Dallas, the county seat of Dallas County, is situated in North Texas and extends into Collin, Denton, Kaufman, and Rockwall counties. The city covers a total area of nearly 386 square miles, with about 11.75% of that being water. Three enclaves—Cockrell Hill, Highland Park, and University Park—exist within Dallas city limits, while the surrounding metro area forms part of the larger Dallas–Fort Worth urban corridor, home to one-quarter of all Texans. The Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, spanning the Trinity River, is a modern landmark named after a prominent local philanthropist.

Dallas’s skyline features twenty skyscrapers exceeding 490 feet in height, with the Bank of America Plaza standing out as an iconic neon-lit tower. While the city’s tallest building does not reach 980 feet, the skyline reflects a strong presence of modernist and postmodernist architecture. Notable modernist landmarks include Reunion Tower, Dallas City Hall designed by I.M. Pei, the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, and the John F. Kennedy Memorial. Postmodernist skyscrapers such as Fountain Place, Renaissance Tower, JPMorgan Chase Tower, and Comerica Bank Tower define the downtown commercial landscape, which also includes residential high-rises.

Dallas also preserves historic architecture. Gothic Revival buildings like the Kirby Building, neoclassical structures such as the Davis and Wilson Buildings, and Victorian-era homes along Swiss Avenue showcase the city’s architectural diversity. The Dallas Downtown Historic District protects a collection of commercial buildings dating from the 1880s to the 1940s, providing a window into the city’s evolution while blending historic charm with modern urban growth.