Dallas vs Atlanta - Quality of life (Fort Worth, Arlington: 2009, apartment)

[blueskies49]

I may be wrong but I was always under the impression that "Hotlanta" doesn't refer to the temperature but to the fact that it's a fast-growing, hip city?

[hamiltonpl]

Originally Posted by blueskies49

Dallas isn't a part of the Southwest. Texas was settled by Southerners. There is a Confederate memorial right up against Dallas City Hall. There is Robert E. Lee Park in Oaklawn. Jefferson Davis Blvd. in Oak Cliff. Confederate Blvd. in Fort Worth. Arlington was named after General Lee's hometown of Arlington, Virginia. The city of Cleburne south of Fort Worth was named after Confederate General Patrick Cleburne, Fort Hood and Bell County after General John Bell Hood, city of Breckenridge after General Breckenridge, etc. Many native Texans who have been here for generations trace their families back to the Old South. Etc, etc, etc.

Wrong. Texas was it's own nation before there ever was a confederacy. Texas was founded by lots of people from all over the United States. It's been around a lot longer than "the south."

Dallas and Fort Worth feel more like the southwest than the south to me. I haven't found any Dallasites that want to be associated with the south. Now, the confederacy is certainly part of our history. Therefore, you'll find old memorials. But it's not celebrated today. It is celebrated in many other parts of the REAL south. For instance, Georgia's flag was recently changed to take out the confederate battle flag. The confederate battle flag still flies by the South Carolina State Capitol.

In contrast, Robert E. Lee park in Dallas is ground zero for the city's gay and lesbian community! It's certainly not a place where people go to celebrate their southern heritage. Dallas is more western than southern.

[blueskies49]

I saw a tv special about language and the different dialects in the U.S. They said that the Texas accent is a combination of Southern accents. Yes, Texas was settled by all kinds of people, lots of Germans, too, I am half German myself. Oh, my gosh, I agree with you about Robert E. Lee park, though! Quite different these days than when it was the meeting place of the Texas Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. There are also several groups of Texas Daughters of the Confederacy, of whom the former mayor of Dallas, Ron Kirk, was once a guest speaker.

I once heard a professor say that Texas should not be classified anymore as southwest, as the heritage and culture are mostly closely aligned with the South and not Arizona and New Mexico. I guess it just depends where in Texas you were raised as to how you feel and where your family originally came from. Cathy in this forum is from West Texas and she said she has never felt that her part of Texas was Southern.

I think we can all agree, though, that Texas is unique, with a little bit of western, southern and southwestern all thrown into the mix.

[hamiltonpl]

It should be noted that Mayor Ron Kirk is black. And widely regarded as one of the best mayors Dallas has ever had.

[grindin]

One thing I wanted to know was how does the nightlife in Dallas compare to nightlife in Atlanta? I have a friend here in Atlanta who used to live in Midland, and he said they would go to Dallas for the weekend, and said the nightlife there was terrible compared to Houston.

Thanks to the music industry having a presence there, Atlanta is well-known for its nightlife, although admittedly, the scene isn't what it used to be. Much of what was the nightclub district in Buckhead was torn down for condos and shops, and the legendary 112 is gone too.

As for types of nightlife that I prefer, it's usually a chill lounge and yes, I do like going to hip-hop clubs too. I want to know if Dallas has any NICE hip-hop clubs, something similar to say, COMPOUND your Atlanta Nightlife Compound here in Atlanta. I don't like going to hole-in-the-wall hip hop clubs where anything goes, cause, well, I'm a big guy, and I don't run well when bullets are flying. LOL

Also, compared to Atlanta, is there a lot of de-facto segregation in Dallas? Do people mix and mingle with each other, or stick to their own? I live in one of the "whiter" suburbs (Kennesaw) in the area, but there are still a lot of black people in the area. I know that there is nothing comparable to say, Lithonia or Stone Mountain in terms of large black middle class neighborhoods in D/FW or even a Missouri City (although I hear Cedar Hill and Lancaster are close). I like living in cities where there is a large black professional class that is about some business, but I do like living in diverse neighborhoods too.

[countrybabe]

"HotAtlanta" is NOT called that for any climate reasons. The weather there is actually nice. They are referring to the city of Atlanta being "HOT".
It has changed so much in the past 20 years for the worse though and too many transplants have moved there THAT know NOTHING about what Atlanta was always famous for..."their southern hospitality" (which they have LOST). PERFECT EXAMPLE...We had a neighbor in a "BRAND NEW NEIGHBORHOOD" that moved there from CA that was an ex convict. He threatened my husband NUMEROUS times upon returning from the Iraqi War for NO reason. He was just an evil soul that had major social skill incapabilities not to mention an inter-ratial marriage and kids that are gay...they have a HARD time fitting in so he picks fights with whomever he feels threatened by or he feels is better than him. We got out of there due to the OVER abundance of people moving there and people like this for one!!! We are looking to move back to TX next year and can't wait!!!! It may have been considered "HOTATLANTA" at one time but NOT any more!!!!

[blueskies49]

That's a shame about Atlanta. Dallas, Houston and Atlanta are known as the three top Southern cities but they are fast losing that Southern charm with the huge numbers of transplants moving in.

[lategreattex]

There is NO "Southern Charm" or "Southern Hospitality" in existance any longer, because of Transplants. Those of us Southerners (especially Texans), that once felt that way, feel it no longer.

[TXTwizter]

Originally Posted by Avatar

Are these cities also similar in terms of shopping? I hear Dallas is a shopping mecca, but Atlanta seems to hold it's own with Lenox, Phipps, and now the Streets of Buckhead.

Dallas and Houston are equal.
Dallas has The Galleria and NorthPark (IMO the best mall anywhere).
Houston has The Galleria (its a city within a city).

Make sure you bring plenty of cash and plastic....you'll need it!

[saadrajabali]

Originally Posted by 2dc

which city is better for african americans?

Dallas is a way better city for African Americans. Dallas has an extremely rich African American city. Sure we might not have many Hip-Hop artists (I wish we did.) But remember, not only do you have Dallas, you have Fort Worth, and Arlington, which makes three huge cities next to each other. All these cities have a sizable African American community. I believe Dallas is around 25% black. Nowhere else in the United States have I seen as many African American white collar men and women than in Dallas/Fort Worth. Oh, by the way, I'm not black either, and I'm saying this, so now you can get an outsiders point of view.