Dallas, TX
Dallas claws back up on list of best places to live in the U.S. in 2024
Things are looking a little brighter for Dallas as the city was recently named among the top 100 in U.S. News and World Report’s “Best Places to Live” list for 2024-2025, earning No. 95.
Previously, Dallas was ranked the No. 37 best place to live in America in 2021, and improved in 2022 when it ranked No. 32. Then, shockingly, the city plummeted in 2023 out of the top 100 into No. 113.
But the latest report suggests Dallas has seen substantial improvements over the last year.
U.S. News annually measures 150 top American cities for their livability, and ranks them based on four major indexes: quality of life, value, desirability, and job market.
Dallas earned an overall score of 6.1 out of 10, with its quality of life and value scores at 6.4 and 5.6, respectively.
New for the 2024-2025 report, U.S. News updated its methodology to analyze city-based data rather than metropolitan area data. Secondly, the report’s annual survey decided to place greater weight on a city’s “value and job market” while “weights for desirability and quality of life took a slight dip” on the grading scale.
“Rising concerns about career prospects, housing affordability and increased cost of goods and services are reflected in this year’s rankings,” said U.S. News loans expert and reporter Erika Giovanetti in a press release. “While quality of life remains the top priority for many Americans, a city’s value and job market are becoming increasingly important for those looking for a place to live.”
There’s many factors that draw folks to Dallas, among them the city’s diversity, the highly esteemed schools and universities, and much more. Dallas is also surrounded by happy city neighbors for those who want to live in a suburb without compromising on the big city lifestyle, showing that the city truly has something for everyone.
“Offering both big-city excitement and quiet, suburban living, Dallas has an interesting mix of Texas pride and cosmopolitan offerings,” U.S. News’ overview of the city said. “Dallasites love the trendy local bars and numerous retail shops, and they rally together behind their professional sports teams.”
While Dallas made big steps to improve in U.S. News’ national list, the city unfortunately sank in the report’s Best Place to Live in Texas list for 2024. Dallas dipped to No. 7 after previously scoring No. 3 in 2023.
Elsewhere in Texas
The recent focus on city-based data was likely a major factor that fueled Dallas’ improvement in the national rankings, but it also favorably shifted nine other Texas cities.
Austin – which previously ranked No. 40 in last year’s rankings – became the only city to represent the Lone Star State among the top 10 best places to live in 2024. The Texas Capital jumped up 31 spots to claim No. 9 nationally, due to its “high desirability and job market scores,” the report said.
Three cities in the Rio Grande Valley also ranked higher than Dallas, suggesting that South Texas may be a better place to live than North Texas. The border towns of McAllen (No. 48) and Brownsville (No. 87) climbed into the overall top 100 this year after formerly ranking No. 137 and No. 134 last year. Meanwhile, Corpus Christi moved up from No. 132 last year to No. 77 in 2024.
Here’s how other Texas cities faired in 2024’s Best Places to Live report:
- No. 62 – El Paso (up from No. 128 last year)
- No. 89 – San Antonio (up from No. 103 last year)
- No. 97 – Houston (up from No. 140 last year)
- No. 99 – Beaumont (up from No. 131 last year)
- No. 107 – Killeen (up from No. 122 last year)
Naples, Florida took home the gold medal as the No. 1 best place to live in the U.S. in 2024. Rounding out the top five are Boise, Idaho (No. 2); Colorado Springs, Colorado (No. 3); Greenville, South Carolina (No. 4); and Charlotte, North Carolina (No. 5).
The full report and its methodology can be found on realestate.usnews.com.
Dallas, TX
Federal, local agencies tout results of North Texas anti-crime operation before World Cup
With a little more than two weeks until the first FIFA World Cup match in Dallas, local and federal law enforcement agencies announced Wednesday the conclusion of a major operation targeting organized crime in North Texas.
Representatives from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, ATF Dallas, FBI Dallas, Dallas police, Frisco police and other agencies said Operation Red Card focused on violent crime, drug trafficking and human trafficking networks ahead of the international tournament.
