Saving The Lake

Activists form new grass-roots group to keep White Rock Lake lakey

In April, fans of White Rock Lake came together and helped defeat a proposal for a restaurant at Boy Scout Hill, at the northeast corner of White Rock Lake. Inspired by the community reaction, activist Julie Long Sherrod took the next step and formed a group she hopes will carry the baton.

Called Protect and Preserve White Rock Lake Park (PPWRLP), the entity is designed to permanently protect White Rock Lake from additional commercial development. It has no affiliations with governmental groups or other organizations, and it isn't restricted to people who live near the lake. They’re walkers, bikers, master gardeners and families who want to preserve the park for future generations.

Their goals are to preserve native grassland, protect wildlife and keep the area free to the public. They're also looking at the use of herbicides at the park, mowing practices and other environmental issues.

White Rock Lake is overseen by a nonprofit called the White Rock Conservancy, whose board and advisory group work with the City of Dallas and the Parks Department. The main function of that group is to raise funds to help maintain and improve the lake, the trails and 1,000-plus acres that surround it.

PPWRLP group sees itself as more of an advocacy group and more grass-roots, says member Ted Barker, who lives near the lake and took an active role in the protests against the restaurant at Boy Scout Hill.

"We’re sharing ideas within this group, and one idea is to gather information for a best practices guideline/manual for the Parks Department," Barker says.

They're reaching out to other preservation entities such as the For the Love of the Lake with whom it shared booth space at the recent Earth Day Texas event.

"White Rock Lake is a historic park, well over 100 years old," he says. "We do not believe that diminishing green space is warranted, especially for commercial enterprises."

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north texas tenacity

Dallas and Irving punch in as top 10 hardest-working cities in America

Photo courtesy of Visit Irving

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Dallas and neighboring Irving are proving their tenacity as some of the hardest-working American cities, so says a new study.

WalletHub's annual "Hardest-Working Cities in America (2026)" report ranked the two North Texas cities among the top 10 for 2026. Irving ranked No. 5 nationally, while Dallas came in seventh. Last year, the two cities claimed third and fourth place, respectively.

The personal finance website evaluated 116 U.S. cities based on 11 key indicators across "direct" and "indirect" work factors, such as an individual's average workweek hours, average commute times, employment rates, and more.

The U.S. cities that rounded out the top five include Cheyenne, Wyoming (No. 1); Anchorage, Alaska (No. 2); Washington, D.C. (No. 2); and Sioux Falls, South Dakota (No. 4).

Based on the report's findings, Irving and Dallas have the third- and fifth-best "direct work factors" ranks in the nation, which analyzed residents' average workweek hours, employment rates, the share of households where no adults work, the share of workers leaving vacation time unused, the share of "engaged" workers, and the rate of "idle youth" (residents aged 16-24 that are not in school nor have a job).

"Irving, Texas, has the lowest share of households where no adults work, which is 3.6 times lower than in Detroit, the city with the highest," the report said.

Irving has also emerged as a popular destination for millennials, which make up about a third of the city's total population and a significant chunk of the workforce.

However, both cities lagged behind in the "indirect work factors" ranking. Irving ranked No. 72 in this category, while Dallas ranked 64th. "Indirect" work factors that were considered include residents' average commute times, the share of workers with multiple jobs, the share of residents who participate in local groups or organizations, annual volunteer hours, and residents' average leisure time spent per day.

Arlington, which ranked as the 10th hardest-working city in 2025, dropped five spots and now ranks 15th for 2026. Three more North Texas cities also appeared among the top 25 for 2026: Fort Worth (No. 13), Plano (No. 17), and Garland (No. 24).

Based on data from The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), WalletHub said the average American employee works hundreds of more hours than workers residing in "several other industrialized nations."

"The typical American puts in 1,796 hours per year – 179 more than in Japan, 284 more than in the U.K., and 465 more than in Germany," the report's author wrote. "In recent years, the rise of remote work has, in some cases, extended work hours even further."

Remote work flexibility is extremely prevalent in other Dallas-Fort Worth cities like Frisco and McKinney, which have the top-10 highest rates of remote workers in the nation in 2026.

WalletHub also tracked the nation's lowest and highest employment rates based on the largest city in each state from 2009 to 2024.

Source: WalletHub

Other Texas cities that earned spots on the list include Austin (No. 10), Corpus Christi (No. 14), Laredo (No. 22), Houston (No. 37), El Paso (No. 43), Lubbock (No. 46), and San Antonio (No. 61).

The top 10 hardest working cities in America are:

No. 1 – Cheyenne, Wyoming
No. 2 – Anchorage, Alaska
No. 3 – Washington, D.C.
No. 4 – Sioux Falls, South Dakota
No. 5 – Irving
No. 6 – Nashville
No. 7 – Dallas
No. 8 – San Francisco
No. 9 – Denver
No. 10 – Austin

Data for this study was sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Travel Association, Gallup, Social Science Research Council, and the Corporation for National & Community Service as of January 29, 2026.

wallethub irving dallas reports