The Dallas-Ft. Worth metroplex dominates northeastern Texas...but what dominates these two cities is the longstanding rivalry between them. Separated by only 30 miles and connected now by dense suburbs, their relationship can perhaps best be described by the old frontier term, "shotgun marriage."

The two could hardly be more different. Dallas is all glitz and flash, a cutting edge city that prefers to start trends rather than follow them (and, as they say, it ain't bragging if you can do it). It is fast-paced and future-oriented, and a major center of finance and the arts.

Ft. Worth, on the other hand, embraces the past. It began as a stop on the Chisholm Trail, and to this day bears the nickname of "Cowtown." But Ft. Worth glories in its rough-and-ready, Western image. While Dallas is defined by its modern skyscrapers and new developments such as Victory Park, the major sights in Ft. Worth include the Stockyards National Historic District, the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, and the largest honky tonk in the world, Billy Bob's Texas.