Changes

By 1900 the city's population reached 38,000 as banking and insurance became major activities in the increasingly white-collar city, which was now the world's leading cotton center. Businessmen took control of civic affairs; with little municipal patronage, there was only a small role for the Democratic party to play (and no role for the predominantly black Republican party.) A dramatic sign of progress was the towering 190-foot steel-frame skyscraper--the fourteen-story Praetorian Building, built in 1909 to house the Praetorian insurance company.  Dallas became the regional headquarters of the Federal Reserve in 1914, strengthening its dominance of Texas banking.

By 1900 the city's population reached 38,000 as banking and insurance became major activities in the increasingly white-collar city, which was now the world's leading cotton center. Businessmen took control of civic affairs; with little municipal patronage, there was only a small role for the Democratic party to play (and no role for the predominantly black Republican party.) A dramatic sign of progress was the towering 190-foot steel-frame skyscraper--the fourteen-story Praetorian Building, built in 1909 to house the Praetorian insurance company.  Dallas became the regional headquarters of the Federal Reserve in 1914, strengthening its dominance of Texas banking.

[[Image:Dallas-Praetorian.jpg|thumb|250px]]

[[Image:Dallas-Praetorian.jpg|thumb|250px|Praetorian Building in 1910, tallest building in Texas for many years]]

Growth accelerated, hitting 260,000 at the onset of the [[Great Depression, U.S.|Great Depression]] in 1929. The city suffered less than others because it had relatively little manufacturing, apart from a Ford auto plant. Cotton formers, facing very low prices in 1930-33, purchased a lot less, but the [[New Deal]] farm programs restored prices. New Deal relief programs, especially the [[CCC]] and [[WPA]] provided jobs for the unemployed, while major civic construction projects were funded by other New Deal agencies.  

Growth accelerated, hitting 260,000 at the onset of the [[Great Depression, U.S.|Great Depression]] in 1929. The city suffered less than others because it had relatively little manufacturing, apart from a Ford auto plant. Cotton formers, facing very low prices in 1930-33, purchased a lot less, but the [[New Deal]] farm programs restored prices. New Deal relief programs, especially the [[CCC]] and [[WPA]] provided jobs for the unemployed, while major civic construction projects were funded by other New Deal agencies.