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I've posted a few threads with questions on this site about moving from So Cal to the Dallas area sometimes next year. I have also read numerous threads about relocating and what it is like to live in the Dallas burbs particularly Plano, Allen, Frisco, etc.
I know there are tons of people who are also looking to relocate to this area so I wanted to post some observations that I have made after making my first visit to the area with my wife this past week to check the area out. I also have some follow up questions for some of the locals as well.
Please note that I only spent 4 days in the area and mostly confined to the northern burbs so my observations might be skewed and not meant to reflect on the whole DFW area. And also I live in So Cal so I can only compare things from the point of view of someone coming from So Cal.
First Impression
1. The traffic situation in saw during my trip was nothing like what I have read on this site. I was under the impression that traffic was pretty bad in the Dallas area given the growth the area has had. Well coming from someone who lived in So Cal his whole life, most of my commute felt like a sunday afternoon drive as there was hardly any traffic. I picked up my rental car on Tuesday at DFW at around 1pm and was able to get to Plano area near Preston and Old Shepard road in no time. There was hardly any traffic at all and at times I felt like there was only a few other cars on the road with me. I realize that this was only around 1:30 pm on a week day but coming from So Cal, the only time I see the freeway this empty is around 3am in the morning. After checking in the hotel, we drove up the DNT to Frisco for some lunch then back to the hotel. Around 4pm we decided to check out some area further East so hopped on the Bush Turnpike to Richardson then Murphy then out to Rawlet. Again hardly any traffic at all and this was what should have been rush hour traffic time. Then around 6pm we left Rawlet to head to Allen via Bush Turnpike to the 75 North. This was the first instance that I saw any semblance of rush hour traffic and it was only the interchange of Bush to 75 North. A few miles north of this interchange, traffic was moving a pretty good pace of 50 mph plus. This was pretty much my experience all week concerning the traffic as I spent most of the time on the DNT and Bush. I did see the DNT southbound clog up a bit on Thursday coming back from Frisco to Plano around 5pm but overall, traffic wasn't even an issue. I guess most of the bad stuff I read about concerning the traffic has to do with further closer to downtown Dallas. My observation is that Dallas might have traffic issue but the window of traffic is very small as compared to So Cal where we traffic start to clog up from 2:30 pm to 7:30 pm on week days.
Question for the locals in the area....does anyone know what the typical weekly charge of using these toll road were? We were in the rental and I purchased the unlimited toll roll option so I had no idea what sort of charges I ran up as were on both the Bush and DNT a lot.
2. Even though Dallas doesn't have the mountains or beachs of So Cal, it totally blow away So Cal by how clean it is. Wow my wife and I couldn't believe how clean this metroplex is. Driving from DFW and all through the Bush and DNT, we didn't see any trash on the side of the freeway. We didn't even see any graffiti at all or walls that had been painted over to cover up graffiti. I know this sounds odd to someone who might have grown up in the area but coming from someone who have driven all over CA and alot of other major metroplex, this is not the case with the Dallas area. When I got home and driving from LAX to my house in Orange County, I made it purpose to look at the side of the freeways and walls and sure enough, trash littered side of the freeways and a lot of ugly spray painting. Keep in mind that a portion of my drive home is through some nice part of Orange County and it was still plague with this problem.
3. I'm Asian and my wife is Hispanic. My wife made a comment that she didn't think anyone even gave us a double take when seeing us out together. I don't tend to notice this sort of stuff but my wife is more sensitive when someone is giving us double take as a mix ethnic couple. Living in CA where things tend to be more liberal, I guess occasionally people still gives us double take look. Even though we were only in the area for a few days, it was good to confirm that us being a mix ethnic couple is no big deal to the people living in the area.
4. Most of the burbs look a whole lot alike. Visually there wasn't much difference between Frisco, Allen, Murphy and Plano. Everything from the houses, streets and such were very similar. The back alley and lack of front garages was a bit odd from someone who is used to front garages. I guess this is the norm in Dallas burbs to have back alleys. The street in the neighborhood were a lot more narrow then what we are used to in CA. It seems these streets are about 3 car lengths where it would be an issue for two cars to pass each other if there are other cars parked on the street. This is definitely something I would have to adjust to as well as the narrow alleys to get into your drive ways. I did see a couple of neighborhoods in Murphy and one in Plano that did have the front entry garages but it appears that this is not the norm for the area.
