"Don't Dallas my Fort Worth..." / What the hell does this mean? (Houston: live, to move)

[Campeador]

Originally Posted by JJG

Rural roots? EVERY city has "rural roots". We're not special in that and the whole "big town feel" is just kinda fake to me. You can use that for Sundance Square, but be honest, that is the only place where it truly fits. The rest of Fort Worth feels just like every other large city in Texas outside of downtown. And quite frankly, promoting this city as a "big small town" is just a small part of why we're losing out on expanding/diversifying our economy to our peer cities like Nashville, Portland, and Oklahoma City (even they have a modern streetcar) and even suburbs in DFW.

Wait, you think Portland and Nashville are our peer cities? Wow. That's... hopeful.

Honestly, Sundance Square is one of the few places where FW DOESN'T feel like just an overgrown town to me. In my opinion, where there are pedestrians and public space for human beings to interact? That feels like a real city.

Anyways: if folks are using this saying as a message to keep Fort Worth from becoming denser / more vibrant... then I understand your frustrations. We should have a light rail system, IMO, and I do like the core hoods you mention (I live in one).

[JJG]

Originally Posted by Dallaz

The Trinity River project failed?

The Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge is spurring new development in West Dallas. Go check it out...you’ll be surprised.

Honestly, I agree with the OP. Fort Worth is going to get left behind if this type of attitude continues. Fort Worth is NOT a small town anymore. Soon, the population will approach 1 million. There’s no way Fort Worth can succeed in the future (against other cities) at its current state.

One of the rare times I will ever agree with a Dallasite in regards to where Fort Worth is... it's just a fact and if we're being honest, Ft. Worth hasn't been a small town since the early 1900s. And I mean the EARLY early 1900s.


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And I'm just going to say this:

Please, PLEASE don't bring unnecessary political crap to MY threads. I don't care which way you vote or what your philosophical side is, but I'm not asking for that.

This is the only time I'm going to say it.

[JJG]

Originally Posted by Campeador

Wait, you think Portland and Nashville are our peer cities? Wow. That's... hopeful.

Honestly, Sundance Square is one of the few places where FW DOESN'T feel like just an overgrown town to me. In my opinion, where there are pedestrians and public space for human beings to interact? That feels like a real city.

Anyways: if folks are using this saying as a message to keep Fort Worth from becoming denser / more vibrant... then I understand your frustrations. We should have a light rail system, IMO, and I do like the core hoods you mention (I live in one).

I don't think it, I know it. (page 11).

Our general peer cities are Nashville, Portland, Kansas City, OKC, Austin, Indy, Cincinnati, Jacksonville, Memphis, Louisville, Charlotte, Denver... and we're mostly behind all of them in some way, shape, or form.

[DabOnEm]

Originally Posted by JJG

I have to ask because personally, it's the most annoying thing I ever hear from other Fort Worthians.

I'm probably the biggest Fort Worth homer on this forum and I don't like being lumped in with the city to the East... HOWEVER, anytime the subjects of city growth, infrastructure, luring white collar jobs/major corporations, expansion of transportation, etc. comes up, several people in this town say "Don't Dallas my Fort Worth" (which I find to be the most obnoxious saying created) or "you're trying to turn our city into Dallas", or the like.

I want to ask what that means, exactly, because it really doesn't make sense to me. I don't see how doing what EVERY major city does is trying to "be like Dallas". I believe it to make us look like petty, small-minded hicks who can't get over the fact that this is a major city and the 15th largest (and growing) in the nation. It's not necessary.

I heard this often when I lived in Tarrant County and still hear it from friends in the area. They'd rather go to West 7th or Downtown FW than head into Dallas. The biggest reason for them is that Dallas has a lot of "dbags" (not my words!). I'm practically the only one that would want to head into Dallas instead because it's more my style. They like the slower paced, more homey feel of Fort Worth. I definitely feel there's a strong NIMBY population that only want the growth in FW to be on the outskirts in new suburban style neighborhoods. It'll take a lot to change that. The best thing FW can do besides try to develop Downtown is develop the CentrePort area into a Las Colinas/Legacy-lite.

[JJG]

Originally Posted by DabOnEm

It'll take a lot to change that. The best thing FW can do besides try to develop Downtown is develop the CentrePort area into a Las Colinas/Legacy-lite.

If we do that, then it'll just continue to set us back and/or push us more into being a giant bedroom community... the focus of the growth seriously needs to stay within 5-8 miles of downtown.

I don't think it'll take a lot to change, just leadership who isn't afraid to think forward.

Say what you will about Mayor Price, but her time has shown to be more active in making our public transportation better as well as focusing on growing the hospitality/tourism side of things... that's a start.

[Campeador]

Originally Posted by JJG

I don't think it, I know it. (page 11).

Our general peer cities are Nashville, Portland, Kansas City, OKC, Austin, Indy, Cincinnati, Jacksonville, Memphis, Louisville, Charlotte, Denver... and we're mostly behind all of them in some way, shape, or form.

