Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)/Dallas

DALLAS, a city and county-seat of Dallas co., Tex.; on the Trinity River, and the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fé, the Houston and Texas Central, the Missouri, Kansas and Texas, the Texas and Pacific, Chicago, Rock Island and Gulf, the St. Louis Southwestern, the St. Louis and San Francisco, and other railroads; 32 miles E. of Fort Worth. It is the metropolis of N. Texas, and although comparatively a young city, is well laid out and substantially built. Area, 19 square miles.

Business Interests.—Dallas is in the great grain belt of the State, and has large cotton, mining, manufacturing, and commerical interests. It is the leading manufacturing city of the State, and it is also the largest inland cotton market in the United States, handling over 1,500 bales of spot cotton yearly. The principal articles were cotton machinery, leather goods, shoes, dressed meat, cotton goods, foundry and machine-shop products, cement and clothing. There were in 1920 5 National banks, and several private banking houses. The assessed real and personal property valuation in 1919 was $103,587,650.

Public Interests.—In 1919 the city had 342 miles of streets, of which 152 miles were paved; 218 miles of water mains; and electric light and water plants, the latter owned by the city. Among the prominent buildings are the Catholic and Episcopal churches, the United States Court-house, the Texas State Fair and Dallas Exposition buildings. Cathedral of the Sacred Heart (R. C.), Cathedral of St. Matthew (P. E.), Ursuline Convent, St. Mary's Orphanage, St, Paul's Sanitarium (all R. C.), and St. Mary's College (P. E.). Dallas is the seat of the Southern Methodist University, and has hospitals, and a park system of nearly 800 acres. There is a boulevard system of over 60 miles. There are over 25,000 pupils in the public schools, and the annual cost of maintaining the school system is about $850,000. Pop. (1910) 92,104; (1920) 158,976.