Is the Texas State Fair (in Dallas) the best in the Country? (Houston: high crime, townhome)

[momof2dfw]

What Makes The State Fair of Texas Unique:


• SFT is the largest State Fair in the country and the largest annual exposition in North America.

• The SFT is a 24-day exposition (no other U.S. state fair runs longer).

• Fair Park, site of the annual state fair since 1886, is a National Historic Landmark. The park boasts the largest collection of art deco exposition buildings in the world.

• SFT is the only state fair to feature a major automobile show as an annual attraction. (More than 400 new cars and trucks are debuted by manufacturers. First presented in 1904, the show is a top SFT visitor attraction.)

• SFT is the only state fair to host a legendary college football rivalry as an annual event. (The Texas vs. Oklahoma game has been played during the SFT every year since 1929.)

• SFT offers patrons a chance to ride the tallest Ferris wheel in North America (212-ft. Texas Star).

• SFT's estimated annual economic impact on the D/FW economy is $350 million.

• SFT is a private, non-profit corporation that receives no funding from federal, state or local government. SFT not only pays its own way, but also contributes significant dollars to:

• Renovation, improvements and preservation of city-owned Fair Park

• Underwriting for museum programs and community events

• College scholarships for inner city youth and studentspursuing agricultural careers

• Big Tex, symbol of the SFT, is the world's tallest talking cowboy figure and a widely-recognized Texas icon. He is 52 feet tall and has been a fixture at the SFT since 1952.

• SFT attracts a staggering amount of national & local media coverage year after year (USA Today, Newsweek, CNN, "ESPN Gameday," "CBS Evening News").

• SFT attracts a heavily urban audience by virtue of its location in the heart of a major metropolitan area. Approximately 80% of SFT visitors come from a 50-mile radius of the D/FW market.

[KerrTown]

As I was making my way back to Houston last August, my Aunt missed the IH-45 exit. We exited and tried to make a U-turn. The exit ramp led us to the doorstep of Fair Park. The Music Hall's exterior was very dirty and the neighborhood was scary. My Aunt switched with my Uncle and off we went to the nearest on-ramp going back to IH-30 westbound.

Before that trip, I remember reading that the City of Dallas bungled the bid for the new Cowboy's football stadium at Fair Park. This area desperately needs revitalization.

[lpepping]

yea the neighborhood it is in is pretty sketchy but from what I read Dallas never really had a shot at getting the stadium. Jerry's timeline was way too aggressive. It was inferred that Jerry went to Dallas as a ploy to get Arlington to bite.

[momof2dfw]

Originally Posted by KerrTown

As I was making my way back to Houston last August, my Aunt missed the IH-45 exit. We exited and tried to make a U-turn. The exit ramp led us to the doorstep of Fair Park. The Music Hall's exterior was very dirty and the neighborhood was scary. My Aunt switched with my Uncle and off we went to the nearest on-ramp going back to IH-30 westbound.

Before that trip, I remember reading that the City of Dallas bungled the bid for the new Cowboy's football stadium at Fair Park. This area desperately needs revitalization.

You didn't go to the State Fair because the houses around it were "scary". The inside of the park is NOT the neighborhood at all and is VERY well patroled and VERY safe. So safe that everyday hundreds of school buses from districts all over the metroplex go visit the museums there. And the "exterior" being "dirty". Um, that is what AGE does to buildings and it shows character and charm. Sorry we have not torn it down and built a brand new building. In fact there is an organization that has been working on keeping the old buildings around for much longer. By all means don't travel to anywhere like St Augustine, Florida if this scared you away.

[Lakewooder]

I have never been afraid around Fair Park. If you grow up here you know where to go and where to park, etc...besides Expo Park across the street is one of the coolest collections of restaurants, clubs, coffee houses, bars and stores outside of Austin.

The DART rail line is going up almost all around Fair Park. The smart money is buying it up...

[momof2dfw]

Originally Posted by lpepping

yea the neighborhood it is in is pretty sketchy but from what I read Dallas never really had a shot at getting the stadium. Jerry's timeline was way too aggressive. It was inferred that Jerry went to Dallas as a ploy to get Arlington to bite.

No, Dallas did not have a chance. And everyone blaming Laura Miller for "losing the Cowboys". They were "lost" A LONG time ago before Ms. Miller was even IN Dallas. King Jerry did not want it there to start with and he was only playing games. He even visited some pretty obscure suburbs that invited him to come out and build his Kingdom in their fair city. Like that was going to happen. He went for the free ride and lunch and to say he did.

[KantLockeMeIn]

We heard the neighborhood was bad and drove right through Garland to get to it w/o taking the highways. I didn't get the impression that it was a bad area. It looks like Highland Park compared to Southeast DC and southside Richmond. I guess 'bad areas' are relative too.

Is the crime hidden, or the couple times we've been there (at night) an anomaly? I hope people don't think just because there are miniorities that it's a bad area... that would be a sad assumption.

[lpepping]

sadly that is sometimes an assumption that is made. if its not white and new its a ghetto.

[Lakewooder]

Sadly you are right. Same with schools. Those people are missing out on a lot of great things. I go to some of the same vendors and workers all the time at the Fair - I look forward to seeing them each year and believe it or not they actually remember me out of all those millions!

I have gotten a free beer or corny dog along the way --- sshh!

[ChristieP]

Hubby and I also love the Fair. We used to compete in the Creative Arts cooking compeitions, and we both won a few ribbons over the years! Now that we live in Tarrant County, it's a longer drive in the early morning with the entries, so we've stopped competing...

We love the Texas Lottery Game Show! The host ALWAYS picks my husband to go up on stage and one year, he even got to be in the "cash cube" and won 80 lottery tickets!

We also love the food. We have to split a turkey leg every year! Yum!