Their skylines are only a half-hour apart and people constantly converse about how Dallas and Fort Worth differ.

Dallas is more fast-paced, Fort Worth is more down-home. And so on.

A common thread unites the two: big-time pro rodeo.

However, the rodeos are as different as the cities in many respects. Cowtown offers one of the more traditional big-time rodeos: the Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show Rodeo, which will conduct its 110th edition in 2006. The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association show runs Jan. 20-Feb. 6 at Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum.

Dallas offers a rodeo that's contemporary. The fifth edition of The Texas Stampede runs Friday through Sunday at American Airlines Center.

The two have a very different look and feel.

Fort Worth's Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum is a historic venue that was constructed during the Great Depression. For a rodeo or a cutting horse fan, walking into the grand venue is the equivalent to a baseball fan touring Yankee Stadium. Legends such as Jim Shoulders, Casey Tibbs, Larry Mahan, Ty Murray and Trevor Brazile (the defending world all-around champion) have thrilled fans at Will Rogers.

The Texas Stampede began in 2001, shortly after the American Airlines Center opened. It offers the same back drop for bronc busting and calf roping as it does for pro basketball and hockey.

Fort Worth also offers traditional sights and sound. A traditional live band that plays upbeat tunes with a big-band flare during each ride and during the traditional grand entry of riders on horseback carrying the historic six flags over Texas.

The Texas Stampede kicks off with laser lights and Longhorns stampeding on the video screens. Rock music plays during the performances.

The Texas Stampede offers three performances. The Stock Show Rodeo has 30, more than any PRCA rodeo.

The Texas Stampede features a concert after each performance (this weekend's card includes Martina McBride and Mercy Me). The Stock Show Rodeo hasn't featured a concert in years.

Fort Worth's rodeo helps kick off the PRCA's regular season and its sister rodeos are Denver, San Antonio and Houston. They award competitors from $12,000 to $18,000 in a single event.

The Pace Picante ProRodeo Classic has become the PRCA's dramatic season-ending rodeo. It's the finale for the Wrangler ProRodeo summer and winter tours and the Pace Picante ProRodeo finales. A competitor can earn $10,000 to $20,000 in an event, which can make or break a berth in the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas on Dec 2-11.

When the 2005 National Finals opens, the championships will feature cowboys and cowgirls who had their tickets punched in both Fort Worth and Dallas.