Fitness news

Plano recruits new Dallas Cowboys-approved health and fitness center

Frisco might be football mecca, but the Cowboys' star is shooting to Plano for a new health and fitness center that lets guests work out like the pros. Cowboys Fit Plano opened June 25 at 4817 West Park Blvd., Ste 800.

According to a release, the 45,000-square-foot facility is filled with the same cutting-edge equipment used in the Cowboys’ training facility and the same “train like one of us” experience central to the original Cowboys Fit location, which is at The Star in Frisco.

“We’re very proud to build on the success of the original Cowboys Fit by bringing a second iteration to the Plano community,” says Jerry Jones Jr., executive vice president and chief sales and marketing officer for the Dallas Cowboys, in a release. “Health and fitness are key pillars for our business, so creating another inspiring and motivating environment where people can work out like a Dallas Cowboy was a no-brainer.”

Although members are not promised the chance to hit a treadmill next to Dak or Zeke, there's no mistaking the Cowboys brand. Logos and images are emblazoned on walls, floors, and on the website. A ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 25 included Cowboys VP Charlotte Jones Anderson, as well as Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.

The company says gym members will have access to offerings and amenities including:

• State-of-the-art free weights and weight machines alongside an indoor sports turf field, Olympic weights and platforms, and boxing and functional equipment
• Indoor cycling and group fitness classes, including barre, circuit training, and yoga
• Performance and personal training programs with elite trainers
• Behind-the-scenes access to the team’s world headquarters (with dual location membership options)
• Recovery lounge, featuring innovations such as cryotherapy, hydro massage, normatech recovery, and tanning
• On-site childcare

According to the website, individual, couples, and family memberships are available, starting at just over $50 per month, excluding fees. To celebrate the opening, the gym is offering two weeks free. (Check the website for details and promo code.)

Cowboys Fit is staffed with a fitness director and certified personal trainers who look like they know their way around a weight room. Mark Mastrov, chairman of New Evolution Ventures and founder of 24 Hour Fitness, is at the helm.

“We have no doubt that Cowboys Fit Plano will be an exceptional addition to the Plano community,” Mastrov says in the release.

There's no mistaking that it's a Cowboys-branded gym.

Photo by James D. Smith and Jeremiah Jhass

There's no mistaking that it's a Cowboys-branded gym.

health sports

family values

Dallas sees Texas' biggest one-year jump in cost of raising kids

Courtesy of SmartAsset/iStock

Raising a child in Dallas will cost parents over $23,000 this year.

Raising a child is not an easy or inexpensive feat, and a new study has determined Dallas parents are saddled with the second-highest costs for childrearing in Texas, with expenses jumping higher than any other metro statewide since 2025.

SmartAsset's latest report, "Cost of Raising a Child in Major U.S. Metros – 2026 Study," calculated year-over-year changes in the annual cost of raising a child (factoring in childcare, additional housing costs, food, transportation, medical costs and other necessities) in the 48 largest U.S. metro areas. MIT's Living Wage Calculator was used to compare the living costs of a household with two working adults and one child to that of a childless household with two working adults.

Childrearing costs in Dallas-Fort Worth have grown 4.5 percent since last year, totaling $23,340 for a family of three in 2026. That's over $1,000 more than what it took to raise a child in 2025, and it's $1,414 higher than what it took in 2024.

This is how SmartAsset broke down the cost for raising a child in Dallas:

Cost of childcare: $10,736
Cost of food: $1,826
Other expenses: $10,778

Though Dallas has the second-steepest costs for raising a child in Texas, the metro is actually much more affordable than most other places in the U.S.: DFW ranked 39th in SmartAsset's national list of cities with the highest childrearing costs in 2026, making it the 10th most affordable U.S. metro for raising a family.

San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont in California topped the list with the highest childrearing costs in the U.S., at $43,171. The cost for raising a child in this California metro soared nearly 11 percent higher since last year.

Memphis, Tennessee ranked dead last as the most affordable U.S. metro for raising a child in 2026. Families will spend less than $20,000 to raise a child in Memphis, only 3.24 percent more than what was needed in 2025.

Raising a child in other Texas metros
It may come as no surprise that Austin is the most expensive place to raise a child in Texas, and it appeared as the 31st most expensive U.S. metro for families. Parents will spend nearly $25,000 to raise a child in the state's capital city, which is $703 higher than it was a year ago.

Meanwhile, San Antonio-New Braunfels is the most affordable metro in the Lone Star State for raising a family, and it's the third-most affordable place for raising a child nationwide. San Antonio parents will spend $21,393, or $448 more than last year, on their childrearing costs.

Houston also ranked among the top 10 most affordable U.S. metros for raising a child, landing in 7th place nationally, with childrearing costs adding up to $22,605 in 2026. That's only $737 more than last year.

The top 10 most affordable U.S. metros for raising a child in 2026 are:

No. 1 – Memphis, Tennessee ($19,922)
No. 2 – Nashville, Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin, Tennessee ($21,216)
No. 3 – San Antonio-New Braunfels ($21,393)
No. 4 – Birmingham, Alabama ($21,684)
No. 5 – Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, Virginia ($22,314)
No. 6 – Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, Georgia ($22,470)
No. 7 – Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands ($22,605)
No. 8 – Richmond, Virginia ($22,658)
No. 9 – Louisville/Jefferson County, Kentucky ($23,270)
No. 10 – Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington ($23,340)

family dallas fort worth arlington smartasset reports livability