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Old 12-28-2012, 06:52 PM
 
35 posts, read 113,561 times
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Hi, I'm considering moving to the Plano area. It seems like a great place... almost too good to be true but I get differing stats on cost of living depending on where I look online. Moderator cut: competitor sites not permitted on City-Data

I've been living up in the Des Moines/Kent area of Washington which is truly an awful place and I'm originally from Salt Lake City. Here's my basic stats and please give me the brutal truth of what I might run into if I do move to Plano.

28, single white male, no kids, $13,000 in savings, have car, non religious but easygoing with all faiths, would not have job upon arrival, would settle for a room rental as opposed to my own apt to start, only high school diploma but solid customer service/data entry background, not many bills and great credit/rental history, I don't want to commute too far but if there were more opportunities in Dallas or nearby areas then I'd reluctantly accept a commute.

I'm ready to move into my 30's and not looking for too much hip partying action and nightlife anymore, I don't mind snobby people so much (I'll take snobs over the very real threat of robbery or violence every time i'm outdoors here in Des Moines/Kent any day) but I would like to deal with mostly friendly people, I don't mind the heat and I abhor the cold so I can tough out the 100+ temperatures.
Any info on job market/cost of living and anything else is much appreciated. Thanks!

Last edited by BstYet2Be; 12-29-2012 at 03:21 AM..
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Old 12-28-2012, 10:20 PM
 
5,251 posts, read 6,340,994 times
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I can't speak to the job market exactly, but do know that there are customer service jobs in the area. Not sure how much they pay. You can buy a house in Plano for as little as $100k, probably won't be the greatest house ever, but also wouldn't be in an area where you have to worry about much other than petty crime, ie (no gang will threaten to kill you). Of course the average house for the area is $250k, and is relatively large.

The rest of cost of living - in my opinion and in my travels, consumer things in Plano cost about the same as everywhere else in the US, with the exceptions of NYC and San Francisco. An apartment will start around $600 a month plus utilities.

I live in Plano - it's a good city for families, though beyond that I can't think of anything particularly special about it. It's not scenic or artsy or nature-y or anything - just a generic suburb you see across the entire US, except maybe a bit more clean. It has a population of 260k, so not exactly small, and you will need a car to get around.

You can also check the Richardson, Allen, Garland, and North Dallas area, as they are all jammed together in the same basic area.
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Old 12-29-2012, 08:16 AM
 
Location: Willowbend/Houston
13,384 posts, read 25,608,391 times
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I live in Plano and I absolutely love it. I'm a 30 year old married man who spends most of my time traveling for work. Given that, my thoughts are:

-Plano is an ethnically diverse place (particularly the north and east sides). It is one of the centers of the Chinese, Indian, Persian, and Eastern European communities in DFW. This makes the food options extra tasty!
-Plano can either be the heart of the bible belt or one of the most religiously diverse places in this part of the country depending on where you are. I live on the north side of town and it's very much the later. Within a two mile radius of my house there are two mosques, two synagogues, two Protestant churches, one catholic church, one Jehovah's witness Kingdom Hall, and one Bahai worship center. The streets in my neighborhood are sponsored by the Islamic center of Collin County. However on the Southern (namely the Southwestern) side of Plano it's mostly Protestant Christian with some Jewish. This all said, I've never been asked about my religion by a stranger, however some people do get asked. If you're just polite, most won't press you about it.
-Apartments here can start about 600-650 and go up from there.
-Violent crime here is very rare, but there are the occasional petty thefts or car jacking. No more than any other suburb.

Based on your OP, I would suggest one of two areas in Plano: downtown and the Shops at Legacy. Downtown is very charming and full of mom and pop places to eat, a skate park, and art studios. The shops at Legacy is the center of nightlife and also is full of places to eat. It's the best area in Plano for singles, however you won't find as many singles there as you would in Dallas.

Another place you might be interested in is downtown McKinney. Very awesome place!

Hope that helps.
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Old 12-29-2012, 08:54 AM
 
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I seem to recall hearing that Irving has bushels of customer service call centers and new ones opening up soon. Lots of apartments too.
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Old 12-29-2012, 03:23 PM
 
323 posts, read 630,769 times
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Plano can be pricy as you'll be using your savings. I say start with Dallas or Irving and later you can decide according to your commute. It's a family oriented suburb and may not suit a yougan looking for job and nightlife.
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Old 12-29-2012, 09:54 PM
 
Location: Dallas
4,630 posts, read 10,430,746 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bypass13 View Post
Plano can be pricy as you'll be using your savings. I say start with Dallas or Irving and later you can decide according to your commute. It's a family oriented suburb and may not suit a yougan looking for job and nightlife.
I agree with Bypass. There is nothing in Plano for a single guy except a long commute to anything of interest. It's a BORING place. If you want everything sterilized and sanitized (except for the endless traffic war) till it is utterly devoid of culture, go there.

Otherwise, I'd say Dallas is pretty much no problem regarding crime. But honestly, if you are moving all the way across the USA for something better, why DFW at all? It lacks a lot. If you're raising a family - yeah, but hell, there are much nicer places. Even Austin is probably way better for a single guy. But if for whatever reason you do choose Dallas, being single, I suggest be more downtown or at least on one of the train lines. Endless driving here generally is the biggest (unless it hits 110) issue.
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Old 12-29-2012, 10:51 PM
 
Location: Dallas
2,413 posts, read 3,463,042 times
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Plano isn't the best place for a single 30 year old, unless your into cougars or married women. If thats what you want, your set!

