Hometown Glory

Score one more for Irving: Suburb earns elite business award from PresidentBarack Obama

Irving Mayor Beth Van Duyne at the press conference celebrating the announcementthat Irving had received the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.
Irving, Texas/Facebook
A sculpture at the Irving Arts Center.
Photo courtesy of Irving Arts Center

Everything is coming up Irving these days. Last week, the 75038 zip code in Irving was named the most diverse neighborhood in the country. Now they’ve gone and won the country’s highest award for business practices.

The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, given by the president, recognizes excellence in the workplace, both private and public sector. So far, Irving is only the second city in the country to win the award. Typically, the award is given to private businesses like Xerox or Motorola.

Irving is only the second city in the country to win the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award for business excellence.

As reported in the Dallas Morning News, Irving won for reducing payroll (without laying off anyone), administrative streamlining and cleaning up the streets.

Irving officials estimate that the changes have saved more than $40 million and up to 50,000 man hours.

There is no prize money, but it is expected to help bring more business to the city.

Past recent winners in North Texas include Fort Worth engineering and architectural consultants Freese and Nichols Inc. and Richland College.

Irving officials also credited bringing in a consultant to help city workers prepare for the inspection by Baldrige examiners.

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Fun times in the city

Dallas swings a spot on new list of most fun cities in U.S. for 2024

Topgolf Facebook

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Dallas just wants to have fun, according to WalletHub's new ranking of the most fun cities in America in 2024.

The annual report ranked Dallas No. 31 out of 182 U.S. cities.

WalletHub's experts compared each city using 65 metrics to determine their level of "fun." Metrics were split among three main categories: entertainment and recreation, nightlife and parties, and cost.

According to the study's findings, Dallas was 24th nationally in the category for nightlife and parties, and ranked No. 39 in the "entertainment and recreation" category. That may be especially alluring for anyone who wants to explore the city's vast entertainment opportunities (especially during the holiday season), family-friendly recreational activities, top dining destinations, and more. Plus, Dallas is home to entertainment juggernauts like the State Fair of Texas and TopGolf.

Dallas performed poorly in the overall cost category, earning No. 114 out of all 182 cities. However, this category mostly compares flat costs rather than affordability based on local cost of living.

Potential new Dallasites should do their research before deciding to move here, rather than basing their decision on short trips and vacations alone. But we won't blame them for wanting to live in one of the best cities in the world.

"The top cities offer affordable options for year-round fun for their residents, which is good for residents’ wallets and their mental health," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo in the report.

Austin (No. 6) and Houston (No. 9) were the only Texas cities to earn a spot in the top 10 most fun U.S. cities list. Austin moved up one spot from last year, while Houston made a 10-place jump.

Other fun-filled Texas cities that made it in the top 100 are El Paso (No. 53), Fort Worth (No. 55), Plano (No. 78), Arlington (No. 79), and Corpus Christi (No. 99).

The top 10 most fun U.S. cities are:

No. 1 – Las Vegas, Nevada
No. 2 – Orlando, Florida
No. 3 – Miami, Florida
No. 4 – Atlanta, Georgia
No. 5 – New Orleans, Louisiana
No. 6 – Austin, Texas
No. 7 – San Francisco, California
No. 8 – Chicago, Illinois
No. 9 – Houston, Texas
No. 10 – New York City, New York

Cities were evaluated based on the number of attractions per capita, nightlife activities per capita, the average prices for eating at a restaurant or buying a movie ticket, and more. Data was sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau, The Trust for Public Land, and the Council for Community and Economic Research, among others.

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