Why do people from Dallas dump on Dallas? (Houston, Fort Worth: 2015, live in)

[usamathman]

OP should give it some more time. Maybe another 2-3 months. Then report back.

Either way, glad that you are enjoying Dallas.

[Exult.Q36]

Originally Posted by WriterDude

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I'm also reinforced in my belief that folks in the Dallas area don't know what they've got, and don't appreciate it enough. They've forgotten what they have, if they ever knew. Of course, some are sour individuals, but that's to be expected anywhere. And the transplants have been here so long that while the Dallas area was changing, so were other places, so their cherished memories of where they came from are nothing more than that.

This!

OP I’m glad you're enjoying Dallas and your positive energy and vibe is well appreciated.

[dallasgoldrush]

This has become the mother of all Dallas threads. Figured I'd go ahead and throw in my two pennies ...

Dumping on one's hometown is actually not unique to Dallas at all. Pick any of the "it" cities out there right now and the same thing is happening. There are plenty of New York natives who can't stand New York, Boston natives who can't stand Boston, natives who can't stand Nashville, can't stand Austin, can't stand Denver, can't stand the Bay area, can't stand Seattle, and so on and so forth. I'm guilty of this myself also. While my hometown is objectively on a much lower "tier" than Dallas, it's also objectively not as bad as one would presume based on some of the things I've written about it.

There are a couple of psychological things at play. One is the whole grass is greener syndrome. Many natives who've had limited travel experiences and/or have not ever lived in other places naturally assume that the "other" would be better. This may or may not be true, but a part of me can't really blame them for making the assumption. There's natural human curiosity plus ignorance (due to lack of experience) at play.

The other psychological thing going on, even for natives who have traveled extensively and lived in multiple other places, is rebellion. Not in the sense that it's wrong to dislike Dallas or [insert whatever hometown you want here]. But in any given place, the natives who establish lives elsewhere will always be in the minority percentage-wise. It takes an independent and resilient spirit to be that one out of five or ten people (or whatever the percentage is) who just insists on breaking away. I think there's bravery there and I admire it.

But with all that being said, when overall quality of life is considered, I believe the DFW Metroplex is easily one of the top overall metros in the country. Dallas catches a lot of flak for not being the top city in just about anything, but I give it credit for still being a top 5 to 10 city in d*mn-near everything.

- When compared to the typical metro area, traffic here s*cks. When compared to metros of comparable size and global influence, traffic here is a breeze.

- When compared to the typical metro area, the cost of living is increasing rapidly. When compared to metro areas with equivalent career opportunities, it's still easily one of the best bang-for-your-buck places around.

- We are not one of the top hip tech cities around. But it's amazing how well we hold our own in that realm with a tech powerhouse like Austin just down the road from us.

- When compared to older, sophisticated metros on the coasts with deeper histories, the cultural offerings here are subpar. When compared to almost any other place in the South or in the Midwest (excluding Chicago), Dallas is at or near the top for culture.

- When compared to New York or LA, our shopping is sub-standard. When compared to any other stateside metro that's not literally one of the most important metros in the world, our shopping is excellent.

- We don't have the very best restaurants in the country, but we have a glut of very good restaurants in just about every ethnic variety imaginable, and at every price point.

- When compared to smaller towns, the people in Dallas come across as pretentious. When compared to people in other metros with equivalent wealth, the people here are among the friendliest, most down-to-earth you'll find.

- When compared to older, congested East Coast cities, our public transportation s*cks. When compared to the country as a whole, DART is well above-average.

- When compared to Atlanta or Chicago, our international airport is not very major. When comparing passenger satisfaction of people who regularly travel out of our airports versus those who regularly travel out of Atlanta's or Chicago's, I'd imagine we start to pull ahead. Plus our list of direct-flight international destinations for a centrally located Southern city is phenomenal (in other words, I don't believe there's any important international destination missing from our list).

I could go on for a while ...

- Admittedly Dallas does flat out fail when it comes to scenery and outdoor recreation, but on the flip side being so flat and barren actually makes it easier to create and maintain the excellent local infrastructure that tends to draw so many accolades.

My overall point: People have many possible personal reasons for hating Dallas, and I believe I can sympathize with those reasons. But on an objective level, I really don't see how there's a whole lot to hate about this place -- other than for things the city really doesn't control, like the weather.

I'm very happy for you, OP. I felt the same level of enthusiasm you feel when I first moved here several years ago, and I still feel it. I hope the area treats you as well as it has treated me, and you continue to have an enjoyable experience over the long-term.

[DAX_]

The people that "dump" on Dallas aren't in Dallas to begin with. The northern suburbs of Collin and Denton county are not Dallas at the end of the day. And If you never been south of I30 or east of loop 12 then theres so much of Dallas that you're missing

[RoamingTX]

Originally Posted by DAX_

The people that "dump" on Dallas aren't in Dallas to begin with. The northern suburbs of Collin and Denton county are not Dallas at the end of the day. And If you never been south of I30 or east of loop 12 then theres so much of Dallas that you're missing

Lol. Yeah - like Mesquite and Balch Springs. You know, places that aren’t Dallas either.

[WriterDude]

Originally Posted by dallasgoldrush

This has become the mother of all Dallas threads. Figured I'd go ahead and throw in my two pennies ... (snip)

I'm very happy for you, OP. I felt the same level of enthusiasm you feel when I first moved here several years ago, and I still feel it. I hope the area treats you as well as it has treated me, and you continue to have an enjoyable experience over the long-term.

Tremendous post, and I couldn’t agree more. Thank you for the kind words!

[DAX_]

Originally Posted by RoamingTX

Lol. Yeah - like Mesquite and Balch Springs. You know, places that aren’t Dallas either.

Balch springs is an extension of pleasant Grove to the residents of both

[Treasurevalley92]

Originally Posted by DAX_

Balch springs is an extension of pleasant Grove to the residents of both

The Southern half of Dallas is way underrated. I still do some business down in Cedar Crest and PG, and I used to do a lot more down there. At one point, about a year ago I was down there about 3 days a week. I never had an issue with anyone and found pretty much everyone to be friendly. Alot of the locals who say they would never go down there because they are scared of Black and Mexican people err, I mean because it's "sketchy"

[DAX_]

Originally Posted by Treasurevalley92

The Southern half of Dallas is way underrated. I still do some business down in Cedar Crest and PG, and I used to do a lot more down there. At one point, about a year ago I was down there about 3 days a week. I never had an issue with anyone and found pretty much everyone to be friendly. Alot of the locals who say they would never go down there because they are scared of Black and Mexican people err, I mean because it's "sketchy"

I agree. The south east section of Dallas definitely has the best food overall in my opinion

[Texyn]

Aren't there many lakes/streams in Dallas for recreation? There's also some karst topography along the SW. So what is all the big fuss about the lack of outdoor recreation?