Need advice: Boston or DFW (Houston, Dallas: public school, income, maintenance)

[tcualum]

Honestly, I don't get why people complain about there being no mountains or beaches here after they move here. All you have to do is look at a map to know that Dallas doesn't have those things. I'm not going to move to Denver and complain that there's no beach nearby. If those things are so important to you then either save the money to travel to those things or move to where they are.

[Tyryztoll]

Originally Posted by tcualum

Honestly, I don't get why people complain about there being no mountains or beaches here after they move here. All you have to do is look at a map to know that Dallas doesn't have those things. I'm not going to move to Denver and complain that there's no beach nearby. If those things are so important to you then either save the money to travel to those things or move to where they are.

No one was complaining, we were just discussing stuff in correlation with the OP's possible relocation.

Man, there are some hostile sorts in this forum!

[KathrynAragon]

Originally Posted by GigiTer

Thank you very much!! Great info and not what I had originally thought! I've only lived on the east coast and have never stepped foot in Texas so there is alot to research a possible move! Thx!

Oh wow, good luck!

OK, I will be honest - the first whole year i lived in Texas I was in a state of culture shock. Truly. For me, anyway, it is a very different culture and atmosphere than what I was used to and to be honest, I thought I hated it. I mean, THE LIVESTOCK REPORT at 5 am????? What is "livestock?" COWS???? And lots of them.

But one day, I suddenly and with some surprise realized that I didn't hate it anymore. And then within a few months, I realized that I liked it. Then eventually I grew to absolutely love Texas. Texans tend to be just the sort of people I really like - they are friendly but they expect you to pull your own weight, or at least be putting in the best effort you can bring to the table. If you're helping yourself, they will give you the shirt off their back. But laziness? Not respected.

All these are generalizations but overall, this has been my experience:

Very friendly but a bit blunt people - I'm OK with that.

Men tend to be gallant and gracious. They are the type who will give a lady their seat on a bus, or open the door for others, or stand when a woman walks into the room. Not all of them, but lots of them - and even if they don't do it every single day, they know HOW to behave gallantly when they need to!

Women tend to like being feminine but tough if that makes sense. Like, they may have on lipstick and they may have big hair, but they'll climb under that hood with someone to help fix the car. They might have a closet full of stilettos, but they will also probably have several pairs of well worn cowboy (cowgirl) boots in there too.

Kids are likely to call their elders "sir" and "m'am."

People really do wear cowboy boots, cowboy hats, jeans, belts with big belt buckles, etc. Not everyone and not all the time, but it's not unusual at all to see someone climb out of a pickup truck wearing this - and it's not a costume. It's the real deal.

I love food in Texas. Besides the usual southern and Tex Mex fare, there's also quite a bit of Asian influence, especially in the large cities.

Texas music - I love it.

Here's my favorite Texas artist and my favorite Texas song - to me, this song encapsulates what I love about towns throughout Texas. Note the recurring theme of a hot summer:
https://youtu.be/e0iXfnyAZhs

[Chloe333]

Originally Posted by KathrynAragon

Oh wow, good luck!

OK, I will be honest - the first whole year i lived in Texas I was in a state of culture shock. Truly. For me, anyway, it is a very different culture and atmosphere than what I was used to and to be honest, I thought I hated it. I mean, THE LIVESTOCK REPORT at 5 am????? What is "livestock?" COWS???? And lots of them.

But one day, I suddenly and with some surprise realized that I didn't hate it anymore. And then within a few months, I realized that I liked it. Then eventually I grew to absolutely love Texas. Texans tend to be just the sort of people I really like - they are friendly but they expect you to pull your own weight, or at least be putting in the best effort you can bring to the table. If you're helping yourself, they will give you the shirt off their back. But laziness? Not respected.

All these are generalizations but overall, this has been my experience:

Very friendly but a bit blunt people - I'm OK with that.

Men tend to be gallant and gracious. They are the type who will give a lady their seat on a bus, or open the door for others, or stand when a woman walks into the room. Not all of them, but lots of them - and even if they don't do it every single day, they know HOW to behave gallantly when they need to!

Women tend to like being feminine but tough if that makes sense. Like, they may have on lipstick and they may have big hair, but they'll climb under that hood with someone to help fix the car. They might have a closet full of stilettos, but they will also probably have several pairs of well worn cowboy (cowgirl) boots in there too.

Kids are likely to call their elders "sir" and "m'am."

