Living in DFW

[Noah930]

I'm looking at a job which would have me relocate to the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The job's located in the Hurst/Euless region of the metroplex (halfway between D and FW). I just got back from the interview, and was wondering what you guys think of life in the DFW area.

My concerns: Weather's far better than where I am now (New England), which is perhaps the main reason for me wanting/needing to get out of here. I grew up in L.A., so I'll take the heat over the bitter cold. But my biggest reservation to moving to the DFW metroplex: the few neighborhoods I got to see were so....bland. Endless strip malls and tract homes--they're all relatively new and clean, but they all look identical. There's a shocking lack of character. Is the entire region like that? Any tips, pointers, or advice? The job requires me to live within about 1/2 an hour of the office.

[masraum]

The area occasionally gets weird freezing weather that results in lots of accidents. It gets darn hot. The traffic on the north side of Dallas sucks. Dallas has Texas Motorsports Speedway which sees a fair amount of action. Lots of entertainment (concerts, pays, etc...) go to Dallas.

But I live about 5 hours to the south. So thats my impression from the outside.

[R Wilco]

How do you live in DFW? You're talking about a vast area. Both cities have been there awhile. Go to the heart of the either city if you don't want to see what you call bland.

[legion]

Traffic around Plano sucks, but Fogo de Chao is the best restaurant on earth...

[Moneyguy1]

You straddle the continent. A few hundred miles to the east, vast forests and rolling terrain. A few hundred miles to the west, desert and mountains. Lots of opportuinties for interesting weekend getaways.

You'll find pockets of older neighborhoods in Dallas and Ft Worth. If you move, you really should rent for a year to get lay of the land.

Dallas is more polish and superficial. It's about money and deals. Good restaurants, some attractions. Ft Worth is real and less slick. It has much more art, culture and is easier to get around, much more laid back.

[Rick Lee]

I lived in Garland and Wylie (near Plano) until I was 11 and go back to visit every few years. Weather can be nuts. Crazy hail storms, tornadoes and an occasional ice storm. High school football is a religion in those parts. My old town Wylie had 2500 people when I lived there. It also had nine churches, no stop lights and no bars. Now it's a different world. The burbs have some character, but traffic has gotten terrible. Cost of living is much more reasonable than on the east coast. I'd seriously consider miving there if the right offer came along. But I want to move further west toward the desert.

[nostatic]

DFW is my least favorite place in Texas. And that's saying something. You've been in LA and now Boston (and liked them?). If so my guess would be you would run screaming from DFW in short order.

Ain't that bad.......

[Brillo]

I'm a So Cal native (greater L.A.), lived in eastern Fort Worth near Burleson off 35W in the early 70's, as a kid. Still have a few relatives in Burleson and Alvarado. I loved it there, off course I was a kid then. I have been there for a couple of weeks at a time in the last few years. All of my part of the family land has long been sold off, but I still think about living out in the country on several acres. If I could find much country left in that area.

Lots of growth and overdevelopment. What the heck happend to the one horse town of Mansfield?

I second the renting for a year and getting to know the different areas.

[M.D. Holloway]

Noah - We live in the metroplex now - been here for 7 years. We moved from Indy and before that we were in NY and before that we were in Connecticut and before that out side of Boston (Arlington). We live north od the DFW airport. There are soem very nice little towns that no many folks know about that have great neighborhoods, Copper Canyon, Hickery Creek, Highland Village are all nice little towns. The house you can get is much more than you could ever get in the Northeast.

Mark Wilson lives in a great local on White Rock Lake but it might be a trek for you. Shoot me a PM and let me know the next time you are in the aera and I will show you around.

Keep in mind, the weather here is really nice - even in the summer. It does get hot but really no worse than the Northeast just that it lasts longer. The winters are mild. If you are single the women here are crazy hot. If you are married the couple are real cool and if you have kids be prepared to have them in sports outside yearlong.

[Joeaksa]

Originally posted by Mark Wilson
You'll find pockets of older neighborhoods in Dallas and Ft Worth. If you move, you really should rent for a year to get lay of the land.

Dallas is more polish and superficial. It's about money and deals. Good restaurants, some attractions. Ft Worth is real and less slick. It has much more art, culture and is easier to get around, much more laid back.

Bingo! I lived in Carolton, Grapevine and Flowermound about 5 years ago and if I had it to do over again would head West. The people in Ft. Worth are less worried about your job, car you drive or how much money you make. Too many plastic people in the Eastern side for me.

Hotter than hell in the summer, with more humidity than you can live with and snows or ices just enough in winter to cause the idjuits to crash their new SUV into the guardrail... thats Dallas weather!

The BBQ is some of the best around and Maverick PCA has some good people there. Agree with Mark and rent for a bit then grab a place you like.

Joe A

[M.D. Holloway]

Joe - we are in Highland Village. We could not be happier!

[Halm]

We lived in Bedford from 1980-1989. Absolutely loved it. We would go back in a heart beat if we were thrown out of NC. From HEB we could be at the airport in 20 minutes, Texas Stadium in 30, downtown Dallas in 40 minutes and Ft. Worth in 25. And the Tex-Mex is the best!

The secret is you have to buy into the Texas attitude. Don't be one of the type that comes in saying everything was better someplace else.

[Nathans_Dad]

Let me know what you decide...I'll be moving to D/FW in the summer of 2007...

[M.D. Holloway]

Rick - you best look up M

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[Nathans_Dad]

M??

[Joeaksa]

Originally posted by LubeMaster77
Joe - we are in Highland Village. We could not be happier!

Mike,

Sounds nice. You are far enough North to be out of all the hustle and bustle, yet close enough to drive in either town for whatever you want to visit.

I had to drive to Love, Addison and DFW on a weekly basis and just grew tired of the traffic and plastic people on the Dallas side of town. More time I spent in Ft. Worth, the more I realized that that would have been a better choice for me...

joe

[M.D. Holloway]

Originally posted by Nathans_Dad
M??

Ment to say to look up Mark Wilson, Ed Hughes and myself when you get here or we'll whoop up on you!

[M.D. Holloway]

Originally posted by Joeaksa
Mike,

Sounds nice. You are far enough North to be out of all the hustle and bustle, yet close enough to drive in either town for whatever you want to visit.

I had to drive to Love, Addison and DFW on a weekly basis and just grew tired of the traffic and plastic people on the Dallas side of town. More time I spent in Ft. Worth, the more I realized that that would have been a better choice for me...

joe

I rarely fly out of Love and I might get into Dallas maybe once every 6 months or so to catch a game. I do drive through it from time to time to visit a customer but thats it. As for Ft Worth, we might visit the zoo (which os great) but that is it for Ft W. Everything we need/want is withing 15 minutes of the house.