Dallas or DC (area)?

[Anonymous]

There isn't enough money in the world for me to live In a place where people have the right to carry guns and shoot people, and I don't have autonomy over my own body

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You're not going to find a good house for that price for $500k in Dallas. 3 years ago before Covid and everyone moving to Texas? Sure, probably could have found something decent. Now? No way.

You could look out in the other suburbs. One thing to know about Dallas is there's very little nature (or nature you'd want to spend any time in) and that goes double for out in the exurbs. They dont have many parks or walking trails and when they do it's usually flat, treeless terrain that in the summer is basically unusable because of the strength of the sun and temperatures around 100 every day. The summer heat can be unbearable. However, it's quite nice and temperate throughout autumn, winter, and usually spring as well. Texas is not a horrible fit for a DC native compared to the rest of the south- people have that blunt, east coast way of talking that other southerners do not. The schools are generally not great and when you get into the exurbs you're going to have a significantly higher latino population, which might be a consideration if you're from another ethnic group and dont want your kid to be the only one at school who doesnt speak fluent spanish. Personally if it was me I'd probably move out to West Virginia or rural virginia (dont think rural Maryland's prices would go down low enough to get you a good investment for $500k) instead of moving all the way down to Dallas, if nature is important to you.

Most of what you wrote is true, except Frisco schools have mostly white and Asian kids. There’s a huge Asian population there and corresponding high test scores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Look in Richardson/Richardson ISD - that's a good school district and there are homes ready to be snapped up for under $500k. They are old 3br/2ba ranches that haven't been updated since the '70's or '80s, but that's probably as close in with decent schools that you will get for $500k.

Colleagues at our DFW site almost all live in Richardson and they agree with the above. Politics are described by them as “middle-of-the-road” in Richardson, meaning neither the far left nor the far right will fit in. Most are transplants, not TX natives, and hail from diverse areas of the US and Canada.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am unwilling to live anywhere in Texas for the reasons you mentioned: politics and water supply. Also the power grid.

Dallas has a nice aquarium, that's the most I can say for it.

Hahahaha ok

[Anonymous]

Texas has no income tax. It is not a poor state, it is just that they tax oil/gas extraction instead of personal income. And the U of TX system has several good universities, including highly ranked UT Austin.

[Anonymous]

Not specific to your target areas, but this post tells you where you can buy RE in the 500k range.

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/180/1134659.page#25094890

Rockville is a great choice and not too far from DC.

[Anonymous]

How excellent can schools in Texas be considering the nuts that write state curriculum?

I don’t care about x/10 on greatschools.

That means so little.

[Anonymous]

I’ve lived in both! Go with Dallas for cost of living and slower pace of life. Just budget for a long summer vacation to somewhere cooler.

[Anonymous]

I’d move to Dallas, DC is dying

[Anonymous]

I could never live in Texas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My friend has a gorgeous house in a good school neighborhood in Dallas near SMU. Forgot what it’s called— Highland Park? Gorgeous homes, but pricey.
Do you have kids or single/married? I’d consider renting or buying a small in DC if you want a more lively scene. Some may be discounted due to crime surge. Check near Union market/noma.

Highland Park is absolutely gorgeous if you have at least a $4M budget.

(When we lived there you could buy in one of the less desirable streets for $800-$1M and I remember that seeming so out of reach. Should have stretched!)

[Anonymous]

I live in Rockville. There are areas of Rockville, Derwood and Gaithersburg that have single family houses for $500k. Parts of Rockville feed into RM, which is a good school. I'm not native to this area but I'm glad I raised my kids in MoCo. My kids all attended MCPS and went on to top universities.The area is very diverse, liberal and has good jobs, beautiful parks and access to lots of activities.

[Anonymous]

Dallas, like all midsized cities, isn't cheap. Your quintessential upper middle class suburban house that is nicely updated with good schools is 750+ territory and goes up steeply from there and upscale Dallas is very expensive. You can still get houses in the 500 and less but they will come with tradeoffs re schools or housing quality or location.

Agree re flatness of exurban Texas. If you work remotely and want cheaper housing, there are better places, methinks. Well, prettier. People flock to Dallas because of jobs and Dallas is a booming city. Not for beauty or nature.

[Anonymous]

What’s wrong with the water in Dallas?

[Anonymous]

I'm fascinated that anyone would even consider living in Dallas. Sounds like hell.