You’ll never guess what the most popular answer here is
Posted by drabpriest@reddit | Dallas | View on Reddit | 238 comments
Posted by drabpriest@reddit | Dallas | View on Reddit | 238 comments
Present_Hurry5950@reddit
“DaLlAs HaS nO cUlTuRe”
Wildly diverse Metroplex.
That’s culture.
theRealRodel@reddit
Dallas is definitely in the running for largest city with no culture. Yes it has art, museums, music and good food, but so does most major city with a metroplex of 7 million. What exactly sets Dallas apart?
Commercial-Maize-646@reddit
90% of cities have nothing extremely unique setting them apart. It's a very high bar to meet.
boyyouguysaredumb@reddit
People want a digestible cartoonified stereotype of a big city so they can “understand it”
Dallas evades that and people hate us for it
DFWTooThrowed@reddit
Tbf distinct identities between large cities just isn’t that much of a thing (compared to 30+ years ago) as everything has become more culturally homogeneous in these large cities.
Culturally speaking, metros such as Atlanta, Dallas and Phoenix are far more similar to each other than they are other cities in their states.
showMeYourPitties10@reddit
I will say NYC is still different than most cities. If I didn't have a family, I would live there. But for family life, Dallas suburbs are hard to beat.
arlenroy@reddit
Exactly, the Dallas suburbs, especially the ones to the north that have absolutely fucking boomed, are the flat ground yuppie mecca. There is nothing wrong with that. People are afforded to live comfortable lives, it aids to the economic system, people bring something to the table of society. Unfortunately, there isn't much cultural differences, everyone has a recipe from their Nana for potato salad, or special sweet tea, not a big mix.
dallaswatchdude@reddit
There's an enormous Indian and asain population up north, you make it sound very white, which it ain't.
Present_Hurry5950@reddit
Exactly. Frisco is wildly diverse.
bright1111@reddit
High school football culture is a culture
frosty122@reddit
Maybe on paper, but having lived in all three of those cities I couldn't disagree more.
Atlanta is at its core a city rooted in black southern culture, with a city-culture that feels much older than it actually is.
While Atlanta is sprawling, Phoenix and DFW are on another level.
tmc00138@reddit
This is right, but I wouldn't say that Dallas evades cartoonification, I'd say that Dallas overwhelms any attempt to cartoonify it. This is a gorgeous beast of a town, and people default to blindness about it because it's too much for them to take on board.
duck-butters@reddit
I think the problem is there's nothing to do or see except shop, eat, and road rage
ItsJustAPoleThang@reddit
That is so not true lmao
InfernalBiryani@reddit
I’ve been living here my entire life and that basically sums it up tbh. I don’t mind it that much, but realistically I can’t think of any reason for people to come here for tourism that they won’t find elsewhere. That could just be because I’m so accustomed to everything though lol.
ItsJustAPoleThang@reddit
We have great bbq and honestly restaurants in general here, multiple amusement parks, many places to go to for nightlife, club of different genres of music, we have cultural spots like Ktown in Carrollton, Resorts, Go Karts, music festival, food and drink festivals, rock climbing place, amazing museums of any genere, one of the best gayborhoods Ive been to in Texas, skating rinks, etc..
I have lived here my whole life, and the one thing I learned is that it's not that Dallas lacks anything; it's that you haven't looked and seen what you can do here.
bright1111@reddit
Yes! There is always something to do, it may be spread out and you need to go find it. It’s not like smaller cities, where if a convention or festival comes to town, the crowd fucks up the whole daily pace of living.
InfernalBiryani@reddit
I will definitely agree on the restaurants. Compared to other places in America, Dallas is incredibly abundant in halal places to eat, which is one of the biggest pluses for me and why I’ll never move from here willingly lol.
alpaca_obsessor@reddit
With the exception of the BBQ you just listed a bunch of things that any city over a million people would have (which other places are arguably better at a lot).
prohan01@reddit
Yes amazing BBQ but it does not compare to a city like for example, San Diego that has some of the best beaches in the country, the best zoo in the world, 4 pages worth of Michelin Star restaurants, mountains that in the middle of July you can trail since the weather is perfect. Just mentioning San Diego since I was there not long ago, but you could bring up Chicago, NY, Seattle or LA and they would all have everything Dallas has but more of it and often times better. Dallas doesn’t lack any urban attractions, just natural ones, but the urban attractions it has are not even up to par with other major metropolitan areas…. But hey we have amazing BBQ
bright1111@reddit
We are desensitized to the modernity… people come visit from places that really suck… or from places that are more imbalanced, the excel at something but it comes at a cost. Brief example: we have fairly decent light rail. It’s no NYC rail that can take you everywhere, but you also aren’t get mugged and assaulted on our rail. Maybe slightly uncomfortable because there might be a wild card on there.
Csharp27@reddit
You definitely have to find your own fun. There’s really nothing touristy, but there’s plenty to get into hobby wise. Having said that, I’d be gone in a heartbeat if I didn’t have family roots here.
Uliopz@reddit
Having lived here all my life, that is some of the most Dallas has to offer. Especially the road rage part
TexasReallyDoesSuck@reddit
do you live in the burbs
TheWizard@reddit
Thats an issue with most big cities. One often needs to go somewhere to enjoy more options.
LightsStayOnInFrisco@reddit
As opposed to what? Cave diving in the city?
Cinnamon_Bark@reddit
Your point is that its so amazing that people cant understand it? Lmao please the cope is ridiculous. Dallas is a nice city but let's not get carried away
iambeyoncealways3@reddit
Exactly!!!
TheBlackBaron@reddit
Yeah. I find that a lot of people that complain about culture want some kind easily Instagrammed, curated experience of living in a city, especially one thing that stands in for the rest of it. Austin has tubing down the river, Nashville has Lower Broadway, etc. Dallas doesn't really have that, because it's too large, but it also doesn't have the fantasy of New York or LA.
Houston always somehow avoids coming up in these conversations. I don't know why. Sometimes they catch a stray over the 12 lane highways, though.
