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Seems like this is a common move and thought I'd try for some feedback. I known the common reason for the move is a job, but I'm thinking that's the opportunity, but what are the reasons?
Here's my story. I'm from So Cal wife is from Dayton, OH, and we absolutely love the city of Chicago. Love the city life, culture, restaurants, ball games, lakefront, etc. A world class city with great people. But life has taken a turn, were parents now, so all the amenities are much harder to utilize. Pushing us out to the burbs seems inevitable due to need for good schools, space and a yard.
When it comes to the burbs of Chicago, were really not impressed. The good areas are very expensive, and aside from the north shore and some areas out west, we find most areas here too flat and sparse. Knowing this, we said if we are no longer in Chicago, what's the point of being in Illinois? The burbs here seem to be expensive due to their proximity to a major hub that neither of us utilize for work, so we'd be paying a premium for an amenity we don't use, and the cold here is a bit much for an active family like us.
We then started to look for an area that would bring an overall great quality of life. Moderate client, no income tax, cheaper real estate, great schools, centrally located for our families to visit, and a strong economy as a foundation. Dallas seems to hit the nail on the head for us, and I'm currently pursuing a job there.
Anyone have other benefits to moving from Chicago to Dallas I may have missed? Or conversely, anything you miss about Chicago having moved away?
I don't know if I would call Dallas' climate moderate because during the summer it gets HOT. And like other areas real estate is most expensive where the schools are the best - in our case those areas would be the Highland Park school district, Carroll school district, Coppell school district, the Flower Mound area of the Lewisville school district, Lovejoy school district, Argyle school district (worry about school district boundaries and not city boundaries because they don't match).
Dallas is also mostly flat. This is prairie. There are some slight rolling hills in some areas and some naturally occuring trees in some areas - especially by creeks, ponds, lakes.
We are spread out so you want to get an idea of where the job will be - we have multiple employment centers so you can't assume your job will be downtown - and then look at places to live.
Also one more thing - people think Texas is so big, the houses must be on big lots and they reality is they are not. Lot sizes are small unless you pay premium money to get a bigger lot.
I am considering moving from Chicago to Dallas as well. I am originally from Dayton as well (born and raised, went to Wright State and lived there for the first 25 years of my life), but have lived here in Chicago for the past 12 years; I live in the city and do the Lakeview/Lincoln park/Wicker park lifestyle urban living thing (which is a lot of fun).
However, I have always told people, that if I became a parent, or had to live in a suburb for some reason, the ONLY place I would do it, is in the Dallas area. It is really a great city that offers the best of BOTH world (city and suburb).
When I first moved from Dayton to the Chicago area, I lived in Schaumburg (then Glendale Heights, then Naperville...) before finally moving to the city. I absolutely HATED suburban Chicago. The people there were just absolutely terrible people to live around, it seemed like they hated everyone and everything (including themselves) and they would project this misery at YOU. There were some interesting downtown areas in some of the burbs (downtown Naperville and downtown Hinsdale are both interesting), but beyond that, the weather was awful, the people were awful, and many of the towns have this really tacky architecture style, it just wasn't the place for me. And, even though I have not lived there for 9 years, I still sometimes have to go out there for one reason or another, and it STILL has that same miserable vibe.
Now, having said that, suburban Dallas (particularly Plano and Frisco) are really nice, with people who seem genuinely friendly to talk to and do business with, nice sunny weather (yes, it does get HOT, but if you like the heat, then it is great). Great restaurants EVERYWHERE.
And, if you want to do something downtown one evening, you can easily drive in (after rush hour is over) and park easily, etc. It's not like Chicago where getting downtown for something is a major hassle. it is much more accessible there.
However, as Far North mentioned, it is mostly FLAT in Dallas, with the exception of one suburb (Cedar Hill). Also, I think that west of Fort Worth, there are a lot of hills out that way as well.
But, as far as the other reasons you have mentioned, yes I think Dallas offers everything that you are looking for.
