Guess Which Texas City is Among the ‘Allergy Capitals’ of the U.S.

Feeling a little sneezy here lately? 

I’m one of the many people I know who suffer from seasonal allergies. In fact, almost everyone I know deals with them to some degree, especially this time of year when the trees are blooming. 

And for whatever reason, this year has been particularly bad for me.

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But we expect it here in North Texas. So, we load up on allergy meds and go about our business. However, allergy meds don’t eliminate the symptoms altogether for me. They just kind of take the edge off so I’m able to function. 

How bad is North Texas for allergy sufferers compared to other areas of the country? 

I hate to break it to you, but it’s just about as bad as it gets. A study conducted by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America found that Dallas was the second worst city in the United States for people who suffer from seasonal allergies, behind Wichita, Kansas. 

I have family in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, so I travel down there quite a bit. And let me tell you, my allergies are bad here in Wichita Falls, but they’re probably twice as bad in DFW. I know I can count on being sick after spending time outdoors while down there. 

As you would probably guess, air pollution is one of the major factors that make big cities worse than rural areas for allergy sufferers. But one thing I didn’t know prior to reading the report is that the “urban heat island effect” contributes to air pollution. I had always figured it was just the heavy traffic that drove air pollution. 

So, if you’re an allergy sufferer and you live in the sticks like I do, you can take a little bit of solace in knowing that it could actually be worse.