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I'm thinking about relocating from the DC metro area to Dallas, but not sure if Dallas will be a good fit. I work from home and can live anywhere, therefore I was thinking about moving to a state that has no state taxes, but I'm worried about the culture of TX. For instance, I don't like the fact that it's an open carry state. Also, as a Black American woman, I do have my reservations about the history of TX and the current racial tensions throughout Dallas. Lastly, though I have never had any run-ins with the law, I also worry about law enforcement. A few weeks ago, I read a story about a TX beauty queen who was arrested, simply because she refused to apologize to an off duty police officer who felt disrespected when she informed him that his teenage daughter should not be driving, if she was underage. Apparently he called her a "black b&*ch" and proceeded to detain and arrest her.
Generally speaking, I am looking for a more affordable area to settle down in. On the one hand, I do realize the benefits of moving to a less desirable state like TX (you get much more for your money, especially when purchasing a home), but then I wonder if its best to stay put in a major city, where there is at least the pretense of equality and justice.
This is such a big decision for me. My lease will be up in July, 2018, meaning I don't have a lot of time. If I am going to purchase a home and relocate, I have to start planning now, because I don't want to wait until the last minute and stress myself out.
I'd like to know the positive and negative aspects of living in Dallas. I'm particularly interested in the Black experience.
Small town Texas (where the beauty queen incident you saw on the news occurred) and major metro areas in Texas are worlds apart. Race relations in Dallas aren't perfect, but the DPD actively engages in community policing. We have had a black police chief, black mayor, black district attorney, plus there are numerous high profile black professionals in the Dallas area- JCPenney's CEO comes to mind first. FWIW, we also have a lesbian sherif and Dallas County votes Democrat by a pretty wide margin each election season. Suburbs tend to be more conservative but you'll find black professionals all over the DFW area. Quite a few of my black coworkers live in Frisco and Plano to be close to our office.
I don't like open carry either, HOWEVER, I've actually yet to see anyone open carry since it became law last year. Literally not one time, either in Dallas or in my travels around the state to other large and medium sized cities.
You should probably schedule a visit to the area to see if it feels like home to you. If you're able to spend $300k+ on a home (and the $7-9k in annual property taxes that come with said $300k range home) then you'll be able to live in a nice, safe neighborhood either in Dallas proper or in the suburbs. While Dallas isn't a "black Mecca" like DC or Atlanta, it's an incredibly diverse area with large populations of Mexicans, Central Americans, Indians, Koreans, and GLBT residents. There is one immigrant/ refugee neighborhood in Dallas where something like 100 different languages are spoken.
I'm thinking about relocating from the DC metro area to Dallas, but not sure if Dallas will be a good fit. I work from home and can live anywhere, therefore I was thinking about moving to a state that has no state taxes, but I'm worried about the culture of TX. For instance, I don't like the fact that it's an open carry state. Also, as a Black American woman, I do have my reservations about the history of TX and the current racial tensions throughout Dallas. Lastly, though I have never had any run-ins with the law, I also worry about law enforcement. A few weeks ago, I read a story about a TX beauty queen who was arrested, simply because she refused to apologize to an off duty police officer who felt disrespected when she informed him that his teenage daughter should not be driving, if she was underage. Apparently he called her a "black b&*ch" and proceeded to detain and arrest her.
Generally speaking, I am looking for a more affordable area to settle down in. On the one hand, I do realize the benefits of moving to a less desirable state like TX (you get much more for your money, especially when purchasing a home), but then I wonder if its best to stay put in a major city, where there is at least the pretense of equality and justice.
This is such a big decision for me. My lease will be up in July, 2018, meaning I don't have a lot of time. If I am going to purchase a home and relocate, I have to start planning now, because I don't want to wait until the last minute and stress myself out.
I'd like to know the positive and negative aspects of living in Dallas. I'm particularly interested in the Black experience.
The incident you're referring to happened in Commerce which is too far from Dallas to even be considered part of the metro area. It's a small college town out in the boonies.
