,816. Dallas is one of 11 U.S. world-class cities, according to the Globalization and World Cities Study Group & Network.

Dallas was founded in 1841 and formally incorporated as a city in 1856. In its early days, Dallas was a trade route and cotton was the important crop. Its convenient location on rail lines along with the cattle industry in Fort Worth secured its place as a financial center. Explosive growth came in the 1930s when oil was discovered nearby.

Today Dallas is known for telecommunications, computer technology, banking, and transportation. Texas Instruments employs 10,400 people at its corporate headquarters and chip plants in Dallas. Other companies with headquarters in Dallas include ExxonMobil, EDS, 7-Eleven, Southwest Airlines, Blockbuster, Kimberly-Clark, DR Horton Homes, ENSCO Offshore Drilling, Zales, and Oak Farms Dairy.

Each neighborhood in Dallas has its own flavor. Some of these include: Downtown is the urban center with shops, restaurants, and nightlife. Neighborhoods Downtown include the West End Historic District, the Arts District, the Main Street District, Farmers Market District, the City Center business district, the Convention Center District, the Reunion District and Victory Park.

East Dallas is home to Deep Ellum, which was popular in the 1920s and 1930s as a jazz and blues hotspot. It is now a trendy arts area.

Lake Highlands is one of the most unified neighborhoods in the city.

In North Dallas you'll find mansions along with strong middle and upper-class communities.

The Cedars in South Dallas is an eclectic arts neighborhood.

The Arts District of downtown features the Dallas Museum of Art, the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, The Trammell & Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art, the Nasher Sculpture Center, the Meadows Museum at Southern Methodist University, and nearby The Dallas Contemporary. Dallas is one of the few cities in the United States with an Office of Cultural Affairs department in the city government.

The Arts District is also home to Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. Strong schools are a Dallas tradition. In a Newsweek survey in 2006, two Dallas magnet schools ranked in the top eight. The School for the Talented and Gifted was named the best public school in the U.S. The Science and Engineering Magnet was named the eighth best public school.

Along with an array of professional sports teams, such as the Dallas Cowboys football team, shopping, entertainment, and cultural events, Dallas also has ample open space. Its 406 parks occupy 21,000 acres. Fair Park was originally created to host the Texas Centennial Exposition in 1936. The Dallas Zoo, which opened in 1888, is Texas's largest zoo.

The median age is 30 years; the median income for a household in the city is $37,628, and the median income for a family is $40,921.