Daily life
The Metroplex
thuh MET-ruh-pleks
Dallas–Fort Worth and the thirteen counties around it. Coined by a local ad agency in 1972 and now the standard name for a region of eight million people.
The Park Cities
thuh park SIT-eez
Highland Park and University Park — two independent municipalities entirely surrounded by Dallas, with their own police, their own school district and very different tax bills.
Transport
Frontage road
FRUN-tij rohd
The service road running parallel to a motorway, lined with shops and restaurants. Texas builds these everywhere, and an address 'on the frontage road' is normal, not a warning.
Texas U-turn
—
The dedicated lane that loops you under a motorway from one frontage road to the other without a traffic light. Once you understand it, Texas road design suddenly makes sense.
The High Five
thuh hy fyv
The five-level stack interchange where I-635 meets US-75. Traffic reports assume you know it, and so does every set of directions.
TollTag
TOHL-tag
The North Texas Tollway Authority transponder. Without one, the toll roads photograph your plate and bill you at a substantially higher rate by post.
Culture
Y'all Street
yawl street
The half-joking name for Dallas's fast-growing finance cluster, after the NYSE's Texas exchange and a wave of Wall Street back-office relocations.
Big Tex
big teks
The 55-foot talking cowboy who presides over the State Fair of Texas at Fair Park each September and October. He burned down in 2012 and the city genuinely mourned.
Deep Ellum
deep EL-um
The live music and bar district east of downtown — a corruption of 'Deep Elm Street'. Historically the centre of Dallas blues and jazz.
Food
Queso
KAY-so
Melted cheese dip served with chips before the meal. In Texas it is a course rather than a condiment, and every Dallas family has a firm position on the best one.
Emergency
911 / 311
nine-one-one / three-one-one
911 for emergencies; 311 for City of Dallas services — code complaints, potholes, bulk trash, water.
Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.