Moving to Dallas from DC

[Anonymous]

I just read the old thread about Dallas to DC move, but have a possibility to make an opposite move. Please tell me the pros and cons of moving to Dallas. Why so many people hate Dallasso much? Is cost of living really much lower?
DH will bring around 300k. Is it sufficient salary for UMC/UC lifestyle?

[Anonymous]

It's 105 there. "nuf said.

[Anonymous]

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.

[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.

What do you mean by "fairly well"?

[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.

This is largely accurate. I suspect by "fairly well," PP meant a solid, UMC lifestyle, but by no means UC. If you want to live in the city, you will definitely want to stick to HP or University Park. Homes there aren't much cheaper than what you'd find in NWDC neighborhoods. There is a lot of wealth in those areas, so you certainly won't feel comparatively wealthy at $300K. We live in a comparable area in Houston and feel like the poor ones at that HHI. If you're fine living in Plano or one of the suburbs, your money will stretch a lot further. While you'll save on state income tax, your property tax will largely make up for it. You'll spend a lot more on gas because you'll be driving more. Everything else is about the same (private schools are cheaper though if you're considering that route).

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

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!

[Anonymous]

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?

[Anonymous]

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.

+100. We really liked Dallas, OP. It's been years since we have lived there, but we really enjoyed it. Low cost of living, very friendly people, lots of shopping and great restaurants, good schools, ... It does get really hot, but we acclimated quickly. The humidity never felt as bad in Dallas as it does in DC. We are very liberal politically and never felt out of place. Truthfully, we liked it a lot more than anything in or near DC. And I don't dislike it here. Dallas was just an easier place to live in many ways.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

OP here.
I must state right away that my DH is fiscal conservative, while I am independent and leaning more to liberal.
DH is originally from Colorado, while I am Russian Jewish ( moved here when I was 20, almost 17 years ago).
We lived in few states, and I pretty much liked it everywhere.
The thing that bothers me the most is the scenery and lack of green. I am a lush nature lover. No trees in developed areas at all??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here.
I must state right away that my DH is fiscal conservative, while I am independent and leaning more to liberal.
DH is originally from Colorado, while I am Russian Jewish ( moved here when I was 20, almost 17 years ago).
We lived in few states, and I pretty much liked it everywhere.
The thing that bothers me the most is the scenery and lack of green. I am a lush nature lover. No trees in developed areas at all??

Hi op - I am the Pp who did the stint in Texas. The scenery really depends on where you are looking. Down by SMU in the highland park/ university park area the houses have some mature trees. In the downtown area there isn’t much greenery, but unless you’re in a high rise condo, you won’t live in the concrete jungle part. The arboretum is near and beautiful. They had live music on fridays in summer. There is an incredibly narrow minded poster who seems set on making everyone hate Texas. Do you know which area you will be in yet?

[Anonymous]

When people talk about a lack of trees, they generally mean the countryside. The Park Cities, for example, have lots of mature trees.

SMU campus: https://www.google.com/search?q=southern+methodist+university+images&tbm=isch&tbs=rimg:CQvx-9OyDi9tIjg6Ig-lhV4IEAXBTQpmPJDMFkDUiX9vnM6585aQdtghkqFmA3PhXpCC5r5TMiE6yWPRh9tCsj9jrioSCToiD6WFXggQEbeResgLNWP8KhIJBcFNCmY8kMwRnl_1jE9g3QdsqEgkWQNSJf2-czhGlX_1GBD7LNAyoSCbnzlpB22CGSERtrZvoPOt1eKhIJoWYDc-FekIIREuzL1jkWDLIqEgnmvlMyITrJYxH1yAiSJYgVeyoSCdGH20KyP2OuEWbNUNZndWfF&tbo=u&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwisnfbttbbbAhWNylkKHQGZDskQ9C96BAgBEBg&biw=1248&bih=685&dpr=1#imgdii=ufOWkHbYIZJ5KM:&imgrc=C_H707IOL21sQM:

Turtle Creek: https://www.google.com/search?q=dallas+turtle+creek+images&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=FeHETwoxyDYSqM%253A%252CUcC_LwWZzV0nKM%252C_&usg=__m9eMyE_KS5sVFjrnmKM32o7ew1U%3D&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj40sHJtrbbAhURuVkKHWs8AxoQ9QEILTAC&biw=1248&bih=685#imgrc=xM3s0ltQaIUayM:

[Anonymous]

The mayor of Dallas is a democrat, can’t be that conservative.

[Anonymous]

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.

*triggered snowflake alert*