Lancasterbation@reddit
There's not much tubing in Austin. Paddle-boarding, yes, but not tubing. The river is not safe for swimming. You might be thinking of San Marcos or New Braunfels.
theRealRodel@reddit
Yeah I agree with that. Why I mentioned it being in the running. Ft. Worth has its cowboy cattle culture and San Antonio has the Alamo and Mexican culture. Austin has been known for its music for awhile and has SXSW as an iconic annual event. Even if the city has lost some of its weird independent vibe and is more corporate now. Houston and Dallas I’d say are the odd cities out in terms of culture.
I mean our biggest unique tourist spot is a museum dedicated to a presidential assassination.
bright1111@reddit
Houston and Dallas are the 2 largest Metros after NYC, LA, Chicago… people are choosing it for a reason. Your city doesn’t need to be a nonstop circus every weekend
boldjoy0050@reddit
I don't find that to be the case. Most of the big cities in the country have unique architecture, some kind of local cuisine, a local accent, and other things that set them apart. Some examples are:
San Francisco: Bay windows, unique hilly streets, artsy/hippie vibe
St Louis: Row houses, BBQ ribs, toasted ravioli and provel cheese pizza
Chicago: Hot dogs and Italian beef, dozens of neighborhoods with different vibes, the lake, well known architectural masterpiece buildings
I can't think of a single thing that's unique about Dallas
Legal-Replacement-54@reddit
Massive amounts of highways on top of each other
sweet_greggo@reddit
What are examples of cities with an identifiable culture?
ScarHand69@reddit
History. Dallas is young. Nobody really lived here permanently until a trading post was set up in the Old West. Basically a way-station for settlers heading west. Then it became a major railway hub and the rest followed.
Any metro in the Us that has “culture” has it because they’re older or have a more varied history. New Orleans, San Antonio, NYC…all of those cities have vibrant and rich histories.
theRealRodel@reddit
Good point. I’d say for most of its life as a city it’s been more of a regional city and it’s only within the last 30 years it’s become a national and international one.
playballer@reddit
First generation immigrants in the past didn’t land here, but their kids are coming here for jobs and housing
jesuisunvampir@reddit
Is that why it was known as "Cotton Capital of the World" or people in communist Romania knew about the Ewing family and who shot JR?
playballer@reddit
When people say how diverse DFW is, I agree, but it’s easily 2 or 3 decades behind places like LA and Houston.
LumpyPhilosopher8@reddit
It actually has the second largest arts district in the US. This city overall has an incredible arts community. Whether it's live theater, music or visual arts - you can find it in Dallas.
playballer@reddit
Metrics like this just don’t translate to a cultural experience on the street and amongst the people. Having to “find it” is part of the problem in a metro so large. Living in other places, they kind of ooze with a shared kinship between neighbors and fellow citizens. More locally owned businesses versus chains. It’s kind of hard to explain unless you’ve experienced it. Simply having art and museums and live music, this doesn’t do anything to bring people together and unify the city or anything like that.
The most culturally significant things I’ve seen since I’ve lived here in 20 years are Mavs winning finals and everyone hates Nico. The things that make people want to talk with their neighbors about or celebrate in the streets about. That’s the type of culture people are talking about about when they say Dallas lacks it.
HorseCockExpress6969@reddit
Our culture is that we don't have culture because we actually have any culture you could want
Bardfinn@reddit
don't worry, in 3 years we will have only one culture. And so will every other city.
1933 all over again
seekingamber@reddit
3 years is being a little generous, dontcha think?
SimpleVegetable5715@reddit
If you ever go to another city like NYC, or especially another country, they can tell Texans apart from other Americans, and it's not just by our accents.
boldjoy0050@reddit
Texas has a unique culture, but there's nothing unique about Dallas.
Ferrari_McFly@reddit
This is actually it. There’s not a single subculture that dominates the city’s image. Just goes to show how much more multifaceted and how much more of a melting pot it is imo.
“SA has a strong Mexican culture” yeah so does Dallas in East Dallas, Oak Cliff, West Dallas, etc.
“Austin has the music and art” yeah so does Deep Ellum, the Cedars, Exposition Park, Design District, the actual Arts District, and so on.
tmc00138@reddit
"San Antonio has the South Asian culture, and the East Asian culture, and the Euro expat culture." Whoops, nope.
"Austin has the sports culture." Whoops, nope.
"Houston has the tech and finance culture." Whoops, nope.
"NYC has the car culture." Whoops, nope.
"LA has the country culture." Whoops, nope.
I could go on. Like I say, these complain-about-Dallas threads are extravaganzas of unacknowledged blindness.
InfernalBiryani@reddit
South and East Asian culture tends to be more prevalent in the Plano-Frisco area.
Delicious_Hand527@reddit
LA has a 'country culture' - they play bro-country a lot. In restaurants, people's houses, from radios on beaches. They need a 'Texas country culture' instead IMO. They also have regular horse parks in their cities. You can ride horses even right outside Compton CA.
Infamous_Grass6333@reddit
You forgot Bishops Art District... however small it is.
divideds0ul@reddit
Good food? Nah. Houston yes, but Dallas? lol
mikeincedarpark@reddit
As someone who moved to Dallas from Austin I feel the area has waayyyyy more culture and things to do and way more culture. I see it as the diversity is the culture of the area. The festivals, the art shows, the parks, the arboretum, etc.
Just my opinion as someone who moved from a smaller city to the metroplex.
2CHINZZZ@reddit
Did you actually live in Austin or just Cedar Park?
mikeincedarpark@reddit
Lived in Austin for almost 20 years (started at riverside for college and then lived near dps on Lamar for a long time) before getting a home in the burbs when I got married.
IMO the only culture is copying other cities, there was never anything original to Austin once the spread started. It is a college town that has grown only because property was cheap for tech companies.
Having a a few different type of grocery stores (Fiesta, Phoenicia, meat markets etc.) never impressed me in Austin like the markets and stores do in Dallas region. In Dallas we have entire areas dedicated are to different cultures.
I went to music and other festivals for years and saw the culture melt away as big corporations took over sponsorship (ACL, Sxsw, pecan street, etc.) the weird fun part of Austin melted away for corporate America.