Addison or Las Colinas are better suburbs. My recommendation is to look into uptown or any near town area of Dallas. You'll be closer to the best restaurants and activities catering to you. At your age, you'll probably be very dissatisfied with Plano.
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Old 12-29-2012, 11:39 PM
 
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Plano is great, but I think of it as more of a family-centric suburb, not so much a place for a young single guy, with the exception of the Shops at Legacy area. You'll most likely find it to be pretty boring. There are things to do, but my guess is that most of the places that will appeal to you won't be in Plano. The Shops at Legacy has nice apartments, bars, and more upscale shops. Definitely a great spot to hang out.

You might like Addison or Frisco better, even Denton. Addison is better suited for singles and has a nice blend of night life and shopping, plenty of apartments, and a decent commute to Dallas. My 29 year old brother lives there and is single, he seems to really like it. Check out Addison Circle. It's a very cool apartment community with shops and bars downstairs. Oh, Austin Ranch in The Colony is a good place to look at, too. Similar to Addison Circle, but bigger. They have some very fun parties, definitely a good place for a single guy.

Frisco is more suburban, but was recently listed on I think it was an MSN article as one of the best places to find a job. Denton was in that same article. There is some night life in the Main street Frisco Square area and near Stonebriar mall, but not as much. Frisco's more family-centered and conservative (socially, not talking politics here), but does have good sports venues and restaurants. Pretty much every restaurant or retail chain you can think of will be near 121 and Preston or Tollway and El Dorado.

Denton is a college town with a great night life downtown, probably a bit younger, but still draws plenty of people who are past college. The rest of Denton away from the universities is suburban and full of families, so it's a good mix. It's a great place for local music, art, and different vibe than almost anywhere in the Dallas area with quirky independent shops, natural food stores, etc. The downtown square has some great shops and hosts many events like the Arts & Jazz festival. They also have a big annual music festival called 35 Conferette that is sort of like a mini version of SXSW or ACL. The Denton mindset is more similar to Austin than Dallas. I love Denton, but it's not for everyone. Austin is a fantastic place for a young single guy, by the way, you should definitely consider it, too, if your location is open. If I were young and single, that's where I would be in a heart beat.

Dallas of course is a good area, but pricier. The uptown area is great for night life and trendy designer shopping. It's a great area for art, there's a wonderful farmer's market, big music and a pro sports venue that hosts the Mavericks and the Dallas Stars (when they resolve that whole NHL strike). The Cowboys and Rangers play in Arlington, which would be another fun area, they have the amusement parks, too- Six Flags and Hurricane Harbor.

What type of work do you do? That might be a big factor. Plano has some tech places like HP and Nextel, and is convenient to TI. Frisco has a lot of various businesses. T-Mobile is a big employer, there are some insurance companies, Siemens and Nexxen have office buildings there, and Oracle. Denton has more warehouse type work, Target is opening a distribution center there, WalMart has one there, I think. There are at least 2 beer distributors and Peterbuilt. GE has something big going in just a few miles from Denton in Roanoke, I'm not sure what it is, but saw a billboard near UNT that they are hiring a lot of people. Dallas of course will have a lot of the corporate type jobs, lots of law firms. Irving has a lot of call centers and some tech places. Medical is everywhere, of course. Austin has state government jobs, Dell, and lots of corporate jobs. Whole Foods is headquartered there. I think the best advice I can offer is look at the jobs you want, and go from there. Commuting anywhere in the Dallas area is no fun, I hear its the same in Austin, so you'll probably want to live in an area that's convenient to work. If you work in Dallas and live in Plano or Frisco, you're looking at 30-45 minutes of driving each way, plus traffic. Denton is even further, don't live in Denton if you work in Dallas. I know people who have done that, and personally, I wouldn't! At least an hour, probably more.
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Old 12-31-2012, 08:18 AM
 
Location: Dallas, TX
5,680 posts, read 11,492,618 times
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Remember folks, the OP does have a budget constraint - yeah, technically, Uptown, West Village, etc would be more suited to singles, but the 'burbs are much more amenable to his stated budget. Also, the OP did mention he's not so much into the "nightlife" scene as well.
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Old 12-31-2012, 10:41 AM
 
Location: North Texas
24,561 posts, read 40,103,928 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by UpstateBooster View Post
Remember folks, the OP does have a budget constraint - yeah, technically, Uptown, West Village, etc would be more suited to singles, but the 'burbs are much more amenable to his stated budget. Also, the OP did mention he's not so much into the "nightlife" scene as well.
Agreed. If he's a homebody who isn't interested in trendy bars/clubs, Plano might be a much better fit.

I'm also a homebody who isn't into nightlife, and my quiet little suburb of Richardson suits me just fine. It might not suit other female 30-something singletons, but one size doesn't fit all. I'm far enough away from Dallas for the COL to be more affordable and to be away from the noise and bustle of it, but close enough so that if I want to go out or enjoy Dallas's cultural opportunities, it's pretty much right at my doorstep...no more than a 15-20 minute drive. That's nothing.
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