TX · Dallas County · 1,304,379 (2020) · 9th-largest US city · Central time
Dallas, Texas
Dallas stands on the Trinity River in the blackland prairie of north-central Texas, 30 miles east of Fort Worth. It is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States.
- State
- Texas
- County
- Dallas County (parts in Collin, Denton, Kaufman, Rockwall)
- Population (2020)
- 1,304,379
- Rank
- 9th in the US
- Coordinates
- 32.78°N, 96.80°W
- Time zone
- Central
- Metro area
- about 7.6 million (with Fort Worth)
- State capital
- No – Austin
Where Dallas is
Dallas is at 32.78°N, 96.80°W in Dallas County, of which it is the county seat; the city limits also reach into Collin, Denton, Kaufman and Rockwall counties. It covers about 385 square miles of gently rolling prairie at roughly 430 feet above sea level, with no mountains, coast or major lake nearby — the site was chosen in 1841 for a river crossing and later for the meeting of two railways. Fort Worth is 30 miles west; the two cities and their suburbs form the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. Austin, the capital, is 195 miles southwest and the Oklahoma line 75 miles north on the Red River.
Population and rank
The 2020 Census counted 1,304,379 residents, ranking Dallas 9th among US cities, behind San Diego and just ahead of San Jose. Within Texas it is third after Houston and San Antonio. The Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan area, however, is far larger than the city suggests: about 7.6 million people across 13 counties, the fourth-largest metro in the US and the largest in Texas, slightly ahead of Houston. Only about 17 percent of the metro population lives inside Dallas itself; suburbs such as Arlington, Plano, Irving and Garland each exceed 200,000.
Geography
- Trinity River — the Elm Fork and West Fork join just west of downtown; the river runs southeast inside wide levees and eventually reaches Galveston Bay. It is not navigable.
- Blackland Prairie — the fertile clay belt that runs from the Red River to San Antonio; Dallas sits near its western edge, where the Eastern Cross Timbers begin.
- White Rock Lake — a 1,000-acre reservoir inside the city; Lake Ray Hubbard on the east side and Lewisville Lake to the north supply water.
- Escarpment — the Austin Chalk forms a low ridge west of downtown through Oak Cliff; the highest ground in the city is about 550 feet.
Nearest large cities
Fort Worth is a 30-minute drive; Oklahoma City is three hours north on Interstate 35. Distances are approximate road miles from downtown Dallas.
| City | State | Road distance (mi) | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Worth | TX | 30 | W |
| Oklahoma City | OK | 205 | N |
| Austin | TX | 195 | SW |
| Houston | TX | 240 | S |
| San Antonio | TX | 275 | SW |
Is Dallas the state capital?
No. The capital of Texas is Austin, 195 miles southwest; Dallas has never been the capital. It is the seat of Dallas County. Dallas is the largest of the four cities in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, but as a city proper it is smaller than San Antonio by about 130,000 people.
Related maps
- Texas map — the state with all 254 counties.
- Austin — the state capital.
- US cities map.
- Great Plains map — the plains begin west of Fort Worth.
- Other Texas cities: Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, Austin.
- West South Central division · Central Time Zone.