Living In Fort Worth: 20 Things You Need To Know First

1. The Only Thing Fort Worth Shares With Dallas Is An Airport

Fort Worth is Fort Worth, not Dallas. Don’t compare the city to Dallas or the people in it to the people in Dallas. They might share an airport in name and are only separated by a 45 minute drive, but they might as well be worlds apart.

2. The Word On Fort Worth Is Spreading

It doesn’t take long these days for the news on a good city to get out fast. Fort Worth was named an All America City for the third time in 2011 by the National Civic League, one of America’s Most Livable Communities, and Livability.com called Fort Worth’s downtown the best in the U.S. in 2013.

3. Fort Worth Is A City That Offers A Small Town Vibe

Fort Worth might be the 17th largest city in the country at approximately 793,000 residents, but it still manages to maintain a small town vibe to it with a priority and loyalty to neighborhoods and the neighborly attitudes of the people who live there. Everyone has each other’s backs.

4. Fort Worth Is Where People In Other Texas Cities Come For A Better Life

When life gets too dramatic in Dallas and too crowded in Austin, everyone flees to Fort Worth to find the life they were hoping for.

5. You’ll Save Money Living Here

It’s way cheaper to live in Fort Worth than it is in Dallas, with a cost of living index of 95 versus its neighboring city’s 98. But on a national average, Fort Worth’s cost of living is 4.6 percent percent lower than the rest of the country. That’s a lot of extra dough in your pocket.

6. You Can Afford To Buy A House In Fort Worth

One of the biggest benefits to the cost of living in Fort Worth is the housing market. The median price for a home here is only $120,000, which is $7,000 cheaper than the average across Texas.

7. Buying In Fort Worth Is A Good Investment

Don’t let the low home prices scare you into thinking you’re missing something. Fort Worth is growing fast. In 2000, the average home price was $69,000. By 2013, it nearly doubled.

8. It’ll Put A Smile On That Face Of Yours

The people of Fort Worth are genuinely good people who pride themselves on making this one of the friendliest cities you’ll ever find. So do yourself a favor and smile. Answer strangers when they ask you how you’re doing. It doesn’t hurt, promise.

9. Horses Aren’t The Primary Mode Of Transportation

But you definitely will find them all over the city. Fort Worth’s roots are in the cattle industry and the local Fort Worth Stock Show Rodeo has been in business for almost 120 years. So, there’s no denying the cowboy culture still runs strong here.

10. Stock Yards Is The Texas That Outsiders Imagine

If the Wild West were still around, it would be the Stock Yards. Minus all the shoot outs and outlaws and prostitution, plus a bunch of novelty shops and fun entertainment.

11. But There’s A Lot More To Cowtown Than Cows

Not everyone goes to the rodeo or wears a cowboy hat – far from it. Fort Worth is a regular city, just with a little Texan-cowboy flare. This is also “Panther City” and the younger generations much rather go by that.

12. Fort Worth Isn’t Squeamish About Guns

When it comes to the gun debate, Fort Worth is still in Texas and Texan rules apply.

13. Fort Worth Is Much Closer To What You Think Austin Is

When you think of Austin, you probably picture a small city full of hipsters hanging out, drinking PBR, listening to great music. In reality, Austin’s population growth has made the city nearly unbearable and has changed it a lot. Fort Worth now resembles much of the framework that Austin became known for, heavy on the hipsters and PBR, just a little lighter on the music—Austin still has Fort Worth beat on that one.

14. Sure It’s Hot—It’s Texas!

Fort Worth gets 230 days of sunshine every year and most of them are warm. June through August gets so warm, in fact, there are days that you might wonder just how much a body can take before it starts melting. Water, sunscreen, and an optional hat should be on hand all the time.

15. But Don’t Be Shocked If You Get Snowed On

Surprised? It’s true. Fort Worth has been known to get some powdery white stuff fall from the skies. Even when it doesn’t snow, the winter temperatures can dip down into the thirties. So, don’t expect a tropical climate just because it gets hot.

16. You’ll Want To Keep Your Car

The bad news is that Fort Worth isn’t a walkable city. The good news is that getting around the city with a car is a piece of cake. You can get virtually anywhere in under 30 minutes and traffic isn’t nearly the problem that it is in other major cities.

17. But The T Isn’t Bad When You Need It

The T is Fort Worth’s public transportation, consisting of buses and the railway. You won’t want to depend on it for everything but it can be really useful when you want to get to specific places like sporting events or to the airport.

18. Riding A Bike Around Fort Worth Has Gotten A Lot Easier

Fort Worth has officially launched their bike sharing program to much success as well as implementing a great system of bike-friendly lanes which is great news to the folks who like to keep their wheels down to two.

19. Summertime Is For Floating Around The Pavilion

Panther Pavilion Island is one of Fort Worth’s coolest places, where you can catch some great live bands and have a few beers while you float around with friends. Those waters can get pretty rough sometimes, though, so make sure to check weather conditions and weather the Pavilion is open before you head there.

20. You Think You Know Tex Mex?

Unless you’ve had Fort Worth Tex Mex, then you have no idea. And if you’re moving here, you’ll never be the same when it comes to Mexican food again. But just know you’ll never be able to go back to the imitation stuff ever again. Like This Post? You’ll Definitely Love These: