Family Fun

Dallas outranks nearly every other U.S. city for family friendliness

Dallas is one of America's top cities for young families.

Photo by WJNPHOTO

Raising kids is one of life's most rewarding journeys. And if you live in Dallas, you're off to a great start, as we've been named one of the best city for young families.

Personal finance website ValuePenguin determined the family-friendly spots by analyzing 16 key metrics that fit into five categories: for working parents, for buying or renting a home, for education and environment, for the outdoors, and for safety and healthcare. Of the 156 cities studied, Dallas ranks No. 5.

Dallas ranks No. 13 for outdoor activities, our highest individual score, as the mild weather and proximity of sports stadiums encourage kids to get outside.

For working parents, Dallas ranks 26th, with the unemployment rate coming in much better than the national average. We rank No. 15 for education and environment, where contributing factors include a high percentage of kids in the population and high state university rankings.

There's no doubt that Dallas is a desirable place to live, but we oddly lose some points on affordability. We rank No. 79 in the real estate category mainly because of real estate taxes.

Our lowest mark, however, is in the safety and healthcare category. Our No. 129 ranking is due to higher crime rates and lower hospital ratings.

Dallas is not the only Texas hot spot for young families. Austin takes the No. 1 spot, followed by Houston at No. 2. San Antonio lands at No. 14.

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Politics News

Dallas narrows down field for new city manager to 4 candidates

Photo by R K on Unsplash

This is an Dallasite's sign to launch that small business they've been dreaming of.

After six months without a city manager, the city of Dallas has narrowed down the field of replacements to four semifinalists including one serving as current interim city manager, plus candidates from Fort Worth, Michigan, and Georgia.

Dallas has been without a city manager since May, when previous city manager T.C. Broadnax left to take a job with the city of Austin. Since that time, Broadnax's former chief of staff Kimberly Bizor Tolbert has served as interim city manager.

The city retained Baker Tilly, a consulting firm, to recruit and compile candidates. (Baker Tilly famously erred in the brochure it created for the position by featuring a photo of the Houston skyline instead of Dallas; they've since replaced it with Dallas.)

A spokesperson for Baker Tilly did not respond to inquiries but according to D Magazine, an email listing the candidates has been sent to the Dallas City Council.

The semifinalists include:

Kimberly Bizor Tolbert, Dallas’ current interim city manager
William Johnson, an assistant city manager in Fort Worth
Mark Washington, the city manager of Grand Rapids, Michigan
Zachary Williams, a county chief operating officer in Georgia

All have more than 25 years' of public administration experience and have worked in similar capacities in their respective cities.

Before working in Fort Worth, Johnson was Baltimore’s transportation director and Atlanta’s deputy chief operating officer and public works commissioner.

Washington worked in Fort Worth and Austin before becoming Grand Rapids’ city manager.

Williams has mostly worked in Georgia at the county level, including serving as county manager in Fulton County and chief operating officer in DeKalb County.

Tolbert began working for the city in 1998, first as the city manager’s assistant and later in the aviation department. Broadnax hired her as his chief of staff in 2017.

Unlike the Mayor and the Dallas City Council, the city manager position in Dallas is not elected but is instead appointed by the city council, and is tasked with executing policies, overseeing the annual budget, and managing staff at city hall.

The council’s Ad Hoc Committee will choose finalists, introduce them to the public, and make an offer in early 2025.

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