One thing my mother (who still lives in Dayton) mentioned to me this morning over the phone - the Dayton Daily News had an article recently, reporting that thousands of people have left Ohio to move to Texas (this include my brother, my wife and their 3 kids). I cannot find the article online, but if your life situation has changed, and you are going to be forced to live in a suburban environment, then I would recommend Dallas above all other cities.
Have you had a chance to visit there? If not, take a weekend off and check it out.
One other thing - I HAVE met people, here in Chicago, who moved to Dallas, and then moved back! But these were mostly younger people who missed the Wrigley Field type lifestyle, etc. who did not have children, and had the flexibility in life to choose which "playground" they wanted to live in. If you have kids now, I think that living in Dallas is the place to be overall.
My husband and I moved from Chicago. We were both in the telecom industry and the relo package was too good to pass up. We came house hunting in February after leaving the snow and the cold in Chicago w/temps in the single digits. The weather here was in the 50s. That was just a perk. We had been expats in several places so we didn't expect to stay here for more than 3-4 years, kids were infants so we didn't consider schools as much because of the latter reason and then would have gone with private schools anyway. 16 years later, we are still here and don't regret the move at all.
We looked at homes for a long time in different areas as we were prepared to drive a bit longer since we were used to driving an hour, most of it sitting in Chicago's traffic. We had an older home in Chicago that had olmost an acre and we didn't need that. FND is totally spot on, be prepared for a culture shock about the lot sizes on the homes here. Few areas have homes that are .40 or more. average is .22 I would say.
Make a trip and explore and see if it's right for you.
I am considering moving from Chicago to Dallas as well. I am originally from Dayton as well (born and raised, went to Wright State and lived there for the first 25 years of my life), but have lived here in Chicago for the past 12 years; I live in the city and do the Lakeview/Lincoln park/Wicker park lifestyle urban living thing (which is a lot of fun).
However, I have always told people, that if I became a parent, or had to live in a suburb for some reason, the ONLY place I would do it, is in the Dallas area. It is really a great city that offers the best of BOTH world (city and suburb).
When I first moved from Dayton to the Chicago area, I lived in Schaumburg (then Glendale Heights, then Naperville...) before finally moving to the city. I absolutely HATED suburban Chicago. The people there were just absolutely terrible people to live around, it seemed like they hated everyone and everything (including themselves) and they would project this misery at YOU. There were some interesting downtown areas in some of the burbs (downtown Naperville and downtown Hinsdale are both interesting), but beyond that, the weather was awful, the people were awful, and many of the towns have this really tacky architecture style, it just wasn't the place for me. And, even though I have not lived there for 9 years, I still sometimes have to go out there for one reason or another, and it STILL has that same miserable vibe.
Now, having said that, suburban Dallas (particularly Plano and Frisco) are really nice, with people who seem genuinely friendly to talk to and do business with, nice sunny weather (yes, it does get HOT, but if you like the heat, then it is great). Great restaurants EVERYWHERE.
And, if you want to do something downtown one evening, you can easily drive in (after rush hour is over) and park easily, etc. It's not like Chicago where getting downtown for something is a major hassle. it is much more accessible there.
However, as Far North mentioned, it is mostly FLAT in Dallas, with the exception of one suburb (Cedar Hill). Also, I think that west of Fort Worth, there are a lot of hills out that way as well.
But, as far as the other reasons you have mentioned, yes I think Dallas offers everything that you are looking for.
One thing my mother (who still lives in Dayton) mentioned to me this morning over the phone - the Dayton Daily News had an article recently, reporting that thousands of people have left Ohio to move to Texas (this include my brother, my wife and their 3 kids). I cannot find the article online, but if your life situation has changed, and you are going to be forced to live in a suburban environment, then I would recommend Dallas above all other cities.
Have you had a chance to visit there? If not, take a weekend off and check it out.
One other thing - I HAVE met people, here in Chicago, who moved to Dallas, and then moved back! But these were mostly younger people who missed the Wrigley Field type lifestyle, etc. who did not have children, and had the flexibility in life to choose which "playground" they wanted to live in. If you have kids now, I think that living in Dallas is the place to be overall.
wow, we are living sister lives!
