Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
Total Population: 6,371,773
Change From 2000: 23.4%
Dallas-Fort Worth is home to 16 Fortune 500 companies, and more than its fair share of the nation's billionaires -- with dozens of the nation's wealthiest CEOs (T. Boone Pickens, Ross Perot, and Mark Cuban to name a few) finding a home in the cities or the surrounding area.
Dallas added an impressive 1.21 million people in the last decade, second only to Houston. Affordable housing and cost of living have long been a key selling point of the region, attracting workers who find that they can get far more bang for their buck in Texas than they could trying to squeeze into an apartment in one of the heavily regulated coastal urban centers. That yard with space for a grill (Texas BBQ anyone?) is especially alluring if it's cheap. Don't let the drawl fool you, Dallas is moving fast.
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Last updated April 14 2011: 10:33 AM ET
