Thinking of moving from Orange County CA to Dallas **please help** (Fort Worth: to rent, violent crime)

[blueskies49]

Originally Posted by new2sa

Okay, YOU can come here!

Originally Posted by new2sa

And, yes, YOU can come, too!

Originally Posted by nativeDallasite

WOOO, that's what we like to hear.

HA HA!! Y'all are cute! I agree, we like those kinds of transplants!

[Sunray2008]

I might suggest you dont limit yourself to the north Central Expressway corridor. There are a number of really nice suburban cities around Dallas that are less expensive, easier access to downtown, and have a good mix of apartments and homes. I am thinking east, south, and southwest of Dallas...even into Arlington. The areas south of I20 are booming, as is Grand Prairie, on up into all the mid-cities between Dallas and Ft.Worth. Even moving into the Denton area might be an option. I know there are a lot of RV dealers on I35 north as you get to Denton but other than that you would probably have to check out the Yellow Pages to find the kind of companies you are looking for.

[MaryS80]

There are tons of RV places in the metro.

[Texas Vet]

My wife and I have lived in the Dallas/Ft Worth metroplex area for over 40 years. We moved here when we were both 22 years old. We both have enjoyed the city very much.

The heat is something we have put up with - we live in an air conditioned house, drive an air conditioned car, shop in air conditioned stores and work in air conditioning when possible.

Bugs?? Not near as many here as there are in other parts of the US. Florida is one place that comes to mind for bugs.

Tornados?? We have not seen one in this area since we moved here back in 1966. Some years are rany and wet, others are dry. Some hot, some mild.

People are of all ethnic groups - just like CA

The cost of living is a lot less than what you are used to. We live in the Plano area so our property taxes are higher than some parts of the metro area. Most of the taxes is due to the better schools that Plano has.

By the way, I am an RV Technician. I have worked in a couple of shops in the area and have found it fairly easy to find work.

Lew

PS: With the drop in prices for real estate in the area, lower priced housing should be plentiful.

[blueskies49]

Originally Posted by Texas Vet

Tornados?? We have not seen one in this area since we moved here back in 1966.

Maybe not in your neighborhood but there are tornado sightings and touchdowns every year in the DFW area. I live in Arlington and in the past 7 or 8 years there have been either sightings or a touchdown at least 4 or 5 times in this city alone - and that's just that I KNOW of! I try to keep up with the storm activity when it occurs during the spring and sometimes through the fall. Some people may not realize how much is going on if they don't see all the warnings and watches on tv or on the radio and might think that only a thunderstorm and/or high winds is happening nearby.

[katrique]

Originally Posted by Texas Vet

My wife and I have lived in the Dallas/Ft Worth metroplex area for over 40 years. We moved here when we were both 22 years old. We both have enjoyed the city very much.

The heat is something we have put up with - we live in an air conditioned house, drive an air conditioned car, shop in air conditioned stores and work in air conditioning when possible.

Bugs?? Not near as many here as there are in other parts of the US. Florida is one place that comes to mind for bugs.

Tornados?? We have not seen one in this area since we moved here back in 1966. Some years are rany and wet, others are dry. Some hot, some mild.

People are of all ethnic groups - just like CA

The cost of living is a lot less than what you are used to. We live in the Plano area so our property taxes are higher than some parts of the metro area. Most of the taxes is due to the better schools that Plano has.

By the way, I am an RV Technician. I have worked in a couple of shops in the area and have found it fairly easy to find work.

Lew

PS: With the drop in prices for real estate in the area, lower priced housing should be plentiful.

How lucky this person is an RV tech. Very, very few tornado warnings or anything. I lived in Oklahoma for awhile..that place would make you psycho with Tornados. They happen but very rare..more than what you are used to, less than you expect.

