The Essential Guide to Moving to Dallas, Texas

Dallas, Texas really can seem bigger than life: an impressive 385 square miles in a sprawling 1,800-plus Dallas-Fort Worth metro area. If relocating to Dallas—or considering the move—know that the population also continues to grow. In fact, this metro area witnessed the largest population boost in Texas, exceeding eight million people—so, you can benefit from plenty of big city benefits.

If you’re relocating to Dallas, connect with the experienced team at Daryl Flood, the leading moving company in North Texas for over 40 years.

Getting to Dallas

By Car: Moving to Dallas? You’ll want a car. Fortunately, it’s easy to find your way around the metro area, thanks to major highways and interstates like US 75, I-345, and I-45.

By Air: Airports include the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), located twenty miles from downtown Dallas, where you can rent a car, use a rideshare service, or take a taxi. There’s also the Dallas Love Airport.

Things to Do in Dallas

1. Explore the Great Outdoors

The city maintains more than 400 city parks encompassing more than 21,000 acres with playgrounds, trails, lakes, and more. They include the 1,015-acre White Rock Lake in one of the most heavily used parks; this park holds many special events.

At the Cedar Ridge Preserve, not far from downtown, you can participate in a wilderness retreat; thanks to Audubon Dallas, you can explore 600-plus acres of native plant nurseries, butterfly gardens, and more as they maintain natural ecological conditions of the land.

When you want to escape the summer heat, head to Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden and its 66 acres of green spaces. Travel just a bit, and you’re at the Urban Bass Fishing Capital of Texas. Lewisville Lake features 223 miles of shoreline on 9,000 natural acres with people participating in the full spectrum of water sports and more. Meanwhile, the Clear Creek Natural Heritage Center in Denton contains 2,900 acres of hardwood forest along with upland prairie and diverse aquatic habitats. In McKinney, you can combine the best of nature with science at the Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary.

2. Visit Historic Sites

Dallas Heritage Village contains nineteenth-century pioneer homes, Victorian houses, and more, moved from their original locations in North Central Texas to this twenty-acre site. Perot Museum of Nature and Science allows families to see both ancient bones of the dinosaur and distant galaxies in stargazing adventures.

Enjoy the Wild West at nearby Fort Worth’s Stockyards National Historic District in a fascinating living museum where you can enjoy rodeos, watch cattle drivers, see historical artifacts, and participate in a three-acre honky tonk. In Plano, explore the Interurban Railway Museum interactive exhibits focusing upon electricity, science, and history. On Friday, Motorman Harold shares engaging story times for families.

3. Shop Till You Drop

Shopping, it’s been said, is a contact sport in Big D-Town whether you’re indulging in upscale luxury goods or bargain hunting. Retail centers located throughout Dallas include:

• Highland Park Village: Established in 1931, this in-demand, open air, Mediterranean-style shopping locale contains high-end retail stores, restaurants, and a movie theater.
• Dallas Design District: Described as eclectic yet upscale, this urban enclave allows you to browse art galleries and interior design showrooms and more.
• NorthPark Center: Shoppers in this indoor mall make selections of exclusive items from what the website states was once called one of the “7 Retail Wonders of the Modern World.”
• The Galleria Dallas: Shop in 200-plus stores from major retail brands in a four-level enclosed mall—and go ice skating!
• West Village: Find a unique blend of brand names and quirky boutiques in a mixed-use, highly walkable urban development.
• Outlet shopping: When seeking bargains at Grapevine Mills and Allen Premium Outlets, wear your comfy shoes!

4. Family-Friendly Attractions

The Dallas Museum of Art offers special workshops, art camps, and other programs for kids while the Dallas Zoo is both the oldest and the largest zoo in the state: founded in 1888 with two deer and two mountain lions in 1888, it’s now 106 acres. If you take a short drive, you can enjoy:

• Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington
• SEA LIFE Grapevine Aquarium 
• National Videogame Museum in Frisco

Unless you’ve been a lifelong desert dweller, you already know how much people in Dallas adore their sports team, wearing their jerseys, flying their flags, and attending their games. Professional teams include:

• The Dallas Cowboys (NFL) football team
• The Dallas Mavericks (NBA) basketball team
• The Texas Rangers (MLB) baseball team
• The Dallas Wings (WNBA) basketball team
• The Dallas Stars (NHL) hockey team
• FC Dallas (MLS) soccer team

Dallas is also home to the Dallas Roughnecks (American Ultimate Disc League); the Dallas Dragons (rugby); the Cowboy’s $1.2 billion AT&T Stadium (the world’s largest domed structure); and the 12-acre home of the Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Stars, the American Airlines Center.

