When you think of Texas, you think of Houstin, Austin, San Antonio, and (of course) Dallas. Residents call it DFW, or The Metroplex. With a population of 7,637,387 according to the US Census Bureau in 2020, the Metroplex is the most populous metropolitan area in both Texas and the Southern United States. Everyone knows that Dallas is home to the Dallas Cowboys and the Texas Rangers, has delicious smoked barbecue and authentic Mexican cuisine, but did you also know that the Metroplex is also home to the highest concentration of colleges and universities in Texas?

Here are some other things that might surprise you about the Metroplex:

Move over New York City, the nations largest Arts District is in Dallas! Love frozen margaritas? The invention of the frozen margarita machine in 1971 increased the demand for tequila in the US and popularized Tex-Mex cuisine. Cheers! You can watch a cattle drive twice a day at the Fort Worth Stockyards, and about 60% of the paper money in the US is printed at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Fort Worth.