Culture of Dallas, Texas

This article is about the culture of Dallas, Texas (USA).

People and Politics

In a larger context, the Dallas-area is seen as right-wing politically, with a heavy cultural emphasis placed on Protestant Christianity and close historical and cultural ties to both the rugged American West and agricultural South. The popular television series "Dallas" bolstered this view epitomizing the city with wealthy oil barons, big hair, and cowboy hats. However, present-day Dallas as a singular entity can be seen as fairly liberal, even exceptionally so relative to its position in what is seen as an extremely conservative area—in the 2004 presidential election, 75.05% of Dallas voters voted for the Democratic candidate. [ [http://alt.coxnewsweb.com/statesman/metro/081205libs.pdf The Bay Area Center for Voting Research - The Most Conservative and Liberal Cities in the United States] . (PDF). Retrieved 09 November 2006] [ [http://www.uselectionatlas.org/ United States Election Atlas] - [http://www.uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/statesub.php?year=2004&fips=48113&f=0&off=0&elect=0 2004 Presidential Election Results for Dallas County, Texas] . Retrieved 21 October 2006.] In the 2006 elections for Dallas County judges, 41 out of 42 seats went to Democrats.

The city has historically been predominantly white but its population diversified as it grew in size and importance over the 20th century. The largest ethnic minority group in the city is the Hispanics—Dallas is a major destination for Mexican immigrants seeking opportunity in the United States because it is relatively close, along with the rest of Texas, to the U.S.–Mexico border. The southwest area of the city, especially Oak Cliff, is predominantly or completely Hispanic. The southern areas of the city, especially Pleasant Grove, are predominantly Black. The eastern parts of the city are mostly white and the northwestern portion of the city is home to a fairly equal mix of Hispanics and Blacks. The city also contains localized populations of Chinese, Taiwanese, Korean, Indian, German, Muslim, Polish, Russian and Jewish peoples.

Cuisine

Dallas is renowned for barbecue, authentic Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine. Famous products of the Dallas culinary scene include El Fenix, Mi Cocina, Bone Daddy's Barbecue, the Mansion on Turtle Creek, and the frozen margarita. [" [http://www.dallasnews.com/ Dallas Morning News] ". " [http://www.dallasnews.com/s/dws/news/city/lakewood/stories/DN-margarita_09met.ART.West.Edition2.4242abd.html One man's invention, forever frozen in time] ." By Colleen McCain Nelson. Originally published 9 October 2005. Retrieved 20 October 2006.] On average, Dallasites eat out about four times every week, which is the third highest rate in the country, behind Houston and Austin, and Dallas has more restaurants per capita than New York City. [ [http://www.zagat.com/ Zagat Surveys] - [http://www.zagat.com/about/about.aspx?menu=PR49 Dining Out More, For Less] . Retrieved 19 October 2006.] [ [http://www.visitdallas.com/ Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau] - [http://www.visitdallas.com/media/press_releases.php?id=18&category=5359 Deep in the Heart of Dallas] . Retrieved 19 October 2006.]

Arts

Dallas is the center of the North Texas region's art scene. Some areas known especially for the local art and culture include:

The Arts District of downtown is home to several arts venues, both existing and proposed. Notable venues in the district include the Dallas Museum of Art, the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, The Trammell & Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art and the Nasher Sculpture Center. Venues currently under construction or planned include the Winspear Opera House and the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts. The district is also home to DISD's Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, which is currently being expanded. [ [http://www.artsmagnet.org/ Artsmagnet.org] - Retrieved 20 April 2006.]

Deep Ellum originally became popular during the 1920s and 1930s as the prime jazz and blues hotspot in the south. Artists such as Blind Lemon Jefferson, Robert Johnson, Huddie "Leadbelly" Ledbetter, and Bessie Smith played in original Deep Ellum clubs like The Harlem and The Palace. Today, Deep Ellum is home to hundreds of artists who live in lofts and operate in studios throughout the district alongside bars, pubs, and concert venues. One major art infusion in the area is the city's lax stance on graffiti, thusly several public ways including tunnels, sides of buildings, sidewalks, and streets are covered in murals.

The Cedars is home to a growing population of studio artists and an expanding host of entertainment venues as well. The area's art scene began to grow in the early 2000s with the opening of Southside on Lamar, a Sears warehouse converted into lofts, studios, and retail. Current attractions include Gilley's Dallas and Poor David's Pub. Entrepreneur Mark Cuban recently purchased land in the area near Cedars Station, and locals speculate that he is planning an entertainment complex. [ [http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/classifieds/news/homecenter/realestate/stories/DN-cuban_01bus.ART.State.Edition2.13bfde7f.html DallasNews.com - Mark Cuban snaps up tracts near downtown] . Retrieved 20 April 2006.]

