Dallas was built primarily on commerce, white-collar endeavors and convention business, and has a reputation as being "less Texan" than Houston or San Antonio (though if you talk to some one from those cities they will tell you that Dallas is "more Texan" ). If you want to see a cowboy hat, you'll have to venture into a Hispanic part of town or head to a honky-tonk. Fort Worth is 30 miles away and a much better bet for "cowboy culture."
Historically, Dallas politics were dominated by the Republican Party, even when the rest of Texas was strongly Democratic. In recent years, however, an influx of people from outside Texas, coupled with a "re-urbanization" of Dallas, has created a liberal atmosphere in Dallas. Indeed, a 2005 study by the Center for Voting Research identified Dallas as the most liberal city in Texas (32nd most liberal in the United States). By way of comparison, Austin, which has long enjoyed a reputation as a liberal oasis in otherwise conservative Texas, was identified as the 93rd most liberal city in America. Living up to this study, the election of 2006 swept Republicans from all contested countywide offices.
With no geographical features to limit its growth, Dallas has accrued suburban sprawl that is among the largest in North America. Nevertheless, recent years have seen large population growth returning to Dallas' urban "Uptown" area, as well as the downtown area and the Victory development (surrounding the American Airlines Center). The "real Dallas" experience is to be had in the large area roughly described by the Dallas North Tollway to the west; White Rock Lake to the East; I-30 to the south; and Northwest Highway to the north. Within that area, it is perfectly possible to get around on public transit, but as in any Sunbelt boomtown (think Atlanta), you're best off with a car at your disposal.
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