Considering Move from CT to TX (Dallas, Fort Worth: apartment, rent, cheap home)

[lounseal]

We are considering a move from CT to TX and are curious if TX (Dallas area) is a good fit for our family.

Although we love living in New England we are eager to find an area where the pace is not so fast or high strung and there is less emphasis on "keeping up with your neighbors."

We are a Christian family in our late 30s with one young child. We live along the shoreline and enjoy our small town, with it's green (town square) that has plenty of shops & restaurants and that hosts small fairs and concerts. As a family we enjoy the several parks in town, the beaches, access to the theatre in the nearby city, dining at varied ethnic restaurants, and visits to art & historical musuems.

We are looking for a town in the Dallas area where we would be able to enjoy the same/similar amenities that compliment our lifestyle. We currently live on close to an acre and would like something smaller, but don't want something too small. We would like a town with a focus on family, an excellent school system and culture. Buying organic and non processed foods is important to us so we would need access to a store similar to Trader Joes.

We have seen some towns that we are interested in, but would love feedback from others who have lived in Texas or are currently living there now.

Thank you for your feedback!

[Sandstorm214]

Dallas is a very "keeping up with your neighbors" oriented area in general. If you're looking to escape that, this might not be a great match. With that said, I think there are several areas in the Metroplex that would meet your other criteria.

Fort Worth has very impressive cultural amenities and has for many years. The museums in Fort Worth are top notch and they also have a thriving performing arts community. Dallas has recently opened a brand new opera house, performing arts center, and a couple of new museums. In short, there is no shortage of opportunities to enjoy cultural amenities in the area.

Of course, the Metroplex is not on the coast, although we do have access to numerous large lakes. Based on your description, I think you might consider looking at either Southlake or McKinney. Both cities have squares with many good shops and restaurants and have easy access to the other amenities available in the area.

[ChristieP]

Since we have no Trader Joe's here, you'll want to be near a Whole Foods Market.

What's your buget for housing?
Will you have to commute somewhere for work?

[Rakin]

Our son lives in New England and trying to match that lifestyle may be somewhat difficult. I would recommend the Ridglea area of Ft Worth, McKinney in Collin County, maybe Denton and the Bedford / Grapevine areas or Weatherford / Aledo which is west of Ft Worth

The DFW are is actually about about 26 cities in about 4 counties and probably larger than your entire state. I would not be in Dallas or Dallas County proper.

Like so many others you should come down and rent an apartment or house and spend a year getting to know where you want to be and what you can afford.

Most people do like TX, the people here are warm & friendly but will be a different lifestyle. Keeping up with the Jones is only what you make of it. I've never had the need, we are a pretty laid back group and very diversified.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by lounseal

We are considering a move from CT to TX and are curious if TX (Dallas area) is a good fit for our family.

Although we love living in New England we are eager to find an area where the pace is not so fast or high strung and there is less emphasis on "keeping up with your neighbors."

We are a Christian family in our late 30s with one young child. We live along the shoreline and enjoy our small town, with it's green (town square) that has plenty of shops & restaurants and that hosts small fairs and concerts. As a family we enjoy the several parks in town, the beaches, access to the theatre in the nearby city, dining at varied ethnic restaurants, and visits to art & historical musuems.

We are looking for a town in the Dallas area where we would be able to enjoy the same/similar amenities that compliment our lifestyle. We currently live on close to an acre and would like something smaller, but don't want something too small. We would like a town with a focus on family, an excellent school system and culture. Buying organic and non processed foods is important to us so we would need access to a store similar to Trader Joes.

We have seen some towns that we are interested in, but would love feedback from others who have lived in Texas or are currently living there now.

Thank you for your feedback!

Richardson checks some of your boxes but you would be very hard-pressed to find a large property here; lots are smallish all over the city. The further out you go, often the smaller the lots are. My house is on a quarter acre lot in an old part of Richardson.

Basically you can get the good schools, good ethnic markets/restaurants, good food shopping (we have Sprouts and Whole Foods and the Plano Central Market is not far away), and Dallas's cultural offerings aren't far away. However it does not have the look or feel of a New England town; no suburb or area here does. So it may not be a good fit for you; you would have to come visit, have a look around, and see if you like it.

Depending on your budget you may be happier in Lakewood in Dallas (zips 75214 and 75206), but the public schools are hit or miss and despite what some people say, the local high school (Woodrow Wilson) has its problems. You might want to budget private school into your life if you buy there.

Good luck and I hope you find what you are looking for!

[getmeoutofhere]

I love reading how people want to move, but want everything the same way wherever they move to.

[TurtleCreek80]

Need more info:
-your budget
-where you expect to office- telling you that one suburb meets your needs is no good if your commute will be 90 minutes
-what length (in minutes) of commute is tolerable to you
-old house (1900-1970) or newer (1970-2000) or brand new/under 10 years old
-master-planned suburban community (gated entrance, community pool, club house, etc) or more organic neighborhood

[skids929]

I am a NEglander and I just got back from Texas (literally tonight) for the first time. We wanted the same change you might be looking for..I have to tell you I loved it, great area to raise a family. I would say the person who said that keeping up with the jones is very much alive an well is correct. But there are LOTS of other reasons to get serious about moving to the Dallas area if you can overlook that aspect.

It is very family oriented, people are just downright genuine and friendly and it has sooooooooo much to offer families! Did I mention that? : )

Good luck, PM me with any questions.

[MurphyPl1]

My best friend moved from CT. She lamented the smaller lot sizes, although she is on a 1/4 acre now. She misses home but not so much she'd move back. (yay for me!)

We're in Murphy where the town slogan is "Life lived at your pace." And it's incredibly accurate. We've got folks who love heading into Dallas or to Addison for the nightlife every weekend. We've got folks who love to stay curled up at home and just last night we had a neighborhood event at the park where everyone enjoyed chitchat and a double inflatable slip and slide.

Sure there's a bit of "keeping up with the Jones'" but at the same time, there's a much stronger attitude of "what are you interested in?" and actually getting to know folks.

[KittySkyfish]

There is nothing comparable here to where you're at. If you treasure your local amenities, summer activities and culture, I can guarantee you'll be in for a complete change here in North Texas. People come here for a job and to get away from the snow. It's just they can't comprehend how isolated the Dallas area feels when you spent years living a reasonable drive from Boston, New York City, Philadelphia and D.C. We can't do autumn festivals the way N.E. can do them and autumn here is...weak. Our trees have most of their leaves at Halloween and I'm usually raking up a bunch of leaves at Thanksgiving.

You will live shut up in an air conditioned house for much of the summer - nights are hot and muggy and days are just HOT. You know cabin fever in the winter in N.E.? You'll get cabin fever here in the summer. Your worst summer days define our summers, with almost no exception. So yes we have parks (though a lot of them are flat SOCCER parks) you can enjoy playing in 90+ degree weather at 8:00 p.m. Camping is a sweaty mess. Summers aren't lush and green unless we receive unusual amounts of rain. Native scenery is often burned out and on the crunchy side at summer's peak.

But we do have good jobs, cheap homes, many friendly neighbors, and lots of shopping. I forgot to add that we also have the "Jonses" mentality here, so you may not escape "that" completely.