work life

Dallas logs on as one of best U.S. metros for remote workers in 2023, Forbes says

Daily commute: about 30 seconds from the bedroom to the office.

thumbor.forbes.com

With many companies encouraging - or commanding - remote workers to return to the office in 2023, more and more Americans are seeking employment opportunities that will give them the freedom to work elsewhere.

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington is (remotely) clocking in as the No. 15 best metro area for remote workers in 2023, according to a new study by Forbes Advisor. And that'll probably only get better in this booming Texas region.

The study examined 100 U.S. cities and metro areas, and ranked them based on the earning potential of remote workers, internet access, lifestyle amenities, worker friendliness, living costs, and more.

Reliable wifi during office hours and having great lifestyle amenities are perhaps a remote worker's most important toolset. Flexible workdays coupled with the wide variety of recreational activities around the city earned Dallas No. 4 in the category for "cities with the best access to arts, entertainment, and dining establishments."

Dallas was the only Texas city to make it into the top five in the entertainment access category, with Houston falling behind in No. 8.

While Dallas-Fort-Worth Arlington tied with Wichita, Kansas for the No. 15 spot, the Metroplex reigns as the second-best metro area in Texas for remote workers, behind San Antonio-New Braunfels (No. 6). Surrounding Dallas suburbs like Frisco and Plano have been high on similar lists in the past.

"Remote work saves workers time and money on commuting and office clothing, while keeping their morale and productivity levels high," the report said. "Ideally, you’d live in a place with an affordable cost of living, high earning potential, reliable internet connection, low taxes, a low unemployment rate, and various entertainment options."

Elsewhere in Texas, Austin-Round Rock fell way behind on the overall ranking into No. 39. Surprisingly, Houston (No. 49) barely made it into the top 50, outranked by El Paso (No. 46). McAllen-Edinburg-Mission ranked No. 85.

The top 15 U.S. metro areas for remote workers are:

No. 1 – Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, Florida
No. 2 – Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, Indiana
No. 3 – Omaha-Council Bluffs, Nebraska-Iowa
No. 4 – Tulsa, Oklahoma
No. 5 – Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, Michigan
No. 6 – San Antonio-New Braunfels, Texas
No. 7 – Jacksonville, Florida
No. 8 – Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida
No. 9 – Tucson, Arizona
No. 10 – Cleveland-Elyria, Ohio
No. 11 – Kansas City, Missouri-Kansas
No. 12 – Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Florida
No. 13 – Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin, South Carolina
No. 14 – Rochester, New York
No. 15 – Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington and Wichita, Kansas (tied)

The study can be found on forbes.com.

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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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