Is Fort Worth Texas's Most Overlooked City? (Houston, Dallas: lofts, credit)

[JimBaker488]

Originally Posted by RMFW

As a side anecdote, I even once heard someone (a non-Texan to be fair) admit that she thought that "Fort Worth" was just the name of the airport (as in "I flew from Austin-Bergstrom to Dallas-Fort Worth and then on to Houston-Intercontinental). Not saying she was bright, but a funny and (I fear) not uncommon mistake.

And DFW airport is owned by the city of Fort Worth every bit as much as it's owned by the city of Dallas, and what's more is a little known fact that Fort Worth and not Dallas is where the soon to be worlds largest airline and most prominent carrier at DFW airport has it's corporate, it's international headquarters.

[winkosmosis]

Originally Posted by RMFW

I probably should have been clearer in my original post. What I meant was, relative to its size and assets, is Fort Worth the most overlooked city in Texas? Now, obviously if you live right there in the metroplex, you're probably less likely to overlook Fort Worth (I say that, but plenty of people on the eastern side of the metro seem to do it all the time), but I was referring more to people outside of North Texas (i.e. Houston, Austin, San Antonio, etc.).

I have lived all over Texas and in places like Houston and, especially, (oddly enough) Austin, whenever talking about where you might consider moving to, or what city might be worth visiting for a weekend or, what city has this or that to offer, people will rattle through Houston, Dallas (universally despised outside of Dallas, by the way), Austin and San Antonio, but if they go any further down that list, it seems that cities like Lubbock or Waco will come up in conversation before Fort Worth gets mentioned (despite being only a fraction of the size). Of course, whenever someone finally does mention Fort Worth in that type of conversation there is usually an "oh yeah..." moment where they then talk about how nice Fort Worth is and how they "forget about Fort Worth."

So I suppose what I'm asking is is there any other city in Texas that gets the "oh yeah, I forget about that one" treatment as much as Fort Worth and if so, why? I can see El Paso as a serious contender (especially being next down from Fort Worth on the list in terms of population), but I think that that is just a factor of it being so far removed from the rest of the population that most people take it out of consideration (by that point you may as well be discussing moving to or going to Albuquerque or New Orleans). Is Dallas's shadow so large and dark that it can fully conceal Fort Worth? Even though it is DFW, fewer and fewer people really call it that these days (probably due to the growth of some of the surrounding suburban cities like Plano, Frisco, Southlake, etc.).

As a side anecdote, I even once heard someone (a non-Texan to be fair) admit that she thought that "Fort Worth" was just the name of the airport (as in "I flew from Austin-Bergstrom to Dallas-Fort Worth and then on to Houston-Intercontinental). Not saying she was bright, but a funny and (I fear) not uncommon mistake.

I think you're right.

Also, Houstonians tend to view Fort Worth as part of Dallas.

[Exult.Q36]

As a Fort Worth native I can tell you that the main reason Fort Worth is overlooked is because of its close proximity to the most known city in the state Dallas. But I've always felt that Fort Worth doesn't do enough to get its name out there. I don't know if its true now but for a long time the Fort Worth MSA was the 3rd most populated area in the state if you excluded the Dallas side of the metro. The county Fort Worth is in Tarrant County is the 3rd most populated county in the state. And I believe Fort Worth if separated from Dallas would have the 3rd largest GDP in the state (could be Austin now). But we will never really know this information now because DFW stats are not separated anymore.

[JJG]

Another person who actually LIVES and GREW UP IN Fort Worth... YES, we are overlooked.

How many times do people around the country even mention Fort Worth without saying "Dallas", first? I can' tell you how many times I've had to correct people in where Fort Worth is and its possession in the Metroplex.

And we've tried getting our name out there countless times. We have TWO NASCAR events, the "Fifth Major" in the Colonial Invitational, ESPN was in Sundance Square all week during the Super Bowl and will be for the Final Four as well. Our city's name is on one half of the 3rd busiest and largest airport on the planet... yet people still see us as an overgrown suburb, so we still get overlooked.

[Cranfords]

Fort Worth is doing just fine. If being overlooked helps keep the crazies away, I'm all for that.

[JJG]

Originally Posted by Cranfords

Fort Worth is doing just fine. If being overlooked helps keep the crazies away, I'm all for that.

... the crazies?

[JimBaker488]

Originally Posted by kdogg817

As a Fort Worth native I can tell you that the main reason Fort Worth is overlooked is because of its close proximity to the most known city in the state Dallas. But I've always felt that Fort Worth doesn't do enough to get its name out there. I don't know if its true now but for a long time the Fort Worth MSA was the 3rd most populated area in the state if you excluded the Dallas side of the metro. The county Fort Worth is in Tarrant County is the 3rd most populated county in the state. And I believe Fort Worth if separated from Dallas would have the 3rd largest GDP in the state (could be Austin now). But we will never really know this information now because DFW stats are not separated anymore.

Yes one has to wonder who's idea it was to inflate and distort the perceived size and significance of Dallas at the expense of Fort Worth, which truly is (or atleast was) one of the most prominent cities in all of Texas in its own right and certainly the most significant municipal competitor Dallas had in the whole state ?

[Dallaz]

Originally Posted by JJG

Another person who actually LIVES and GREW UP IN Fort Worth... YES, we are overlooked.

How many times do people around the country even mention Fort Worth without saying "Dallas", first? I can' tell you how many times I've had to correct people in where Fort Worth is and its possession in the Metroplex.

And we've tried getting our name out there countless times. We have TWO NASCAR events, the "Fifth Major" in the Colonial Invitational, ESPN was in Sundance Square all week during the Super Bowl and will be for the Final Four as well. Our city's name is on one half of the 3rd busiest and largest airport on the planet... yet people still see us as an overgrown suburb, so we still get overlooked.

To be honest, it looks like it. When I go to Fort Worth, it doesn't feel like I'm in a major city...it feels like an extension of Arlington.

[JKAddict]

Originally Posted by Dallaz

To be honest, it looks like it. When I go to Fort Worth, it doesn't feel like I'm in a major city...it feels like an extension of Arlington.

You feel like that in Downtown Fort Worth, where people are actually walking unlike in downtown Dallas? Other than that, Fort Worth feels exactly like Dallas. So you could say the exact same thing about Dallas.

Honestly, Fort Worth is overlooked, but as other people have said, it is not overlooked as much as El Paso.

[Dallaz]

Originally Posted by JKAddict

You feel like that in Downtown Fort Worth, where people are actually walking unlike in downtown Dallas? Other than that, Fort Worth feels exactly like Dallas. So you could say the exact same thing about Dallas.

Honestly, Fort Worth is overlooked, but as other people have said, it is not overlooked as much as El Paso.

I beg to differ. I went to Fort Worth last week and I saw suburban-style housing everywhere.

Sorry, Fort Worth and Dallas have totally different vibes. I didn't see anything that appealed to me. I just couldn't get over the fact that it reminded me of every suburban town around DFW.