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I have lived in NC and I currently live in TX. It really depends on where you live in NC as the state has mountains, ocean, foothills, flatlands, cities, suburbia, small towns, and rural farming areas. I would compare many areas of NC as geographically comparable to TX. For example, my experience living in DFW is not too different from my experiences living in Charlotte or the Raleigh area. Both geographically are like much of Anywhere, USA.
I find Texans generally to be a bit more friendly and laid back than North Carolinians if I had to generalize. NC has the mountains and ocean and that is nice. TX has the ocean but I have yet to visit it so I don't know how to compare. To me, Texas has somewhat of an energy going on like things are faster moving and happening. I feel that in certain parts of NC too but not on the bigger scale that it feels like in TX. I can't explain it beyond that. it's something I just sense or feel. In lots of ways, TX feels like the land of milk and honey where wealth flows. There is a lot of wealth here, and while it exists in NC, it feels like it exists here on a bigger and more prevalent scale.
There are lots and lots of transplants here so everyone is from somewhere else. You kind of have that southern traditional vibe here but equally mixed in with a western vibe and it can feel a little more interesting and less stuffy, bland than solely the east coast influence that you would get especially around the older wealthier, established areas of the NC cities. Texas does have its own funky vibe going on.
Having come to DFW from western NC, i didn't plan for DFW area to grow on me, however, I LOVE the DFW people and I say it every time...the PEOPLE make DFW GREAT! I dig the vibe too, great MIX and STRONG WORK ETHIC. I have met some SUPER COOL GREAT GENUINE CARING people here in DFW. So if people are a factor, I have to say DFW HANDS DOWN!
Our very first house was in Fuquay. We lived in the Raleigh area, Asheville, and the Charlotte area.
I can't compare apples to apples because we don't live IN Dallas. I can pretty much only compare suburban life styles.
What I prefer about NC:
--the ability to get to other places within half a day. I miss Hilton Head and Charleston.
It's nice to go up to Biltmore, etc. Distances out here are much further.
--fresh cut Christmas trees a few hours away; we always made a big day of getting our tree
--drivers are better and roads are better maintained
--housing and property taxes are less expensive
--Fall color is better. There is autumnal color in DFW but it is more subtle.
What I prefer about my corner of DFW/Texas:
--schools are better. Not every teacher all the time, but overall the course selections, facilities, general attitude of the faculty and staff are a huge improvement. The approach toward kids with learning disabilities is much better. Opportunities for kids to participate in whatever their interest is are abundant. There is an attitude here that wants success for the next generation.
--in the more affluent suburbs, there is more planning in the design of the town. The approach is more similar to Southern California, where I grew up. Buildings are nice and new. Everything is so clean looking.
--it is less humid in the summer
--except when they are driving, people are 1000% friendlier. When you are shopping, workers say hello and ask if you need help. Even though there is a lot of money here, people don't seem snobby about it, or maybe I just don't know those people.
(Maybe it's different in Highland Park). In the south, people seem very preoccupied with status. Here people are more approachable.
--fewer people with tattoos and piercings everywhere. People generally seem to care about their appearance more.
--chances to travel to places that are new to us. We'd been up and down the east coast a zillion times. Also you can cruise out of Galveston.
-- no state income tax
--I like the wind here
--this is just my perspective, however it seems as if cultural events here such as museums and concerts, are more world class. For example, Andrea Bocelli is performing in Dallas in December, one of only 5 stops in North America
--my son's seasonal allergies are less severe here
Negatives about NC:
--humid summers
--people aren't as friendly
--huge socioeconomic disparities, and it shows in everything from housing to schools to how people act
Negatives about DFW:
--my number one major complaint is the drivers, followed closely by terrible roads
--No quick driving access to great beaches (Texas beaches are just OK)
--some neighborhoods are ridiculously tight and the housing looks uninspired. Don't buy that if it bothers you.
