Who are all these people? By DON NICHOLS Special
Contributor / The Dallas Morning News
More than 5 million people
call the Dallas-Fort Worth area home, and their reasons
for doing so are as individual as they are. But among the
three main categories of residents – singles, families
and senior citizens – most tend to list similar advantages
of living here. They cheer about the area's moderate climate,
affordability, great shopping and central location, the
last of which makes it easy to visit family and friends
in other parts of the country.
This consensus about North Texas' livability comes from
three groups whose interests and priorities sometimes vary
dramatically.
Here's a closer look at who
lives in this area and the lifestyles they lead.
SINGLES
Melinda
Judd participates in a three-minute date at a Plano
restaurant.
Ryan Donnell / Special to DMN
A SOPHISTICATED REGION SUCH
AS THE DALLAS-Fort Worth area attracts young singles by
the droves. They often come for career opportunities, then
discover they like much about living in the area.
Singles find their housing
options especially good, with plenty of centrally located
choices. In Dallas, for example, all the recent development
in Uptown has significantly increased the number of modern,
well-appointed apartments near downtown. For those with
tastes for nests that run more bohemian, many New York-style
lofts are filling up with tenants just east of downtown
and in Deep Ellum.
Instead of slaving in their
apartment kitchens cooking for themselves, many singles
eat their meals out, on dates or just get-togethers with
friends. That's easy enough to do here because the area
overflows with dining choices – from hole-in-the-wall
dives to five-star establishments. Most any type of cuisine
is available, too, so any craving can usually be satisfied.
After dinner, the party gets
crankin' with all the entertainment options you'd expect
in a big city. In Dallas, much of the action takes place
in jam-packed nightclubs and bars in Uptown, Deep Ellum
and Lower Greenville. Some of the glitziest hot spots cater
to the see-and-be-seen crowd, but these same stylish folks
seem out of place at other hip joints, where the clientele
leans toward artsy, not trendy. In Fort Worth, the singles
scene is hottest in downtown's Sundance Square and in the
cultural district, west of downtown.
The party scene isn't for
everyone, however, and those singles who shy away from it
find plenty of other diversions – from professional
sports events to cultural attractions, especially the world-class
museums. FAMILIES
THROUGHOUT THE REGION,
YOU'LL FIND parents busy raising their children.
Mona
Reeder / DMN
The
al-Amin family of Richardson watches 13-month-old
Yaqin learn to walk.
One of the biggest reasons
they've chosen this area to do so: the relatively low cost
of living compared with many other major metropolitan areas.
Most families can afford comfortable homes with nice yards
in appealing neighborhoods. Year to date, the median price
of single-family homes in Dallas is about $150,000, according
to North Texas Real Estate Information Systems.
Of course, all moms and dads
worry about the quality of education for their children,
and most parents give high marks to the area's learning
options. Public schools, private schools, magnet schools
– the area has them all, many of them award-winning.
When their kids aren't in
the classroom learning, parents have plenty of options to
keep the kids busy and entertained, especially with all
the youth sports leagues. Baseball, basketball, football,
hockey, soccer – whatever the sport, you can find
a league your children can join to develop their athleticism
and competitive spirit.
The area is also rich with
parks, lakes, zoos, gardens and other outdoor attractions,
and just as many indoor attractions – from museums
and aquariums to science centers and children's theaters.
Many moms and dads
also find the area's diversity a major plus. People of many
different nationalities live here, so open-minded parents
easily introduce their children to other cultures and teach
them to appreciate and be accepting of others' social traditions.
SENIORS
Lara Solt / DMN
Judy
Russell bowls during the Plano Senior Games in April.
NEARLY 500,000 PEOPLE OLDER
THAN 60 LIVE in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, according to
social-service agencies in the various counties. The people
who run these agencies say numerous factors make the area
appealing to people in their golden years.
Seniors especially give a
thumbs-up to the housing options. Those who are still active
and healthy may buy luxury homes or lease well-appointed
apartments in gated residential communities designed for
seniors. These communities typically offer a variety of
amenities, from heated pools and gyms to walking paths and
golf courses. If aging begins to slow them down and they
must re-evaluate their living arrangements, seniors still
have numerous choices – everything from assisted-living
facilities to nursing homes.
Whatever their medical needs,
seniors usually get them satisfied through the area's sophisticated
health-care system. Besides providing top-quality medical
care, most major hospitals also have geriatric departments
staffed with doctors and other professionals specially trained
to provide care to older people.
If they need additional help,
older patients don't have to fend for themselves upon discharge
from hospitals. The health-care facilities work closely
with social-service agencies and usually assist seniors
in arranging for whatever services they need back at home.
These agencies provide seniors
with a wide range of aid, from meals to home-health nursing.
Plus, various organizations throughout the area operate
more than 60 senior centers, where older people can spend
their days socializing with one another and taking part
in a variety of activities, which might include classes
in computers or foreign languages and physical-fitness programs.