5. Didn't see any idiot drivers This could be the fact that I was mostly in the "better" part of town in the whole Dallas area but I didn't see any drivers doing anything that would make me shake my head as what I see here in CA. I don't think I can go 2 days in CA without seeing anyone trying to make a yellow light but end up crossing the intersection when it's totally red or someone cutting in front of another car. For the most part on this trip, people were very courteous when letting you change lanes and so on. Didn't see anyone trying to beat a late yellow light. Heck the only person on the whole trip that did this was me on Thursday night when I was lost in Dallas looking for a restaurant.
6. Sad to see the state of the local lakes My wife and I are water people and was hoping to enjoy the lakes in place of the beach life we're giving up in CA. When we drive to Rockwall, it was sad to see the state of lake out there as it was very low. I couldn't understand why there was trees sticking out of the lake as you think it would have been removed when the lake was created. Didn't see Lake Lewisville but have heard this was a party lake and not much of a place to take two young children. This definitely a big time bummer as we were told the nearest lake to enjoy the way we are used to is Lake Texoma which is bit of a drive away.
Conclusion
Overall the trip was very productive and I had a great time. We have an agent who showed us around and a blast to work with. I saw first hand why a lot of families are flocking to the area to raise their kids. Coming from CA, my wife and I understand that we're leaving a lot of things behind and going to miss such things that Dallas won't and will never provide such as the beach and weather. But after this trip, we understand that there are things that Dallas can give us that So Cal won't be able to as well and are both excited about this coming new chapter in our lives.
Question for the locals in the area....does anyone know what the typical weekly charge of using these toll road were?I use the toll roads daily, and I usually spend $15-$30 per week
Even though Dallas doesn't have the mountains or beachs of So Cal, it totally blow away So Cal by how clean it is.Yes, its quite a clean and "sanitized" area
I'm Asian and my wife is Hispanic. My wife made a comment that she didn't think anyone even gave us a double take when seeing us out together. The Metroplex is very ethnically diverse, so there's not much issue there.
Most of the burbs look a whole lot alike. Yes, they absolutely look alike unless you choose to move into areas around the metroplex that actually have a bit more character than what you saw
Didn't see any idiot driversYeah, depending on where you are moving from, you'll notice that difference, however, the idiot drivers are here
Sad to see the state of the local lakesYes, there's drought issues here also. if your into outdoor things like lake activities, its kind of limited but offers just enough to say you went to a lake. Cedar Hill area is nice for a shot of scenery. FYI-if you haven't heard already, everyone's going to tell you about White Rock Lake in Dallas.
I saw first hand why a lot of families are flocking to the area to raise their kids. Coming from CA, my wife and I understand that we're leaving a lot of things behind and going to miss such things that Dallas won't and will never provide such as the beach and weather.
And that's the big trade off among a few other things. Most move here out of necessity: Career moves, to buy a reasonably priced home, & to raise the kids in a relatively safe area with decent schools. Its a good place to live. Take your time exploring the area and what it offers. Personally, I love exploring nearly anything and everything a place has to offer, and I explored so much of DFW within 1-2 years that I ended up seeing too much too soon. I travel the State regularly for work, so I've seen A LOT of Texas. Now, I just hop a flight to my desired destinations. Make good friends and enjoy their company. Also, eating out is a big event here. You want a nice beach? Destin, FL or South Padre Island.
The trees sticking out of the water serve as habitat for fish. When the lake is full, the immersed trunks grow and attract food for smaller fish. Those fish, in turn, become food for larger fish.
Glad you liked it. Honestly, the fact that you spent most of your stay on toll roads explains why you are okay with the traffic. But your experience also explains like people like me are willing to pay for it.
As for the tolls I drive from Coppell to Plano and back on the George Bush ~4 times/week and pay ~$80/month.
1. The traffic situation in saw during my trip was nothing like what I have read on this site.
It all depends on where you're going and what time of day you're driving. I see abominable traffic on 635, southbound 75, southbound DNT in the AM and the reverse in the PM. You didn't mention 635 so obviously you didn't go anywhere near it. You'd have mentioned it if you did.
BTW, we don't refer to our numbered highways as "the" anything. It's 75 not "the 75."
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2. Even though Dallas doesn't have the mountains or beachs of So Cal, it totally blow away So Cal by how clean it is. Wow my wife and I couldn't believe how clean this metroplex is. Driving from DFW and all through the Bush and DNT, we didn't see any trash on the side of the freeway. We didn't even see any graffiti at all or walls that had been painted over to cover up graffiti.
