Dallas is a young city with all the vigour of youth. Effigies of modern architecture rise like glass trees out of the downtown area. In 1841, it was simply a plan of 20 streets on the 256 hectares (640 acres) of south central America, claimed by a Tennessee lawyer, John Neely Bryan. Today, it is the ninth largest city in the USA, and including its western neighbour of Fort Worth, it is the nation’s fastest growing metropolitan area.

History
As a frontier post of the Wild West, Dallas established its reputation as a place for entrepreneurs and go-getters. The infamous gambler and gunfighter, Doc Holliday, started out here as a dentist. In the 1870s, two major railroads met at Dallas and became the catalyst for the city’s rapid development as a trade centre.

In 1907 the Neiman Marcus store put Dallas on the fashion map. The Federal Reserve Bank was established in 1914, and an old prospector struck oil (black gold) 160km (100 miles) east of Dallas in 1930, leading to the development of the East Texas Oilfield. Already a financial and business centre, Dallas was booming.  

Dallas will always be remembered for one, if not two, shootings. The first and most shocking occurred on 22 November 1963, when President J F Kennedy was assassinated in downtown Dallas. The second shooting may only have been fictional but, when J R Ewing was shot by an unknown killer in the TV series Dallas, fans across the world were devastated.

Dining and culture
Today the city is a mecca for dining, shopping, arts and entertainment. Large scale developments of urban lofts, apartments, condominiums, retail and both indoor and outdoor recreational facilities are springing up across the city. An impressive new Dallas Center for the Performing Arts opened in October 2009 to vie with New York’s Lincoln Center.

Climate
Whether visited in the mild winters or hot summers (when air conditioning is an absolute necessity), Dallas offers true Southern hospitality, be it in a humble apartment or in the Mansion on Turtle Creek, recently ranked as one of the world’s top hotels. And with a 10th of its workforce in the hospitality industry, Dallas is always a welcoming city.

Fondly known as the Bayou City, once nicknamed Space City, and widely recognised as the energy capital of the world, Houston was founded in 1836 (by brothers Augustus and John Allen) on the banks of Buffalo Bayou (a creek). This southeast Texan city is named after General Sam Houston, of the Texas Army that won independence from Mexico.

Within a year of its foundation, Houston became the capital of the Republic of Texas until 1840, when that honour was transferred to Austin. However, this Republic was rather short-lived as Texas joined the Union in 1845.

Despite its high-rise skyline, Houston has an open feel with several lakes and waterways (such as the Buffalo Bayou) winding their way through the city, surrounded by lush green landscape.

The city has been a dynamic centre of business, particularly in oil, since 'black gold' was discovered at nearby Beaumont in 1901. It is also the leader in space technology – Houston is home to NASA and the Johnson Space Center, the base for Mission Control and the place where astronauts are trained. It was established in 1961, as NASA's primary site for the design, development and testing of spacecraft for human flight.

The port area, which is linked to the city by the Houston Ship Channel, an 80km (50-mile) inland waterway, is thriving and has developed into an important business district for the city.  

The city is now the fourth largest in America, covering an area of 1600 sq km (618 sq miles).

In recent years, Houston's Downtown has undergone a dramatic transformation into a dynamic area of the city. It's now both an entertainment and residential district, and many buildings have been converted into loft apartments that sell at a premium.

The area is a magnet for people who wish to have dinner, see a movie or a show and walk along the historic waterfront in Sesquicentennial Park and on the Sabine-to-Bagby Promenade. Bayou Place, an entertainment complex in the Downtown Theater District, has been a great addition to the area, providing restaurants, live music and a multiplex cinema.

Houston has a temperate climate all year round, although the humidity in the height of summer can make the city feel warmer than the actual temperature. Such a climate means lush green gardens, fragrant flowers and towering trees.