An Aerial View of Dallas: A City Powered by Sports

The NFL Draft is taking place this week in Dallas, Texas. Check out this video to learn more about the city and it's historic stadiums. Dallas, Texas. The Big D. While the city itself actually trails Houston and San Antonio in population, Dallas is the center of a vast urban metropolitan area known as the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, DFW, or simply the Metroplex. Covering 13 counties in North Texas, the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex is now home to over 7.2 million people, making it the fourth largest metropolitan area in the United States. The Dallas/Fort Worth economy is a powerhouse. It boasts 22 Fortune 500 companies, major corporations including Exxon Mobil, AT&T, Southwest and American Airlines, Nieman Marcus, and Kimberly Clark. It’s a Tier 1 convention city. The gigantic Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center now covers 2 million square feet, with over 1 million square feet of exhibition space. One of the city’s five mega hotels, the Hyatt Hotel, is attached to Reunion Tower, whose globe shaped observation deck is one of the most recognizable features of the Dallas skyline. Dallas/Fort Worth is home to some major tourist attractions like the John F. Kennedy Memorial, located a block from Dealey Plaza where President Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. Major cultural attractions in Dallas/Fort Worth include a thriving Arts District in downtown Dallas, home to the Dallas Museum of Art Myerson Symphony Center, and Winspear Opera House. Adjacent to Downtown Dallas is the Deep Ellum neighborhood, one of the oldest in Dallas, which is home to numerous arts and entertainment venues. But where the Dallas Fort Worth area truly stands apart is in the realm of spectator sports. Indeed, the Metroplex can lay claim to being the sports capital of the United States. Here’s why: Just outside of the core downtown area, lies American Airlines Center. AA Center is home to the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks and the NHL’s Dallas Stars. The $400 million arena’s construction revitalized the Victory Park area of the city, now one of the most desirable parts of town. AA Center hosted the NHL All Star Game in 2007 as well as the NBA Finals in 2006 and 2011, the latter of which saw the Mavericks win their first NBA Championship. The real center of gravity for sports though is in the city of Arlington, located midway between Dallas and Fort Worth. Arlington first came to prominence when it became home to the Six Flags Over Texas amusement park in 1961, the first Six Flags amusement park to open and the largest in Texas today. Since the early 1970’s though, Arlington has been inextricably linked with professional sports in North Texas. It started with the relocation of the Washington Senators Major League Baseball team to Arlington as the Texas Rangers in 1971. Originally playing at Ranger Stadium in Arlington, the team moved to what is now called Global Life Park in 1994 following the sale of the team to a group led by former President George W. Bush in 1989. The ballpark cost of $190 million, hosted the Major League Baseball All Star Game in 1995, and the World Series in both 2010 and 2011. Although Global Life Park is only just over 20 years old, a new stadium with a retractable roof is now under construction on a plot adjacent to the current stadium. With an estimated cost of $1.1 billion, the cost of the new baseball venue will be second only to Yankee Stadium. The new Global Life Field will open in time for the 2020 season. If there is a single sports venue that can be said to sit at the center of the United States sports world, Dallas Cowboys’s AT&T Stadium has as good a claim as any. The Dallas Cowboys, is the most valuable sports franchise in the world, according to Forbes Magazine. The first modern era NFL expansion franchise, the Dallas Cowboys played their first eleven seasons at the Cotton Bowl. In 1971, the team relocated to Texas Stadium in Irving, which was home to the Cowboys during five Super Bowl winning seasons over the next 25 years. AT&T Stadium is a modern marvel. With a construction price tag of about $1.5 billion in current dollars, it is the most expensive stadium construction project in history. Nicknamed the Death Star, the stadium features a massive retractable roof and at the time built the largest high definition screen in the world. Built on a plot of 73 acres which adjoins the Global Life Field site, the stadium shares parking and road access with the ballpark. With seating of 80k for regular NFL games, AT&T Stadium is in the top five NFL stadiums for regular game capacity. However, for special events, the stadium is capable of packing in over 100k spectators. Indeed, in its inaugural game, AT&T Stadium set a regular season attendance record of 105k. In addition to being the home field for the most recognized team in the National Football League, the stadium is now the permanent host one of the top events in college football, the Cotton Bowl Classic. Since its opening, stadium has put together a remarkable run of hosting some of the most prominent sporting events in the world. In 2010, it hosted the NBA All Star Game, attracting 108k fans and setting an all-time attendance record for any basketball game. In 2011, the stadium hosted Super Bowl XLV, then in 2014, the NCAA Men’s Final Four college basketball championship, and in 2015, the stadium hosted the inaugural College Playoff National Championship. And in 2018, AT&T hosts the National Football League Draft, only the fourth draft in the modern era held outside of New York and the first to occur in the Sun Belt. Attendance over the draft weekend is expected to easily top the 250k record set for the 2017 draft in Philadelphia. In recent years, the Dallas/Fort Worth area has consistently been the fastest growing major metropolitan area in the United States. Not coincidentally, this has occurred during a time when the Metroplex achieved its stunning ascendancy to the unofficial sports capital of America. Dallas. A great modern city, powered by sports. For an aerial tour of the 2018 