turkey day destinations

Dallas gobbles up top-20 spot on list of best U.S. cities for Thanksgiving

Dallas even has its own Thanks-Giving Square.

Courtesy photo

For Dallasites, there's no place like home for Thanksgiving feasts and festivities. So says a new WalletHub study, "Best Places to go for Thanksgiving (2023)," which ranks Dallas the 17th best city for Turkey Day this year.

Dallas fell four places from its No. 13 ranking in WalletHub's 2022 report but still landed highest among North Texas cities.

The study analyzed the largest 100 American cities based on 18 metrics to determine the best places for Thanksgiving, such as the number of pumpkin patches per capita, the average cost of a Thanksgiving dinner, the number of volunteer opportunities, the average weather forecast, and more. The metrics were then organized into five overall categories to determine the rankings.

The category that Dallas ranked the highest in was the number of celebrations and traditions (No. 2), while the lowest-ranked category was for safety and accessibility (No. 93). Other categories that determined Dallas' overall ranking were affordability (No. 44), a "giving thanks" rank (No. 33), and the average weather forecast during the holiday period (No. 48).

Abundant lists of local restaurants offering dining-in or to-go options on Thanksgiving surely can't hurt the city's ranking (and offer more reason for home cooks to give thanks). A big Dallas Cowboys game starring Dolly Parton at halftime doesn't hurt, either.

Other Dallas-Fort Worth-area cities that made it into the top 100 include:

No. 29 – Irving
No. 36 – Fort Worth
No. 38 – Plano
No. 55 – Garland
No. 78 – Arlington

Those who plan to travel over the holiday weekend should note that San Francisco, California (No. 1) tops the overall list, followed by its Golden State neighbors San Jose (No. 2) and San Diego (No. 3). Rounding out the top five is Scottsdale, Arizona (No. 4) and Raleigh, North Carolina (No. 5).

Thanksgiving weekend spending
The study also revealed that Americans spent an average of $325 per person during the brief window between Thanksgiving Day and Cyber Monday in 2022.

For Texans wanting to celebrate Thanksgiving while adhering to their budget, Queens University of Charlotte professor Bradley W. Brooks suggested keeping an eye on the cost of the household's food purchases.

"Most Thanksgiving hosts prepare far more food than necessary for the number of guests," Brooks explained. "Having leftover food can be good for a couple of days, but it is not essential. The turkey is often the most costly item on the Thanksgiving menu, and it is often the item with the most leftovers. Serving multiple dessert options is often an unnecessary added cost to the menu as well."

Brooks further reminds Americans that the commercialization of Thanksgiving shouldn't outweigh the true purpose behind the holiday: Being thankful for your loved ones and your inner community.

"The commercialization might seem excessive," Brooks said. "But, at its core Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday. No amount of commercialization can take that away. It is up to the consumer to have the right attitude – regardless of how commercialized Thanksgiving has become."

More information about the report can be found at wallethub.com.

thanksgiving reports wallethub rankings holidays holiday weekend dallas

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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