Officials said the operation lasted about 10 weeks and involved efforts to seize drugs and firearms, arrest offenders and disrupt criminal activity.
“It is evident that this operation has been an extraordinary success leading up to the FIFA World Cup,” said Ryan Raybould, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Texas.
Raybould said the operation resulted in about 250 indictments.
Dallas Police Chief Daniel Comeaux praised the coordination between local and federal agencies.
“Right here, this is what right looks like. Us, working together to keep everyone safe in Dallas,” Comeaux said. “I love working with my federal partners and U.S. Attorney’s Office for us to continue to keep everyone safe in Dallas.”
Comeaux said fugitive operations tied to the U.S. Marshals Task Force have led to more than 1,300 arrests involving felony warrants.
“We’re over 1300 arrests of individuals that don’t belong on the streets because of felony warrants,” he said.
The chief also discussed the department’s drone program and preparations underway before the first World Cup match.
“We’re trying to get everything set up before the first game. It’s a lot of moving hands when it comes to that,” Comeaux said. “Right now, we have eight drone docking stations up. And we are using them now when it comes to first responders.”
“And listen, when those drones are up, you can see clearly different criminal activities that are taking place,” he added.
Federal enforcement operations have faced scrutiny nationwide in recent months. Raybould addressed questions about balancing heightened security with maintaining a welcoming atmosphere for visitors.
“They are vigorously enforcing the law but they’re also great men and women that are representatives of the institution that they represent, and they do ton of outreach events, they do reentry events,” Raybould said. “So that’s their job. I expect that to continue.”
Jake Holmes, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Texas, also addressed immigration enforcement and drug trafficking investigations.
“Tackling illegal immigration and tackling drug trafficking are really one in the same fight,” Holmes said. “Multiple drug houses, based on intelligence we received, revealed that networks of people in the United States are leveraging their connection back in their home countries.”
Joseph Rothrock, FBI special agent in charge, said officials used security planning from previous Super Bowls as a reference point for the World Cup, though he noted the scale of the tournament is much larger.
“Here in Dallas, that’ll be more matches than any other host city in the United States,” Rothrock said. “As far as comparing this World Cup to previous World Cups, it really doesn’t compare. It’s the first time that we’ve seen the World Cup hosted in three different countries.”
Raybould said Project Safe Neighborhoods, a federal initiative focused on reducing violent crime through partnerships with local agencies, will continue beyond the World Cup. He said the program has been in place for 20 years and uses local crime data to identify areas needing additional enforcement resources.
Dallas, TX
Why is George Pickens back in the news? Because Emmitt Smith made it so
Video: Here’s 5 bold predictions for the Patriots in the 2026 Season
The New England Patriots enter the 2026 NFL season with big expectations after losing to the Seattle Seahawks in last season’s Super Bowl.
George Pickens hasn’t been in the news for a week now, so something had to break and it came in the form of a Cowboy legend giving him advice on how to handle his contract situation.
There is also speculation that this year will be his last with the Dallas Cowboys and the last year in the silver and blue for a former Texas Longhorn linebacker. CeeDee Lamb and coach Brian Schottenheimer are also in the news, or what passes for it in late May in the NFL.
Here are some Cowboys headlines.
George Pickens, Emmitt Smith
The NFL’s all-time rushing leader and Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith went on to the NFL Network’s The Insiders show and shared his opinions about George Pickens’ situation. Pickens’ contract status has been a major storyline this offseason and he is now set to play on a one-year franchise tag.
Indications are he wasn’t a long-term contract (as anyone would), but Jerry Jones has not opened negotiations on this. Smith’s advice to Pickens is something Cowboy fans hope Pickens follows.
Smith said: “I would say to George Pickens right now, you just ran into the business side of sports, period. There’s nothing else but pure business. Try not to take it personally. I know you will, because I would take it personally too, but shuffle that energy to your performance because I think your performance itself is going to speak a lot louder than anything else.”
Meanwhile, the blog Inside the Star predicts Pickens, as well as linebacker DeMarvion Overshown, will not be with the team in 2027.