Maybe it’s the Austin brat in me not appreciating it and appreciating Dallas more as a transplant. I find myself going to so many different festivals held by the churches, synagogues, temples etc here that never existed in Austin area. Also find myself learning so much more about the other cultures through meeting people here that are willing to teach.
bright1111@reddit
I used to say this often when I was a UT student 20 years ago…. North Austin wants to be Dallas and South Austin wants to SF, West Austin wants to be LA
mikeincedarpark@reddit
That is a good one! And very true.
tmc00138@reddit
This is such a blinkered, whitebread, couch-bound criticism. There is no more global city in the US than Dallas - the other two that are in our league are NYC and LA, each of which is roughly twice the size. This place is bursting with fascinating, welcoming culture of all sorts, that is somehow entirely invisible to everybody who shows up in these cookie-cutter threads on reddit with the same old carbon-copy complaints. The idea that this global megacity is somehow devoid of culture is ridiculous on its face, and it says much more about every person who parrots it than it says about this city.
By way of background, I grew up in rural areas here in the US and in three other fairly large cities; then lived in Manhattan for 20 years; and have also spent extended stretches in each of London, Geneva, Dubai and Hong Kong. I love the arts, and good food, and most of all, genuinely diverse community, with people from all over the world. And I'm telling everybody: If you actually believe that this town is devoid of culture, then that is a failure, and it is entirely on you.
MostExperts@reddit
Hate to break it to you, but Dallas isn't even the most global city in Texas. That's Houston.
There are 22 foreign embassies in Dallas.
There are over 90 in Houston.
I lived abroad in Europe for awhile. Most people I talked to thought Houston was the capital of Texas and had never heard of Austin. The show Dallas was apparently popular in France though, they would all sing the theme song at me lol
bright1111@reddit
The embassy count is the only metric I am halfway jealous that Houston beats us on. Every other item those size queens try to flaunt are inconsequential:
More square miles in the central city, doesn’t matter, because it’s still suburban sprawl with a Houston address.
Most diverse—- barely, Dallas is plenty diverse
Widest highway —- who cares
More hospitals—— weird flex
Better food —— not a wide enough gap to be consequential
currycourtesan@reddit
Imagine trying to put Dallas in the same league as NYC/LA 😂😂
foppishmanabouttown@reddit
Here, here! I couldn't agree with you more. Dallas is incredibly diverse and quite badass, you just have to make a little effort.
ChefMikeDFW@reddit
I agree with you.
I'm really hoping someone will define what "culture" means in this context. If Dallas has none, neither do cities that are larger. Once you get past a certain size, "culture" is multifaceted because there is no one singular thing that will say this city is "this."
Dallas has a ton going on but it has no beaches (which is major due to the stupid hot summers), we don't see snow on the regular, and it really is isolated from destinations so it feels like there is nothing else. I'm wondering if that is the reason.
Cranium-of-morgoth@reddit
If we’re gonna have these talks it’s also worth asking whoever you are talking to what culture means to them
theRealRodel@reddit
Thank you for this. The OG post specifically mentions character and culture of a city. It also leaves it open to personal definition to culture.
For me Dallas has a ton of cultures mixing together but doesn’t possess much of a cultural identity. What does Dallas put out to the world to attract tourists the world over. I know what attracts businesses and residents.
I have an English friend who lives in north London, she’s visited America once( NYC) and doesn’t have much desire to visit the US again,but if she does, the two cities she wants to visit are New Orleans or Las Vegas. I understand that desire because both cities have put out a certain cultural identity out into the world to attract people to them. Dallas doesn’t have that. It might in 10 to 20 years but right now I don’t think it does.
Texadoro@reddit
If you’ve ever lived in a large city with a major tourist draw, you’d learn that the draw can be a massive drawback. Things like traffic, CoL, dealing with hoards of tourists, cleanliness, crime, etc. all become massive challenges to deal with in going about your day-to-day life. Of course that limits the amount of revenue generated by the tourism market, but I’m okay with that and I think many others are as well.
lerbon_janes@reddit
Yea but I’m fine with few tourists. I tend to avoid historic downtown since that’s where they typically go and it’s just not for me. The city seems to be doing fine financially with all the new business moving in so I don’t think we’re hurting if we don’t have tourists
tmc00138@reddit
Yes, let's do that. What sort of culture do you imagine that Dallas somehow lacks?
I promise that I can and will answer your question, as to just about any city in the US and just about any major city worldwide. But you are the one who's trying to maintain the facially-silly position that this global megalopolis has somehow grown to become what it is without developing any meaningful culture along the way. So, you first. What sort of culture is enjoyed by all those cities out there that you think are better than this one, but not enjoyed by Dallas? On what basis do you assert that Dallas is among the cities with "the least amount of culture"?
Before you try to answer, I'll point out that this is also a good opportunity to say "You know what? You might have a point. Let me rethink this for a while."
Cranium-of-morgoth@reddit
Lmfao what is your fucking problem? I wasn’t disagreeing, I live in Dallas and have no strong thoughts on the culture or lack thereof here. I was just putting out a point that it’s hard to have a discussion about these things if the people discussing don’t establish what they mean by culture.
Take that stick out of your ass
tmc00138@reddit
Fair enough, sort of, in one respect - I'd thought that you were continuing the disagreement above. My mistake.
Pretty touchy, though, killer.
scissorrunner_68@reddit
Bless your heart. There's a whole city of wonder for you to discover....we aren't just a pretty skyline. we've got 26 miles of continuous nature path for biking/walking. The Great Trinity Forest and Trinity River, which is an actually quite large. We've got Jasmine Crockett and Erykah Badu. And we have Beautiful Dallas Women. Many places I've traveled, Dallas women are known for their beauty. The peacocks and parrots of White Rock Lake. Oak Cliff used to be rather "Hollywood" glamorous many years ago, and there are some main homes hidden there. Swiss avenue has beautiful old homes. Dallas boasts an eclectic and diverse community that celebrates Eastern and South Asian culture, Black culture, Tejano and Latin culture, LGBTQ+ Pride, Native Americans, and more-a true American melting pot. We've got Big Oil and Big Blondes. More churches and spiritual homes than you can shake a stick at, darn near one on every corner. I could go on. Dallas is its own unique vibe. the deeper you dig, the more you discover.
y6x@reddit
Hear, hear!