The Bishop Arts District in Oak Cliff is home to a growing number of studio artists living in converted warehouses. Walls of buildings along alleyways and streets are painted with murals and the surrounding district is home to many eclectic restaurants and shops.

Media

Dallas has a significant number of local newspapers, magazines, television stations and radio stations that serve the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex as a whole, which is one of the largest media markets in the United States.

Dallas has a daily newspaper, "The Dallas Morning News", which was founded in 1885 by A. H. Belo and is Belo Corp's flagship newspaper. The "Dallas Times Herald", started in 1888, was the "Morning News"'s major competitor until Belo purchased the paper on 8 December 1991 and closed the paper down the next day. Other daily papers that operate currently are "Al Día", a Spanish-language paper, and "Quick", a free, summary-style version of "The News", both put out by Belo.

Other significant paper-publications include the "Dallas Observer", an alternative weekly newspaper, and "D Magazine", a monthly magazine about business, life, and entertainment in the metroplex.

The Dallas area also has a station from every major television broadcasting network — KDFW 4 (FOX), KXAS 5 (NBC), WFAA 8 (ABC) (also owned by Belo), KTVT 11 (CBS), KERA 13 (PBS), KTXA-21 (UPN), KUVN 23 (UNI), KDAF 33 (The WB/"The CW") and KXTX 39 (TMD).

Dallas is also served by a large amount of radio stations. Because of the city's centrally-located position and lack of nearby mountainous terrain, many high-strength attenae in the city have bands that can broadcast as far off as North Dakota and can be used as emergency broadcasting antennae when broadcasting is down in other major metropolitan areas in the United States.

The Texas Jewish Post serves the Jewish community of Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas.

Religion

There is a large Protestant Christian influence in the Dallas community and the city is deep within the Bible Belt—Methodist and Baptist churches are prominent in many neighborhoods and anchor the city's two major private universities. The Cathedral of Hope, an LGBT Protestant church, is the largest congregation of its kind in the world. [ [http://www.cathedralofhope.com/ Cathedralofhope.com] - [http://www.cathedralofhope.com/history/index.php History] . Retrieved 17 April 2006.] The city is also home to a sizable Mormon community, which led The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to build a major temple in the city in 1984.

The Catholic church is also a significant organization in the community—it operates a major university in Irving and its Cathedral Santuario de Guadalupe in the Arts District oversees the second-largest membership in the United States. Dallas is also home to three Eastern Orthodox Christian churches. [ [http://www.superpages.com/ SuperPages] - [http://www.superpages.com/yellowpages/C-Orthodox+Churches/S-TX/T-Dallas/ Orthodox churches in Dallas, Texas] . Retrieved 13 October 2006.]

Dallas has a large Jewish community, many of whom reside in eastern and northern Dallas. [ [http://www.jewishdallas.org/ The Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas] - [http://www.jewishdallas.org/content_display.html?ArticleID=23497 Congregations] . Retrieved on 20 October 2006.] . Temple Emanu-El, one of the largest synagogues in the South and Southwest, was founded in 1873. The community is presently led by Rabbi David E. Stern. See the History of the Jews in Dallas, Texas‎. [ [http://www.huc.edu/newspubs/pressroom/07/7/stern.shtml Temple Emanu-El of Dallas] . Retrieved on 07 November 2007.]

Dallas' most significant Muslim community lies in the city's northern and northeastern suburbs, and a strong Hindu community exists in Irving and other northwestern suburbs.

Events

The most notable event held in Dallas is the State Fair of Texas, held annually at Fair Park since 1886. The fair is a massive event for the state of Texas and brings an estimated US$350 million to the city's economy annually. The Red River Shootout (UT-OU) game at the Cotton Bowl and other Cotton Bowl games also bring significant crowds to the city.

Other festivals in the area include Cinco de Mayo festivities hosted by the city's large Mexican population, Saint Patrick's Day parades in Irish communities especially along east Dallas' Lower Greenville Avenue, Juneteenth festivities, the Greek Food Festival of Dallas, and an annual Halloween parade on Oak Lawn Avenue.

Architecture

Most of the notable architecture in Dallas is modernist and postmodernist. Iconic examples of modernist architecture include I. M. Pei's Fountain Place, the Bank of America Plaza, Renaissance Tower, and Reunion Tower. Examples of postmodernist architecture include the JPMorgan Chase Tower and Comerica Bank Tower. Several smaller structures are fashioned in the Gothic Revival and neoclassical styles. One architectural "hotbed" in the city is a stretch of homes along Swiss Avenue, which contains all shades and variants of architecture from victorian to neoclassical.

References

External links

* [http://www.dallascityhall.com City of Dallas] - [http://www.dallasculture.org/ Office of Cultural Affairs]