Austin, TX
Dallas tops U-Haul list as No. 1 U.S. destination for movers in 2024
Editor’s note: As the year comes to a close, we look back at the 10 most-read real estate stories in Dallas for 2024 — including new honors for several local suburbs, market trends, and a sports star who razed his mansion. These are the 10 hottest real estate headlines of 2024 in Dallas:
1. 3 Dallas suburbs shine on new list of best small cities in America. Living in the big city isn’t for everyone, which is why many are flocking to the suburbs and less-populated cities around Dallas. To demonstrate the popularity of suburban and rural communities, a new study by WalletHub has singled out three of Dallas’ top suburbs on their 2024 list of the “Best Small Cities in America,” released October 1. Leading the pack as the best small city in Texas was Rockwall, followed by Allen and Flower Mound.
2. Texas tree group issues dire warning to Dallas owners of oak trees. In January, a nonprofit dedicated to trees issued a warning to Dallas citizens who own oak trees: Put down the pruning shears. Homeowners and landscaping types may have been tempted to do some spring pruning, but when it came to oak trees, then was not the time. The reason: oak wilt, a devastating, incurable fungus that had been slowly spreading over a large part of the U.S.
3. Laid-back Dallas suburb named 5th best in U.S. by Travel + Leisure. The Dallas-Fort Worth city of Coppell had new bragging rights in July: It was declared the No. 5 best American suburb to live in by a recent Travel + Leisure report. The report analyzed feedback from Realtors and data from “recent livability rankings” to determine the 10 best U.S. suburbs with the most “affordable housing, top-rated schools, and excellent job opportunities.”
Coppell is the No. 2 best suburb to live in Texas, and No. 5 nationwide.
City of Coppell, TX Municipal Government / Facebook
4. Dallas landlord must pay $48 million for charging bogus fees to tenants. A Dallas-based company that rents out single-family homes was ordered to pay $48 million to settle claims by the Federal Trade Commission that it reaped millions of dollars via deceptive business practices — including forcing tenants to pay undisclosed fees on top of their monthly rent. Invitation Homes, based in Dallas, is the nation’s largest owner of single-family homes for rent.
5. 2 Dallas-area ZIP codes make list of hottest U.S. housing markets in 2023. Despite higher mortgage rates, Dallas’ housing market continued to attract more people in 2023, according to a report by Opendoor released in January 2024. Two Dallas-area ZIP codes in particular – in Forney and Aubrey – earned top 10 status on the list of “hottest ZIP codes in the U.S.”
6. Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott razes his mansion in Prosper. In 2019, Dak Prescott acquired a 9,000 square-foot mansion built on seven acres of land for the sum of $3.3 million. In October 2024, he razed it to the ground. According to TMZ Sports, the Dallas Cowboys quarterback mowed down his Prosper mansion “to nothing more than a pile of rubble” while watching its destruction from feet away.
Dak Prescott’s home was razed in Prosper.
Redfin
7. 2 Dallas-area ZIP codes rank as hottest U.S. housing markets in 2024. The Dallas-Fort Worth housing market is growing hotter by the day, and two ZIP codes in particular were listed in Realtor.com’s new survey of the hottest housing markets in America, released in August: 76021 in Bedford, and 75028 in Flower Mound.
8. Custom ’50s house with rare metal kitchen cabinets is for sale in Dallas. In February, a ’50s home in original condition was for sale in Dallas with a rare feature: a set of original metal kitchen cabinets rendered in a breathtaking pastel pink. The home was in Lakewood, just a few blocks west of White Rock Lake at 6946 Delrose Dr, where it was listed for $1,100,000 by Simone Jeanes with Allie Beth Allman.
6946 Delrose Dr. facade.
Courtesy
9. Dallas makes new list of easiest U.S. cities to pay off a mortgage. Whether a homeowner’s mortgage is for 15 or 30 years, paying off such a large debt can be an arduous process. But luckily for homeowners living in Dallas-Fort Worth, paying off a mortgage is much easier than in most other metropolitan areas in the country, according to a new report by SmartAsset. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington earned a ranking of No. 13 in SmartAsset’s September study analyzing the top 40 large U.S. metros where it’s easiest to pay off a mortgage.