Thankgiving Square and the tunnels, brutalist architecture (Dallas City Hall), and statues everywhere - The cattle at Pioneer Plaza, the Giant Eyeball, teddy bears in Lakeside Park, the mustangs all around Irving.
"Late Night at the Museum"s at the DMA and Nasher, and Klyde Warren Park, with everything from cultural festivals to outdoor movies to dancing classes ...
BrainPharts@reddit
Terrible sports teams.
TallChard8999@reddit
Yes this! It’s a melting pot though. A lot of other cultures here makes it amazing tbh
Luka_Dunks_on_Bums@reddit
How many of those cities had a president assassinated in their city?
theRealRodel@reddit
Buffalo, NY( McKinley) and Washington DC( Garfield and Lincoln) are the other two places that have had presidents assassinated.
Going to Fords theatre probably doesn’t make the top 10 for things to see in DC in most people’s list and when I think Buffalo I think massive lake effect snow and a sorry football team.
Delicious_Hand527@reddit
Buffalo used to be a major city - now it has a population about equal to Lubbock.
GoScotch@reddit
Our top export of douchey hats with upside down letters
Appropriate-Fold-485@reddit
Evidently people like the Six Flags thing
SimpleVegetable5715@reddit
It's "Texas", and if you don't know Texan culture, I'm sorry for ya.
milkywaywhiskey@reddit
For one, it’s a huge sports town
1000islandstare@reddit
Metal
Maryburnsss@reddit
Dallas underutilizes its infrastructure. It’s a metroplex, not a city. Dallas can provide so much more use out of its public amenities.
DullEstimate2002@reddit
That TV show was good.
Original_Bid5479@reddit
High rent and human trafficking lmao 🤣
mannymoes2k@reddit
A decent economy is one thing. There’s a reason so many people flock here. Being able to afford to live and even in some situations, thrive, carries some merit.
darkerskiesahead@reddit
I would argue the electronic music scene is def part of the larger culture. This goes all the way back to the Stark club. I would also say Dallas has pockets of culture, probably due to some of the segregation both racially and economically.
y6x@reddit
Good point about the music - There was a documentary that came out this year about The Church.
darkerskiesahead@reddit
Agreed and the same place, lizard lounge, was a big part of the electronic scene. The same owners now own it’ll do where they continue the church.
Historical-Crazy2163@reddit
The people saying Dallas aren’t even from Dallas. Yall ever heard of South Dallas?
Cheap_Group_5242@reddit
facts they just stay in Frisco FOH
PaulaSchultzRIP@reddit
I grew up in DFW and lived there for 27 years and I'd say Dallas culture would be straight business. It's corporate and it's business. Would I be wrong? If the rest of the world actually knew the quiet part of how much innovation came out of the city, maybe that?
physics_research@reddit
I don't know if I agree with this. Dallas will inherently and forever have very strong Hispanic /Mesoamerican cultural ties, and Hispanic culture is 3000+ years old.
UnluckyAssist9416@reddit
Dallas only ranks 4!
That said, I would argue that Dallas is the epitome of US Culture. We have all major US sports represented here. The city is full of fast food joints. We are a car city. And money rules all. Very very American.
Emotional-Loss-9852@reddit
Ironically the DFW is the testing spot for regional fast food chains going national because we very closely mimic the greater US culture
drummybear67@reddit
Literally heard that from a Wal Mart executives mouth last week. They do most of their store testing in Dallas before sending it live to the rest of the US for that reason.
YaGetSkeeted0n@reddit
Reminds me of the King of the Hill episode where Peggy and her friends start investing in companies based on Bill's buying habits, because he is like the bellwether of the common American's consumption habits.
kha3rd@reddit
What’s even sillier is that Arlen, Texas King of the Hill was based on Richardson!
Environmental-Age149@reddit
Peoria IL would like a word
BamaPhils@reddit
Also central location but this too
SmartExamination6115@reddit
Don’t forget the mighty billboards and US/TX flags as big as my fucking house 🇺🇸
genghis-san@reddit
Oh yeah, a foreigner asked me what I thought of living here, and I basically said this. It's all the American tropes in one place. Personally dislike it, but if you want to experience a city that really defines America, I'd definitely say Dallas.
BlueBird556@reddit
Unexpected factorial 4!
GreyhoundAbroad@reddit
I took my Australian partner around Dallas and as we were driving he remarked “It’s just the same 30 franchise stores repeated over and over again along the highway” haha
ohmyomar80@reddit
Sounds like you were in the burbs.
boldjoy0050@reddit
I have lived in the suburbs and now live in Bishop Arts and besides being closer to fun things to do, the overall layout of Dallas is pretty much the same as the suburbs.
Dallas is overwhelmingly made up of strip centers with big parking lots out front, chain stores, and stroads. Even smaller cities like St Louis feel more like a city because they have city style housing and more walkable streets.
TexasReallyDoesSuck@reddit
idk man, my corner street in dallas has about 12 food spots, a laundromat, gas station, nail salon, dental office, 2 small grocery stores, a cvs, & other small businesses.
bishop arts is wayyyyyy more like the suburbs than old east dallas (towards 75) & uptown & the like. bishop arts is lame for that exact reason, it has nothin around it.
nihouma@reddit
Their point is not that Dallas isn't urban in some parts, but rather than most of Dallas looks looks like this which is virtually indistinguishable from the surburbs. And as someone who lives downtown currently and has lived in Old East Dallas as well as all around the city, Bishop Arts is decidedly /not/ like the burbs
Total-Lecture2888@reddit
I agree with the strip centers, but they DO have different things. Like 80% of the good spots I like are in generic strip centers and you know why? They’re cheap. My favorite part of nyc is the street vendors and they aren’t exactly the prettiest or cleanest site. The best parts of LA have that’s shitty veneer with deep-Ellum like grime. this is just a part of living in the city.