As for open carry, I've seen it twice that I recall since it became legal. That's all.
Are there open KKK/white nationalist rallies that are permitted in Dallas or the close in suburbs of Dallas?
I visited Dallas three years ago, but only stayed for a week, while attending a conference. I didn't have any issues, but did notice there weren't a lot of healthy food options. Just wondering if things have changed?
Small town Texas (where the beauty queen incident you saw on the news occurred) and major metro areas in Texas are worlds apart. Race relations in Dallas aren't perfect, but the DPD actively engages in community policing. We have had a black police chief, black mayor, black district attorney, plus there are numerous high profile black professionals in the Dallas area- JCPenney's CEO comes to mind first. FWIW, we also have a lesbian sherif and Dallas County votes Democrat by a pretty wide margin each election season. Suburbs tend to be more conservative but you'll find black professionals all over the DFW area. Quite a few of my black coworkers live in Frisco and Plano to be close to our office.
I don't like open carry either, HOWEVER, I've actually yet to see anyone open carry since it became law last year. Literally not one time, either in Dallas or in my travels around the state to other large and medium sized cities.
You should probably schedule a visit to the area to see if it feels like home to you. If you're able to spend $300k+ on a home (and the $7-9k in annual property taxes that come with said $300k range home) then you'll be able to live in a nice, safe neighborhood either in Dallas proper or in the suburbs. While Dallas isn't a "black Mecca" like DC or Atlanta, it's an incredibly diverse area with large populations of Mexicans, Central Americans, Indians, Koreans, and GLBT residents. There is one immigrant/ refugee neighborhood in Dallas where something like 100 different languages are spoken.
In the DC metro area, one can expect to pay anywhere between 400-700K for a basic townhome in a close in suburb of Washington. It's generally much more expensive to own directly in the District.
300K for a brand new home, with a good amount of outdoor space would be a much welcomed change. Also, paying 7-9K in property taxes shouldn't be too bad. I'm primarily worried about the "culture" of Dallas and TX in general. I'm still on the fence as to whether it is a good place to set down roots. I have no friends or family in TX, but I'm a pretty adventurous person who is not afraid of relocating. I just want to be certain that the relocation will add value, by improving my quality of life.
I'm thinking about relocating from the DC metro area to Dallas, but not sure if Dallas will be a good fit. I work from home and can live anywhere, therefore I was thinking about moving to a state that has no state taxes, but I'm worried about the culture of TX. For instance, I don't like the fact that it's an open carry state. Also, as a Black American woman, I do have my reservations about the history of TX and the current racial tensions throughout Dallas. Lastly, though I have never had any run-ins with the law, I also worry about law enforcement. A few weeks ago, I read a story about a TX beauty queen who was arrested, simply because she refused to apologize to an off duty police officer who felt disrespected when she informed him that his teenage daughter should not be driving, if she was underage. Apparently he called her a "black b&*ch" and proceeded to detain and arrest her.
Generally speaking, I am looking for a more affordable area to settle down in. On the one hand, I do realize the benefits of moving to a less desirable state like TX (you get much more for your money, especially when purchasing a home), but then I wonder if its best to stay put in a major city, where there is at least the pretense of equality and justice.
This is such a big decision for me. My lease will be up in July, 2018, meaning I don't have a lot of time. If I am going to purchase a home and relocate, I have to start planning now, because I don't want to wait until the last minute and stress myself out.
I'd like to know the positive and negative aspects of living in Dallas. I'm particularly interested in the Black experience.
If Texas is a "less desirable state", with not many healthy food options, open KKK rallies, and poor race relations, with no "equality or justice", why would you ever consider moving there?
The only reasons you cited for moving to Dallas are no income tax and affordable housing. Dallas no longer has what many would consider "affordable" housing (cheaper than D.C., yes, but so is the majority of the country). Eight other states have no income tax; are you considering those as well?
