love is in the air

Texas scores No. 2 on list of best states in the U.S. for dating

Lots of restaurants make the state a great place for dates.

Good news for singles living in the Lone Star State as Valentine's Day approaches: You may not be lonely for long.

In the latest edition of WalletHub's annual "Best and Worst States for Singles" report, Texas came in at the No. 2 state for dating in 2024.

Texas was beat by only one other state — Florida — but bested dating havens such as California and New York.

Rankings were determined by comparing categories such as dating economics, opportunities, and romance and fun.

Texas tied with California for the most movie theaters per capita, and landed in a four-way tie with California, New York, and Florida for the highest number of restaurants per capita.

Texas ranked highly in other categories such as:

No. 10 – Median annual household income (adjusted for the cost of living)
No. 18 – Mobile-dating opportunities
No. 21 – Online-dating opportunities

"If you fall in love with a Texan and want to move to the state, the good news is that there’s a high rate of employment growth, which shows that the state’s economy is doing well," the report says. "Plus, Texas residents’ search history indicates that there are a lot of people who are interested in dating online – so installing a few apps may be a good idea."

Florida surged to No. 1 best state for dating from 20213, when it was ranked at No. 3. Rounding out the top five best states for dating are California (No. 3), New York (No. 4), and Pennsylvania (No. 5). The worst state was West Virginia, which was No. 50 on the list.

WalletHub analyst Cassandra Happe suggested the best destinations for single people are often those that have a variety of venues that are suitable for dates, like pubs, fun new restaurants, coffee shops, and more.

"Finding love can be tough, but being in the right place can contribute to a successful relationship," Happe said. "The unfortunate tradeoff is that dating usually isn’t cheap in states that provide these ideal conditions."

As Valentine's Day approaches, keeping a few splurge-worthy date ideas top of mind for a significant other may be valuable, but it's equally important to not break the bank just to impress a date. On average, Texans spend about $58 on Valentine's Day, according to a separate report by Casino.org. Residents in Houston are expected to spend the most out of all Texas cities in 2024, with a projected budget of $105.27. Dallas isn't too far behind with an estimated Valentine's Day spending budget of $79.25.

The full report and its methodology can be found at wallethub.com.

texas dating dating in texas wallethub reports

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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