Dallas Metro, TX --- OR--- Bellevue, WA area (living, cost, state)

[laxphone]

Hello everyone, We are married couple in mid 30s and soon thinking of starting family and home purchase. I currently have 2 opportunities both offer decent packages to move but I am stuck with deciding between Dallas Metro, TX to Bellevue, WA area. Currently I live in easternshore virginia/maryland everything is cheaper and housing as well. What I am considering is "Housing-Owing" under 350K and starting family not into party scene but looking for life/work balance. Weather is also on my mind, thinking bright sunshine in texas might make mood brighter. Don't mind cold weather untill 50F and above during daytime, few months of winter should be ok but would prefer to avoid personally . since the choice is so different between Dallas, Bellevue in housing, cost of living and weather got me thinking hard last few weeks and I have to decide pretty soon.


DFW pros for me are : more opportunities, brigher sunshine, no winters, cheaper housing under (350k)
Bellevue pros are : greater career growth opportunity with job offer compared to dallas one I got, looks scenic but worried about cold and housing prices as looking under (350k)

Please advice.

[Texascrude]

Obviously a personal choice nobody can make for you. I love it here. We've met great people, I like the weather (for the most part), love the Texas culture, love Tex Mex and BBQ, and think DFW is a great place to raise a family. With that said, I'm here for my career and if my career could be replicated in a more scenic part of the country with mountains and 4 seasons, I'd jump on that like a frog on a june bug.

[brandonsimmons]

DFW is a great place to raise a family and the cost of living is hard to beat. there is a reason everyone is moving here.

Washington is very nice but i couldnt take the weather. the scenery is great but one other factor is i would just hate being so far away from everything. i like being in DFW where you're in the center of the country

[BigDGeek]

Bellevue isn't that cold. It's a heck of a lot prettier than DFW too. The housing costs will suck, but if you're going to drop only $350k and expect a semi-custom home with some premium finishes, you'll be living out in the boonies here. Housing is not as cheap as you think if you want to live anywhere near anything.

[TrueDat]

Will you be going back to the East Coast to visit family/friends a lot? That might be something to take into consideration. Getting to the East Coast from the PNW can be a pain, less so from DFW.

[synchronicity]

What others have said - Bellevue and DFW are miles apart in terms of weather, scenery, general political atmosphere and about a zillion other things. I personally LOVE the pacific northwest and am not much of a fan of Dallas, so given the choice for me it would be Bellevue in a heartbeat, but I'm not you and there are many many people here who feel exactly the opposite.

Bellevue temperatures are actually quite moderate, whereas DFW gets blazing hot in the summer (95+ highs for 3+ months). However, the winters there, while not "cold", are damp and overcast for weeks at a time.

Bellevue is very scenic. Dallas is not. Dallas housing is considerably cheaper than Bellevue. As others have noted, travel from DFW (central location, major airport) is easier than from Bellevue (Seattle is a smaller city than DFW and way in the upper left corner of the US).

Re: politics, I'll just note that that is there but tends to be "background noise". Interacting with your neighbors it's likely a non-issue, as most people don't talk about it and the ones that do a lot are people you will probably avoid. In addition, even a highly conservative or liberal state has about a 60/40 split, so if you're in the "minority" politically there's still about 4 out of 10 people who will agree with you so there's plenty of like-minded types to befriend if you feel the need. That said, the general news may grate on you after awhile as you see policies discussed and passed that are at odds with what you believe.

Both areas have a lot to offer. The fact that there is more potential job growth in the WA offer is something to consider, of course. Aside from that, most of it comes down to what items are personally most important to you, because they are dramatically different places.

[mhans123]

If it were me I would pick Bellevue because it is more scenic and even though there are a lot less sunny days the winters and summers are considerably more moderate. Bellevue also has great outdoor recreational opportunities (biking, hiking, boating, etc.) There are a few lakes surrounding DFW but it's essentially a bunch of single family homes in a completely flat area connected by an asphalt/concrete jungle of roads.

[ReppingDFW]

Bellevue really isn't that cold. The winters aren't that much colder than Dallas', but the summers there will be much, much, much more pleasant. You can't compare the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest (one of the most scenic parts of the country) to North Texas (one of the ugliest parts of the country.)

[pwright1]

You can actually find homes in Bellevue for $350,000. It won't be half as nice for the same as in the Dallas area though. In Bellevue you'll get one of those 60's aluminum sided rambler or split level fixer uppers which they have plenty of all around Bellevue, Kirkland/Totem Lake and Redmond. Honestly though I'm not a fan of those areas in that particular price range.

The Dallas area might not have the scenary but you can definately get a much nicer home old or new. North Dallas, Plano are two areas I would look into. Great neighborhoods with good schools, plenty of great shopping, restaurants, parks, and again a much nicer home.