Dallas-Fort Worth rivalry (Arlington, Mart: sales, credit score, neighborhood)

[Soonhun]

Originally Posted by Colt .45

I know a few people from Ft. Worth who "never venture into Dallas" and vice versa...but for the most part, nobody cares....We're all in the Metroplex......What I think is funny, is people in Arlington, who get so mad when anybody refers to the Rangers or Cowboys being in Dallas...ok yes, we know, technically its Arlington, but if not for Dallas these teams wouldnt exist in this area...And if not for Dallas, most of the suburbs in the Metroplex wouldnt exist or would be small rural towns, Arlington included, so get over it.....

It is the same thing as when some people in Dallas hate it when suburbanites say they live in Dallas when they don't live within the city limits.

Like everyone else said, the rivalry, if it does exist, is mainly one sided. Fort Worth is smaller, so it makes sense for people proud to live in Fort Worth to have stronger emotions about the rivalry, particularly when it is true that many times, people say Dallas to mean the entire metroplex.

[TowerGuy]

I'm sure FW is a decent place and the people are decent people. I'd probably enjoy a hangout spot over there if it wasn't so out of my way.

However, it is interesting this has been brought up and I have some observations. When I moved here from California I heard a lot of negative comments about Dallas whenever talking to someone from FW. The place seems to have a major inferiority complex that I have discovered has some deep roots. Perhaps it is a big bro little bro dynamic? I read that one of the mayors of FW was invited to Dallas for some event and insisted on brining a sack lunch so he wouldn't have to spend money in Dallas. Seriously?? I also read the federal government had to get involved and force FW to cooperate with Dallas on plans to build DFW. Finally, I recently heard the current mayor lament the trend among millennials moving to Dallas over FW and she referred to Dallas as "that city to the east". Really? Is Dallas akin to Voldemort? You can't speak the name?

I don't know anyone on this side of the metroplex, let alone an elected official, who hates on FW. Seems like a decent place...especially if you're into cowboy culture. That being said, I think maybe the animosity is due to the fact that people tend to perceive FW as a cowboy town as opposed to urban/cosmopolitan. Maybe?? If so, what does that have to do with Dallas? If your downtown is going to be a monument to cowboys and cattle, then why get butt hurt when your name doesn't conjure up thoughts of urban life? You can't have both so either ditch one for the other.

I don't know what it is or where it stems from but my observation indicates the animosity is pretty much one sided. One side has some major beef and the other is simply indifferent....which doesn't seem to help the matter.

[ParaguaneroSwag]

Originally Posted by RJ312

As an out of stater who moved here for his career and arrived here without a job, I didn't give a moment of consideration to Fort Worth. I felt that being in Dallas would be better for my career than being in Fort Worth.

Dallas has the bigger brand name and more economic opportunities than Fort Worth.

That doesn't mean there's no rivalry. In San Francisco-Oakland, San Francisco has a larger brand name and more economic opportunities. That's how it is in most "metroplexes". One of the only almost completely equals would be Minneapolis-St Paul.

[mm4]

Originally Posted by ParaguaneroSwag

That doesn't mean there's no rivalry. In San Francisco-Oakland, San Francisco has a larger brand name and more economic opportunities. That's how it is in most "metroplexes". One of the only almost completely equals would be Minneapolis-St Paul.

As another commentator pointed out to you, there's only potential rivalry between similarly configured cities. That excludes Dallas and FW, as well as SF and Oakland.

Originally Posted by TowerGuy

I read that one of the mayors of FW was invited to Dallas for some event and insisted on brining a sack lunch so he wouldn't have to spend money in Dallas.

It's sounding more like an urban legend.

Whatever there was pretty much dissolved with the opening of the shared regional airport in the early 1970s.

[bu2]

Originally Posted by ParaguaneroSwag

After evaluating all the responses, I'm noticing something. Every place that's known to be superior cares less about the rivalry. Dallas is known to be superior to Fort Worth, which is why people are saying "It's mainly taking place in Fort Worth, etc". Also, the few responses I have seen about there indeed being a rivalry seem to be on Fort Worth's side, which supports what I said.

