Anyone from Southern California living in Plano / Frisco? (Dallas, Pasadena: fit in, transplants)

[ilpunto]

I've lived my entire life in Southern California (Orange County) but I'm planning to move to Plano / Frisco later this year.

For those who are originally from Southern Cali. (specifically Orange County) and live in Plano or Frisco, what are the advantages and disadvantages of Plano / Frisco when compared to the Orange County area?

How has your life changed for better or worse?

[Archer0905]

I'm the opposite of you, I've lived in Plano/Frisco (DFW) my entire life but used to travel to SoCal for work all of the time. I think you'll fit in fine here, the biggest adjustment is the weather. The weather changes every couple of days here, but i'm sure you've already heard that.

Also, in dallas we have what we call Southern Hospitality that I didn't notice much in California. You'll notice strangers saying hello to you and smiling if you make eye contact with them and younger residents saying yes sir & yes maam a lot.

The one thing I've heard from friends who moved down is they can't buy liquor in grocery stores, you have to go to a liquor mart (that closes by 9 each day and is closed on Sunday)...I didn't know they sold liquor in grocery stores in other states.

You moving here for work or school?

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by Archer0905

Also, in dallas we have what we call Southern Hospitality that I didn't notice much in California. You'll notice strangers saying hello to you and smiling if you make eye contact with them and younger residents saying yes sir & yes maam a lot.

I never see that in Plano or Frisco. Richardson, yes.

[txgolfer130]

Funny, never noticed that in Richardson or downtown Dallas. Notice it all the time when in Plano or Frisco.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by txgolfer130

Funny, never noticed that in Richardson or downtown Dallas. Notice it all the time when in Plano or Frisco.

For me it's the opposite; whenever I go to Plano or Frisco, I find most people to be pushy and rude. They are in many parts of Dallas too.

If the OP is looking for OC with cheaper housing and a nearly featureless landscape, Frisco is definitely where they should look.

[TheOverdog]

My wife spent 30+ years in Huntington Beach, and has now lived in Texas for 6 years. She mostly hates it in Texas, but is 1000% less in debt. She doesn't care about that though. She still hates it. The things she likes is that she got a higher salary moving here (medical assisting) and she likes me. The things she hates are the weather (too hot, too cold, anything above 74 and the air conditioner turns on; anything below 72 and the heater turns on), the lack of beach (even though she is part Mexican and is whiter than me so I know she never spent much time there), that the rest of her family is still out there, El Pollo Loco (which I personally find mostly terrible- but hey, it's what she's used to), that she could go snowboarding (even though she can barely do the bunnyslopes) and be home the same day, and that it was a snobby place to live.

I like Huntington Beach ok, but honestly, my impression of it is that it is flat topography, chain stores and subdivsions just like Plano. If there was no beach there, it could be anywhere else across the western US, the same as Plano. I work in an office, so I don't care enough about the weather for it to make any difference. If I had the money to live there, I'd pick it over Texas maybe, but then I'd probably chose the east coast over the west because I like variable weather, legitimate public transportation, and older architecture.

When her family visits, her parents love it (old OC Republicans) and her hippy-ish sister feels like she's slumming it and says silly things like "I can't believe you have a Whole Foods here" and "Of course day care costs $50 less a month, it's Texas" and they are all amazed by the huge number of huge churches.

in short: no beach, no mountains, hot weather.

[Bypass13]

It's a compromise, a swap between quality of life and standard of life.

[Cowboys fan in Houston]

My wife and I moved here from California four years ago. My wife grew up in Bellflower, I grew up in Torrance, we moved from Redondo Beach but I was working in Garden Grove before we left.

To me, the biggest adjustments are:

1) Its hot (which I dont mind, but lots of Californians do)
2) Its flat
3) There is not very much to do in the way of outdoor activities

If you can get past that, there is no adjustment. The populace is extremely diverse here and no matter your point of view or culture, you can find people to fit in with just fine. I found the people here to be very nice to us.

Outside the three things mentioned, the Plano/Frisco area is simply just an newer version of your average Orange County city. They are suburban, diversifying, and contain a lot of transplants. On a per capita basis, Collin County recieves more Californians than any other place in the South.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by TheOverdog

When her family visits, her parents love it (old OC Republicans) and her hippy-ish sister feels like she's slumming it and says silly things like "I can't believe you have a Whole Foods here"....

I don't know why she would be surprised; Whole Foods started in Texas.

[TX75007]

I lived in Claremont near Pasadena and in San Fran.

Yeah, the weather changes a lot. It get humid. It gets hot. It is colder in the winter. And its windy. But that is life on the Great Plains.

Yes, the beach is 4 hours away and the mountains are 10 hours away. But, honestly, once you are in your 30s with kids, that no longer matters.

On the other hand, the taxes and cost of living are low and there is a lot more opportunity. If you are in business, there are much fewer regulations and your chances of being sued are much less. Race relations are very good here. And crime is low - and if someone does break into your house or assaults you, you can fight back. And the schools are mostly good unlike CA where they are mostly bad. The police work for you in TX. Unlike CA where it an us vs them mentality. Churches are common in TX which means there is a high social capital. In TX you can stop and correct a kid of any race for his bad behavior which you do not dare do in parts of CA. And TX is diverse in terms of ideas, economics, and outlook - unlike CA which is dominated by a very narrow layer of elites. TX governments are running budget surpluses now vs CA which has many cities on the verge of bankruptcy and the state insolvent.

Other than a handful of zip codes, CA is in steep decline. TX, with the exception of some rural zip codes, is in steep ascendancy with bright prospects for ALL Texans.