Relocation to Houton or Dallas

[MobileDave]

Originally Posted by HtownLove

yeah, that sounds like an interesting read. I wanna eyeball it too

I found a pretty cool interactive map from 2008.

Map: Where Americans Are Moving - Forbes.com

For the OP:

"There are good prospects for ambitious young professionals across the country, but Texas dominates our list, boasting three of the top 10 spots. Because of its business-friendly environment and abundance of oil money, 14 of the country's largest companies (as measured by market capitalization) are based in our No. 1 city, Houston. Only New York, N.Y., which ranks No. 4 on our list, boasts more big employers. Houston also shines thanks to high average incomes and a concentration of grads from elite colleges--and not just from local Rice University, but from across the country."

http://www.forbes.com/2010/06/17/bes...careers_2.html

As far as the Telcom industry, I found two relevant links that I think will help with your decision.

http://www.dmagazine.com/Home/D_CEO/...Dominance.aspx

http://www.houston.org/economic-deve...ers/index.aspx

[Willsson]

AT&T has a corporate office in downtown Dallas.
Verizon has a corporate office in Basking Ridge NJ and Irving, Tx.
There are some small telecomms in the DFW area.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by tofurkey

AT&T has a corporate office in downtown Dallas.
Verizon has a corporate office in Basking Ridge NJ and Irving, Tx.
There are some small telecomms in the DFW area.

It's not just a corporate office AT&T has in Dallas, it's the company's Headquarters. Relocated from San Antonio a few years ago.

Dallas has more telecom jobs than Houston. Both cities are milder climates than NJ; Dallas has 4 seasons (even if Fall only lasts a few weeks and Winter brings a dusting of snow vs snowstorms in NJ) and Houston has 2 (summer which is hot & very humid and November through April which are "mild").

Both have VERY expensive city neighborhoods with good schools (Dallas' Park Cities which has Highland Park Independent School District and Houston's West University and Bellaire neighborhoods). Don't be fooled by "cheap" housing- if you want to live in the city in a safe neighborhood with excellent public schools be prepared to spend $800k++ for a modest home. Suburbs are much cheaper- good schools about an hour's drive from dowtown are easily found with a $250-400k budget.

Be sure to consider ALL costs of relocating:
-no state income tax in TX
-sales tax that is 8.25% in most areas
-VERY high property taxes, between 2-3% of home's assessed value paid annually (ie, $250k home carries annual tax bill between $5,000-$7,000)
-home insurance can be very high (risk of hurricanes & flooding in Houston and floodplains/hail/tornados/high winds in DFW area)
-car insurance can be very high due to large % of uninsured motorists
-health insurance can be very high
-tollroads are plentiful here! A commute from Plano (northern burb of Dallas) to AT&T's heaquarters costs about $6/day round trip and the Tollroad is pretty much the only route from Central or West Plano. Bs sure to count in cost to commute if you expect to do so. Gas is a bit cheaper here than in the NE.
-Groceries & household items are less expensive than metro NYC area but about the same as central/south NJ.

Lastly, best advice anyone can give you:
1. Don't move without job offers lined up.
2. Rent for your 1st year so you can learn the various neighborhoods & suburbs and make a good financial decision when you buy. Homes barely appreciate in TX so you'll need to stay put for 5-6 years just to recoup realtor's commission & closing costs when you sell.

[MaverickG]

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

It's not just a corporate office AT&T has in Dallas, it's the company's Headquarters. Relocated from San Antonio a few years ago.

Dallas has more telecom jobs than Houston. Both cities are milder climates than NJ; Dallas has 4 seasons (even if Fall only lasts a few weeks and Winter brings a dusting of snow vs snowstorms in NJ) and Houston has 2 (summer which is hot & very humid and November through April which are "mild").

Both have VERY expensive city neighborhoods with good schools (Dallas' Park Cities which has Highland Park Independent School District and Houston's West University and Bellaire neighborhoods). Don't be fooled by "cheap" housing- if you want to live in the city in a safe neighborhood with excellent public schools be prepared to spend $800k++ for a modest home. Suburbs are much cheaper- good schools about an hour's drive from dowtown are easily found with a $250-400k budget.

Be sure to consider ALL costs of relocating:
-no state income tax in TX
-sales tax that is 8.25% in most areas
-VERY high property taxes, between 2-3% of home's assessed value paid annually (ie, $250k home carries annual tax bill between $5,000-$7,000)
-home insurance can be very high (risk of hurricanes & flooding in Houston and floodplains/hail/tornados/high winds in DFW area)
-car insurance can be very high due to large % of uninsured motorists
-health insurance can be very high
-tollroads are plentiful here! A commute from Plano (northern burb of Dallas) to AT&T's heaquarters costs about $6/day round trip and the Tollroad is pretty much the only route from Central or West Plano. Bs sure to count in cost to commute if you expect to do so. Gas is a bit cheaper here than in the NE.
-Groceries & household items are less expensive than metro NYC area but about the same as central/south NJ.

Lastly, best advice anyone can give you:
1. Don't move without job offers lined up.
2. Rent for your 1st year so you can learn the various neighborhoods & suburbs and make a good financial decision when you buy. Homes barely appreciate in TX so you'll need to stay put for 5-6 years just to recoup realtor's commission & closing costs when you sell.

Turtlecreek80,
As usual your posts are really helpful. How is the IT industry in Dallas compared to let’s say NJ.
It would be helpful to know from the folks working or have friends/family in this field.
Thanks