Possible Philly to Dallas Relocation Questions (Houston, Plano: apartments, for rent, insurance)

[elusedated]

Hi all,

I may be relocating from Philadelphia to Dallas in August. I'm excited about a job I applied and interviewed for and I think I have a good chance of getting it. I've lived in Philly for awhile, so bonus points to people who can offer good analogies to Philly neighborhoods.

Here is what I'm looking for. I'm a 25 year old single guy and, if I get the job, I will be making about 60k/year. I'm over the college bar scene, but still enjoy going out on the weekends to clubs. Affordable is good, but I would like to be a relatively short, cheap cab ride away from clubs and nightlife options, so Uptown sounds like a good option. At the same time, I am trying to balance my desire for a home office with paying for a better location. The job--if I get it--is in Addison. I'm not entirely clear on other good neighborhood options. In terms of Philly, I would not need to be in Rittenhouse Square, but I would like to be a quick cab ride away from it.

In short, I would be looking for a place near nightlife options and with single young professionals in their mid-to-late twenties. Something cheap enough to afford a home office at my salary would be nice, but I might forgo that luxury for a better location. A twenty minute or so commute doesn't seem horrible to me, especially since it seems like I will be going opposite the typical traffic flow.

Thanks for any suggestions you can offer, in terms of neighborhoods or apartments!

[ChristieP]

Actually, if your job is in Addison, you can live there, too. Addison has a lot of neat bars and restaurants, and is more of the professional scene and not college bars. $60k is a good salary, but on that, you will really only be able to pay $800 a month in rent if you want to keep within the "33% of your income on housing" rule of thumb. Do not attempt to buy a home yet. Home expenses are higher, including insurance, taxes and unexpected repairs such as replacing a roof due to hail damage. At this stage in your life, you would be better off saving up for a down payment.

Unfortunately, cabs in DFW a neither cheap nor plentiful, so living in Uptown will mean expensive cabs, or not being able to drink. It will also mean a lot of tolls on the Dallas North Tollway...and those add up quickly. Keep that it mind!

[TrueDat]

There certainly are a lot of bars and restaurants in Addison but, and this may not matter to you, the Addison bar scene has more of a suburban vibe, lots of big parking lots fronting streets like Belt Line and deep setbacks. Not sure what the comparison would be in Philly.

The main Dallas entertainment areas -- Uptown, Knox-Henderson, Deep Ellum, Bishop Arts District (Oak Cliff), Cedar Springs (Oak Lawn), and Lower Greenville -- have more of an urban feel which may be more like what you're used to. The streetscapes are more pedestrian friendly, at least as pedestrian friendly as the streets get in Dallas.

Also, you can still smoke in Addison bars and you can't in Dallas. Again, that may or may not be important to you.

[ggolf]

The dichotomy of Dallas is that the "cool" scenes for clubs and apartments for 20 somethings are close to downtown, where the rents are really high. Even a reverse commute to Addison would be pretty painful, especially in the evening.
Agree Addison has lots of bars, a comedy club, 5000 restaurants but it's a different vibe. If it were me I'd look to split the difference so you can handle the commute and still have weekend fun.
I came here from Philadelphia in the late 80s and there are some (key, some) similarities between the two cities.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by ggolf

Even a reverse commute to Addison would be pretty painful, especially in the evening.

completely untrue.

I can get from 121 & Tollroad (about 15 miles/minutes north of Addison) to East Dallas (Lakewood-ish) in 30-35 minutes in my reverse commute. Unless one MUST leave right at 5pm, traffic subsides considerably by 5:30-5:40 on the reverse drive.

Uptown to Addison via Tollroad is no more than 15-20 minutes, unless there's a horrific wreck and then it can certainly take an hour. But those days are rare (like, I had 3-4 commutes of that magnitude in the 6 years I drove from Uptown to north Plano/Frisco border).

It's only 1 toll plaza if the office is south of Hargrove or whatever the exit north of Keller Springs is. Most of Addison is south of this exit. That adds up to less than $2/day in tolls.

OP, I suggest you look at The Village apartments off Lovers & 75. Will keep your commute in the 20 minute range (Northwest Hwy west to Dallas North Tollroad, straight shot north to your Addison exit), have you living somewhere affordable (under $1,000/mo rent) with lots of young professionals, close to everything you need on a daily basis (several grocery stores including Central Market and Whole Foods if youre a foodie, lots of casual restaurants, Target, Wal-Mart, etc) and only 2-3 exits north of Uptown (5-10 min drive, or $8-10 cab) for more entertainment options. You may also like lower Greenville's scene, such is more casual/laid back than Uptown. It is about 2 miles south of the Village.

[GreyDay]

If you're used to Center City or Rittenhouse (Old City's not really represented here)- Uptown is your best bet for a walkable, usable neighborhood. The only place you'll ever see someone walking with groceries...

Addison gets old pretty quickly, as does Uptown, but I'd venture Uptown has more staying power as you near 30 than Addison. Good luck.

[elusedated]

Thanks for all the responses! You've all provided a lot of really useful information. I'm really hoping that I get the chance to put it to use-- Dallas seems like a great place to live.

[NOEL123]

elusedated,

How long have you waited for since the resume sent to until now? I am trying to get a job in Dallas or Houston and been waiting for a respond from these companies and still waiting......All the best to you.

[dallasboi]

Originally Posted by ChristieP

Actually, if your job is in Addison, you can live there, too. Addison has a lot of neat bars and restaurants, and is more of the professional scene and not college bars. $60k is a good salary, but on that, you will really only be able to pay $800 a month in rent if you want to keep within the "33% of your income on housing" rule of thumb. Do not attempt to buy a home yet. Home expenses are higher, including insurance, taxes and unexpected repairs such as replacing a roof due to hail damage. At this stage in your life, you would be better off saving up for a down payment.

Unfortunately, cabs in DFW a neither cheap nor plentiful, so living in Uptown will mean expensive cabs, or not being able to drink. It will also mean a lot of tolls on the Dallas North Tollway...and those add up quickly. Keep that it mind!

This is sooooooooo not true!!...I make 35 a year and Im living Comfortably with $1020 rent at West end Station apartments in Downtown. If I was making double (basically $60k) I could afford Double the rent.(at least $2000)...He's single with no kids!!!!

[ChristieP]

Most landlords require no more than 33% of your income going to rent. I don't know how your landlord lets you pay over 50%, but that's certainly the exception and not the rule.

Are you contributing to your 401k at all?
Do you pay for renter's insurance?
Do you have anything saved for an emergency fund?
Or to pay the deductible on your medical insurance?
Or for a down payment on a future house?

BTW, I also have no kids, and for just a couple hundred more than your rent, I'm paying a mortgage. And my salary is the same as the OPs.