Super Bowl - Minneapolis, Minnesota, as other American cities, visit AirVuz.com! This video was shot using a DJI Inspire 2 with the X7 camera, DJI Osmo, and Canon Z150 cameras. VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: Host: "Dallas, Texas. The Big D . While the city itself actually trails Houston and San Antonio in population, Dallas is the center of a vast urban metropolitan area known as the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, DFW, or simply the Metroplex . Covering 13 counties in North Texas, the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex is now home to over 7.2 million people, making it the fourth largest metropolitan area in the United States . The Dallas/Fort Worth economy is a powerhouse. It boasts 22 Fortune 500 companies, major corporations including Exxon Mobil, AT&T , Southwest and American Airlines, Nieman Marcus , and Kimberly Clark." "It's a Tier 1 convention city. The gigantic Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center now covers 2 million square feet, with over 1 million square feet of exhibition space . One of the city's five mega hotels, the Hyatt Hotel, is attached to Reunion Tower, whose globe shaped observation deck is one of the most recognizable features of the Dallas skyline. Dallas/Fort Worth is home to some major tourist attractions like the John F. Kennedy Memorial , located a block from Dealey Plaza where President Kennedy was assassinated in 1963." "Major cultural attractions in Dallas/Fort Worth include a thriving Arts District in downtown Dallas , home to the Dallas Museum of Art Myerson Symphony Center , and Winspear Opera House. Adjacent to Downtown Dallas is the Deep Ellum neighborhood, one of the oldest in Dallas, which is home to numerous arts and entertainment venues. But where the Dallas Fort Worth area truly stands apart is in the realm of spectator sports. Indeed, the Metroplex can lay claim to being the sports capital of the United States. Here's why: Just outside of the core downtown area, lies American Airlines Center . AA Center is home to the NBA's Dallas Mavericks and the NHL's Dallas Stars. The $400 million arena's construction revitalized the Victory Park area of the city, now one of the most desirable parts of town . AA Center hosted the NHL All Star Game in 2007 as well as the NBA Finals in 2006 and 2011, the latter of which saw the Mavericks win their first NBA Championship. The real center of gravity for sports though is in the city of Arlington, located midway between Dallas and Fort Worth . Arlington first came to prominence when it became home to the Six Flags Over Texas amusement park in 1961, the first Six Flags amusement park to open and the largest in Texas today. Since the early 1970's though, Arlington has been inextricably linked with professional sports in North Texas. It started with the relocation of the Washington Senators Major League Baseball team to Arlington as the Texas Rangers in 1971. Originally playing at Ranger Stadium in Arlington, the team moved to what is now called Global Life Park in 1994 following the sale of the team to a group led by former President George W. Bush in 1989 . The ballpark cost of $190 million, hosted the Major League Baseball All Star Game in 1995, and the World Series in both 2010 and 2011. Although Global Life Park is only just over 20 years old, a new stadium with a retractable roof is now under construction on a plot adjacent to the current stadium . With an estimated cost of $1.1 billion, the cost of the new baseball venue will be second only to Yankee Stadium . The new Global Life Field will open in time for the 2020 season. If there is a single sports venue that can be said to sit at the center of the United States sports world, Dallas Cowboys's AT&T Stadium has as good a claim as any. The Dallas Cowboys, is the most valuable sports franchise in the world, according to Forbes Magazine. The first modern era NFL expansion franchise, the Dallas Cowboys played their first eleven seasons at the Cotton Bowl . In 1971, the team relocated to Texas Stadium in Irving, which was home to the Cowboys during five Super Bowl winning seasons over the next 25 years. AT&T Stadium is a modern marvel. With a construction price tag of about $1.5 billion in current dollars, it is the most expensive stadium construction project in history." "Nicknamed the Death Star, the stadium features a massive retractable roof and at the time built the largest high definition screen in the world . Built on a plot of 73 acres which adjoins the Global Life Field site, the stadium shares parking and road access with the ballpark. With seating of 80k for regular NFL games, AT&T Stadium is in the top five NFL stadiums for regular game capacity. However, for special events, the stadium is capable of packing in over 100k spectators . Indeed, in its inaugural game, AT&T Stadium set a regular season attendance record of 105k. In addition to being the home field for the most recognized team in the National Football League, the stadium is now the permanent host one of the top events in college football, the Cotton Bowl Classic. Since its opening, stadium has put together a remarkable run of hosting some of the most prominent sporting events in the world. In 2010, it hosted the NBA All Star Game, attracting 108k fans and setting an all-time attendance record for any basketball game. In 2011, the stadium hosted Super Bowl XLV, then in 2014, the NCAA Men's Final Four college basketball championship, and in 2015, the stadium hosted the inaugural College Playoff National Championship. And in 2018, AT&T hosts the National Football League Draft, only the fourth draft in the modern era held outside of New York and the first to occur in the Sun Belt. Attendance over the draft weekend is expected to easily top the 250k record set for the 2017 draft in Philadelphia." "In recent years, the Dallas/Fort Worth area has consistently been the fastest growing major metropolitan area in the United States . Not coincidentally, this has occurred during a time when the Metroplex achieved its stunning ascendancy to the unofficial sports capital of America. Dallas, a great modern city, powered by sports."