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Dallas climbs back up in ranking of 'World's Best Cities' for 2025

Dallas soared to No. 55, up from No. 73.

Dallas has made a big rebound in its status among the top 100 best cities in the world, according to a prestigious new report by Resonance Consultancy.

The Canada-based real estate and tourism marketing advisors ranked Dallas the 55th best city worldwide for 2025 in its annual "World's Best Cities" list.

A ranking of 55 might not seem all that, but it represents a major rebound after Dallas plummeted to No. 73 in last year's report. (Let's ignore the fact that, in 2022, Dallas ranked No. 47.)

London held onto its crown as the No. 1 best city in the world for 2025, followed by New York (No. 2), Paris (No. 3), Tokyo (No. 4), and Singapore (No. 5).

The report quantifies the relative qualities of livability, "lovability," and prosperity for the world's top 100 cities with metropolitan populations of 1 million or more. New to the 10th anniversary edition, Resonance partnered with global market researchers Ipsos to include perception-based data into the rankings, surveying over 22,000 people in 30 countries worldwide to determine "the most desirable places to visit, live or work."

Resonance refers to its previous "World's Best Cities" reports and its 2024 "America's Best Cities" list – which ranked Dallas in the top 20 – when explaining the city's successes. The report praised Dallas' booming population, a thriving corporate economy, and its diverse culture.

"From 2021 to 2022, Dallas experienced the largest population increase of any U.S. metro area, with a net increase of more than 170,000 people, according to the Census Bureau," the report's author wrote. "Home to more than 10,000 corporate headquarters — the largest concentration in the U.S. — the city ranks No. 33 globally for Fortune 500 companies."

Elsewhere in Texas, Austin and Houston also earned spots on the World's Best Cities list for 2025, but only one made a similar rebound from the previous year's rankings. Houston moved up from No. 66 in last year's report to its current rank as No. 40. Meanwhile, Austin took its first tumble out of the 43rd spot (which it had occupied for two years straight) and now ranks No. 53.

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santa's favorite city

Dallas dazzles as the No. 2 most festive city in America this year

Photo by Stevan Koye

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Dallas' holiday spirit is shining extra bright: The city was just named the No. 2 most festive city in the nation according to a recently released annual report by home services provider Thumbtack.

This is the third year in a row that Dallas has prevailed, hanging onto the coveted No. 2 spot since 2022, with only Austin in its way for total list dominance.

The study compiled data from millions of holiday light installation requests across all 50 states between October 2023 to October 2024 to reveal their list of the most festive cities in the nation.

Dallas residents have plenty of citywide light displays to pull inspiration from for their own homes, including the new Coca-Cola Classic Christmas experience in Arlington, Dallas Zoo Lights, and many more.

Texas cities are far merrier than many other places in the country. Austin leads the nation as the No.1 most festive city for the third year in a row, but Houston ranks just behind Dallas in the No. 4 spot. Poor San Antonio saw a drop this year, coming in at No. 10, after previously ranking No. 5 in the 2023 report.

Texans living in Dallas-Fort Worth will have to get creative when it comes to their holiday decorating, as the weather doesn't always cooperate with the classic "White Christmas" theme. But that's to be expected from the No. 3 top warm-weather travel destination nationwide.

"In the milder climates, you probably won’t find a winter wonderland, but you might see plenty of twinkling lights, tinsel, and bold colors outside the traditional red, green, and white palette," the report's author wrote. "Neon baubles, vintage plastic Santa molds, and playful LED lights keep properties festive and bright. Native eucalyptus, olive branches, and succulents are used as greenery in place of traditional pine and fir."

Outsourcing that outdoor holiday decorating will cost a pretty penny, according to Thumbtack's analysts. The study said the average cost to hire a holiday lighting specialist can range from $168-$300, depending on the scope of the project and home size. Thumbtack also recommends Dallasites avoid hiring a lighting specialist during Thanksgiving weekend, which is the time period that sees the highest demand.

Thumbtack's top 10 most festive U.S. cities in 2024 are:

No. 1 – Austin, Texas
No. 2 – Dallas, Texas
No. 3 – Seattle, Washington
No. 4 – Houston, Texas
No. 5 – San Francisco, California
No. 6 – Atlanta, Georgia
No. 7 – Sacramento, California
No. 8 – Charlotte, North Carolina
No. 9 – Raleigh, North Carolina
No. 10 – San Antonio, Texas

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