Dallas vs Atlanta - Quality of life (Garland, Spring: home, luxury)

[Lakewooder]

"Hardly any trees in Dallas" ?

[momof2dfw]

Hey Lakewooder, when I saw this one new topic come up yesterday under the General U.S. I just KNEW someone was going to say Dallas. It asks for the "flatest city" in the country. LOL!!! So far the ONLY city in all of Texas I believe is one out in West Texas. LOL!!! What is so dadgum funny is the people saying things like Chicago and all are the ones that complain the loudest that Dallas or Texas are "flat". LOL!!!!

http://www.city-data.com/forum/gener...st-cities.html

[UNT_Eagle]

Man, seeing that picture makes me want to move back to the Dallas area.
Thanks Lakewooder!

[south-to-west]

The girlfriend and I almost made the decision to move to Dallas from Atlanta last summer, but choseto stay here in Atlanta for career and personal reasons. However, we visit Dallas frequently as one of my best friends from high school lives there. After visiting Dallas and becoming familiar with it, I would say that it's very similar to Atlanta in a lot of ways and the differences are mainly superficial.

Cost of Living: Both places are notorious for having a low cost of living. Lately, prices in Atlanta have skyrocketed, but in Dallas you can get more house and more quality for cheaper. However, taxes and utilities are cheaper in Atlanta. Tie

Public Transportation: Atlanta boasts a heavy rail system that can take you from the Airport to the northern suburb of Sandy Springs via Dowtown, Midtown, and Buckhead. You can also get to several communities east and west of the city. However, that state and the balkanized local governments can't get their acts together to expand and improve the system. Dallas' DART is currently more modest than MARTA, but this is changing soon as many local governments in the Metroplex have embraced DART and it's now expanding. Edge to Atlanta now, but Dallas will have the edge in 10-15 years

Traffic: Atlanta's street patterns are chaotic and make no sense or logic. Often times, there's only one or two options from going from one area to another, causing some of the nation's worst traffic. Dallas on the other hand has a very extensive road network and its surface streets are on a grid. It's also easier to commute longer distances in Dallas than in Atlanta. Edge Dallas

Diversity: Both cities are booming Sunbelt cities attracting people from all over the world. Atlanta has a lot of pockets of different ethnic communities thoughout the Metro Area. I assume that Dallas has much of the same configuration. Tie

Crime: Both cities have bad crime. Comparing the two is like comparing the difference between being shot and stabbed. They both hurt. A very painful tie

Neighborhoods: Atlanta's intown neighborhoods have been experiencing a renaissance over the past 10-15 years with a lot of old houses being renovated and a lot of new homes constructed. Also, each neighborhood in Atlanta has a very distince vibe, not to mention the architecture. I know that the city of Dallas has a lot of tree cover, but Atlanta's is truly amazinng--especially with the hills. Dallas is experiencing the same, but it feels that Atlanta is a little further along. However I did like Lower Greenville and Uptown. I also need to check out Deep Ellum. (BTW, the Texas live oak is a magnificent tree!) Edge Atlanta

Economy: Both metro areas have booming diverse economies and both cities are growing fast. Tie

Weather: Dallas is slightly hotter than Atlanta in the summer and Atlanta is slightly cooler than Dallas in the winter. Tie

Outdoor Recreation: Atlanta is situated near the base of the Appalachains and is located within an hour and a half of world class whitewater rafting, hiking, spellunking, rock-climbing and biking. It's not as good as the Rockies, but it's in Atlanta's backyard nonetheless. This is the only area where Dallas really lags due to its location. It's also the reason why Colorado is considered Texas's largest state park. Edge Atlanta

People: I have a huge network of friends here in Atlanta and after meeting some of my buddy's friends in Dallas and seeing how cool they were, I have no doubt that I could enjoy the same there. Tie

Shopping: We have Lenox/Phipps, Dallas has the Galleria. Contrary to what a previous poster said, the area around Lenox/Phipps is really safe and is very upscale. Atlanta also has Perimeter Mall, North Point Mall, the Vinings area, and Atlantic Station. Dallas has many other options as well. Tie

The comparisons can go on and on, but in reality, the two cities are so similar that I wouldn't have a problem if I had to relocate to Dallas. It all comes down to specifics and where you're more comfortable personally.

[UNT_Eagle]

Originally Posted by south-to-west

The girlfriend and I almost made the decision to move to Dallas from Atlanta last summer, but choseto stay here in Atlanta for career and personal reasons. However, we visit Dallas frequently as one of my best friends from high school lives there. After visiting Dallas and becoming familiar with it, I would say that it's very similar to Atlanta in a lot of ways and the differences are mainly superficial.

