February 2 marked the 167th anniversary of the City of Dallas getting its original charter from the Texas Legislature.

Chartered in 1856, the original local government consisted of a mayor, six aldermen, a treasurer-recorder, and a constable.

The new city elected Samuel Pryor to be its first mayor. Pryor earned a medical degree in Virginia before traveling to Arkansas, where in 1845, he became the postmaster of a small town called Paraclifta.

That same year, Texas became the 28th state to enter the union. The following year, Pryor moved to Dallas, where he would become mayor a decade later.

In the first mayoral election in 1856, only 92 votes were cast. Pryor received 58 of them.

Since then, Dallas has become the ninth-largest city in the nation and plays an integral part in making DFW the fifth-biggest economic region in the United States.

Karl Chiao, executive director of the Dallas Historical Society, explained to The Dallas Express, “In 1900, Dallas ranked as the 88th most populous city in the U.S. with a population of roughly 42,600.”

“Fast forward 123 years and Dallas has thrived and blossomed as an international city and a hub for business, surpassing 79 other cities over that time to become the 9th largest city in the US for 2023 with a population of roughly 1.3 million people,” he continued.

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“With the friendly business climate, wonderful people, and sense of community, Dallas is destined to head even higher in the future,” Chiao concluded.

City Councilman Omar Narvaez (District 6) celebrated the occasion, writing, “Happy 167th Birthday to the greatest city in the world that I love more and more every day!”

Joining in the cheer, Texas Rep. Jessica González (D-Dallas) exclaimed, “Happy 167th Birthday, Dallas! I hope everyone is staying safe and warm.”

The Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center’s official account tweeted, “Happy Birthday Dallas! On February 2, 1856, Dallas was formally incorporated as a city.”

The organization also shared a picture taken from the roof of the New Year’s Eve fireworks celebration:

The convention center will be substantially reworked in the coming years following a vote by Dallas residents to approve Proposition A in the most recent elections, as reported by The Dallas Express.

While Dallas has grown exponentially since its founding, some residents are worried the city is getting outcompeted by surrounding cities.

Louis Darrouzet, CEO of the Metroplex Civic & Business Association, told The Dallas Express, “Dallas is really the cornerstone of DFW as it kicked off and started to grow 167 years ago.”

“[The city] has done a lot of things great, but as it’s grown, it’s starting to struggle with more of the same issues that other major cities are having,” he said. “The suburbs are starting to grow and pull people away from the core of the city.”

As previously reported in The Dallas Express, Dallas has been losing out in recent years amidst a broad North Texas population boom, hurt by high crime rates and underperforming schools.

“The suburbs are typically less regulated,” Darrouzet explained. “They have higher performing school districts and many other benefits, including permitting processes that are much quicker, zoning, building entitlement processes that are easier to get through, and it’s easier for companies to work with.”

“So as companies are relocating to DFW, they’re not moving into Dallas,” he continued. “It’s disheartening, as we are celebrating the 167th anniversary, that last year Dallas proper lost 25,000 people.”

“But I think that the opportunity here is for Dallas to get back to its roots of creating an environment where people can be successful,” he told The Dallas Express. “And the more we can make that a reality, as a community, the future becomes brighter and brighter.”