It’s hard to picture the Metroplex as an inland port, but Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport has a wing up on the competition, says JLL research director Walt Bialis (he’s the one in the cowboy hat). His team's research shows that even though DFW is not the largest shipment point for goods, its central US location, good weather patterns (our daffodils may disagree right now), and easy access to the growing Central and South American markets make it an important hub for commerce.

The airport lags behind long-established major gateway markets such as Chicago, Miami, and LA. But, we have something most of them don’t: a land bank around the airport. Most other US airports are land-locked or built-out. Average rents at DFW are $4.14 NNN, which are strong in the region and underscore the value that tenants place on airport proximity. Cargo traffic coming through DFW weighed in at 652,303 metric tons in 2013. (Listen, we all add a few pounds when we fly back from vacation.)