This week's Hot Headlines

Futuristic air taxis take flight in Fort Worth's most popular stories

Futuristic transportation options may land in DFW. Courtesy of Archer Aviation/Atlantic Aviation

Editor's note: The top Fort Worth news of the week includes futuristic transportation and a venerable restaurant's return. Plus, where to dine on Valentine's Day. Catch up on our most popular stories below, then visit this guide to plan your weekend.

1. Futuristic air taxis are now on the horizon in Dallas-Fort Worth. Futuristic air taxis may soon join drones in the skies over North Texas. The North Texas Council of Governments is seeking permission from the FAA to run a pilot project for testing unpiloted electric-powered aircraft that take off and land vertically.

2. Judge Bean's Restaurant & Cantina to reopen in Keller after 8 years. A venerable restaurant name is coming back to life in Keller. Judge Bean's Restaurant & Cantina, which serves Tex-Mex and American favorites, will open at 314 N. Main St., in a space with restaurant history — one that includes Judge Bean's itself.

3. All the best Fort Worth restaurants for Valentine's Day dining 2026. With Valentine’s Day falling on a Saturday this year, it provides the perfect date night opportunity. Now's the time to solidify those reservations, as seats are filling quickly.

Hotel Drover Dress up for the ultimate date night on Saturday, February 14. 97 West Kitchen & Bar/Facebook

4. Bubbly rodeo brunch tops 5 best Fort Worth food & drink events this week. This week, there's a popular rodeo brunch with lots of bubbly and a party to celebrate the end of Dry January.

5. Fort Worth-based Canyon Ranch taps Michelin chef for new Hill Country resort. A Central Texas-born chef with Michelin cred will return to his birthplace to head up the forthcoming Canyon Ranch Austin resort restaurant.

air taxis openings keller valentine's day food events resorts most popular stories

find your community

Dallas-Fort Worth ranks among top 25 most livable U.S. metros in 2026

Photo by Bryan Dickerson on Unsplash

Dallas-Fort Worth is the most livable metro in Texas for 2026.

Americans looking for the right place to live with a good balance between location, community, and quality of life can find that right here in Dallas-Fort Worth, according to a national study from RentCafe.

The North Texas region stood out as the No. 1 most livable metro area in Texas, and the 24th most livable U.S. metro for 2026.

RentCafe's report analyzed 149 U.S. metro areas across 17 key indicators, including cost of living, income growth rates, "social association" rates, a food index, and others.

The top three most livable American metros are Washington, D.C. (No. 1); Portland, Maine (No. 2); and Kansas City, Missouri (No. 3).

Here's how Dallas-Fort Worth performed in the study's three main rankings compared to the rest of the U.S.:

No. 28 – Socioeconomics
No. 38 – Quality of life
No. 52 – Location and community

According to the findings, more than a third (34.4 percent) of Dallas-Fort Worth's 8.25 million residents are renters, and less than a tenth (9.7 percent) of residents are living in poverty. The city has an unemployment rate of 4.5 percent, and less than half (45.7 percent) of DFW workers report having a "long commute."

The cost of living in Dallas-Fort Worth is 2 percent lower than the national average, the report said, and residents' income has grown 6 percent over the last five years, though the report doesn't elaborate on what those income figures are.

Based on a survey from CountyHealthRankings.com, RentCafe says Dallas residents experience about three "physically unhealthy" days on average, and an average of five "mentally unhealthy" days. Only 17.4 percent of DFW residents are reportedly "physically inactive" and 10.6 percent report they are uninsured.

Overall, 10 more Texas metros earned spots in the report, but they surprisingly all landed outside the top 100 most livable U.S. metros:

No. 117 – Killeen
No. 125 – Corpus Christi
No. 127 – Houston
No. 130 – Austin
No. 134 – Beaumont
No. 138 – El Paso
No. 145 – Lubbock
No. 147 – San Antonio
No. 148 – Brownsville
No. 149 – McAllen

rentcafe most livable metros dallas fort worth