I can't help but wonder if you are really interested in Dallas, or if this is just an attempt to bring up
a conversation about guns and white "culture" and attitudes in "backwards Texas".
when it comes to effective tax rates, Texas is higher than Delaware. Even removing the property tax component (if you rent), our sales and excise taxes are roughly 3x Delaware. Just because Texas doesn't tax personal income, that doesn't mean the state doesn't have a hand in your pocket.
Are there open KKK/white nationalist rallies that are permitted in Dallas or the close in suburbs of Dallas?
I visited Dallas three years ago, but only stayed for a week, while attending a conference. I didn't have any issues, but did notice there weren't a lot of healthy food options. Just wondering if things have changed?
I have no knowledge of any rally of that type taking place at any time in the recent or even fairly distant past. Having said that, my understanding is that such a rally would be "allowed", as distasteful as it would be, in the same way that the Nazi rally in Skokie, IL (at the time a VERY Jewish area with a high percentage of Holocaust survivors) was allowed over 35 years ago. The First Amendment allows reprehensible speech as well as speech we find beneficial.
I'm a "suburban white male", so take my observations with a grain of salt (this also incorporates what we've been told by African-American friends and co-workers), but DFW has generally appeared to be at least as racially accepting, if not more so, than several other "northern" cities I've lived in. Boston, surprisingly, appeared to be the most challenging for minorities (especially African-Americans), in spite of it being generally "liberal" politically (I've lived in 3 other cities as well). This is not to say that there's no racism here or anything of the sort, just that it's not as significant as I expected prior to moving down.
I'll also add that my personal political beliefs are quite liberal, in contrast with many of my neighbors and certainly that of the highest officeholders in the state, so I'm hardly an apologist for the area.
If you are truly interested in the area, there are other threads on this forum where a number of African-American residents have gone into detail on their experiences in the area, especially comparing and contrasting DFW with DC and Atlanta. They have a number of insights into how the AA community culture here differs from those areas (with differing opinions, of course) that I would never have.
If Texas is a "less desirable state", with not many healthy food options, open KKK rallies, and poor race relations, with no "equality or justice", why would you ever consider moving there?
The only reasons you cited for moving to Dallas are no income tax and affordable housing. Dallas no longer has what many would consider "affordable" housing (cheaper than D.C., yes, but so is the majority of the country). Eight other states have no income tax; are you considering those as well?
I can't help but wonder if you are really interested in Dallas, or if this is just an attempt to bring up
a conversation about guns and white "culture" and attitudes in "backwards Texas".
I often view homes online and I've come across a lot of beautiful single family homes in Dallas. Although I'd prefer to stay in the DC metro area, the homes in Dallas are more affordable, but of course there's a major trade off.
It is true that Alaska, Nevada, Tennessee, Washington, Wyoming, South Dakota and New Hampshire do not have state income taxes, but I have absolutely no interest in living in those states. I've ruled out Florida as well, due to the hurricanes, but clearly, I'm not sold on Dallas.
I won't lie, yes, I personally believe that TX is backwards, and I have a lot of reservations about living in an open carry state with a lot of racial tension, but at the same time, the newer communities are beautiful.
Are there any middle class black neighborhoods in Dallas?
I often view homes online and I've come across a lot of beautiful single family homes in Dallas. Although I'd prefer to stay in the DC metro area, the homes in Dallas are more affordable, but of course there's a major trade off.
It is true that Alaska, Nevada, Tennessee, Washington, Wyoming, South Dakota and New Hampshire do not have state income taxes, but I have absolutely no interest in living in those states. I've ruled out Florida as well, due to the hurricanes, but clearly, I'm not sold on Dallas.
I won't lie, yes, I personally believe that TX is backwards, and I have a lot of reservations about living in an open carry state with a lot of racial tension, but at the same time, the newer communities are beautiful.
Are there any middle class black neighborhoods in Dallas?
Housing segregation is illegal but there are many middle-class and affluent black households in Cedar Hill.
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