You weren't in the right parts of town to see it. Trust me, it's there.
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3. I'm Asian and my wife is Hispanic. My wife made a comment that she didn't think anyone even gave us a double take when seeing us out together. I don't tend to notice this sort of stuff but my wife is more sensitive when someone is giving us double take as a mix ethnic couple. Living in CA where things tend to be more liberal, I guess occasionally people still gives us double take look. Even though we were only in the area for a few days, it was good to confirm that us being a mix ethnic couple is no big deal to the people living in the area.
Yeah...stuff like this kind of gets my back up. As a Texas native, I get tired of people assuming that we're a bunch of racist rednecks. It's 2014 here too.
Nobody here cares. And even if anyone did, it's painfully unlikely that they'd say anything to you about it. We all have more important things to do than harass interracial couples.
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4. Most of the burbs look a whole lot alike. Visually there wasn't much difference between Frisco, Allen, Murphy and Plano. Everything from the houses, streets and such were very similar. The back alley and lack of front garages was a bit odd from someone who is used to front garages. I guess this is the norm in Dallas burbs to have back alleys. The street in the neighborhood were a lot more narrow then what we are used to in CA. It seems these streets are about 3 car lengths where it would be an issue for two cars to pass each other if there are other cars parked on the street. This is definitely something I would have to adjust to as well as the narrow alleys to get into your drive ways. I did see a couple of neighborhoods in Murphy and one in Plano that did have the front entry garages but it appears that this is not the norm for the area.
All that varies depending on what part of town you're in and how new the development is...and who did the developing. Some developers cut out the alleys because they can squeeze more plats onto their acreage without them. Some include them...dunno why they do, but they must have a reason for it. Residential streets here are not wide because there's no reason for them to be wider than three car widths' worth. Anything else is a waste of concrete and developable land.
I agree that Frisco, Allen, Murphy, and new parts of Plano all look alike. A lot of the houses were built by the same builders and the commercial property was built by the same few companies, and it was all built within the last couple of decades. So yeah, it'll look all the same. If you want more architectural variety you'll have to go south of 190.
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5. Didn't see any idiot drivers This could be the fact that I was mostly in the "better" part of town in the whole Dallas area but I didn't see any drivers doing anything that would make me shake my head as what I see here in CA. I don't think I can go 2 days in CA without seeing anyone trying to make a yellow light but end up crossing the intersection when it's totally red or someone cutting in front of another car. For the most part on this trip, people were very courteous when letting you change lanes and so on. Didn't see anyone trying to beat a late yellow light. Heck the only person on the whole trip that did this was me on Thursday night when I was lost in Dallas looking for a restaurant.
LOL, you really walked between the raindrops there.
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6. Sad to see the state of the local lakes My wife and I are water people and was hoping to enjoy the lakes in place of the beach life we're giving up in CA. When we drive to Rockwall, it was sad to see the state of lake out there as it was very low. I couldn't understand why there was trees sticking out of the lake as you think it would have been removed when the lake was created. Didn't see Lake Lewisville but have heard this was a party lake and not much of a place to take two young children. This definitely a big time bummer as we were told the nearest lake to enjoy the way we are used to is Lake Texoma which is bit of a drive away.
Yeah...we're in the throes of a multi-year drought while huge influxes of people moving here are putting extreme pressure on our water supplies...which come from the "lakes" (which are actually manmade reservoirs). So yeah, they're going to be low. The more houses they throw up, the lower the lakes are going to get. We need a flood.
3. I'm Asian and my wife is Hispanic. My wife made a comment that she didn't think anyone even gave us a double take when seeing us out together.
Yes, Dallas seems far more socioeconomically segregated than other places I've lived, but generally less racially (yes, the two are often correlated, I know). NOT what I expected moving her from Up North.
There's plenty I'm less-than-enthralled with about DFW, but in terms of racial attitudes it's the same or *better* than many other places, and certainly NOT some redneck stereotype (yes, there are people who fit the stereotype, but sadly you'll find those everywhere. As a percentage they seem to be slightly lower around here than many other cities).
yeah...stuff like this kind of gets my back up. as a texas native, i get tired of people assuming that we're a bunch of racist rednecks. It's 2014 here too.
Nobody here cares. And even if anyone did, it's painfully unlikely that they'd say anything to you about it. We all have more important things to do than harass interracial couples.
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on Thursday night when I was lost in Dallas looking for a restaurant.
No way would I want to spend $50 a week on tolls in addition to the price of gas!!
