Is Dallas green with trees? Are people friendly? (Athens, Atlanta: gated, living)

[TXNGL]

Originally Posted by hbdwihdh378y9

Hmmm. I don't recall seeing any crepe myrtles at the Arboretum that caught my attention like the gigantic crepe myrtles at the Emory U. hospital in Atlanta.

And you won't see any 100-foot loblollies, either.

Loblolly pines grow well east of DFW, in East Texas. They aren't native here so you mostly won't see them in Dallas. I've seen a few around and they look sickly. No point in planting trees that do not grow well in a certain climate.

[speedyg]

Most people are talking about plants so I'll talk about people. Generally, people are warm and friendly. There are the usually 10-20% of people who are just rude. Also, if you are a minority, there is some percentage (10-30%?) of white people who are flat out racists. But outside of those people, this is a friendly area.

[Texyn]

Originally Posted by TXNGL

No point in planting trees that do not grow well in a certain climate.

There are loblolly pines in Bastrop, near Austin, which is drier than DFW. Soil is a far bigger factor than climate in regards preventing natural growth of these trees in Dallas:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Pines_Forest

[TXNGL]

Originally Posted by Texyn

There are loblolly pines in Bastrop, near Austin, which is drier than DFW. Soil is a far bigger factor than climate in regards preventing natural growth of these trees in Dallas:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Pines_Forest

Lost Pines! I'm familiar and I've always wanted to visit.

[turf3]

Pine trees don't like alkaline soil. Dallas is slightly alkaline. Unlike other parts of the US where people add lime to the soil to raise pH, in Dallas and points west we add iron to lower the pH. East of Dallas the blackland soil turns red and pine trees and azaleas thrive, west of Dallas they don't.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by turf3

Pine trees don't like alkaline soil. Dallas is slightly alkaline. Unlike other parts of the US where people add lime to the soil to raise pH, in Dallas and points west we add iron to lower the pH. East of Dallas the blackland soil turns red and pine trees and azaleas thrive, west of Dallas they don't.

^^^ This.


A good way to tell soil pH is just by looking at peoples' hydrangeas. Pink = alkaline, blue = acidic. Pine trees + blue hydrangeas are seen together. Pine trees + pink hydrangeas, not so much.

[Texyn]

Originally Posted by turf3

Pine trees don't like alkaline soil. Dallas is slightly alkaline. Unlike other parts of the US where people add lime to the soil to raise pH, in Dallas and points west we add iron to lower the pH. East of Dallas the blackland soil turns red and pine trees and azaleas thrive, west of Dallas they don't.

Even some areas to the East have soil of relatively high pH. This includes southern Houston, New Orleans south of Lake Pontchartrain, and areas of South Florida. But unlike areas farther west that are solidly alkaline, these areas have soil closer to neutral, which satisfies the upper threshold for pines, and some other acid loving plant species.

[Saintmarks]

There is a belt running parallel with US 377 in Denton County thru Aubrey and Pilot Point where the soil is acidic enough that you see healthy pines. But just in that narrow north and south belt.


And to speak on the friendly factor, I don't think Dallas is any less friendly or rude than Atlanta. Both have so many transplants from other parts of the country that they have a mix of all types. Sometimes the transplants are friendlier than the natives as they want to belong and create a sense of home while natives can look on them as interlopers. I have seen this type in both Dallas and Atlanta.

[OttoR]

Originally Posted by Chloe333

Hello All,

My husband finds out in a week or two if we are moving to Dallas for a potential new job. We are currently living in the Denver area, and I'm hoping that Dallas will be much greener with more trees than the Front Range of Colorado. It's very brown, dry, dusty, and barren here in Denver much of the year, and this is the main thing about it that I don't like. I grew up in Atlanta, and since living in Denver, I've yearned to go back there just for it's beautiful trees, flowers, and plants. I'm hoping Dallas is somewhat similar to Atlanta with greenery. Many of the Dallas yards on Zillow (looking at surrounding suburbs of Dallas) look much prettier than Denver yards, and I'm so excited about this possibility! The housing is certainly much nicer in Dallas.

However, people on forums have said that Dallas has no natural scenic beauty and so I'm wondering if I'm missing something when I see all these pretty properties. What do they mean by this? Do you think this is true? Coming from the Front Range, just having greenery and trees would be beautiful and scenic after a few years in this very brown, dusty, dry place. The mountains in the background are beautiful to look at, but the actual Front Range is quite the opposite to me. Also, it rains so infrequently that it looks kind of dusty, dirty, and grimy to me all of the time in Denver. Does it rain a good bit in Dallas? If so, I'm hoping Dallas is cleaner looking than Denver with more rain and this would qualify as scenic beauty for me.

Also, are people as a whole friendly and warm in Dallas? I've found the people in Denver to be cordial and pleasant enough, but there is also a reservedness and aloofness as well. I would love to get back to a place with more of the warmth, social etiquette, sweetness, and hospitality of some places that I've lived in the South. Hoping Dallas has this as well.

Thanks in advance for any feedback everyone!

I guess it has quite a few trees (although I think Denver is MUCH prettier). It is flat and in the summer it's dry, hot, brown, and cracked. In New England, I grew beautiful flowers, plants, and vegetable in containers and enjoyed them for many months. I can't get anything to grow for long here and every time I go to the nursery to find out what's wrong, they just keep saying "Even though it says full sun, it's too hot here for those". It takes a LOT of water.

Yes, by first appearance, the people are friendly, however, you will soon find it is VERY superficial. Personally, I prefer honesty and authenticity of phony politeness. I've run into many people that said at first they thought the people were SO friendly but soon learned it was superficial. I find it very difficult to trust anyone here, and with good reason. Here, they are too nice to say "f--- you"! Instead, they say "bless your heart", "god bless", or "have a blessed day." I'm much more comfortable with people saying what they mean and meaning what they say.

[OttoR]

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

I've lived in European cities where people have reputations for being fairly rude. I've spent a significant portion of my adult life in Dallas plus I was born and raised here. This is the rudest city I've ever lived in, hands-down. I made friends in Europe who'd jump the next thing smoking to sit at my side if I needed them to...and I'd do the same for them. Once you make a friend there, you've truly made a friend.


People here aren't so much rude to your face, but I'd almost prefer that over the sickly-sweet fake superficial friendliness that you get from people here. People here are tribal and superficial and if you move into a neighborhood but don't fit the queen bee's mold, you're held at arm's length. Sure, people might wave to you. You might even get invited to a block party or two if the whole street is going. But that's as far as it goes. You are kept out of the circle. They all know each other and are involved in each others' lives, but when you show up at the 4th of July thingummy-whatever, you have to reintroduce yourself to everyone there because nobody remembers you. They'll chat awkwardly for a few minutes, then excuse themselves to go talk to someone else.


If you don't like me and don't want me around, say so. It'd save all of us so much hassle. Likewise it'd save me a lot of hassle if I could just flip you the bird and tell you to eff off. But I can't.


Houses of worship and workplaces are much the same. It's very challenging to make friends here if you don't fit into one of about a dozen specific molds.

YES, YES, and YES - THIS! ^^^^ Perfect description.