The page you linked to won't load. I've been to (and lived in) a lot of those supposed 'peers' and they all feel a lot more vibrant and less provincial than Fort Worth. I do think things have improved here in the 10 or so years I've lived here.

[TS_Grapevine]

Originally Posted by JJG

Please, PLEASE don't bring unnecessary political crap to MY threads. I don't care which way you vote or what your philosophical side is, but I'm not asking for that.

This is the only time I'm going to say it.

Your OP is political in its origin. You know damn well what the phrase means. You invited the "political crap" by posting in the first place.



Fort Worth doesn't want to be like Dallas and it is largely due to politics, density, crime and how the Dallas government is run.

[JJG]

Originally Posted by Campeador

The page you linked to won't load. I've been to (and lived in) a lot of those supposed 'peers' and they all feel a lot more vibrant and less provincial than Fort Worth. I do think things have improved here in the 10 or so years I've lived here.

It's the Trinity Metro/TEXRail PDF page that shows a few of Ft. Worth's peer cities and comparing how our transit system is to there's. If you feel that those cities are a lot more vibrant and less provincial, well then that's half the point of my post...

Originally Posted by TS_Grapevine

Your OP is political in its origin. You know damn well what the phrase means. You invited the "political crap" by posting in the first place.



Fort Worth doesn't want to be like Dallas and it is largely due to politics, density, crime and how the Dallas government is run.

Look, you're new... this is only your 11th post as I'm currently replying, so I'm not gonna go so hard on you, but I will let you know that NO, my post was NOT meant to be political at all. If that's the first thing that came to your mind, that's on you.

Anyone who knows me on these boards understands that I really despise the petty, childish tribal mentality of political opinions, ESPECIALLY on this forum and especially when they're not warranted. When "high crime and liberals" are what first pops up into mind when someone mentions high density neighborhoods, it's a stereotypical viewpoint and that's unnecessary. This is part of the reason why I don't post much here anymore.

I can understand if you don't like Dallas (trust me, I totally get why), and I can get why political differences would be a reason would be the reason for that saying, but NONE of that is why I asked. I'm talking about civic growth and transportation. You're the one who brought up crime and liberals. Btw, not everyone in this city is conservative or thinks they way you apparently do on the neighborhoods Dallas has, so don't think you can speak for everyone here and treat your personal views/opinions (some of which based on misinformation like what you said about the Dallas Trinity River Project) as facts.

[Campeador]

Which begs the question.... are they REALLY peers then? I'd say we're aspiring towards the kind of vibrancy that Portland, Denver, or Nashville have, but we have a long ways to go. I won't include Austin, because, although I love it, I simply don't see Fort Worth developing in a similar manner as Austin has (and that's partially a good thing).

RE: the Grapevine crew. I wouldn't sweat it. They don't even live in FW.

I love what Mayor Price has done for cycling infrastructure in FW. Didn't the streetcar proposal (between Near Southside, DT and West 7th) fail on her watch?

We have a lot of folks who are intimately tied to petroleum and the automobile and the sprawl (80s) model that accompany that mentality. That's difficult to overcome. It is ridiculous that we don't have decent public transportation to DFW and that you have to pay a toll just to access it. That's so retrograde and dystopian, IMO.

I rarely visit Dallas. Whenever I have gone, it's never impressed me much, so I don't see why I'd want to "Dallas my Fort Worth". I'd love to Denver or Portland my FW though!

[JJG]

Originally Posted by Campeador

Which begs the question.... are they REALLY peers then? I'd say we're aspiring towards the kind of vibrancy that Portland, Denver, or Nashville have, but we have a long ways to go. I won't include Austin, because, although I love it, I simply don't see Fort Worth developing in a similar manner as Austin has (and that's partially a good thing).

I love what Mayor Price has done for cycling infrastructure in FW. Didn't the streetcar proposal (between Near Southside, DT and West 7th) fail on her watch?

We have a lot of folks who are intimately tied to petroleum and the automobile and the sprawl (80s) model that accompany that mentality. That's difficult to overcome. It is ridiculous that we don't have decent public transportation to DFW and that you have to pay a toll just to access it. That's so retrograde and dystopian, IMO.

I rarely visit Dallas. Whenever I have gone, it's never impressed me much, so I don't see why I'd want to "Dallas my Fort Worth". I'd love to Denver or Portland my FW though!

By size, they are our peers. That is, of course, if you separate the Fort Worth side of the Metroplex from the rest of the area.

The streetcar proposal fell under Moncreif's watch. I don't remember if she was one of the voters, but I do remember that one or two were out and couldn't vote for it, so that's what killed it... or at the very least held it off for another decade.

Honestly, every city in Texas is auto-centric. But Dallas and Houston (Dallas more so than any other city in this state) have invested into public transit, so there's no reason why we shouldn't have. I'm STILL upset about that vote, btw.

What I like about Austin is that it's the tech hub of this state. We don't have to strive to be exactly like what they are, but some aspects of that town are worth researching.

We do have Portland's similar city blocks, though.