5. Arts & Culture

This is just a smattering of what you can indulge in when moving to Dallas:

• Dallas Arts District: This is the area’s grand central station, a visual and performing arts hub that includes the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, The Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House, Klyde Warren Park, Nasher Sculpture Center, the Dallas Museum of Art, and more.
• Dallas World Aquarium: Find marine life, otters, penguins, tropical birds, and much more in this rainforest and aviary.
• Irving’s Mustangs of Las Colinas: Tourists visit from around the world to see incredibly realistic bronze sculptures of wild mustangs galloping over a stream.

Dining & Nightlife Options in Dallas

In 2023, DataPanda included Texas in the top three best states for foodies—and the first on its affordability scale. Great food at great prices! It doesn’t get any better than this.

In the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area, you can enjoy the absolute crème de la crème with twenty-two restaurants serving as contenders for Michelin Stars, according to Dallas Morning News, in 2024.

VisitDallas-FortWorth.com includes these in their best-of list as especially good restaurants to try:

• Chamberlain’s Steak & Chop House: Specialties include prime rib, lobster, and crème brulee.
• The French Room: The New York Times calls this “a Louis XV fantasy on the prairie . . . indisputably the most striking and sumptuous restaurant in Dallas.” 
• Mansion in Turtle Creek: Southwestern cuisine is lovingly prepared with local and regional ingredients.
• India West: Authentic northern Indian cuisine is served in an incredibly relaxing atmosphere. 
• Gloria’s Restaurants: Appreciate some of the best Tex-Mex blended with El Salvador’s rich flavors.
• The Oceanaire Seafood Room: Enjoy ultra-fresh seafood flown in daily from around the globe. 

Moving to Dallas and prefer more casual dining? No problem!

Dallas was made for nightlife, too, with numerous breweries, wineries, cocktail bars, live music venues, and more:

• Intrinsic Smokehouse Brewery + BBQ Catering: Imbibe craft beers like Mission Mix Berliner Weisse, flavored with Tang, and Ube Baltic Porter, created in collaboration with doughnut and ice cream shop Scoop and Buns. Plus, dig into amazing barbecue!
• Messina Hof: Head to Grapevine to taste wines at a place that bills itself as “The Most Award-Winning Winery in Texas Producing 100% Texas Wines.” This family-owned winery features a Tuscan-style tasting room and offers vineyard tours.
• Lawnies: This cocktail bar is so chill that they serve their espresso martinis and other drinks in plastic cups. Bring outside food, no problem, have your dog be your plus-one, and enjoy watching sports. 
• The Majestic Theatre: Opened nearly a hundred years ago to feature vaudeville performers, The Majestic now is a place to be for concerts and other performances.

Coffee Shops

Get your caffeine fix, access WiFi hotspots, and relax at Dallas’s coffee shops. They include:

• Ralph & Rose: Sip your coffee indoors or in a tiny garden out back, enjoying small bites and pastries. 
• Pull Through Coffee Bar: Bike riders will appreciate a cafe that’s purpose-built for them. The walk-up window is ideal. 
• LDU Coffee: Pushing back on the WiFi vibe, these locations don’t offer any. So, you can focus on meeting friends and enjoying your espresso martinis. 
• Read Shop: Yep! You can order your favorite coffee and look at curated book selections.

Local Events and Festivals

Must-see events are plentiful, including:

• Riverfront Jazz Festival on Labor Day Weekend: This musical event features some of the best jazz artists in the country—even the world. Vibe to the memorable performances, eat delicious festival foods, and shop merchandise stalls. 
• Texas State Fair: Texas really can be bigger than life and, to see that in action, head to the state fair. Established in 1886, this is the longest-running fair in the country (twenty-four consecutive days!) and one of the largest. 
• St. Patrick’s Day Parade & Festival: Each year, thousands of people become Irish on this special day, wearing green (and, yes, drinking green beer), clapping at more than ninety floats, and engaging in family-friendly activities and good eats. 

Education in Dallas

The Dallas Independent School District (also called Dallas Public Schools) is the state’s second largest school district and the country’s seventeenth largest. In 2024, U.S. News and World Report ranked four of Dallas’s schools in the top 100 out of 25,000 schools nationwide:

• The School for the Talented and Gifted: Ranked #6 with a college readiness score of 99.97 out of 100
• Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School: Ranked #23 with a college readiness score of 99.87 out of 100
• Science and Engineering Magnet School: Ranked #29 with a college readiness score of 99.84 out of 100
• Grand Prairie Collegiate Institute: Ranked #30 with a college readiness score of 96.4out of 100

Texas also offers outstanding education opportunities at colleges and universities. Notable research institutions include:

• University of Texas at Arlington
• University of North Texas at Denton
• University of Texas at Dallas

Other major universities include:

• Texas Woman’s University
• Texas A&M University
• Southern Methodist University
• Texas Christian University

Excellent opportunities are available at community colleges:

• Dallas County Community College District
• Tarrant County College
• Collin College
• North Central Texas College

Dallas Health and Wellness Opportunities

According to U.S. News & World Report, UT Southwestern Medical Center ranks number one in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and second in the entire state. Nationally ranked for eleven adult specialties, it also ranks as “high performing” in nineteen more. Baylor University Medical Center comes in at number two in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, nationally ranked in six specialties and high performing in four specialties and a dozen procedures/consultations. 