--raking leaves at Christmas
Things that make no difference to me:
--weather: it is hot in DFW in the summer. It is hot in NC in the summer. It's a different kind of heat. Buy a house with a pool. The other three seasons in DFW have seemed pretty nice, which is something that gets misrepresented here. We probably would have bought a different house with a different backyard set up if we had known how nice it can be here.
--the scenery: unless you live in Ashville or OBX, your daily life is not really affected by the scenery. There are pretty areas of NC and there are pretty parts of TX, and ugly parts to both as well. TX does have trees and awesome vistas of the sky with the accompanying sunrises and sunsets.
--restaurants and grocery stores: you can find good examples of both in both places
--diversity: I don't care about it one way or the other
--outdoor activities: depends what you like to do.
--historical sights: good in both states
Hope that helps!
Thanks very informative. My wife and I feel the same way about events, museums, etc in NC, there pretty mediocre. I guess we are used to grander things since we lived in NY. We did visit a few museums and went to a few events while in DFW. We thought DFW defiantly felt more world class. We really did enjoy our time in TX and will be taking a few more trips before making any decisions. I think my wife is pretty much sold on moving to TX thought , the look when we returned to NC said it all. Living in a place that makes you unhappy really wears on you. My wife has really been worrying about schools lately, our daughter starts Kindergarten next year. Of coarse Wake county just redistricted our school, to one of the worse schools in the county. Our daughter is smart, very high energy, and has a bit of a speech issue. So if we stay in NC we are going to move to a area with better schools.
Last edited by chrisacm2117; 10-18-2018 at 08:16 PM..
I have lived in NC and I currently live in TX. It really depends on where you live in NC as the state has mountains, ocean, foothills, flatlands, cities, suburbia, small towns, and rural farming areas. I would compare many areas of NC as geographically comparable to TX. For example, my experience living in DFW is not too different from my experiences living in Charlotte or the Raleigh area. Both geographically are like much of Anywhere, USA.
I find Texans generally to be a bit more friendly and laid back than North Carolinians if I had to generalize. NC has the mountains and ocean and that is nice. TX has the ocean but I have yet to visit it so I don't know how to compare. To me, Texas has somewhat of an energy going on like things are faster moving and happening. I feel that in certain parts of NC too but not on the bigger scale that it feels like in TX. I can't explain it beyond that. it's something I just sense or feel. In lots of ways, TX feels like the land of milk and honey where wealth flows. There is a lot of wealth here, and while it exists in NC, it feels like it exists here on a bigger and more prevalent scale.
There are lots and lots of transplants here so everyone is from somewhere else. You kind of have that southern traditional vibe here but equally mixed in with a western vibe and it can feel a little more interesting and less stuffy, bland than solely the east coast influence that you would get especially around the older wealthier, established areas of the NC cities. Texas does have its own funky vibe going on.
I really did like the vibe in TX, people for the most part were chill for lack of a better word. It felt like it had a pulse, NC just feels lifeless to me. Living in NC feels like that seinfeld episode where elaine finds new friends, I find most people in NC a bit odd .
Last edited by chrisacm2117; 10-18-2018 at 08:09 PM..
Having come to DFW from western NC, i didn't plan for DFW area to grow on me, however, I LOVE the DFW people and I say it every time...the PEOPLE make DFW GREAT! I dig the vibe too, great MIX and STRONG WORK ETHIC. I have met some SUPER COOL GREAT GENUINE CARING people here in DFW. So if people are a factor, I have to say DFW HANDS DOWN!
People are a big part, especially for my wife. Im working all the time so it doesn't as matter much to me.
I really did like the vibe in TX, people for the most part were chill for lack of a better word. It felt like it had a pulse, NC just feels lifeless to me. Living in NC feels like that seinfeld episode where elaine finds new friends, I find most people in NC a bit odd .
I think relative the north east, just about everyone is "Chill."
It's all a mater of perspective. Dallas, and her northern suburbs are by far the most buttoned up area west of the Mississippi, in my experience at least. To a westerner it feels very southern, or as the joke goes, where the east ends.