Cost of Living: Both places are notorious for having a low cost of living. Lately, prices in Atlanta have skyrocketed, but in Dallas you can get more house and more quality for cheaper. However, taxes and utilities are cheaper in Atlanta. Tie

Public Transportation: Atlanta boasts a heavy rail system that can take you from the Airport to the northern suburb of Sandy Springs via Dowtown, Midtown, and Buckhead. You can also get to several communities east and west of the city. However, that state and the balkanized local governments can't get their acts together to expand and improve the system. Dallas' DART is currently more modest than MARTA, but this is changing soon as many local governments in the Metroplex have embraced DART and it's now expanding. Edge to Atlanta now, but Dallas will have the edge in 10-15 years

Traffic: Atlanta's street patterns are chaotic and make no sense or logic. Often times, there's only one or two options from going from one area to another, causing some of the nation's worst traffic. Dallas on the other hand has a very extensive road network and its surface streets are on a grid. It's also easier to commute longer distances in Dallas than in Atlanta. Edge Dallas

Diversity: Both cities are booming Sunbelt cities attracting people from all over the world. Atlanta has a lot of pockets of different ethnic communities thoughout the Metro Area. I assume that Dallas has much of the same configuration. Tie

Crime: Both cities have bad crime. Comparing the two is like comparing the difference between being shot and stabbed. They both hurt. A very painful tie

Neighborhoods: Atlanta's intown neighborhoods have been experiencing a renaissance over the past 10-15 years with a lot of old houses being renovated and a lot of new homes constructed. Also, each neighborhood in Atlanta has a very distince vibe, not to mention the architecture. Also, the city of Dallas has a lot of tree cover, but Atlanta's is truly amazinng--especially with the hills. Dallas is experiencing the same, but it feels that Atlanta is a little further along. However I did like Lower Greenville and Uptown. I also need to check out Deep Ellum. (BTW, the Texas live oak is a magnificent tree!) Edge Atlanta

Economy: Both metro areas have booming diverse economies and both cities are growing fast. Tie

Weather: Dallas is slightly hotter than Atlanta in the summer and Atlanta is slightly cooler than Dallas in the winter. Tie

Outdoor Recreation: Atlanta is situated near the base of the Appalachains and is located within an hour and a half of world class whitewater rafting, hiking, spellunking, rock-climbing and biking. It's not as good as the Rockies, but it's in the Atlanta's backyard nonetheless. This is the only area where Dallas really lags due to its location. It's also the reason why Colorado is considered Texas's largest state park. Edge Atlanta

People: I have a huge network of friends here in Atlanta and after meeting some of my buddies friends in Dallas and seeing how cool they were, I have no doubt that I could enjoy the same in there. Tie

Shopping: We have Lenox/Phipps, Dallas has the Galleria. Contrary to what a previous poster said, the area around Lenox/Phipps is really safe and is very upscale. Atlanta also has Perimeter Mall, North Point Mall, the Vinings area, and Atlantic Station. Dallas has many other options as well. Tie

The comparisons can go on and on, but in reality, the two cities are so similar that I wouldn't have a problem if I had to relocate to Dallas. It all comes down to specifics and where you're more comfortable personally.

Good post!

[south-to-west]

Originally Posted by USA_Mom

Wow the cons are not in my experience just Atlanta-related. We lived in Columbus and all those cons were there, except for this past summer due to the way Columbus is in a valley there was nothing but smoke with LITTLE VISIBLITY some days so bad that I took the kids to visit my inlaws for a few months because they couldn't play outside, nor could the dog.

I think the biggest difference between the two was the people. It seems VERY apathetic in the areas of Georgia we lived and visited, apathetic to outright HOSTILE towards customers. I know my husband said people were surprised when he first started going to lunch with coworkers they received a 20% tip because they were not used to that. We soon knew why. We also stopped eating out due to lack of cleanliness in restaurants. I mean I've seen rest stop bathrooms more sanitary at times.

Ah, yall must have been hit really hard from the forest fires in the Okefenokee Swamp.

God bless you for living in Columbus. I don't know how you did it. It sits in a pretty area and it's riverfront has potential, but that town just blows. It's also a very hard place to move if you're an "outsider" because the community there is very insular.

[UNT_Eagle]

Originally Posted by south-to-west

Ah, yall must have been hit really hard from the forest fires in the Okefenokee Swamp.

God bless you for living in Columbus. I don't know how you did it. It sits in a pretty area and it's riverfront has potential, but that town just blows. It's also a very hard place to move if you're an "outsider" because the community there is very insular.

I lived there a little over a year. I'm originally from Dallas and I agree with your post.. Glad to be outta there!

[south-to-west]

Originally Posted by UNT_Eagle

I lived there a little over a year. I'm originally from Dallas and I agree with your post.. Glad to be outta there!

I bet! The only place worse is Phenix City across the river. I think Patton called it the "wickedest city on earth" and wanted to roll his tanks from Ft Benning into Phenix City.

[UNT_Eagle]

Originally Posted by south-to-west

I bet! The only place worse is Phenix City across the river. I think Patton called it the "wickedest city on earth" and wanted to roll his tanks from Ft Benning into Phenix City.

Sorry, I thought you meant Columbus, Ohio.. doh!!

[starsweet]

Whoever said the humidity in Atlanta is better than Dallas is wrong. When I was young I lived in Ft. Worth but grew up in Georgia since I was 9 and went to college in Atlanta. Atlanta is MUCH more humid than DFW, no comparison. Dallas probably gets higher temps as Atlanta during the summers tends to stay in the 90s, but would you rather have high temperatures or high humidity??

Traffic in Atlanta is INSANE as well.