You hit the nail on the head, Chicago the city is amazing, but the suburbs, not so much. I just can't stomach paying $1.5m for a house in Naperville, that could be had in Southlake, TX for half the price, similiar property taxes, but better weather, schools, no income tax, and an overall healthier state. not trying to get into politics, but the liberal policies of Illinois are digging a very deep hole, very fast. Hence the 40% increae in income tax, on top of all the other shenanigans of the last few years (parking meters).
not to mention, the job in Texas could easily pay double what I'm making now, so I'd actually have an increase in pay, coupled with a lower cost of living.
my wife's only concern is humidity and heat...I own a house in AZ and love the heat, but humidity is a different animal. But Chicago gets steamy in the summer too, is Dallas really that much worse than Chicago in the summertime?
and lastly, believe it or not, I don't know if i want a big lot. I do kind of miss the small lots of So Cal (crazy I know!), just seems like you can spend more time talking to neighbors than if our houses are 100 yards apart, no?
You hit the nail on the head, Chicago the city is amazing, but the suburbs, not so much. I just can't stomach paying $1.5m for a house in Naperville, that could be had in Southlake, TX for half the price, similiar property taxes, but better weather, schools, no income tax, and an overall healthier state. not trying to get into politics, but the liberal policies of Illinois are digging a very deep hole, very fast. Hence the 40% increae in income tax, on top of all the other shenanigans of the last few years (parking meters).
not to mention, the job in Texas could easily pay double what I'm making now, so I'd actually have an increase in pay, coupled with a lower cost of living.
my wife's only concern is humidity and heat...I own a house in AZ and love the heat, but humidity is a different animal. But Chicago gets steamy in the summer too, is Dallas really that much worse than Chicago in the summertime?
and lastly, believe it or not, I don't know if i want a big lot. I do kind of miss the small lots of So Cal (crazy I know!), just seems like you can spend more time talking to neighbors than if our houses are 100 yards apart, no?
oh yes! not even close. A heat wave in Chicago is the 90s for a week. We get the 90s in our spring and fall lol.
I guess the thing about the heat, is that it gets hotter, for longer, in Dallas, but there is generally less humidity than what you will get in Chicago.
So, the summer will last for a long long time, and will be 100 degrees for days on end, but it will feel more like 90, if you are from Chicago, because it is more of a dry heat.
Also, I have heard that the lot sizes in suburban Dallas tend to be small.
Let me preface my remarks by saying that I love Dallas and look forward to the day I can live there full-time. Until then, I split my time between Chicago's North Shore and Uptown Dallas. I spent the past July-September in Dallas and believe me when I say it is HOT, and not just for a couple of days at a time like the heatwaves we see in CHicago...It is humid (sorry, I don't buy the dry heat argument!)...There are no cooling lake breezes or beach to visit to cool down-although pools abound.. In fact, it goes days and nights without ever cooling down. I think "how much worse" is subjective but you do, however, get used to melting every time you step outside!! By September I was thinking that mid 90's were a cold front coming through.
I have also found that if you are looking at comparable locations (Kenilworth-Park Cities; Lincoln Park-Uptown) with similar demographics (high performing schools, park district amenities, etc) the prices are very, very competitive. While Texas may evoke images of wide open spaces, this is just not necessarily true in urban locales; in fact I think the lot sizes in the Park Cities may be even smaller than what you may see in similar Chicago neighborhoods. This may not hold true for suburban Dallas, and there are others on here that can speak to that as I am a "city" person. Where you job is located will really dictate where you will want to live as traffic is notorious and public transportation is not nearly as available or utilized as in Chicago.
Property taxes are no bargain in Texas. Turtle Creek had a great post on tax rates a couple of days ago. However, I do agree with you that the state of Illinois is teetering on the brink of bankruptcy and no amount of tax increase is going to change that fact. The recent raise is just another nail in the coffin.
As I sit here listening to the weather forecast for tomorrow and the 20 inches of snow and high wind forecast, I will take the Dallas heat on any given day- no contest! Good luck to you..
I got sick of working a wine cart at Ravenna...true story.
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