PhoenixAquarium@reddit
Same thing happened with my Californian boyfriend. He found Dallas bland
burgerzkingz@reddit
The opposite happened to me showed my girlfriend around Dallas and she loved how much greenery it had compared to Houston also the lakes while man made are nice recreational attractions and she loved the AT&T center downtown with the food court. And that’s not even scratching the surface of what Dallas offers.
I question where y’all took these people lol anywhere can be bland and boring if you don’t know where to go.
GreyhoundAbroad@reddit
I took mine to JFK Plaza, City Park, the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, Deep Ellum, as well as Ft Worth.
Frosty-Hedgehog9945@reddit
So a few random downtown spots and then the burbs? No east Dallas, highland park, Greenville, uptown?
GreyhoundAbroad@reddit
I can see fellow Dallasites getting pretty defensive in the comments. My partner’s perspective was based on his upbringing in Australia, and comparing it to our city. And that was his perspective on it, which frankly I agree with after growing up in DFW.
burgerzkingz@reddit
Comparing apples to oranges a lot of times people say Dallas is boring because it lacks nature which isn’t entirely true but then they compare it to places like Denver or Australia like of course we don’t have the same nature but I think Dallas does enough to make up for it with an underrated amount of elevation and natural greenery plenty of lakes which yes are man made but give people the opportunity to do more activities not to mention the botanical gardens which we are going to to next time.
It’s not about being defensive it’s just a lot of people who talk about how Dallas doesn’t have a lot to do or has no culture (which is more arguable) are just ignorant about how much Dallas actually has.
reviso@reddit
It’s definitely defensive. Anytime this subject comes up people flock to the comments to say the same things you are.
burgerzkingz@reddit
Again is disagree but even then most people including you probably would get defensive about people talking bad about their home town especially when just flat out wrong.
Severe-Carpenter3232@reddit
It's comical how many people are trying to argue with this when its 100% accurate. I think the real issue is they have no understanding of how people live in other countries. What city are you in? I would love to find a place where I could ride a bike to an independently owned cafe and have a fresh coffee and croissant for under $5.
GreyhoundAbroad@reddit
I don’t live in the US anymore, I left the first week of Trump’s first presidency. I’ve been in Melbourne, Australia since 2017!
dan1361@reddit
Did you try the city? lol. We have a ton of green space in Dallas proper.
uhh_khakis@reddit
How much more Dallas can you get than Dallas north tollway?
Frosty-Hedgehog9945@reddit
Have you ever been to Dallas? Sounds like the burbs. Go check out east Dallas and report back
Born_Net_6668@reddit
I may just still be new here, but as someone from Lubbock, TX, Dallas is pretty much top-tier for Texas living. I went to school in Austin, and I’ve lived in Colorado, Prague, and Spain—granted it’s not close to the latter 2–it’s still pretty great. There is so much career growth and opportunity here. There is always a good concert to catch. Great food if you do your research. The people mind their business for the most part. I really cannot complain much—unless we’re talking about the humidity and heat! Hopefully that’s just few months of the year.
KRDaMoney@reddit
We have the State Fair!
reallifelucas@reddit
I see your “Dallas has no culture” and I raise you the State Fair and suck my dick
reallifelucas@reddit
Jacksonville got mentioned before we did
NotUglyJustBroc@reddit
What do Redditors mean Dallas has no culture?
External_Ingenuity73@reddit
Dallas the TV show number one TV show in the world at one time based on Dallas culture which is money that's why most people don't recognize that they don't have it
J2501@reddit
Because you spent eight figures on an opera house, and said 'Yep, that's culture.'
bright1111@reddit
Chicago started out as a hick town and proactively invested in the arts to try to achieve some culture 50-100 years ago
blackop@reddit
How much actual culture do we need? If I want to go see a play I can, if I want to go see a band I can. Need a sports game to go watch we have options. We even have theme parks to visit.
bright1111@reddit
Literally!!!! Dallas has everything you can think of. It may not be busting at the seams with it, but you can find it…. Even a beach, a forest and a hiking trail
SoUnga88@reddit
Dallas’s “culture” was stomped to death years ago. Music scene, nightlife “club” scene, DIY shows, all strangled to death by the city. What little culture that Dallas does have is laser focused to cater to the Highland Park, University Park, Preston Hollow crowed exclusively. For such a ethnicly divers city, very little is done to highlight and uplift this aspect of the city.
heavysilk@reddit
No culture? what do you call this?
https://media.istockphoto.com/id/1270103365/photo/front-of-lincoln-car-with-characteristic-texan-large-bull-horns-mounted-on-bonnet.jpg?s=1024x1024&w=is&k=20&c=dWYwSYMQMthg0ExNKi7_6ehNJpey70KUa8fb3tasKxQ=
Danyboii@reddit
This is always just turns into “name your least favorite city” and Reddit hates Texas. With the advent of the internet and easy cross country relocations, city level cultural distinctions have become window dressing.
H2Ospecialist@reddit
When I saw that thread I knew Dallas would be up there because you're correct in that reddit just has this hate circle jerk for Texas and Texans.
Danyboii@reddit
The killer question is: if Texas and its cities like Dallas are so bad, then why are people moving here in droves? Then it’s straight up cope about how any minute there is going to be an exodus as people realize this is somehow the worst place in the world.
TheFeedMachine@reddit
People moving to Dallas in droves is why Dallas doesn't have a distinct culture. It is a generic American city because it is full of people from all over the country.
boldjoy0050@reddit
So how do you explain Chicago, NYC, and LA? These cities have had people moving to them for over a century.
TheFeedMachine@reddit
Those city cultures were established after their big booms. Chicago's population is the same that it was 100 years ago. NYC's population is still growing, but the big boom was 100 years ago. LA's culture was established 50 years ago during its big boom. Dallas is still in the midst of its boom so it is still setting a city culture. Maybe in 50 years Dallas will have a more defined culture, but right now it is just a generic American culture that needs to be established.
boldjoy0050@reddit
I don't find that to be true at all. 100yr ago, Chicago demographics were quite different. A lot of the city was mostly Central and Eastern European immigrants who came to work in factories or at meat processing facilities. And there were also a lot more white and black middle and upper class people.
