When oil was found outside the city of Dallas, Texas in 1930, it turned the city into a financial stronghold almost overnight. Now, the city is the largest metropolitan area in Texas, and it has an active nightlife. There was a utopian community outside the city at the end of the 19th century that collapsed. Many artists moved into Dallas, and their influence is still seen in Dallas's reputation for experimental theater and music.

The oil industry that fueled Dallas for decades moved to Houston in the 1980s, but the city was not left high and dry. Instead, the city's technology sector grew, and Dallas became Texas's Silicon Valley. This industry was relatively unscathed by the tech stock recession in the late 1990s, and the city still enjoys a healthy business in technology and software.

Dallas Homes for Sale

On average, Dallas homes sell for about $125,000, which is just under the national average of $146,000. Dallas homes also have a comparatively high appreciation rate, as the city is slowly growing and there is a steady demand for housing. This demand looks to be slowly increasing, as Dallas is enjoying a period of relative calm after the oil and tech industries took off.

The Bush administration had granted $770,000 to Texas to fund legal battles against housing discrimination in Texas. Dallas is a rather diverse city, but there are still many cases of housing discrimination in the state. In addition, HUD granted $11.7 million in downpayment assistance for first time homeowners.