Dallas Map
Dallas sits on the Blackland Prairie of north Texas with no river port, no harbor and no mountain pass to explain it — and about 1.33 million residents in 2024.
Where is Dallas?
Dallas is in northern Texas, on the Trinity River about a third of the way down the state from the Oklahoma line. Its western edge runs toward Fort Worth, only about 32 miles away, with Arlington, Irving and Garland filling the space between and around them. It lies roughly 195 miles north of Austin and about 205 miles south of Oklahoma City.
Dallas at a glance
| State | Texas |
| Counties | Collin, Dallas, Denton, Kaufman, and Rockwall counties |
| Population | 1,326,087 (2024 Census estimate) |
| Rank among US cities | No. 9 of the 100 largest |
| Time zone | Central Time |
| Region | South (West South Central division) |
Dallas sits at No. 9 in the 2024 estimates, 78,365 people behind San Diego and 316,254 ahead of Jacksonville. Within Texas it comes third of fourteen, behind Houston and San Antonio. Against Texas's 31.29 million residents, though, that is only about 4.2%. It reaches into five counties, of which Dallas County is much the largest: the city holds about 50% of that county's 2,656,028 people.
Dallas in Texas
Dallas is unusual in spanning five counties — Dallas, Collin, Denton, Kaufman and Rockwall — which the Texas county map shows clustered tightly in the state's north. Together with Fort Worth it forms a metropolitan area larger than any other in the state, and the suburbs Plano and Frisco now rank in the national top 100 on their own. The Texas state page puts this corner in context.
Prairie, the Trinity, and why the city is here
The Trinity River at Dallas is shallow and prone to flooding, and the levees that pen it between wide earthen banks are the most visible piece of engineering in the city. What actually put a settlement here was the crossing point on the river and, later, the meeting of two railroads. The Blackland Prairie soil is deep, dark and heavy — good farmland that filled fast — and it gives out to the west at the Cross Timbers, beyond which the country opens into the Great Plains. There is no natural relief to speak of; the metro area spreads because nothing stops it.
Cities near Dallas
Neighboring cities include Fort Worth, Arlington, Plano, Irving, Garland and Frisco. To place them on a bigger canvas, use the US map with cities.