From Maryland to Dallas? (Houston, Garland: buying a home, find job, transfer)

[MrsAmErika]

Hello All,

Looking for some opinions. My husband and I 30 and 27 are strongly considering relocating our family (3 children) from Maryland to Texas. Mainly due to wanting a change of scenery and cost of living. Together we make over 110k a year but we still dont live comfortably here. The housing market is ridiculous so we have put off buying a home to figure out where we really want to live. I originally wanted to move to Atlanta I figured being and African American family it wouldnt be such a drastic change. But then a few years ago a friend of mine who lived in KC moved her family to Dallas and she has fallen in love with the city. She thinks I might like it. And honestly when I think of Texas I dont think of a large African American community which isnt necesarily a bad thing. I would just like a melting pot where my kids wouldnt stand out like a sore thumb. So I guess my question is would Texas be a big culture shock after living a place like Maryland? Would we be able to live comfortably as a family of 5 on our salaries in Taxas?

PS. I have a visit planned for September.

[RockyJoe817]

The rule of thumb is to live within twenty miles from your place of employment.
The commutes within the metro can be brutal due to construction, traffic, and weather.

[EDS_]

OP I don't know if Dallas proper is on your radar or not, however, Dallas is both very diverse and less segregated than most big cities LA and New York for examples.

My guess is your family would like it here. For some context traffice here is worse than Baltimore but not nearly as bad as DC.

[Ablebodied]

The Dallas area has types of communities to fit most anyone. Like stated, your job locations would help narrow down your choices as far as deciding where you live.

[MrsAmErika]

Thanks I am hearing a lot about the dreaded traffic but being from DMV traffic doesnt scare me much lol I commute about a hour into downtown m-f for work. Thats good to know its more of a melting pot then separation.

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

Even in the far-flung areas, not really suburbs more of an ex-uburb, my grandkids, who are Asian-American, have AA, Mexican, other Hispanic, Asian of all kinds of kids in their classes.

[MrsAmErika]

Thanks SouthernBelle thats good to know!

[Johnhw2]

Originally Posted by MrsAmErika

Thanks SouthernBelle thats good to know!

It will be a culture shock but mostly likely in a good way. Cities in Tx are more like big towns, people are friendly and pretty laid back and like helping their neighbors. You get 4 seasons but winter ends in March. Summer is brutal so its the bad weather months but the other 9 months can have great weather and winters are not that cold other than when a strong cold front pushes this far south. I play golf most of winter to give you a gage. Traffic is well traffic but not as bad as where you are coming from. DFW is huge so be sure to live close to work though or the commute can exceed an hour each way. Houston and Dallas are two of the more integrated and diverse cities in the US. So you will see all kinds of backgrounds in your neighborhood or out and about the area you shop or eat out as well.

If you decide to come on down...welcome to Texas!

[carroll4628]

Dallas is nice because it really is more of a melting pot, typically, compared to Atlanta. Sure, there are enclaves of Asians in plano, Hispanics in Garland, Indians in Grand Prairie (??), but no matter what area you find yourself in, there will be diversity simply because folks want a decent commute and decent schools. Atlanta seemed very segregated to me in the sense that the northern burbs are "nearly" all white middle/upper class and the eastern burbs (I believe) were the "all" black middle/upper class. Here it's just ecomonics. As long as you can afford to live in an area, no one cares. Maryland is expensive and between the housing prices and income taxes you'll love the COL adjustment in Dallas. I moved from HoCo last fall so PM me if you have any more questions.

[MrsAmErika]

You guys are awesome thanks for all the incite its very helpful.

Carroll we are practically neighbors I take it you are enjoying the change?

John, if I can find a job I am out of here. I want to stay in the federal government for the benefits and job security. My husbands job can transfer but since he is an electrician and even being in the union they can sometimes have layoffs its better that we not relocate without me having a job.