Young Blk Professional moving to DALLAS...in need of advice (Houston: fit in, apartments)

[mdattaray]

"Given a choice between UofH law school or SMU law school I would pick SMU in a heartbeat. This coming from a U of H graduate and I am black. UofH has a nice school but I would rate SMU as better. I will say that UofH is much more of a diverse school than SMU will ever be. I hope this helps."

Can you expand on why SMU and not UofH? The city of Houston seems to be bigger and has a bigger legal market than Dallas. Or do most TX firms (including Houston) recruit from SMU more so than UofH? I know that UT-Austin is top dog in TX, but SMU Law (USN&WR #46, 2008) and UofH Law USN&WR #55, 2008) are not that far apart in the rankings. More info please?

[lpepping]

Well the city of Houston is larger then the city of Dallas but the the Dallas metro area is larger. Not sure if that means more jobs in the DFW area vs Houston but something to consider. Also, where do you want to end up living after law school? Dallas, Houston or some other place? I ask because a friend of mine went to U of H for law instead of SMU. Not sure of the reasoning but when he graduated he wanted to come back to Dallas but had a hard time doing so. He stated that the career center at U of H mainly focused on the Houston area. So he had to take a job in Houston for a couple years and eventually made it back to Dallas.

[dallas76]

MDATTARAY

To address your wife's hair issue. There is no shortage of hair salons for your wife. Her problem will be choosing from the masses of stylist. She may end up driving a bit, but its worth it if you find the right stylist. I drive from Irving to South Dallas for my stylist. Not because there are not stylist in Irving, but because I like my stylist. There is a hair salon and a stylist who specializes in every type and style of AA hair.

If you end up living near SMU she will have to travel North Dallas, South Dallas or the suburbs.

[Grainraiser]

A person in the profession could answer your question better than I can but if your going to compare the the schools most would agree that SMU is a more prestigious school than UofH.

[mdattaray]

Can anyone on this board recommend apartments buildings, areas, zip codes of where to live in Dallas? We are looking for racially mixed neighborhoods, safe/clean/decent, livable, affordable. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

PS. I've searched on apartments.com and rent.com and can only find limited listings for certain desirable areas and the others we can't tell if they meet our simple criteria.

[caligurltotx]

Originally Posted by mdattaray

I am moving my family from Southern California (Long Beach, CA) to Dallas this August so that I could attend SMU Law. We are an AA family (all of us my wife and children are native Californians), so we are unsure about moving to TX (my wife is concerned about where to get her hair done, where our kids will attend school and daycare, are the people really country? [the last one is a joke, but no seriously are they country?]) and how life will be there.

Also is anyone on this board an attorney or law student and could give me some insight into whether I am making the right decision (I have competing offers/scholarships from SMU Law and UofH Law).

Thanks!

Well I am not living in Dallas but just from my visits I can say NO the people are not really country. Well at least not within the Metroplex. (Did I get that right natives) lol. Now not sure if you venture far far north of Denton somewhere. But I am sure they like being country way out in the country. Dallas is like any other major city in the U.S. And based on this forum with every other post being someone moving there you got too many transplants from every state for it to be country! Tons of Californians seem to relocate there. I live in Lakewood Ca but not a native. Been here 23 yrs and from Akron OH. So I am considered country, lol! Now you are gonna miss the beach cities we have here, like most have stated. But I honestly ask myself how often do I frequent the beaches. I used to the closer I was (Signal Hill) but since I moved to Lakewood Ca it seems so far now.

As far as your wife's hair questions I am sure she can ask someone who's hair is really nice where they get it done. That's what I do when I relocate. Plus it would depend on where you are going to live.

[mdattaray]

I live in the Wrigley area of Long Beach, 4 miles from the beach and the last time we even went to the beach let alone Shoreline Village (near the beach)was over a year and a half ago! What recreational opportunities are there in Dallas? We are semi-outdoorsey (if that is a concept).

[Phoenix200878]

Originally Posted by kdogg817

Brother you will love Dallas AKA D-TOwn and Fort Worth AKA Funky TOwn. There is a significant amount of African Americans in the Metroplex. Dallas southern suburbs have a very large African American middle class. North Dallas is very diverse part of Dallas. Coming from another brother you will love DFW.

I wish someone probably showed me around better, but some places are appealing to some and not to others. I'm speaking for myself. So many people say that Dallas is an awesome city, but the landscape, climate, and vibe didn't impress me. I guess I've been on the East Coast too long where you large, completely unique cities like ATL, Charlotte, Raleigh, Richmond, DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York are all in a day's driving distance. It seems like DFW as large as it is becomes really boring, because that's all that's there. I'm just stating MY opinion. Different strokes...different folks. To anyone that is moving to Dallas, please visit and make your own assessment, but do take all comments posted on this posting into consideration. You make like it or may hate it. Its subjective. All in all make sure DFW is a good fit for you.

[mdattaray]

Originally Posted by Phoenix200878

I wish someone probably showed me around better, but some places are appealing to some and not to others. I'm speaking for myself. So many people say that Dallas is an awesome city, but the landscape, climate, and vibe didn't impress me. I guess I've been on the East Coast too long where you large, completely unique cities like ATL, Charlotte, Raleigh, Richmond, DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York are all in a day's driving distance. It seems like DFW as large as it is becomes really boring, because that's all that's there. I'm just stating MY opinion. Different strokes...different folks. To anyone that is moving to Dallas, please visit and make your own assessment, but do take all comments posted on this posting into consideration. You make like it or may hate it. Its subjective. All in all make sure DFW is a good fit for you.

Besides the aesthetics and lack of vibe, what were some of your other observations?

[cancelthat]

I am a 35 year old African American married female with a 4 year old son.I am a nurse that is relocating to Plano,Texas from Long Island,New York. When I told my co-workers and family about the move, the overwhelming response was"With all the rednecks?" I have never been to Texas and my only exposure to the culture there has been what I've seen on TV and in movies.What exacttly is a "redneck" and should we expect to encounter many of them in Plano? Is this area racially and culturally diverse? We have lived in and around NewYork City our entire lives and like the diversity that exists here. We have to drive to Texas and have been warned by many that driving through the south is dangerous for African Americans, is this also true. All responses are welcomed!!!