Now, get this. Houston is generally known as superior to Dallas. And "Dallas pretty much won that" there supports it. But this is stuff I've noticed all the time. Such as Dallas newspapers posting about the rivalry Houston-Dallas, and Houston newspapers focusing on more important things. Which is similar to the Fort Worth being below Dallas. The same relationship happens elsewhere.

Now notice how much hate this post will get, being posted in a Dallas thread, which further supports it.

You've said it pretty succinctly.

Another rivalry is the NFL rivalry between the Houston team (Oilers and now Texans) and the Cowboys. Same situation. Cowboy fans don't consider it a rivalry.

[Colt .45]

Originally Posted by Parhe

It is the same thing as when some people in Dallas hate it when suburbanites say they live in Dallas when they don't live within the city limits.

Like everyone else said, the rivalry, if it does exist, is mainly one sided. Fort Worth is smaller, so it makes sense for people proud to live in Fort Worth to have stronger emotions about the rivalry, particularly when it is true that many times, people say Dallas to mean the entire metroplex.

Ive never known somebody within the Metroplex talking to someone else within the Metroplex to say they live in Dallas, if for example they actually live in Denton....because you know that person youre talking to knows the area, you can be specific.......but when youre out of state and someone asks you what part of Texas are you from, I always say Dallas, cause people generally dont know Denton( for all they know its some West TX Rural town or a Houston Suburb).....its kinda like ordering a coke at a restaurant and then specifying you want that coke to be a Dr. Pepper......"Im from Dallas, Denton to be exact" is something I have told lots of people whenever Ive lived out of Texas.....but if Im at a random bar in Ft. Worth for some reason and someone asks me where I live, of course Im not gonna say Dallas, Im gonna say Denton.......

[Matthew Duck]

I've never heard about this rivalry after being in school up in the Metroplex for two years. Are they competing to see who has the worst branch of I-35?

[TrueDat]

Originally Posted by mm4

As another commentator pointed out to you, there's only potential rivalry between similarly configured cities. That excludes Dallas and FW, as well as SF and Oakland.


It's sounding more like an urban legend.

Whatever there was pretty much dissolved with the opening of the shared regional airport in the early 1970s.

The quote about a Fort Worth honcho taking a sack lunch to Dallas so he wouldn't spend money there is not an urban legend. Amon Carter, for whom the major museum is named after in Fort Worth and was the founder of the Star-Telegram, reportedly did just that.

Amon G. Carter - Texas Newspaper Foundation

The other thing that's amusing is that some (yes, generally older) Fort Worth people will use Will Rogers' alteration of the old slogan "Dallas is where the East ends and Fort Worth is where the West begins" and instead say "Fort Worth is where the West begins and Dallas is where the East peters out." Slightly more negative connotation against Dallas in the latter.

Quote/Counterquote: “Where the West begins” – and the East peters out…

Most younger people may give lip service to some sort of divide -- "It's all cowboys in Fort Worth" or "keep Dallas pretentious" -- but I don't think most really mean it or give it much thought. But I am surprised by the numbers of people I meet who rarely, if ever, go to the other city unless it's for some big event (concert, game, political rally, etc.) To me, it's all part of the same metro and often find myself in either if there's something interesting going on.

ETA: That Rogers, one of the most popular humorists of his day, could write a line like "Dallas being where the East peters out" -- and presumably get a laugh from his audience who would get what he was talking about -- shows that there was certainly Dallas/Fort Worth rivalry back then.

[rogramjet]

Fort Worth and Dallas both have a lot going on. Both are great up and coming cities in the 21st century. Think Manhattan and Brooklyn in the 20th. For those of you who hate either city, you're missing an opportunity to experience some fun, history, and uniqueness that's in your backyard. For those who look down at either city, poor, small, y'all.

[happycrow]

Originally Posted by rantanamo

Those are entertainment venues. I would say places like Irving, Plano and Dallas have the more important things.

As D magazine noted years ago, Dallas has a habit of claiming credit for mid-cities, as if they were extensions of the city, when nothing could be further from the truth.