Gay friendly area, near DART Rail, & a house under $200? (Dallas: rent, homeowners association)

[Amiga]

Originally Posted by Grainraiser

I wouldn't just narrow my search to a "gay" neighborhood. I think any neighborhood that meets your criteria would be fine IMHO. I have a gay boss and gay neighbors and both live in homes that are not in gay neighborhoods. I would leave all options open.

Well, I didn't say we needed a gay neighborhood. I stated a gay friendly area (not being called a F*G once they find out) was desired and that clubbing isn't our cup of tea. Mind you, I am not from Texas and when you are raised in the North you get the idea that Texas isn't the most friendly neck of the woods for liberals. This forum is slowing changing my mind though.

[artsyguy]

I didn't know you were not into clubbing. Most gays are!

You won't be called the F word in Dallas unless it is by another gay person who is joking with you.

I think Dallas has some great organizations for gays. They also have Cathedral of Hope , a very large and growing Gay Church. It is very liberal minded/progressive/diverse (not new age or nutty) and not what you would expect from a Church.

and last there are gay friendly coffee shops and stores!

Originally Posted by Amiga

Well, I didn't say we needed a gay neighborhood. I stated a gay friendly area (not being called a F*G once they find out) was desired and that clubbing isn't our cup of tea. Mind you, I am not from Texas and when you are raised in the North you get the idea that Texas isn't the most friendly neck of the woods for liberals. This forum is slowing changing my mind though.

[pepper131]

I wouldn't count on the TRE as being a main source of transit to DFW since it does not operate on Sundays (so I am told).

Some neighbors of mine (gay couple); one a flight attendent for AA moved to Grapevine last year because the drive got to be too much for him. Maybe Grapevine would be a good option for you. Actually...now that I write that, I reminded of another gay couple that I know who live in Grapevine and one of them is also a flight attendent.

[Amiga]

Originally Posted by pepper131

I wouldn't count on the TRE as being a main source of transit to DFW since it does not operate on Sundays (so I am told).

True, the TRE doesn't operate on Sundays, but we want DART Rail and TRE as a backup option since we probably are going to have one vehicle. Also, the DART Rail Orange Line will supposedly go to DFW by 2013.

[KatrinaWhatley]

North Oak Cliff is called the "new gay ghetto". This is a pretty liberal area and a fun place to live. Great houses in your price range..Moderator cut: real estate agent advertising/soliciting not allowed

[Dallas native]

Originally Posted by Amiga

My partner and I may need to move to Dallas to be near his employer, American Airlines. I haven't been enthralled with the idea at all. Some of my worries have been eased by reading through the forum's posts.

DESIRES
Gay friendly area (clubbing isn't a concern)
DART Rail (not a bus line)
Small house around $200K (done the condo thing and over it)

From what I have seen online (craigslist (broken link) & realtor.com), the housing prices still seem elevated more than they should be. Perhaps this is just the investors holding hope someone will pay their high prices prior to their interest rates resetting in a few months and before they walk away from their mortgages.

An old small house is fine since we are used to smaller accommodations in Hawaii and San Francisco. My main concern is living either in redneckville or crackville. Anyone able to recommend a neighborhood (or zip code) that might fit our desires?

To respond to the original question, check out zip codes 75224, 75211 and 75208 if you want to be in a gay friendly area that is convenient to DART rail lines. The Elmwod area (in 75224) has 2 DART stations (Hampton, Tyler St.) and has plenty of older homes with character priced in the mid $100's. The Kessler Plaza area (75211) also has some great older homes priced closer to $200k. That would also be near the Hampton Station. These areas are part of a greater area of Dallas called Oak Cliff (SW Dallas). It is very gay friendly. The original and largest Dallas gayborhood is Oak Lawn but there aren't many affordable single family homes left there. Finally, you can leave the redneck stereotypes at home. Dallas is gayer than a Cher concert.

[Lakewooder]

Ridgewood Park -- Dallas, Texas fufills many of your requirements - however you may have to look a bit for a bargain.

[momof2dfw]

Originally Posted by Dallas native

Finally, you can leave the redneck stereotypes at home. Dallas is gayer than a Cher concert.

LOL!!! I LOVE my hair color specialist who happens to be gay. He is a crackup, FROM Dallas but works in the suburbs with a HUGE faithful clientele. I've been working w/ people that are gay since the mid-80's here in Dallas. All pretty much well received. Us Dallas women LOVE most gay men for some odd reason (only 1 I never liked nor did any of the other coworkers but this guy could have been straight and we would have felt the same way). If you can find any other large city in this country where the heterosexual women that are native to that city LOVE to be around gay men......... good luck.

I can't stop laughing over your comment, "Dallas is gayer than a Cher concert". ROTFL

[Dallas native]

Originally Posted by momof2dfw

LOL!!! I LOVE my hair color specialist who happens to be gay. He is a crackup, FROM Dallas but works in the suburbs with a HUGE faithful clientele. I've been working w/ people that are gay since the mid-80's here in Dallas. All pretty much well received. Us Dallas women LOVE most gay men for some odd reason (only 1 I never liked nor did any of the other coworkers but this guy could have been straight and we would have felt the same way). If you can find any other large city in this country where the heterosexual women that are native to that city LOVE to be around gay men......... good luck.

I can't stop laughing over your comment, "Dallas is gayer than a Cher concert". ROTFL

Thanks, Momof2. It's always fun to bring a little laughter into someone's day.

[buck75061]

I agree that Dallas can be a pleasant suprise for gay people moving in from other parts of the country. Be sure to check out glbtdallas.com and northtexasglbtchamber.org to find things to do or seek out businesses that are gay-friendly. I lived near the airport in Irving when I was there and had no problems whatsoever, but I felt like I was missing something by not living in one of the Dallas gayborhoods. Regardless, you can find gay life and friends all over the DFW area.