Moving to Dallas from DC

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow. Your Texas stereotypes are out of control. God forbid someone be republican or Christian. Are you that threatened by different ideologies? I just did a
Two year stint in Dallas and now back in DC. I’ll say I would take my friendly, conservative neighbors who were great people and now friends over someone who shudders at the thought of having to interact with someone who might have different beliefs.

OP- happy to answer specific questions.

So when are you moving back to Big D?

You feel that insecure about differences in opinion? While my job has me basing back here, I would gladly move to another area of the county to try it out - Dallas included.

I lived in Dallas for 7 years, and 3 more in Austin. My post above laid out the good and bad about Dallas, based on my experience and opinion. You like it? Fine. But that doesn't mean everyone has to like it. It's a livable city with good restaurants and lots to do, but it's a lot more conservative and aggressively Christian than the East Coast. People in Dallas celebrate that fact. It's not a controversial or inaccurate assessment of the town. If OP is into that sort of environment she may like living there. If not, she should be forewarned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dallas is ugly, politically conservative, anti-intellectual and you have to drive almost everywhere.

But it also has great restaurants and shopping, a surprisingly good cultural scene, a relatively low cost of living and a terrific airport (DFW) that puts you within a three-hour flight of anywhere in America.

You should be able to live fairly well on 300k per year but you may need to live in an area with decent public schools. Best publics are in the Park Cities - Highland Park and University Park -- which are suburbs wI thin the city. Real estate prices will be highest here though, and economic and racial diversity the lowest. If you go farther out to Plano you can get more house for your money and excellent schools. Plano also is home to several big corporations like Frito-Lay. It is very suburban, sprawling and conservative, and a little too self-satisfied if you ask me.
In general, the areas in southern Dallas are poorer, whIle Northern Dallas is middle-class to wealthy with a few lower income neighborhoods mixed in.
Not a.lot of natural beauty in Dallas but White Rock Lake is a real gem.
The biggest changes will be cultural and political. Business is held in high esteem, government is evil to tolerable. Lots of blonde women with big hair and make up. A belief that things Texan are superior to things anywhere else. A visceral distrust of Washington D.C. and the East Coast in general.
It can be a fun town to live in if you don't mind not being able to walk many places and can embrace or tolerate the pro-Republican, pro-business and aggressively Christian culture. (Be prepared to answer the question, "What is your church home?")
Good luck OP.

OMG THIS...x100! But don't be alarmed, OP. The person asking really doesn't want to get into a spiritual discussion with you. They just want to know if you'll be seeing you and hanging out with you on the weekends. It's much more of a cultural thing to not just go to church but to join a Sunday school class (kids AND adults!) and literally hang out with people you go to church with. It's a community-building thing and it's sort of the way Texans try to make you feel welcome.
It's fine to say "we don't go to church" but it's not that common to never go to church there. In fact, it's more of a statement of your anti-belief not to go to church somewhere.
So if you are wanting to keep the possibility open but non-committal, just respond "we're still church shopping..."

[Anonymous]

Dallas also has an active Jewish community. OP is Jewish.

[Anonymous]

NP. It's so much easier to live in Dallas than here. Life is easier. Go and enjoy it, OP.

[Anonymous]

Even in Austin, the most liberal part of Texas, there are people that literally believe the word “liberal” is an insult.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Even in Austin, the most liberal part of Texas, there are people that literally believe the word “liberal” is an insult.

There are people like this anywhere in America.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dallas is ugly, politically conservative, anti-intellectual and you have to drive almost everywhere.

But it also has great restaurants and shopping, a surprisingly good cultural scene, a relatively low cost of living and a terrific airport (DFW) that puts you within a three-hour flight of anywhere in America.

You should be able to live fairly well on 300k per year but you may need to live in an area with decent public schools. Best publics are in the Park Cities - Highland Park and University Park -- which are suburbs wI thin the city. Real estate prices will be highest here though, and economic and racial diversity the lowest. If you go farther out to Plano you can get more house for your money and excellent schools. Plano also is home to several big corporations like Frito-Lay. It is very suburban, sprawling and conservative, and a little too self-satisfied if you ask me.
In general, the areas in southern Dallas are poorer, whIle Northern Dallas is middle-class to wealthy with a few lower income neighborhoods mixed in.
Not a.lot of natural beauty in Dallas but White Rock Lake is a real gem.
The biggest changes will be cultural and political. Business is held in high esteem, government is evil to tolerable. Lots of blonde women with big hair and make up. A belief that things Texan are superior to things anywhere else. A visceral distrust of Washington D.C. and the East Coast in general.
It can be a fun town to live in if you don't mind not being able to walk many places and can embrace or tolerate the pro-Republican, pro-business and aggressively Christian culture. (Be prepared to answer the question, "What is your church home?")
Good luck OP.

Good post.
Do 5-10 years in dallas then retire in Annapolis. Travel a lot since arid prairie is BORING. I can see what they had to give away free land to make people move there long ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:i'm from htown but have lived in dallas. it's not the people because you'll find good folks there and a mix of conservative and liberal views (less so in FW). it's the land. it's desolate, flat, one tiny tree, hot, and just barren. now it's not cool desert like west texas or hill country like austin it's just pavement and suburbia with fences and no trees. they do have a great art scene and farmers market. goodluck!

Omg the pavement and one level strip malls every where and terrible condition of the roads in Dallas. I think the heat and construction trucks ruined all non freeway roads the last five years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:i'm from htown but have lived in dallas. it's not the people because you'll find good folks there and a mix of conservative and liberal views (less so in FW). it's the land. it's desolate, flat, one tiny tree, hot, and just barren. now it's not cool desert like west texas or hill country like austin it's just pavement and suburbia with fences and no trees. they do have a great art scene and farmers market. goodluck!

Omg the pavement and one level strip malls every where and terrible condition of the roads in Dallas. I think the heat and construction trucks ruined all non freeway roads the last five years.

Ummm this describes the DC metro area too. The roads here are garbage and beat up and there are one level strip malls everywhere you go around here.

[Anonymous]

This thread is six years old. Not sure why someone dredged it up. Is OP still around? Did you make the move?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread is six years old. Not sure why someone dredged it up. Is OP still around? Did you make the move?

+1