Richest in Dallas

These Dallas billionaires rank among the richest people in America

Mark Cuban makes the rich list.

Chewthedirt.com

Forbes says it's harder than ever to make the list of the 400 Richest Americans. The cut-off point for this year's list, released September 29, is $1.7 billion, the highest it’s been in the 33 years that the magazine has tracked American wealth.

Even so, 36 Texans made the list. However, most of the Texans dropped down on the list, largely due to the fall in energy stocks and the rise of high-tech entrepreneurs with higher net worths.

In Dallas, 12 billionaires made the list, led by college-dropout-turned-investor Andrew Beal at No. 42. Although Beal has a net worth of $10.9 billion, he lost more than $1.2 billion from last year, when he was No. 38, with a net worth of $12.1 billion. Other Dallasites on the list including the following:

No. 76: Robert Rowling, investor, $6.1 billion
No. 83: Ray Lee Hunt, oil/real estate, $5.6 billion
No. 86: Kelcy Warren, pipelines, $5.5 billion
No. 90: Trevor Reese-Jones, oil and gas, $5.3 billion
No. 94: Jerry Jones, Dallas Cowboys owner, $5 billion
No. 138: H. Ross Perot, computer services/real estate, $4 billion
No. 211: Mark Cuban, Dallas Mavericks owner, $3 billion
No. 211: Ray Davis, pipelines, $3 billion
No. 211: Richard Rainwater, investments, $3 billion (Rainwater passed away just before the list was released)
No 293: W. Herbert Hunt, oil, $2.3 billion
No. 327: Gerald Ford, banking, $2.1 billion

Fort Worth billionaires
Fort Worth resident Alice Walton led all Texans on the list at No. 12, with an estimated net worth of $32 billion. She, too, dropped several places from last year's list, when she was at No. 9, with an estimated net worth of $34.9 million.

Others from Fort Worth on the list are Robert Bass (No. 211, net worth $3 billion, oil/investments); David Bonderman (No. 256, $2.6 billion, private equity); Edward Bass, Lee Bass, and Sid Bass (tied at No. 342, $2 billion each, private investments); and Timothy Headington (No. 358, $1.9 billion, oil and gas and investments).

Houston billionaires
Leading the list of Houstonians once again is Rich Kinder at No. 52, with an estimated net worth of $8.9 billion. But Kinder's wealth declined nearly $2 billion from last year, when he was ranked No. 41, with a net worth of $10.7 billion.

Other Houstonians on the list:

No. 73: Jeffrey Hildebrand, oil, $6.3 billion
No. 94: Dannine Avavara, pipelines, $5 billion
No. 94: Scott Duncan, pipelines, $5 billion
No. 94: Milane Frantz, pipelines, $5 billion
No. 94: Randa Williams, pipelines, $5 billion
No. 164: Dan Friedkin, owner/CEO Gulf States Toyota, $3.6 billion
No. 194: Bob McNair, Houston Texans owner, $3.3 billion
No. 227: John Arnold, founder Centaurus Advisors, $2.9 billion
No. 279: George Bishop, oil, $2.4 billion
No. 293: Tilman Fertitta, chairman/CEO Fertitta Entertainment, $2.3 billion
No. 372: Fayez Sarofim, investor, $1.85 billion

Austin billionaires
Austin's richest individual, computer magnate Michael Dell, rose to No. 23 on the list. His net worth is estimated at $19.1 billion, up from $17.7 billion (and No. 25 ranking) a year ago. John Paul DeJoria comes in at No. 234. The hair care and tequila mogul is worth an estimated $2.8 billion.

Austin-based investor Robert Smith ranks No. 268, with an estimated $2.5 billion. Smith is one of the few African-Americans on the entire list.

The rest of the state
San Antonio supermarket owner Charles Butt is ranked No. 44, with a net worth of $10.7 billion. Former Houston Astros owner Drayton McLane Jr., who lives in Temple, rounds out the Texans on the list at No. 375, with a net worth of $1.8 billion.

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E-Cigarette News

Dallas City Council places restrictions on vaping in public

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Man vaping

Vaping will now be banned exactly like smoking, thanks to a new ordinance from the Dallas City Council.

At their December 11 meeting, the council passed an ordinance to ban vaping in all the same areas where smoking is not allowed. It'll go into effect on December 11, 2025 — giving everyone a year to get into compliance.

Proposed by City of Dallas Environmental Commission (EVC) and the Office of Environmental Quality and Sustainability (OEQS), the ordinance amends the definition of “smoking” in the Dallas City Code to include the use of vaping devices.

The ordinance does not ban vaping — it only bans where you can vape: no vaping in all indoor and enclosed spaces; within 15 feet of building entrances; and on park property. The ordinance also bans marijuana smoking in those same places.

In addition, the amendment requires restaurants, hotels, fitness centers and other businesses to update their signage to clearly state that both smoking and electronic smoking devices are prohibited.

The ordinance already earned widespread support from health organizations such as the Dallas County Health and Human Services, the American Lung Association, and the American Heart Association. These organizations, along with the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Surgeon General, have all raised concerns about the health risks of direct and second-hand exposure to vaping aerosols, particularly for vulnerable populations such as children and older adults.

Dallas is not the first city to impose such a ban: San Antonio enacted a similar ban in October. Theirs goes into effect on January 1, 2025.

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