Neighborhoods have changed so much and now all of the former European neighborhoods are Hispanic or Indian. And since city living is now popular again, most neighborhoods have a specific type of person that moves there. For example, there are artsy areas, hipster areas, yuppie areas, 30+ DINK areas.
The biggest "con" for Dallas is that rather than having a lot of unique neighborhoods with local businesses, we primarily have strip centers with corporate chains. Of course LA has a lot of strip centers too, but they are predominantly local businesses.
call_me_Kote@reddit
Because it’s cheap and corporations have moved here, so there are plenty of jobs. Not rocket surgery.
pmatt21@reddit
*rocket science
call_me_Kote@reddit
I said what I said
boldjoy0050@reddit
Probably a couple of things:
Texas attracts the religious or conservative family types who are tired of living in northern blue states due to politics, taxes, and cost of living.
Weather. Humans generally prefer warmer climates over cold ones
H2Ospecialist@reddit
Exactly!
smilesallaround94@reddit
This subreddit is exhausting with how many ppl hate dallas
y6x@reddit
Isn't the State Fair of Texas rather iconic, with Big Tex and various discussions of what unlikely food is going to be fried up this year? Biggest state fair in the country, various TV shows having an episode about it, etc.?
PaeperTowels@reddit
As a dancer, there’s no community you can easily join. As a skater, there’s no community you can easily join. As a _____ there’s not a lot going on/many options. Eating, spending money, and buying things is all you can do in Dallas. There’s no culture.
HaidarBoss@reddit
Iits the lack of density and walkability hurts dallas badly. narrower streets with visual stimulation is what catches visitors eyes. This issue gets magnified x10 due to the lack of any geographic features. Dallas needs to reimagine its downtown if they want the city to be more desirable. Huge parking lots in downtown is such an eye sore
Nateauxxx@reddit
Downtown DFW for sure
NintendogsWithGuns@reddit
We’re a city that’s full of yuppie transplants that all think mayonnaise is spicy. Not enough people produce culture, everyone just consumes the blandest version of it. A city can’t have culture when it caters exclusively to the whims of frat boy finance bros.
That being said, Oak Cliff and Deep Ellum are surviving despite all this. Also, the suburbs have a bit to offer if you want diverse ethnic communities.
Total-Lecture2888@reddit
I forget the demographics of Reddit. As a POC, ain’t shit cultured about Seattle or Portland- they’re beautiful and great for some people, but they lack diversity. There’s so many different kinds of people in Dallas, but if you’re an upper middle class white person stuck in Lakewood land and don’t get out much or meet your neighbors, you’ll always think Dallas is boring.
People really should talk to more people who aren’t like them.
NintendogsWithGuns@reddit
Born and raised here, plus my family is Hispanic. DFW is indeed diverse, but Dallas-proper is not. Furthermore, Houston is much more diverse than the metroplex while still somehow cultivating a good art scene and restaurants that are owned by people instead of hospitality groups.
Total-Lecture2888@reddit
I grew up in vickery meadow, so I really don’t relate to this. Dallas isn’t diverse if you grew up in Lakewood or Preston hollow, but for a majority of the city, that statement is BS
You can find restaurants owned by people…everywhere? I’m not sure what to tell you if you think cheddars and chilis are the only options. Yes Dallas is less diverse than the most diverse city in the US, but so is New York lmao.
NintendogsWithGuns@reddit
I have a degree in the arts and my work is in galleries. That doesn’t mean we’re a good art town. We used to have some semblance of a scene, but covid more or less killed it.
Total-Lecture2888@reddit
Up to opinion. You sound like you’d be unsatisfied anywhere. Move to Houston if you want lmao, it’s the same exact setup with somehow shittier weather. The differences between Dallas and Houston are so so minor, but if you think the art scene is radically different, move on- it’s cheaper.
NintendogsWithGuns@reddit
Radically different? Have you not done a public art piece in this city? Have you not had to code switch in order to get approval from city counsel? I’m not leaving Dallas anytime soon, because nothing changes that way, but I’ll be damned if I’m not allowed to critique the city I was born in.
Total-Lecture2888@reddit
I have worked for the DMA and Crow. I’m well aware and critique all you want, but you really sound naive if you think this is a Dallas thing- I do this in LA all the time. Welcome to being an adult in the US.
Lonely_Shelter5247@reddit
You hit this spot on.
Lonely_Shelter5247@reddit
Once you live in a city with lots of culture (for example New Orleans), you can see what people mean by this.
It’s natural to get defensive but they have a point. A lot of our stuff is “gimmicky” and screams money grab. We’re missing a lot of soul & community
artificialevil@reddit
Yep. This.
0masterdebater0@reddit
Yeah, it wasn't until I left Dallas until i realized this, now i can only go back to see family. I could be making so much more money in Dallas due to family connections but living there isn't worth it for me.
tmc00138@reddit
No, you're missing a lot of soul and community. And I mean that literally: It's here, in volume, and somehow you're missing it.
Lonely_Shelter5247@reddit
I didn’t say we didn’t have any. But we’re missing enough to land us on this list. Again, if you’ve lived in city FULL of culture you’d know what everyone else is talking about.
I get why you’d get defensive though. I love my city too.
tmc00138@reddit
I've lived in Manhattan, London, and Hong Kong. Which city FULL of culture do you think I need to live in next, in order to achieve your level of understanding?
I'm not defensive. You're wrong. Well-intentioned, but empirically, factually wrong.
Extreme_Obligation34@reddit
Your attitude sums up Dallas culture the best. “I am great- everyone else is wrong!”
Lonely_Shelter5247@reddit
So that’s actually not a fact, it’s an opinion. It’s yours and it’s right because that’s the nature of opinions.
My opinion also stands. Because…opinion 🖤
tmc00138@reddit
If it were only a matter of opinion, then you'd have had an answer to my question. 🖤
Lonely_Shelter5247@reddit
Idk what to tell ya, friend. Where you’ve lived doesn’t change my mind. This whole discussion is a matter of opinion. We don’t have to believe the same thing. Nothing bad happens if we disagree.