DFW is the 4th largest metro area in the country, so of course It's quite a bit more cosmopolitan than the Raleigh area. Don't expect NYC though, while we have some really great museums here, NYC is NYC.
We do have a ton of transplants, but at some point you will probably think the folks are "Odd" here too, NYC and Long Island are just different from most of the country like that.
DFW could be a great fit for you if you are looking for something more cosmopolitan than NC, friendlier/ less crazy than NY, with a great job market and reasonable COL.
As mentioned above, if you are outdoorsy, it probably isn't a great fit, and weather wise be prepared for longer and hotter summers.
Just be prepared for the metro being "Different" than you expect. North Eastern staples like Delis aren't common down here, people rarely uses transit, and its a Polycentric urban area jobs wise, in a way that you just don't really see in the North East.
DFW is the 4th largest metro area in the country, so of course It's quite a bit more cosmopolitan than the Raleigh area. Don't expect NYC though, while we have some really great museums here, NYC is NYC.
Raleigh and environs are often touted as a cultural, technical and intellectual hub in the SE. And while it is an area flush with tech jobs and two top universities and medical facilities, I think what is surprising to learn once you live there, is how quickly it becomes "country" once your are outside of that Duke/UNC/RTP bubble. Southern cities like Raleigh and Charlotte have a different ambiance that makes them feel small, which can be both good and bad depending on what you like.
Raleigh and environs are often touted as a cultural, technical and intellectual hub in the SE. And while it is an area flush with tech jobs and two top universities and medical facilities, I think what is surprising to learn once you live there, is how quickly it becomes "country" once your are outside of that Duke/UNC/RTP bubble. Southern cities like Raleigh and Charlotte have a different ambiance that makes them feel small, which can be both good and bad depending on what you like.
I'm sure they are a great fit for alot of people, but it just seems like a no brainer that Dallas is more cosmopolitan, it is WAY bigger. If the opposite were true that would be a big surprise. The Triangle has about 1/3 of DFW's population, spread out over a larger area.
I really did like the vibe in TX, people for the most part were chill for lack of a better word. It felt like it had a pulse, NC just feels lifeless to me. Living in NC feels like that seinfeld episode where elaine finds new friends, I find most people in NC a bit odd .
I've noticed a trend that people from NYC, Long Island, Northern New Jersey seem to have a total lack of connection between expectations and reality in regard to the rest of the country. They seem to be the most likely to think "Nothing is going on" in regional hot spots. I met a bar tender recently from NYC who couldn't grasp the idea of a polycentric metro. She kept referring to Dallas as a "Small city" and she fundamentally didn't get how the place works. Just a total lack of perspective. Smaller =/= small.
I would be willing to bet the OP will find DFW "Too slow" or the people "Odd" after they move here as well.
The referenced Seinfeld episode "bizarro jerry" deals with "Weirdos" who are just decent people, instead of the main characters who are all total selfish jerks (funny all the same, but would make lousy friends in the real world, lets be honest.)
I'm sure they are a great fit for alot of people, but it just seems like a no brainer that Dallas is more cosmopolitan, it is WAY bigger. If the opposite were true that would be a big surprise. The Triangle has about 1/3 of DFW's population, spread out over a larger area.
Well of course, but you are missing my point, about the way that RTP is marketed and promoted throughout the SE. And if you were just going on that reputation, and moved there, you might be disappointed.
Well of course, but you are missing my point, about the way that RTP is marketed and promoted throughout the SE. And if you were just going on that reputation, and moved there, you might be disappointed.
Fair, though literally every metro promotes themselves like that, thats why you have to know what you are getting yourself into. Boise and SLC are both really happening for their region and promote themselves as such, but are slower paced than Dallas or Denver even.
And my understanding is that regionally, it really is the big dog in town between DC and Atlanta and for it's size is pretty metropolitan/ happening. Coming from NY, every single other city is going to seem slower.
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for lack of a better word. It felt like it had a pulse, NC just feels lifeless to me. Living in NC feels like that seinfeld episode where elaine finds new friends, I find most people in NC a bit odd 
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