People really do wear cowboy boots, cowboy hats, jeans, belts with big belt buckles, etc. Not everyone and not all the time, but it's not unusual at all to see someone climb out of a pickup truck wearing this - and it's not a costume. It's the real deal.

I love food in Texas. Besides the usual southern and Tex Mex fare, there's also quite a bit of Asian influence, especially in the large cities.

Texas music - I love it.

Here's my favorite Texas artist and my favorite Texas song - to me, this song encapsulates what I love about towns throughout Texas. Note the recurring theme of a hot summer:
https://youtu.be/e0iXfnyAZhs

Interesting. I've noticed what you are saying about the women being very feminine here and the men having the gallant, respectful quality you described. They can be very sweet, kindhearted people and funny and lighthearted. I think my pool man is kind of how you describe the work ethic. He was irritated at first because he thought there were things I should be doing but that I was pawning off on him. I just thought he was my pool guy that did it all but apparently he expected it to be more of a partnership where we both pull our weight. I thought early on it was some kind of cultural communication breakdown that was going on between us. Things have gotten much better since then.

[KathrynAragon]

Originally Posted by Chloe333

Interesting. I've noticed what you are saying about the women being very feminine here and the men having the gallant, respectful quality you described. They can be very sweet, kindhearted people and funny and lighthearted. I think my pool man is kind of how you describe the work ethic. He was irritated at first because he thought there were things I should be doing but that I was pawning off on him. I just thought he was my pool guy that did it all but apparently he expected it to be more of a partnership where we both pull our weight. I thought early on it was some kind of cultural communication breakdown that was going on between us. Things have gotten much better since then.

That's interesting! I can see what you're saying though.

It all boils down to expectations. That's where most communication can break down. When you understand the cultural differences it can make more sense.

[thenewtexan]

Originally Posted by Tyryztoll

I'm not sure all these evolving pi**ing matches are doing much to help OP make an informed decision.

C-D wouldn't allow me to rep you again.

[walker1962]

Originally Posted by justsomeguy

This - you will spend probably 6 to 7 months out of the year inside to avoid the bad weather.

That's BS. TOTAL BS. The stretch from late June through early September is bad. Just like winters in NE when nothing moves. I live in Texas and grew up on the eastern seaboard. So I speak from experience. Hell I remember just a few years ago when SNOW was still on the ground in Boston in JUNE.

[walker1962]

Originally Posted by bluescreen73

There's nothing natural about lip filler and fake boobs. Just sayin'.

New England destroys DFW in natural beauty. The Appalachians are in its backyard. The Atlantic Ocean is right there. Cape Cod is nearby. The old-growth forest is everywhere. DFW has none of that.

yea that COLD a... Atlantic Ocean...see movie "Perfect Storm". You are talking as if Boston is in the Carolinas. By the way, though DFW is inland, there are quite a few lakes around if you need to swim or paddle board.

[walker1962]

Originally Posted by serger

Which islands? Airfares were crazy expensive all summer long pretty much to anywhere in the Caribbean, especially for non-stop flights. And very few non-stops (which are the only "short" ones) in general.

Airfares aren't overly expensive from DFW. I know several people this year who flew from Dallas and Houston to the Dominican Republic, Cancun, Jamaica and Belize. You have American and, Southwest Airliens based in Dallas. Southwest now, via its International Terminal at Houston Hobby, now serves several Caribbean countries. You can do United Continental as a connector through its big Houston hub. DFW has picked up a ton of international carriers the last ten years as well.

Also, Texas has become a big Cruise hub out of Galveston. You can fly from DFW to Houston Hobby and shuttle to the Cruise Terminal or just drive the 5 hours south.

[walker1962]

Originally Posted by numbersguy100

Flights DFW to Europe are almost always more than 2x the cost from Boston, New York, and DC. Finding one from DFW for under $1k without settling for a crappy itinerary or an unpopular time of year is very tricky. But you are right that the flights from Boston to Europe are usually only 1.5-2 hours shorter than from Dallas which is surprising the first time you realize it.

So none of you ever go anywhere else internationally but Europe? The plus of being in DFW is nonstop to Hawaii, Asia and Australia is available. The world has skewed westward. Also, DFW, Vegas is what 2 hours? L.A. is 3 hours. S.F 3 1/2. Seattle - 4, places

If you like skiing, its a quick flight to Santa Fe or up to Denver. Park City UT -3 hours for you snow boarding fix. I know there are ski resorts on the east coast but I also know none of them are of the quality in the Rockies where Olympics have been held.