If you were starting all over, would move to DFW today? (Houston: apartments, living)

[As Above So Below...]

I moved from Los Angeles to Dallas in 2010 and Plano in 2011. Stayed in DFW until 2015 before moving to Houston.

What I liked:
1) There are tons of good areas to choose from to live.
2) The diversity of Plano and Dallas.
3) You never had to leave Plano to go have fun. Downtown Plano was great.
4) Having DFW airport (though I dont miss American Airlines).
5) The neighborhoods close to downtown like Bishop Arts, Lower Greenville, Knox-Henderson, and Oak Lawn.
6) Fort Worth! I LOVE Fort Worth!

What I didn't like:
1) People in Dallas and the northern burbs are often very showy and the keeping up with the Jones' mentality was strong.
2) The crazy push to the Oklahoma border. Its like nice suburbs fall out of favor for something closer to OK than downtown Dallas. Its part of a mentality that newer is always better.
3) Religion seemed to permeate every corner of society. Not just Christianity but in my part of Plano the Hinduism was just as all encompassing.
4) Dallas is surprisingly not very friendly relative to other parts of the state (though Fort Worth is very friendly).

If I were to move back, I would want to be in the city of Dallas or the city of Fort Worth itself or maybe Richardson.

[Johnhw222]

Originally Posted by surferdude7

How bullish are you on the future of the metroplex or are the good old days in the rearview mirror?

Sure would it’s got the same reasons today that made me move here.

[Sunbather]

To clarify my response, i didn't move to Dallas for Dallas; I moved to Dallas for a specific job. Dallas wasn't originally on the list of places I had my eye on which included back to NYC or moving to Chicago, Seattle, and in a distant 4th Austin at that time, but I got recruited for something lucrative and decided that Dallas checked enough of the boxes to give it a shot since the job was good.

Well, that job ended being a huge launch pad for my career and I met my wife here. So, knowing what I know now, I absolutely would not change a thing. That being said, it's not Dallas itself that brought me or kept me here, and I certainly have my issues with Dallas (and Texas).

But we live in Dallas proper and mostly spend our time in the city itself and it does offer a lot more than people give it credit for. We rarely venture into the suburbs as we have no reason to.

[Wittgenstein's Ghost]

Originally Posted by gofunme

The weather is a no go for me.

I moved away from DFW in 2016, but I still have a lot of family back there and spend time in Southlake quite frequently. The weather seems to have gotten much hotter in the last eight years. Hot days used to be 102, not 108-111. I never remember it being that hot then. If we suddenly needed to move back for some reason, the heat would be near the top of our list for reasons we'd be reluctant. Trading too-cold winters for too-hot summers isn't an even trade because the summer is when the days are long and trees are green.

Originally Posted by As Above So Below...

1) People in Dallas and the northern burbs are often very showy and the keeping up with the Jones' mentality was strong.

Yes, this is a very real thing. I'm not sure what the cause of it is, but many people in DFW (not all) care a lot about projecting wealth.


My answer: Since I no longer live in DFW, my perspective is obviously a bit different. But if I were to move back, I would be very picky about what part of DFW I lived in. I'm not a suburb guy, and I generally dislike new construction from production builders, so I'd avoid Frisco, Prosper, etc. I'd probably choose Berkeley Place in Fort Worth. Second place would be Flower Mound, south of Cross Timbers Rd. on small acreage. I'd aim to avoid a commute, tract housing and canned suburbia as much as possible. It would be tough to not be able to enjoy summers outside, though. But the food would be a plus.

I own real estate, so I've gotten to ride the tide up. But, to me at least, housing prices in DFW have gotten insane relative to the desirabily of the metro area. But my income is independent of where I live, and I realize that many people move to DFW for a specific job. Enough additional income in DFW vs. a replacement city very well could justify the housing costs for someone. But if your job allows you live anywhere, and you're not dead set on living in one of the largest metro areas in the US, there are some awfully desirable places to live that can be had for similar prices, depending on interests and preferences.

[rabbit33]

Originally Posted by Wittgenstein's Ghost

...I'm not a suburb guy...I'd probably choose Berkeley Place in Fort Worth. Second place would be Flower Mound....

Flower Mound is the suburbiest of suburbs!

[Wittgenstein's Ghost]

Originally Posted by rabbit33

Flower Mound is the suburbiest of suburbs!

Yes it is, but I'd put up with that in exchange for acreage with mature trees and access to the lake and Northshore mountain bike trail. Having a couple acres in that part of Flower Mound is very different than having a 1/6 acre lot in a subdivision in Frisco (or a subdivision in Flower Mound, too).

But even still, that's probably why I'd pick Berkely Place in FW first.

[As Above So Below...]

Originally Posted by Wittgenstein's Ghost

Yes it is, but I'd put up with that in exchange for acreage with mature trees and access to the lake and Northshore mountain bike trail. Having a couple acres in that part of Flower Mound is very different than having a 1/6 acre lot in a subdivision in Frisco (or a subdivision in Flower Mound, too).

But even still, that's probably why I'd pick Berkely Place in FW first.

If I were to move back, I would only do Fort Worth close to the Museum District or TCU or a place like Lake Highlands or Oak Cliff in Dallas I think.

But if I'm being totally honest, I think I like Houston significantly more just because the vibe and the people are so much more laid back.

[Ralph_Kirk]

Originally Posted by Wittgenstein's Ghost

Trading too-cold winters for too-hot summers isn't an even trade because the summer is when the days are long and trees are green.

It certainly is for us. I never have to shovel heat off my driveway or scrape heat off my windshield.

I never skid off the road on the heat.

I get in the car and the A/C is blowing cold within 30 seconds, rather than waiting 20 minutes for the heater to blow hot.

We don't have to plan trips around the heat. The heat doesn't keep us from going anywhere we want to to at a moment's notice.

[farm108]

I'm thinking about moving to a smaller city, South of Dallas. I find this thread interesting. My question is a little unusual.

Regarding the hot summers, how is humidity like in the summer there? I know, it depends where you come from, what kind of climate you move from...
I'm in Southern California (here for almost 20 years) but I grew up in an area with 4 seasons, hot summers but not humid, in Europe.

I have some issues regarding pain (joints, tissues) when the barometric pressure changes. High humidity is not great for me.
I might move there with my husband and live in the area for a year to see how I tolerate the humidity.

Anyone suffering from this, having health problems caused by humidity?
Thanks.

[rabbit33]

Originally Posted by farm108

I'm thinking about moving to a smaller city, South of Dallas. I find this thread interesting. My question is a little unusual.

Regarding the hot summers, how is humidity like in the summer there? I know, it depends where you come from, what kind of climate you move from...
I'm in Southern California (here for almost 20 years) but I grew up in an area with 4 seasons, hot summers but not humid, in Europe.

I have some issues regarding pain (joints, tissues) when the barometric pressure changes. High humidity is not great for me.
I might move there with my husband and live in the area for a year to see how I tolerate the humidity.

Anyone suffering from this, having health problems caused by humidity?
Thanks.

Well, there are lots of small cities south of Dallas from Wilmer or Red Oak all the way to Dickinson. There's almost 300 miles of Texas south of Dallas.

I'll assume you're talking about within say 20 or 40 miles.

It's hot and relatively humid here. Not Singapore humid, but far more humid than the "Texas is a desert" people realize. Dallas is at the southern end of the Great Plains, so think St. Louis, KC, etc. Hot and humid in summer.

Of course barometric pressure is not the same thing as humidity.