Axios Dallas

July 29, 2025
Happy Tuesday! Do not say yes when you mean no.
☀️ Today's weather: High near 100.
🎵 Sounds like: "These Boots"
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💰 Situational awareness: Several Dallas artists are performing tonight at Three Links in Deep Ellum to raise money for relief efforts in Kerr County.
- Entry is free, but a $10 donation is requested.
Today's newsletter is 700 grounded words — a 3-minute read.
1 big thing: Big Tex's boots head to DC
The rest of the country will soon learn why Big Tex's boots are a big deal.
Driving the news: The size 96 boots are on the road to Washington, D.C., where they will be displayed in a Smithsonian exhibit about state fairs.
Why it matters: Big Tex's boots rarely leave the state. They last traveled to Minneapolis in 1953, for a national Jaycees convention.
Fun fact: Big Tex has multiple pairs of boots. The pair heading to D.C. are old, a spokesperson for the State Fair of Texas tells Axios.
- He's worn his current pair of boots since 2023, which feature an Irving resident's art.

Flashback: Big Tex debuted at the 1952 State Fair, wearing size 70 boots and a 75-gallon hat.
- In October 2012, an electrical short in his boot caused a fire that stripped the cowboy down to his metal frame.
- Big Tex returned to the fair in 2013, wearing new 12 feet tall, 900-pound boots that were replicas of Big Tex's boots from 1949.
The latest: The boots designated for display are scheduled to arrive in D.C. on Aug. 1 for the Smithsonian American Art Museum's exhibit titled "State Fairs: Growing American Craft."
- The exhibit will share how artists have shaped fairs across the country. The Iowa State Fair's life-size butter cow and 700 jars of preserved fruits and vegetables will also be on display.
- The exhibit opens Aug. 22 and will close September 2026.
What's next: The State Fair of Texas opens Sept. 26.
2. 🤑 We're rich rich
University Park and Southlake are among the country's richest suburbs, per a personal banking site's analysis of Census Bureau data.
The big picture: Texas had three cities among the top 10 suburbs with the highest average household income in 2023.
- West University Place in the Houston area was third, University Park was sixth and Southlake was seventh.
The intrigue: Southlake is a newcomer in this year's top 10, per GOBankingRates. The city was 13th last year.
- Colleyville is the next North Texas suburb on the list, ranked 47th with an average household income around 266,000.
Zoom in: University Park had an average household income near $390,000 and average home value around $2.5 million.
- Southlake's average household income was around $383,000, with the average home valued around $1.3 million.
- By comparison, Dallas' average household income in 2023 was $70,000 and Fort Worth's was $77,000, per Census Bureau figures.
Stunning stat: Scarsdale, New York, was the country's wealthiest suburb in 2023, with an average household income around $600,000.
3. 🗞 Burnt ends: Bite-sized news bits
🩺 Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders said yesterday that he is cancer-free after having his bladder removed to treat an aggressive tumor. (Axios)
⚖️ A Denton man was sentenced to two and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to stalking WNBA star Caitlin Clark. (FOX4)
🥢 A Waxahachie couple plans to open a food hall inside a former police department building downtown. (DMN)
4. 🌮 One taco to go: Chante
The handmade tortillas and large portion sizes at Lewisville's Chante won us over on a recent visit.
The intrigue: The restaurant is located near a Goodwill store, in case you need to walk off the calories.
What to order: Taco plate with baja fish or carne asada — both are good.
- We liked their corn tortillas more than their flour tortillas.
Where: Chante Mexican Grill and Cantina, 951 W. Round Grove Road in Lewisville
Cost: $16
Six-word review: Huge portions of Cod-like fish.
🤔 Know a great taco we should try? Hit reply and let us know.
This newsletter was edited by Bob Gee.
Our picks:
🦃 Tasha is day dreaming about Fletcher's corny dogs.
😍 Naheed is reading about Luka Dončić 2.0.
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