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WSJ has to be nice, but I can ask... what is the actual appeal of Dallas?
The location is not within driving distance of something you'd wanna live near to go to regularly (like outdoor recreation).
Humidity is awful. Weather in general is not a plus. Traffic not a plus. Education doesn't stand out. Healthcare doesn't stand out.
The Aquarium is amazing, and they have every store on the planet. Maybe the latter is what most of us humans care about most.
Others didn't mention but restaraunts are top tier. Obviously I miss the steakhouses most, and TexMex and Mexican (both different, both great in the city), but there is a huge amount of great ethnic food as well (Vietnamese, Thai, Indian, etc) as well. Most cities I've moved to since have been a downgrade. I'm not even sure if NYC was an upgrade in that respect (prices are part of the equation).
Other than that I agree with the other comments.
If I had to distill it down, it caters to both the Nouveau Rich lifestyle, and the upper middle class suburban lifestyle exceptionally well. If you want to build a business, go out regularly to bars and restaraunts and have an active social life, show off your Aston Martin valet parked in front of the restaurant, etc, it's an easy city to exist in. If you want to pretend to be that, a great many people enjoy that lifestyle as well. Likewise for the McMansion with a pool lifestyle in the outer areas.
That's a good chunk of DFW. Now add to that that it's a big, lively city and there is of course some cool areas and culture that transcends Lamborghinis (you may have to search a bit), and there's enough there to sum up to a city with more appeal than many.
That said, many will look straight down the middle and say "it's a gaudy hot concrete wasteland, and you wouldn't be wrong. I certainly saw it that way for the most part.
Back to the food though, I really do miss it. I hypothesize that the mcmansions out in the suburbs (the vast areas full of people who work at the many corporate headquarters in the city and buy for work rather than love of a neighborhood) are full of people that literally don't cook at home. The restaurant ratio to population is off the charts.
The Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex is largely unremarkable in itself. Its appeal lies in its job market, abundant sunshine, extensive shopping options, and relatively affordable cost of living. While life here may not be exciting, it is comfortable, quiet, and the living is easy.
The airport is a bonus; you can fly directly to almost anywhere in the world.
You’re right about the weather. It’s awful. It is sunny. If you want outdoor recreation, forget it. It is hot hot. Disagree about healthcare; just go to UTSW they have all specialties and are terrific. 25 years ago Dallas could boast about its sports teams; now we are cursed with ineptitude beyond belief.
Dallas’ unofficial motto is Keep Dallas Boring. That was our plan to keep people from moving here. Apparently it hasn’t worked.