Uptown Love

This hardworking organization ensures Uptown Dallas stays awesome

Imagine your favorite Uptown Dallas activity. Is it brunch in West Village? Window-shopping while strolling through Dallas’ most walkable neighborhood? Chances are you regularly enjoy aspects of this enclave, but do you know who maintains those 30,000 blooming flowers, 42 trash cans, and 4.5 miles of track for the McKinney Avenue Trolley?

The City of Dallas does its part, but it’s the nonprofit management organization Uptown Dallas Inc. that goes above and beyond to make sure the neighborhood is as safe and beautiful as possible.

Nearly 19,000 people call Uptown home, and that number swells every day as people flood in to work, eat, shop, and play. The Public Improvement District known as Uptown Dallas Inc. helps out the city in ways which you’re probably not even aware.

For example, those off-duty police officers strolling and biking around the area to head off any disturbances? That’s UDI. Beautifying and maintaining Uptown’s 58 acres of green space? UDI again. Sidewalk repair and public art installations? Yup, you guessed it.

Close to 600 acres comprise Uptown, less than a square mile that’s bordered by North Central Expressway and Turtle Creek. Among its popular entertainment destinations can be counted West Village, the Quadrangle, and the Crescent, as well as a significant portion of the Katy Trail.

UDI hosts a variety of events as well, bringing the Uptown community together with everything from outdoor movie screenings to happy hours to festive holiday get-togethers.

Nature-filled enclaves also exist, in the form of the recently refurbished Griggs Park and charming Anita Phelps Park. Those pretty medians on Cedar Spring Road are also under UDI’s jurisdiction, which explains why they always look so fresh.

If it seems like this magical service is too good to be true, take a moment and pat yourself on the back. You’re responsible if you’re an Uptown property owner, as you opt to pay a special assessment that funds UDI. So congrats, Uptown, and keep up the good work.

Uptown Dallas Inc. works hard to keep the neighborhood safe, clean, and looking its best.

Photo courtesy of Uptown Dallas Inc.

Uptown Dallas Inc. works hard to keep the neighborhood safe, clean, and looking its best.

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Texas ranks among worst states to have a baby, new report says

Photo by Camylla Battani on Unsplash

The best places to have a baby are in the Midwest and the Northeast, not the South, according to the report.

Texas might be a family friendly state, but it certainly isn't baby friendly, according to a new WalletHub study.

Texas earned a dismal rank as No. 45 in WalletHub's 2026 report "Best and Worst States to Have a Baby," which compared all 50 states and the District of Columbia based on 31 "baby friendliness" metrics, such as affordability, health care accessibility, infant care costs, and others.

The top five best states to have a baby, in order, are: Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Dakota, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire.

Texas ranked 7th worst overall in the U.S. because of how expensive it is to have a child in the state, and because of its low prevalence of healthcare professionals for mothers and children relative to other states.

Across the four main categories in the report, Texas landed 47th nationally for its medical costs, 42nd in healthcare quality, and its baby- and family-friendliness both ranked 34th best in the country.

WalletHub says the average cost for a conventional delivery in the U.S. comes out to more than $15,700, and families with health insurance have an average out-of-pocket cost of about $2,600. The report doesn't break down state-by-state charges, but it ranked Texas 35th and 36th respectively in the national comparisons of states with the lowest costs for hospital cesarean and conventional deliveries.

The cost of childcare is another factor bringing down the state's overall performance, as WalletHub says Texas has the 23rd "best" annual cost of early childcare on average.

Here's how the report broke down the rest of Texas' ranking:

No. 27 – Parental leave policy score
No. 27 – Infant mortality rate
No. 28 – Rate of low-birth weight
No. 44 – Midwives and OB-GYNs per capita
No. 36 – Pediatricians and family medicine physicians per capita
No. 33 – Childcare centers per capita

According to WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo, expecting families should consider living in the states that "minimize costs while providing top-notch care for both newborns and their mothers."

"[The best states] also continue to be good environments for parents even long after the birth, with high-quality pediatric care, affordable and accessible child care, and a strong economic environment that makes providing for a child easier,” Lupo said.

Mississippi (No. 51), Alabama (No. 50), Florida (No. 49), New Mexico (No. 48), Nevada (No. 47), and South Carolina (No. 46) all join Texas at the bottom of the list as the worst states to have a baby.

wallethub texas reports families