The Children’s Medical Center in Dallas nationally ranks for eleven children-related specialties, second best in Texas and in the Southwest region. 

When reviewing the U.S. News & World Report in more depth, numerous other medical facilities in Dallas and the surrounding area rank quite highly.

Dallas Neighborhoods

When relocating to Dallas, TX, you’ll quickly notice how different neighborhoods each have a unique personality reflecting its own ethnic, cultural, and historical diversity. Here are some popular areas.

Downtown

If you like being in the center of the action, living, working, and playing in one spot, then the pace of downtown is right for you. You’ll find office towers, gardens, historic buildings being renovated into residential spaces, modern apartments, and more. You’ll be right by the famed Design District, art galleries, amazing shopping venues, restaurants, and more.

Uptown

This walkable community provides choices in shopping and dining and ease of access to the McKinney Avenue Trolley and DART Rail. Uptown encompasses Oak Lawn; once known as “Little Mexico” and then a hippie haven, housing options now range from older, renovated homes to high-rise luxury apartments.

West Dallas

Once a working-class neighborhood, developers are now investing their time, attention, and wallets in new construction: residential dwellings, for now, and retailers, office space, an urban farm, and more going forward.

East Dallas

Also called Old East Dallas, this land was annexed into Dallas right before the turn of the twentieth century. East Dallas contains the Swiss Avenue Historic district that combines the old with the new—renovated homes and apartments near new bars and restaurants. 

Deep Ellum

Initially settled after the Civil War by formerly enslaved people, this community defines “eclectic.” Located east of downtown Dallas, people live in the midst of funky art galleries, offbeat music venues, and live performances with eye-catching street murals to notice and appreciate. 

Oak Cliff

The Oak Cliff community is both large and diverse. Divided into North, East, Southeast, and Central Oak Cliff, this neighborhood contains the University of North Texas, the Dallas Zoo, and the 263-acre Kiest Park.

The Cedars

Serving as one of Dallas’s oldest districts, it contains unique lofts and unusual office spaces, perfect for its diverse population. Not surprisingly, then, creative business owners are moving into The Cedars with its growing influx of urban dwellers. 

Important Dallas Links

After moving to Dallas and settling in, there are plenty of nuts and bolts that need your attention:

From getting your new Texas driver’s license to finding your local voting precinct. Here’s help:

• Driver’s licenses: Use the convenient search tool at the Texas Department of Public Safety to find the closest driver’s license office. “Mega Centers” streamline the process, giving you a place in line online before you leave home. Also save time by reviewing these Driver’s License FAQs first.
• Voter registration and voting locations: Use the Dallas County Elections website to get all the intel you need about registering and voting.
• Vehicle registration: The helpful “new to Texas” web page on the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles site explains how to register. 
• Utility companies: Power to Choose by the Public Utility Commission of Texas describes electricity options. In the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth, the cities provide water, sewage, and trash collection services. Cable services are offered by companies like AT&T, DISH Network, and DIRECTV.

Although downtown Dallas (and also Fort Worth’s) are quite walkable, when you need public transportation, you really need it. Here are the options:

• Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART): This light rail system has 65 stations with four lines serving 700 square miles across 93 miles in North Texas. 
• Trinity Railway Express: These trains connect the cities Dallas and Fort Worth (with stops along the way) every day except Sunday. You can use Trinity to get to the DFW International Airport.
• DART Bus: Hundreds of buses operate along almost 100 routes, providing nonstop roundtrip service between Dallas’s downtown and five nearby communities. 
• Trinity Metro: This Fort Worth bus system is managed by the Fort Worth Transportation Authority.
• DART M-Line Trolley: Ride this throwback electric streetcar to enjoy a nostalgia trip while you take in the scenery in Uptown Dallas year round—for free.

Contact Our Expert Dallas Movers

When you’re relocating to Dallas, TX or the surrounding area, our Dallas moving company is ready and willing to take you there. Our full range of residential moving services will transport your household goods to Dallas from another Texas city, another state, or even another country. 

Serving the Dallas-Fort Worth area with distinction, we also offer professional packing and unpacking services and storage services. Reach out for a prompt, transparent, free, no-obligation moving quote!