[blueskies49]

I agree that tornados are far more numerous in OK but they are not all that rare here. This past spring there were at least two warnings in Arlington with one being near the Parks Mall putting the shoppers in danger. The local news covered it. In south Arlington near the Mansfield border the sirens were going off near where my daughter lives. And my stepkids and their mother were in a Walmart in Forney just east of Dallas and all the customers were made to seek shelter inside the store.

I know there are more watches than actual warnings here but sightings occur every year in the DFW area with some actual touchdowns in some years. The huge one in downtown Fort Worth happened in 2000 with several smaller ones in surrounding cities over the years.

I'm just saying most people's chances of actually being in a tornado in this area are rare and shouldn't be of needless concern. But on the other hand, don't go traipsing out into the storms thinking there will be no potential danger. Just make sure and watch the weather alerts carefully especially in the spring as they can pop up quite suddenly at times.

[ladysrodgers]

Originally Posted by blueskies49

Maybe not in your neighborhood but there are tornado sightings and touchdowns every year in the DFW area. I live in Arlington and in the past 7 or 8 years there have been either sightings or a touchdown at least 4 or 5 times in this city alone - and that's just that I KNOW of! I try to keep up with the storm activity when it occurs during the spring and sometimes through the fall. Some people may not realize how much is going on if they don't see all the warnings and watches on tv or on the radio and might think that only a thunderstorm and/or high winds is happening nearby.

The sirens went off in Plano last spring too. We had 94 mile an hour winds and it was pouring rain mixed with hail. The wind was so loud I didn't even hear the sirens!!!

I took a picture of a funnel forming from my balcony.

[ladysrodgers]

Originally Posted by ladysrodgers

The sirens went off in Plano last spring too. We had 94 mile an hour winds and it was pouring rain mixed with hail. The wind was so loud I didn't even hear the sirens!!!

I took a picture of a funnel forming from my balcony.

Here's a picture of it.

[CMDallas]

1) the awful hot summers - are they really really miserable?
-Yes, they can be. This summer was nice because the rain was constantly keeping the sun from making it a frying pan. literally, you pour water on the cement on a good august day and you should hear a good *sizzzzzzz* but they're livable, it is no where as bad as Phoenix or Houston(which is worse for the humidity). the Winters are mild, maybe about 40-60 degrees for highs, and 20-40 for lows, of course don't always expect things in that range. I think its barable
2) snakes and creepy crawlies - how prevalent are they?
-Not very, i mean You're probably in more danger in SoCal with the rattlers I hear awful tales about. You should be safe unless you out in the country (which is still safe in my opinion) as long as you don't life up a log or rock without thinking. Maybe the Outer Burbs have more stuff like this. We do see coyotes deep into the metro though, I mean I literally live smack-dab in the middle of the metro and see coyotes occasionally, they generally pose no threat though, coming from Alaska this shouldn't be too much trouble.
3) crime , although we would be living in Plano or Allen most likely
-Dallas is very.... Crime-y, The suburban areas tend to be pretty safe though. Fort Worth is supposed to be very safe, as well as Coppell and Plano.
4) tornadoes - ??? how often
-Not too Often, about the same threat of a rattlesnake in the country. Not to say you should blow the topic off. I've never seen one(tornado) and i've lived all my life in DFW, i almost did. They do happen... I hear the sirens go off usually maybe 1-3 times a year on average....I still have yet to actually see one.
5) are there a lot of RV dealers in the Dallas area?
-I have one ... so in other words, I see them...

All in all, I've heard a lot of really good things about Dallas and I am very excited about our possible relocation. I have noticed from some previous posts that a lot of people from CA are heading to Texas. I really love the thought of being able to buy a nice house for 150k....Our 600 sq ft condo here goes for over 300k its RIDICULOUS.
ANY INPUT/SUGGESTIONS/ OR ANYTHING WOULD BE MUCH APPRECIATED!!
Thank you for your time!!!
-really? here 300K puts in a fairly big 2 story house, probably more. To find a Home in Plano for 150k would be hard, Coppell and Plano are very popular areas.