Of Pickens, Mark Heaney writes, “We’ve seen the front office be unwilling to even negotiate a long-term deal, likely due to the issue of paying two wide receivers at the top of the market. In theory, the Cowboys could franchise tag him again next offseason, but consecutive tags mean a 120% increase from the previous year’s salary; that’s unsustainable for the organization. Instead, I think we see him dealt for some compensation ahead of the 2027 NFL Draft.“
DeMarvion Overshown
Linebacker DeMarvion Overshown, a Texas Longhorns product, has tantalized Cowboys fans when he’s been healthy, but that hasn’t been much. He missed all of his rookie year in 2023 with a blown-out knee, which came after several strong preseason games.
He blew out his knee again late in the 2024 season, which caused him to miss the first half of the 2025 season.
Mark Heaney of the blog Inside the Star predicts that this coming season, one way or another, will be Overshown’s last in Dallas.
He writes: “The other guy, DeMarvion Overshown, is a genuine fan favorite, and it is easy to understand why. Former Texas Longhorn, electric, high-energy player when healthy, true team leader. That all resonates with the Dallas faithful in a significant way, but it doesn’t change the facts around his situation, especially when it comes to health.
”Overshown has had major struggles with staying on the field, and if he comes asking for a big bag in 2027 after more issues this year, Dallas will say no.
”On the flip side, his elite potential could result in a huge year that, similarly to Pickens, prices Dallas out from extending him to a long-term deal. The addition of Jaishawn Barham in the draft adds another layer to it, as he should be able to replace Overshown next year.”
CeeDee Lamb
Last week new New York Giants coach John Harbaugh, took a shot at the Dallas Cowboys at New York’s town hall event, saying, “All I care about is tomorrow’s practice, because if tomorrow’s practice is the way it’s supposed to be, that will be one more step in the direction of being a good enough football team to kick the Cowboys’ ass.”
Evidently mocking Harbaugh fell to receiver CeeDee Lamb, who went on Instagram to post a rather understated, “lol that’s cute.”
This being May, that was enough to grab some headlines and get his name back in the news.
Dallas Cowboys coach
Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer will enter his second year as head coach, marking his fifth year with the club. He is now looking to sell his McKinney home for $3.8 million in order to move closer to the Cowboys’ headquarters in Frisco (McKinney is about a half-hour drive from Frisco).
“It really is just time being closer to work, and every minute counts, when you’re at that level, for him,” listing agent Carrie Himel told Neil Franklin of the Dallas Morning News.
For those interested, the house is listed at 5,700 square feet.
Dallas Cowboys tickets 2026
Seat Geek is the official partner of the Dallas Cowboys, so this is where to get official tickets. The Cowboys are also offering packages for the Week 3 game in Rio de Janeiro against the Ravens, ranging from $1,200 to $5,750. That doesn’t include airfare, and the cheap rate doesn’t include a hotel.
Other places to buy tickets, which will be more expensive but with a much larger selection than the official tickets, include StubHub, Ticketmaster and Vivid Seats. Those sites also offer tickets for away games.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached, bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on X.
Dallas, TX
Dallas Police Provide Update on Tuesday Morning Homicide
The Dallas Police Department is investigating the shooting deaths of three people at a party being held at a short-term rental on Tuesday morning.
The department posted a video update to social media hours after the incident occurred.
According to DPD, police responded to a shooting call in the 3700 Vilbig St. at around 12:28 a.m. The preliminary investigation found that four people had been shot at a party being hosted at a short-term rental.
Two of the victims died at the scene and one died at the hospital. The fourth victim is in stable condition. All of the victims are adults.
At this time, police have not made an arrest and are still carrying out a preliminary investigation. Police said there was not a threat to the general public, but a suspect had fled the scene.
As of Monday, there had been a total of 74 homicide offenses recorded by Dallas police in 2026. That includes seven justifiable homicide offenses, 55 murder and non-negligent manslaughter offenses, and another 12 negligent manslaughter offenses.
This time last year, the department had recorded 79 homicide offenses, including five justifiable homicides, 64 murder and non-negligent manslaughter offenses, and another 10 negligent manslaughter offenses.
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