Frosty-Hedgehog9945@reddit
New orlans is a literal hellscaoe lol but dope gumbo!!
_TurboHome@reddit
I think Dallas is sort of wrapped up into this overall Texan identity that you don't really get as much in places like Austin.
Ironic, considering Austin is the capital but as someone who has lived in both cities I would say Austin's culture is more uniquely Austin while Dallas's culture is moreso general Texas.
That said, we have a thriving local music community, up and coming rappers and music producers, and some of the best production companies in Texas that actually care about the community and regularly give back. The guys that run Sounders not only offer a community-first, responsible approach to putting on local shows than some of the big companies/venues in the scene like Silo/Disco presents.
Not to drag anyone through the mud, of course, but I always want to give a shout-out to the folks at Sounders because they really are from the community, for the community.
Bit of a tangent, tl;dr - Dallas's culture is evident through the local music scene. Maybe a bit of a hot take.
Impossible-Try-9161@reddit
Up until the Eighties Dallas was indeed the Velveeta cheese of bigger cities. Since then it has steadily diversified in just about every category that makes a city a cultural center, and it is showing little sign of peaking, unless regressive policies persist.
Tralliz@reddit
Told y'all lmao
jgemonic@reddit
Who cares... Finding validation through click bait is a losing proposition.
SynthPrax@reddit
I thought Dallas' culture was Consumerism. fr. I think I remember reading how, at one point, Dallas was a destination city for shopping.
You can find cultures and sub-cultures in Dallas, but you have to know someone who knows someone about the where and when.
Thespindrift@reddit
Love living in Dallas but the culture does feel like a giant corporate HQ. Urban life has gotten so much better over the years, I think its nightlife is really shining. But need way more third spaces, parks, and walkability.
AlleyRhubarb@reddit
How on earth is Dallas doing worse than Houston home of strip malls and swamp ass.
gwarsh41@reddit
Yeah, Dallas to me is "Generic Big City D" Though it has a surprisingly nice Asian food scene. San antonio was a blistering hot nightmare, but it did have a cultural feel to it.
LightsStayOnInFrisco@reddit
I guarantee anyone who claims Dallas lacks culture is scared to go south of I-30 and spends all their time between the DNT and 75.
Wonberger@reddit
I love Dallas, it's a great place to live, and it has tons of arts, food, music etc. That being said if I was a tourist, no way would I visit here over Boston, NYC, Chicago, San Francisco, etc. I also would not want to live in any of those cities. Dallas is a great place to live but not the most exciting place to visit.
Quantibro@reddit
Not surprising from a subreddit that idolizes Cleveland
mexicannormie@reddit
"Come and look at both of our buildings!"
Delicious_Hand527@reddit
This train is exporting jobs out of Cleveland.
ShrikeSummit@reddit
“Our economy is based on LeBron James!”
azwethinkweizm@reddit
"Who the fuck still uses a payphone?"
TITANUP91@reddit
Lol you’re not wrong. I love Dallas, Phoenix, Nashville, Austin, etc. Reddit has its hard on for hating these places.
conan_the_annoyer@reddit
I’ll get downvoted here, but the fusion of Dallas and DFW conceptually makes Dallas look like mile after mile of strip malls, parking lots, and master planned communities where fine dinning includes Olive Garden and Outback Steakhouse.
smilesallaround94@reddit
And when I said people in the suburbs need to stop claiming “dallas”, i got downvoted like crazy. They ALWAYS tend to conflate dallas with their crappy little suburb & it’s aggravating
MagicianReady8350@reddit
Almost no one in Dallas is from Dallas. I see Dallas as a Rustbelt refugee destination for people trying to make a living wage. So more for just grindy work and not so much for fun.
Soonhun@reddit
I am sorry, but in this state alone, Dallas does not have the least culture. Austin, San Antonio, El Paso, and the Rio Grande Valley are the most boring metros, in this metric, and dominated each by one group. Hispanic is not a unique trait in the Southwest and Whitewashed & Gentrified for College Students/Tech Bros is not impressive either. For the latter, you can get better and more of other stuff in the Bay Area and Seattle, at least.
I am starting to think people are saying culture when they mean aesthetic.
Dalamonee@reddit
“ Dallas has no culture” says the transplant who stays in Addison and is too scared to make their way to Oak Cliff, Deep Ellum, West Dallas etc….
Dallasriderr@reddit
Money is unfortunately the culture. Of course we arnt in the center of the financial world(NYC) but anyone who comes here and stays here, it’s rooted back to money by us being cheaper or having a chance to make more money.
OrneryError1@reddit
Money and concrete.
H2Ospecialist@reddit
NYC is literally called the concrete jungle, there's even a song about it
drummybear67@reddit
Hey, I've made a lot of money from concrete here in Dallas!
luvsads@reddit
Money and concrete baby!
BigWooly1013@reddit
And the largest urban forest in the US.
Frosty-Hedgehog9945@reddit
We will a major financial player very soon.
SimpleVegetable5715@reddit
Please do not minimize my people down like this again! 😩👋
Y'all took History class, right? Y'all spent fifth grade learning Texas history, right? You think in Pennsylvania or Tennessee they have a whole year dedicated to their own state's history? They do not.
PokeMeRunning@reddit
That’s stupid. Superficial 40k millionaire is a culture.
joshuaivan620@reddit
houston has way less culture than dallas 🤷🏽♂️
ShopMajesticPanchos@reddit
"People have personalities, gross, cities should be all blank and boring"- everyone defending their creepy non Texas hat wearing city.
AccomplishedLove6169@reddit
Lol people just hate Dallas for no reason
warmjanuary@reddit
They hate us cause they ain’t us.
Frosty-Hedgehog9945@reddit
Dallas has money and the cowboys. People hate to hate. Just look at Cleveland Ohio or St. Louis as prime examples. Both morbidly obesity cities with poverty and no growth. No one shits on them because that’s punching down. The joy i get from living in a city has zero correlation to how how much culture a city has.
Soundwave234@reddit
We don't have culture street or culture park, or a designated culture district to pile up all of our culture in one spot to show off all of our culture. Did i do it right?
