Change for the better

2 Dallas-Fort Worth cities shine among the most dynamic in America

Grand Prairie shines as one of America's most dynamic cities.

Photo by Daniel Wheat

In a world that's constantly evolving, a couple of Dallas-Fort Worth cities are leading the charge, according to a new study.

Grand Prairie and Fort Worth are among the 10 most dynamic cities in America, real estate news site Point2 Homes declares. The study looked at 150 U.S. cities, analyzing each across four major categories: human capital, education and culture, economic activity, and housing. Determining the most dynamic came down to which "cities are consistently innovating and developing" and how they "stand out among others."

Grand Prairie comes in at No. 5 overall. Its most notable statistic, says the report, is a 34 percent decline in the number of people living below the poverty line between 2013 and 2017, representing the 13th biggest drop in the U.S.

The city also boasts one of the nation's biggest increases in new residents from outside the city (No. 2), as well as top rankings for number of companies (No. 8), gross domestic product growth (No. 18), and home price appreciation (No. 11).

The study further breaks down the overall list of cities by size, granting Grand Prairie the distinction of being America's most dynamic small city.

To the west, Fort Worth, No. 7 overall, stands out for its 17 percent spike in the number of new companies (No. 5 among cities studied). Fort Worth, the No. 4 most dynamic large city, also tops the charts for population growth (No. 10), increase in jobs (No. 13), decrease in poverty (No. 16), and home price appreciation (No. 22).

Locally, there's a trend. More people and companies are moving to Dallas, too, the 10th most dynamic large city and 24th overall, and GDP here is also on the rise.

DFW isn't the only region in Texas that shines in the study. Austin is the sixth most dynamic large city and 11th overall. The Capital City is attracting new residents and companies and also boasts increasing GDP.

These Texas leaders are in good company. The most dynamic city in America is San Francisco. Seattle; Denver; and Aurora, Colorado, round out the rest of the top five.

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Coworking News

New coworking space to open in Dallas' Oak Lawn neighborhood

Office Evolution

A coworking space is opening in Dallas in a central location: Office Evolution, a Louisville-based coworking chain, will open what a release says is a "state-of-the-art coworking space" at 3500 Oak Lawn Ave. #360 in Dallas at the southeast corner of Lemmon Avenue.

No details on what makes it state-of-the-art, but construction is ongoing and an opening is anticipated in mid-October.

Office Evolution was founded in 2003 as a shared workspace-coworking environment, cultivated on the principles of "Ohana," the Hawaiian tradition that references family working toward a common goal. (The founder was from Hawaii.)

The company started out in Boulder, Colorado, then relocated its headquarters to Louisville. It's an affiliated brand of United Franchise Group, and is part of The Vast Coworking Group, which specializes in franchising within the coworking industry. All of their locations are franchised.

The Dallas location is owned by franchisee Michael Pickering, a Dallas native who runs a family-owned indoor soccer facility in Dallas. (There are two other Office Evolution locations in the DFW area in McKinney and Southlake, owned by different franchisees.)

They're describing the Dallas location at 3500 Oak Lawn Ave. as "Turtle Creek," although its location at Oak Lawn and Lemmon really puts it at the epicenter of Oak Lawn. (To further complicate matters, the building previously and incorrectly described its address as "Uptown.")

It's a seven-story building in which the majority of tenants are doctor and medical offices.

Office Evolution rates include a coworking day pass for $25, plus "flex" office options starting at $200 a month for 20 hours, up to $550 a month for 80 hours.

Amenities of the building that are also accessible to Office Evolution customers include a front desk; a 1,000-square-foot fitness center; covered parking; and on-site security six days a week.

According to a spokesperson, Pickering and his team put $1.2 million into the renovation to transform the space, which occupies most of the fourth floor where it will span 9,240 square feet of space with 41 total offices — one of which is earmarked as an "on-demand office" for the professional on the go.

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