Offering both big-city excitement and quiet, suburban living, the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area offers an interesting mix of Texas pride and cosmopolitan offerings. The cowboy life still exists in Fort Worth, while Dallasites love the trendy local bars and numerous retail shops. And no matter which part of the metroplex they call home, sports fans rally together behind their professional sports teams.

The small-town feel of Friday night football games and backyard parties exists in the suburbs of Dallas-Fort Worth. In those areas, residents can bump into their friends at the local Tex-Mex restaurant, children ride their bikes and joggers hit the pavement for evening runs. But even in DFW proper, many people exude that Texas friendliness with a wave or a “hello” to strangers.

Those who live in Dallas and Fort Worth tend to be young professionals, while the surrounding suburbs are largely filled with young families who want both a close-knit community and easy access to the cities. People from both demographics are flooding the area, and the population has swelled from about 5.8 million people in 2005 to about 7 million people in 2015. New developments have drawn in both families looking for their dream home and millennials looking to launch their careers.