AlotEnemiesNoFriends@reddit
NYC easily. Used or have the most culture but that’s dead now. I left because of the lack of culture. My entire social circle was finance, consulting, law and tech. Talk about lack of culture, most boring people in earth.
StankoMicin@reddit
You hung with tech and finance weirdos and then claim that they represent NYC culture?
AlotEnemiesNoFriends@reddit
That is the culture of nyc in 2025. No one else lives there unless they are in the projects. NYC has successfully removed the middle class such that only rich people and the projects live there.
That is literally why I moved to Dallas…to be around regular people again.
hmmisuckateverything@reddit
You moved from NYC to avoid rich people? We are the epitome of old money and oil money of the south LOL
AlotEnemiesNoFriends@reddit
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 This will sound cocky but you think y’all ballin but in general you don’t really want the money…you just want to look like money(which I don’t mind).
It isn’t actually about being rich to be honest. It’s more like everyone is “elite rich” in nyc. In highland park tons of UT Austin or OU grads or even SMU grads. People make money all kinds of different ways. In nyc everyone is elite. Top prep schools. Ivy League colleges. Goldman then PE. Or Sullivan and Cromwell for law or McKinsey or google, it all the same shit.
Things that matter in nyc are different than here. In nyc everyone spends 50k for elementary for their kids, everyone I know has two Nannies. Here making money means driving a g wagon and wearing a Rolex. It’s just different. If you haven’t lived in the city you wouldn’t understand.
hmmisuckateverything@reddit
I guess since I’ve been live in nannying for families in Highland park most of my life I see a different side but yeah young people here don’t have money lol at least I don’t. I mean most of the families I work with send their kids to Cistercian, St. John’s or bishop Dunne and you can’t be a working class person and do that.
I hate all the tech and finance people here but alas that’s Dallas unfortunately.
The marrying young is just the left over southern part of here. You have to make an active choice not to do those things but trust me people push us to do it if anything
AlotEnemiesNoFriends@reddit
It’s all relative. Right? To me it’s just more regular here.
To be fair, I’m in tech, big tech and Dallas doesn’t have that. Never met someone in big tech here, not one beside me. Big tech isn’t located here…I work remote.
Finance here is growing but 90% of it is back office. Front office is expanding but the majority is 300k back office jobs.
It’s different than what nyc is. NYC is a different level of money, such that material items don’t matter there like they do here. NYC is about where your kids go to school and where you work. Here it’s about if you have a g wagon and a Rolex.
I could afford a house in highland park…I couldn’t come close to affording top things in nyc. I have friends clearing 2M / yr in nyc and are flat broke. 50k /year for private schools, 2 Nannie’s, 4m house and 10% state tax makes your income deplete fast.
Dallas it’s also like you can choose to segregate yourself from regular people if you want. In nyc there are no regular people. Everyone rich or poor as fuck. No regular people left.
NecessaryViolenz@reddit
Bro is getting downvoted for telling the truth.
Thin-Constant-4018@reddit
I can see why people would believe Dallas doesn't have culture, but it does. You just need to step away from all the gimmicks and tourism to find it. People hyperfixate on Dallas being JFK's assassination place to look further then that. I have found DART to be a great way for me to truly experience the city's different cultures. It definitely has more culture then Jacksonville or Charlotte by a mile.
Stace_nomnom97@reddit
Culture is the art, food, monuments etc of the people. I'm from Baltimore, I think they're more distinct like Houston or NYC but I wouldn't say Dallas is devoid of culture. This won't help my upvotes but I lived in Orlando under the DCP and most of that area is more dedicated to theme parks than people.
hmmisuckateverything@reddit
The only thing good here is the parks but our culture is old money, oil, concrete/construction magnates lol
Ferrari_McFly@reddit
I like how the one Houston commenter in there was like Dallas is just concrete, traffic, and rich people and someone rebutted that they received the same impression from Houston lmao
Houston Redditors gotta be some of the most delusional city Redditors out there.
NecessaryViolenz@reddit
Some of this is a function of age. Dallas as a major city is relatively young compared to most other places. Like, how can it compete with CDMX, which pre-dates large-scale settlement in the entire US?
AAA_battery@reddit
Dallas has a little bit of everything and thats what makes it great. You can come here and wear cowboy boots and go to church or you can be an artsy hipster and you will find a place to fit in.
huisAtlas@reddit
We don't have a lot of flair like Austin or San Antonio. Other than our skyline, I guess.
Does the rich thing come from the show, "Dallas"? I never really understood that. Aren't all the oil billionaires in Midland?
PM_ME_YER_MUDFLAPS@reddit
We do have DFW for easy access to other cultures.
Common_Performer9525@reddit
Was this before or after the Luka trade.
ultimatejourney@reddit
I’m racking my brain for a reason my Slovenian bf would want to come back besides to visit me. Ironically YouTube recommended this music video to me, and my response is “Same.”
Cha1upa_Batman@reddit
Smh every time I see a post like this, I’m annoyed and can easily tell when someone hasn’t grown up here.
If ya don’t get it, there’s no point
HRApprovedUsername@reddit
They hate us cuz they ain’t us
zeroonetw@reddit
These culture threads are dumb. Comparing young cities, DFW is one generation old on average, to old cities, with dozens of generations behind them, is comparing apples to oranges. Tree coverage alone would totally change the feel.
Cryptur17@reddit
Put some respect on The Big D
masajmarod@reddit
Pictured is Charlotte, North Carolina.
Not Dallas.
Post something decent not a repost with no context.
The_Battling_toad@reddit
I’d encourage you to read the comments, which is what OP is referring to.
tx_queer@reddit
Comments say jacksonville
_vandaliser_@reddit
1 is Dubai. 2nd is Dallas 😢
The_Battling_toad@reddit
In a post with nearly 1000 comments I can assure you that there are more answers than just Jacksonville. C’mon guys are you really that thick?
BoxYeti@reddit
Reading is hard buddy it’s okay
andrew261@reddit
Not the most popular answer
Kingdanzerk21@reddit
Def somewhere in NC lol