10. 2 Dallas neighbors top the list of best real estate markets in America. For those looking to rent an apartment or buy their first home, Dallas-Fort Worth is the place to be: According to an August report by WalletHub, DFW towns McKinney and Frisco were crowned the No. 1 and No. 2 best real estate markets in America, and two more in the area — Denton and Allen — also ranked among the top 10.
There was a significant reduction in the number of antisemitic incidents in Rhode Island in 2025, according to a national Jewish advocacy group.
According to the Anti-Defamation League’s latest Audit of Antisemitic Incidents, there were 26 antisemitic incidents in the state last year. That’s down from the 52 incidents counted by the group in 2024.
Samantha Joseph, New England regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, says a big reason for the reduction is a steep decline in antisemitism on college campuses.
“It shows that campus administrators are taking their responsibilities very seriously to provide a safe environment for all of their students,” said Joseph.
Brown University had over $500 million in federal funding frozen by the Trump administration last year following investigations into alleged antisemitism on campus. The funding was restored after Brown reached a settlement with the administration.
The reduction in antisemitic incidents in Rhode Island reflects a wider trend in New England as a whole. According to the ADL’s report, there were 400 antisemitic incidents in the region in 2025, compared to 638 the previous year.
While she’s pleased about the overall drop in antisemitic incidents in Rhode Island, Joseph says a number of concerning trends continue to persist. In particular, the state is still seeing more anti-Jewish incidents than it did prior to the October 7 attacks on Israel that launched the Gaza War in 2023.
Joseph is also concerned about the violent nature of local incidents of antisemitism.
“Even though overall incidents are down, assaults are up and assaults with a deadly weapon are up significantly,” said Joseph. “Our communities remain concerned for their safety, and our work is far from done.”
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Severe thunderstorms are possible Sunday evening as a cold front arrives in Central Texas. KXAN’s First Warning Weather Team will keep you updated on the weather coverage.
Risks to be aware of are damaging wind gusts that could reach as high as 60 to 75 mph and large hail up to quarter size.
Weather Resources:
Live Updates:
5:22 p.m.: A Severe Thunderstorm Watch is issued for all counties except for Milam County.
3:51 p.m.: A Severe Thunderstorm Watch has been issued for Mason, San Saba, and Lampasas County until 9:00 p.m.
3:30 p.m.: The primary risk for Sunday’s severe weather is damaging wind gusts which could cause power outages.
3:26 p.m.: Storms will likely move toward the I-35 corridor around 6 p.m. Most of the storms will enter the Hill Country around 6 p.m. and the Austin metro counties after 8 p.m.
Video of new Texas Tech System chancellor home at historic Lubbock property
The Texas Tech System is acquiring the historic Tudor Revival ‘English Home’ in Lubbock to serve as the new chancellor’s residence.
Money and rankings don’t make a great university. Providing opportunities for disadvantaged students and protecting academic freedom, however, do.
Case in point: Michael and Susan Dell recently surpassed $1 billion in giving to the University of Texas at Austin, launching a plan to build a new medical center and advanced research campus in north Austin.
To be sure, this is a magnanimous gift that will fund important initiatives. While enormously grateful for this contribution, I am disappointed that this gift was not accompanied with a strong message from Michael Dell admonishing the University for gutting DEI and infringing upon academic freedom.
As a colleague of mine astutely observed: “Good luck recruiting doctors and med students. The attacks on DEI and political climates will mean a lot more than rankings and money long-term.”
UT System Board of Regents Chairman Kevin Eltife, referencing the Dell gift, is right: “We are transforming this site into a new campus the world has never seen before.” Yes, never seen, but in a very negative and dangerous way!
Last week, I received a message from the Texas Exes: “This is your last chance to show your support during 40 Hours for the Forty Acres, UT Austin’s Texas-sized fundraising event. Can we count on you?”
My answer: “No, absolutely not. I won’t give one dime to a university that no longer is committed to diversity and preserving academic freedom.”
Having proudly taught at UT for 41 years, I am sad to say this.
– Richard Cherwitz, Ph.D. is the Ernest A. Sharpe Centennial Professor Emeritus, Moody College of Communication and Founding Director, Intellectual Entrepreneurship Consortium (IE) at The University of Texas at Austin.
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