Can we find our place in Dallas? (Austin, Plano: hardwood floors, house)

[hsw]

Taxpayers and employers don't equal voters...

I know many Stanford/Harvard-educated, wealthy guys in SiliconValley and NYC who despise the commies and overpaid welfare/union gvt workers crowd of SF or Berkeley or PaloAlto or NYC....and many of same wealthy taxpayers are closely examining moving their offices and primary homes to Dallas (Uptown for offices and HP/PH for homes) precisely because of the refreshing pro-capitalist, low-taxes "tolerance" and "progressiveness" of Dallas

Austin is essentially TX's version of a puny, economically irrelevant commie town, much like Berkeley or SF

[8080a]

What you will get in Texas is not a backdrop of tolerance. You will get a backdrop of general intolerance, unprogressive thinking, and conservatism—a backdrop against which you will see many surprisingly progressive things occur. You'll have to switch your thinking around. Whereas on the west coast you may be progressive by association, in Texas you will have to be consciously progressive. You will find people of like-minds in Dallas because Dallas is actually a very diverse place. Yes, it's got a freeway named after George Bush I, and it's got some of the most absurd megachurches you'll ever lay eyes on, however, Dallas voters also elected an openly gay sheriff and continue to support and develop what has become the eighth most ridden light rail system in the United States—and climbing.

Don't be scared. Fear is what fuels the types of people you seem averse to. (Minus the cowboys. Cowboys are good people. You'll learn that when you've been here a while.) It's a good place to teach kids how to deal with that which is different from what they are used to healthily and without fear. But, be aware that in Dallas, like many places, people don't choose to raise families in "safe" suburban areas because they are progressive, open-minded areas. If you gravitate towards that type of living, be ready to compromise a little on your desire to avoid the religious right, etc. If that's something you can't compromise on, be ready to compromise on not wanting to live in more urban areas. Progressives tend to raise their kids closer in where everything isn't quite as shiny and new.

[Lakewooder]

Try East Dallas / M-Streets / Lakewood 75206, 75214 and 75223. Good schools and nonconformists.

Also, I've been to several large events inside Dallas (one was a concert at the AAC) where George W. Bush was roundly booed when his name was mentioned.

[LakewoodNeigh]

Check Areas around white rock lake, Lakewood & forest hills "big and little"... These are older areas with craftsman and other 20's and 30's styles...

These are also not suburban in mentality or style, I think it would be a good fit!

[BusyWestcoastMom]

Thanks everyone for the input. I agree that Austin is probably a better fit for me but the job offer is in Dallas, not Austin. All the info really helps and reassures me that hopefully Dallas is a big enough place for all sorts of people.

To answer your question frogandtoad (love your tag name btw)... it's not that cowboys ("horse riding" ones) would negatively effect my lifestyle, I just really don't like country music or the whole country music image. Not my thing at all. The music, the clothes, the ideals, the politics, etc... Just a matter of taste. I'd hate to be surrounded by it.

Well I think our decision will boil down to a financial one. If anyone can think of anything else I might want to know about what parts of the city would be better for us - if we did actually move to Dallas - it would be helpful.

Thanks!

[Dallas native]

Originally Posted by BusyWestcoastMom

it's not that cowboys ("horse riding" ones) would negatively effect my lifestyle, I just really don't like country music or the whole country music image. Not my thing at all. The music, the clothes, the ideals, the politics, etc... Just a matter of taste. I'd hate to be surrounded by it.

Sounds more like Nashville than Dallas. You would by no means be surrounded by the country stereotypes in the city of Dallas. Nor should that be the case in most of the suburbs. That's something that you'd have to seek out, so nothing to worry about. Dallas style bends much more in the direction of Neiman Marcus than Wrangler. Ft. Worth has much more of a western style while also being very cultured.

[BusyWestcoastMom]

UG. It's people exactly like hsw who posted above that I'm trying to avoid. Ech. Such a hater.

Does anyone have any input about Richardson, Addison, Garland? I love the idea of Lakewood or one of those areas but my husband grew up in an old house and vows never to own one. At least on the map Richardson looks closer in and I'm hoping that means it's some middle ground between overly suburban and urban? Or is there some other middle ground between older housing in the city and the way out suburbs?

So I can avoid people like hsw and his wealthy friends?

Thanks everyone for your help!

[Dallas native]

Originally Posted by BusyWestcoastMom

UG. It's people exactly like hsw who posted above that I'm trying to avoid. Ech. Such a hater.

Does anyone have any input about Richardson, Addison, Garland? I love the idea of Lakewood or one of those areas but my husband grew up in an old house and vows never to own one. At least on the map Richardson looks closer in and I'm hoping that means it's some middle ground between overly suburban and urban? Or is there some other middle ground between older housing in the city and the way out suburbs?

So I can avoid people like hsw and his wealthy friends?

Thanks everyone for your help!

We've got to stop meeting like this every night around midnight. I re-read the post to which you object and I do detect the attitude there. (No offense HSW, but if the shoe fits...). Unfortunately, that Titan of Industry arrogance can be found in all the major metros between L.A. and Manhattan, DFW included.

My perception, based on what I have gathered from your posts, is that you would be most at home inside the older neighborhoods of Dallas. Lakewood seems perfect, but there are other low-key, live/let live, progressive 'hoods too. Living in an old house does not necessarily imply that you'll have to deal with ancient plumbing, electrical, HVAC, etc... My house was built in 1935 but all of the innards were completely replaced in 2002. So it's not that hard to find older homes that have character and have been completely redone from head to toe. You can also find new or recently constructed homes in Lakewood and in certain other older parts of Dallas due to tear-downs. It all depends on your price-point.

Richardson and Garland are both large, vintage, multi-cultural, first-ring suburbs with mostly older housing. I believe that there is some very new housing in the Firewheel section of Garland. Addison is a smallish northern suburb. It's probably the least "suburban" suburb surrounding Dallas. However, much of it is commercial and the housing is mostly apartments, condos and townhomes. If you seek middle ground, you might consider the Lake Highlands section of NE Dallas which is in the Richardson school district. Or, the parts of far N. Dallas that are in the Plano school district. Again, it all depends on your price-point.

[FarNorthDallas]

This may seem the opposite of what you are looking for, but there are a ton of Californians in Frisco, TX. It's the stereotypical suburb - new houses, new retail, new restaurants, new roads, new schools with the changing attendance boundaries, but it's largely people from other places. Not Texans. You commute down the Dallas North Tollway to get to downtown Dallas which is 25 minutes without traffic and since it's toll it has fewer cars than other freeways.

You might google the frisco online forum and "talk" to those folks about what Frisco is like. Your husband would get his new or newer house.

[hamiltonpl]

8080a had (mostly) good advice. If you want suburban living, and expect liberal open-mindedness, you will probably be disappointed. If you're not afraid to venture into the city -- which you shouldn't be -- then you will be surprised by the tolerance.

Dallas elected a gay, Hispanic Sherriff (twice), a black district attorney, the chief executive officer of Dallas County is openly gay, we've had black mayors, female mayors, female Jewish mayors, etc... And what you may find remarkable about all this -- those characteristics were not used by their opponents as political ammunition. After all, the people of Dallas would have utter disdain for such comments.

East Dallas -- M-Streets, Lakewood, Forest Hills -- is known for having a bit of a liberal bent on it compared to the rest of Dallas.

After living here you may find it ironic that the same person who would never stereotype someone based on race, find it easy to stereotype a diverse state of 21 million people.