Five stories that have North Texas talking: Three Dallas neighborhoods are considered foot-friendly; Rick Perry endorsed Ted Cruz, but didn’t vote for him; a Texas woman died in the Brussels attacks; and more.
Somehow enough Texas neighborhoods in major cities were considered walkable to make a top 10 list, and somehow Downtown Dallas took the No. 1 spot. Here’s what Redfin, a national real estate brokerage, who conducted the study, factoring in walk scores and their “own agents’ local insight,” had to say: “Texas may not have a reputation for walkability, with its wide open spaces and 800 miles of land between its northern and southern borders, but there are actually many densely populated, highly walkable neighborhoods throughout the state.”
Redfin gave Downtown a walk score of 89 out of a possible 100. “Residents living in the many high-rise condos enjoy easy access to centrally located jobs, cultural opportunities in the museum district and the popular Klyde Warren Park.” If having fun destinations to walk to makes a neighborhood walkable, then it makes sense that Oak Lawn and Knox-Henderson made the list, too.
Here’s the agency’s full top 10 ranking:
1. Downtown Dallas – Walk Score 89
2. Downtown Austin – Walk Score 88
3. West Campus, Austin – Walk Score 87
4. Oak Lawn, Dallas – Walk Score 86
5. Midtown, Houston – Walk Score 82
6. Knox/Henderson, Dallas – Walk Score 81
7. Downtown San Antonio – Walk Score 81
8. East Austin – Walk Score 81
9. Neartown/Montrose, Houston – Walk Score 80
10. Virginia, El Paso – Walk Score 78
What do you think of the rankings? Fort Worthians? Pedestrians of Plano? Read more. [Redfin]
- Former Gov. Rick Perry endorsed Sen. Ted Cruz for president, but there’s no record he voted in the Texas Republican primary. A spokesman for Perry said his ballot might have been lost in the mail. The Texas Tribune reported: “Fayette County Elections Administrator Dina Bell confirmed by email on Tuesday that Perry requested a mail-in ballot for the March 1 Republican primary and one was given to him on Feb. 1. Bell recalled that Perry showed up in person to get it but that her office never received the completed ballot.” Read more. [The Texas Tribune]
- Some parts of Texas now share same risk of earthquakes as parts of California, a U.S. Geological Survey revealed. A decade ago, Texas, Oklahoma and surrounding states rarely felt the ground shake, but “induced” earthquakes have drastically changed the norm. Induced earthquakes are “caused by oil and gas operations that pump wastewater down into underground wells,” according to an NPR report. “USGS scientists have now published the first maps of these new quake zones, and they're an eye-opener. An eye-opener because 7 million people are now, suddenly, living in quake zones.” Granted, most of these quakes in Texas live in the marginally harmless range — 3 or 4 magnitude — but some could reach above magnitude 5, causing serious damage to homes, bridges and streets. Read more. [NPR]
- A woman with Texas connections died from injuries in the Brussels terrorist attack. WFAA reported that U.S. officials confirmed the death of 41-year-old Gail Minglana Martinez on Tuesday, a week after the bombings. WFAA said: “The Minglana family is originally from Corpus Christi. Gail spent some of her early years here. She graduated from Flour Bluff High School in 1992 and was very involved at the school: playing varsity tennis, singing in choir and being a member of student council.” Read more. [WFAA]
- Carter High School provided six students with full-ride scholarships to TCU, totaling $1.5 million. One of those students, Charity Mason, lost her mother to cancer four months ago, and the prospect of college seemed to be slipping from her grasp as graduation neared. But Carter teachers and counselors took Mason under their wing, getting her through difficult days, helping her stay focused and even housing her. The Dallas Morning News reported: “It was the most scholarships that students at Carter had received in two years of partnering with the university as part of the TCU Community Scholars Program. Last year, two Carter students received the awards. One student was honored the year before.” Read more. [The Dallas Morning News]
Correction: Redfin is a national real estate brokerage, not a PR company.