Recommended for you

An Open Letter To Those Who Are "From Dallas"

May 26, 2015

195

An Open Letter To Those Who Are "From Dallas"

Dallas is a pretty big city, I know. Dallas is actually the 9th largest city in the U.S. and the third largest in Texas, with a population of 1,241,162.

It's the home of the:

Dallas Cowboys football team.

Texas Rangers baseball team.

Dallas Stars hockey team.

Dallas Mavericks basketball team.

FC Dallas soccer team.

and Texas Motor Speedway.

It's where the frozen margarita machine and what would become the microchip found in every device on the planet were invented, and where a 52 feet tall cowboy stands, proudly announcing himself as "Big Tex" in Fair Park.

The Dallas Arts District is the largest urban arts district in the United States, Highland Park Village Shopping Center was the first planned shopping center in America, and the first convenience store, 7-eleven, was started in Dallas.

Dallas is also home to former President George W. Bush and the George W. Bush Library and Museum, located at SMU.

Eighteen Fortune 500 companies located in the Dallas-Fort Worth area include such industry giants as ExxonMobil, AT&T, AMR Corp. (American Airlines), Fluor Corporation, Kimberly-Clark, JCPenney, Southwest Airlines, Texas Instruments, Dean Foods, Tenet Healthcare and GameStop. Dallas ranks sixth in the number of Fortune 500 company headquarters and is the fifth largest media market in the United States.

After telling you all of those exciting facts (I left a few out, I don't want to put every other city to shame), you can see why I am so proud to call Dallas home. This being said, Dallas has its limits.

There is a difference between being from a Dallas neighborhood and from a Dallas suburb. Richardson is not Dallas. Plano is not Dallas. Garland, Frisco, Allen, Flower Mound, are all not Dallas. The list goes on, and do not get me started on Fort Worth.

If it takes you longer than 20 minutes (okay, 30 minutes to allow for traffic) to get to NorthPark Mall and, more importantly, your mailing address does not include the token "Dallas, TX," you are not from Dallas.

If 635 and 75 are just numbers to you, and they don't evoke a dismayed head shake, you are not from Dallas.

If the names Winspear, Meyerson, Trammel Crow, Perot, and Nasher mean nothing to you, you are not from Dallas.

If all you know Dallas for is the TV show from the 80s and JFK's Assassination, you are not from Dallas.

Dallas is a great city, one that I am lucky and proud to call home, but we can't have just anyone claiming it as their own!

I know there are many people who are from the aforementioned cities who are complaining while reading this article, thinking: "Well, no one knows where I'm from, so I just say I'm from Dallas! What's wrong with that?" Well, my friends, it's easy to say "I'm from *insert city here*, which is about *insert distance here* from Dallas." Be proud of where you're from, and then you can explain where it's located based on the surrounding cities.

I'm not here to bash on the surrounding areas (Except for maybe you, Fort Worth. As far as I'm concerned, all we have in common is the DFW Airport. Keep the Stockyards, we've got a lot more going for us), but I've noticed the trend in lumping everything together. And it's the opposite of what we should be doing. Texas is such a big state; it's the second biggest in the country, and it actually takes longer to drive across Texas than to drive from the edge of West Texas to California! Let's be proud of where we're from, no matter the size. In the end, only the best of the best get to call Texas home.

Sincerely, your Texas-tattoo-adorning, Lone-Star-State-loving, and DALLAS-hometown-reppin,

Molly

Report this Content

This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.

Student Life

25 Thoughts Everyone Has When Registering For Classes

May the odds be ever in your favor.

University of Nebraska Omaha

596

University of Nebraska at Omaha

Creating your schedule for the upcoming semester can be an exciting process. You have the control to decide if you want to have class two-days a week or five-days a week. You get to check things off of your requirement checklist. It's an opportunity for a fresh start with new classes (which you tell yourself you'll never skip.) This process, which always starts out so optimistic, can get frustrating really quickly. Here are 25 thoughts you have when registering for classes.

Keep Reading...Show less

class registration

Student Life

10 Thoughts Of A 5th Year Senior

What about those of us who don't do it all in four years?

University of Kentucky

1137

pointsincase.com

"College will be the best four years of your life" is a phrase that we have all heard growing up. College is painted as a magical place to us while we are in high school. A place you go to learn, meet your best friends and probably have the time of your life while all of this is going down. Four whirlwind years, where everything that you've known changes and you start to learn what it means to live on your own, have a job, etc. But what about those of us who don't do this all in four years? Major changes, hard courses, switching schools, career paths changing, these are just a handful of factors that could extend your four years to five, six or seven. There is nothing wrong with taking extra time to graduate, but returning as a fifth-year is a little different. Most of your best friends have most likely graduated and moved and while you may be one of the oldest undergraduates on campus, you might feel as awkward as a freshmen. A world that became home and comfortable to you is still there but it's slightly different than you've known it to be and you have to find a groove to fall into. These are thoughts you'll have as you look ahead to returning to your college campus, with a victory lap planned.

Keep Reading...Show less

senior year

Entertainment

17 Times "Friends" Accurately Described Life

You can't say that no one told you life was gonna be this way.

Western New England University

283

In the 12 years since it went off the air, "Friends" continues to be adored by millions. The show that gave generations unrealistic expectations about love (or should I say lobsters?) and New York City apartments had a charming cast of characters that everyone could relate to at some point or another. Here are 17 times Ross, Monica, Joey, Chandler, Phoebe and Rachel accurately described life.

Keep Reading...Show less

friends

Entertainment

11 Times Aubrey Plaza Described Sophomore Year

"I don't want to do things. I want to do not things."

Denison University

636

Flickr Creative Commons

Aubrey Plaza is one of my favorite humans in Hollywood. She's honest, blunt, unapologetic, and hilarious. I just started my sophomore year of college, and found that some of her best moments can accurately describe the start of the school year.