City of Dallas housing - is it sustainable? (Austin, Frisco: middle-class, crime)

[Austin-Dallas]

With prices getting up near 400 a sq ft in certain areas and high property taxes. Is this sustainable?

Have been warned by several long time Dallas residents that city council is robbing the city blind, schools are in shambles, law enforcement can't keep up and property taxes are being maxed year over year. They've gone as far as to say it will be a Chicago/Detroit type situation bc of the leadership. Is this an exaggeration that if you don't live in UP/HP it's not worth it?

About to go into option period on a home and the comments are making us take a step back.

[Dallaz]

Property taxes are high because Dallas has ignored the southern half of the city for decades. The northern half has picked up most of the tax burden due to it having the vast majority of the investment and established businesses/higher income earners. Now, it’s starting to bite the city in the butt. We have to pay higher taxes due to that.

Schools have nothing to do with the city, since they’re independent. The state of Dallas ISD is directly due to the vast majority of higher income people pulling their kids out of the district. Dallas ISD is a majority minority lower income district. When higher income people leave any school district, it suffers greatly. This has been a demographic trend since the 1970s.

If Dallas does become the next Detroit, the whole region would decline. I think many fail to realize this. Like I’ve said in a previous thread, Dallas is the anchor city and the suburbs are extensions of Dallas. If the anchor dies or declines so will the suburbs. You cannot have strong prosperous suburbs with a weak anchor city. Dallas is why companies come to the Metroplex, even if they decide to go the suburbs.

Crime is starting to spike due to Dallas having a shortage of officers. Dallas once had the lowest officer pay in North Texas. Many of the officers left and went to the suburbs for a higher salary.

I wouldn’t go as far as to say Dallas will become the next Detroit/Chicago, but as a native Dallasite and one who has been watching the politics in Dallas city/county. It is something to keep your eye on. I’m personally not pleased with the performance of the city council/mayor and was highly annoyed at last night’s election of our new mayor. I hate to say this...but I feel like they’re trying to run this city into the ground. My opinion can change, if I see what happens when the new mayor takes office. As of now, I’m not very happy.

[75214Dad]

I have been to Detroit many times and Dallas and Detroit aren’t close in comparison. Where do your friends think you should live?

[Austin-Dallas]

Originally Posted by 75214Dad

I have been to Detroit many times and Dallas and Detroit aren’t close in comparison. Where do your friends think you should live?

Comparison is who is running Dallas now and who ran Detroit into the ground. Nobody said they are the same right now.

[biafra4life]

Originally Posted by Austin-Dallas

Comparison is who is running Dallas now and who ran Detroit into the ground. Nobody said they are the same right now.

It seems to me that big cities always have problems regardless of how well they are (or aren’t) run. I would think it’s relatively easier to efficiently run a suburb like Frisco, a city that is new with none of the legacy problems a much older anchor city like Dallas has. I mean look at all the big anchor cities. Los Angeles? Big problems. NYC? Ditto. Chicago? Nuff said. Now is there some low hanging fruit on the Improvement Tree for Dallas? Absolutely. But compared to other big cities, I don’t think this is the worst place to be. I could be wrong so I’m open to reasons to the contrary.

[Treasurevalley92]

Originally Posted by biafra4life

It seems to me that big cities always have problems regardless of how well they are (or aren’t) run. I would think it’s relatively easier to efficiently run a suburb like Frisco, a city that is new with none of the legacy problems a much older anchor city like Dallas has. I mean look at all the big anchor cities. Los Angeles? Big problems. NYC? Ditto. Chicago? Nuff said. Now is there some low hanging fruit on the Improvement Tree for Dallas? Absolutely. But compared to other big cities, I don’t think this is the worst place to be. I could be wrong so I’m open to reasons to the contrary.

I mean one of the advantages of being Frisco is you can price out the poor so you just don't have to deal with them. You pick your own economic demographics as a suburb.

Suburbs in the long term run into issues with ageing infrastructure and more pipes/ road miles per person to repair. Affluent suburbs can afford this, especially if they are geographically small, but middle-class ones often struggle and down cycle, which in turn brings in less tax money just as they age and as the bills become due.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by Dallaz

Property taxes are high because Dallas has ignored the southern half of the city for decades. The northern half has picked up most of the tax burden due to it having the vast majority of the investment and established businesses/higher income earners. Now, it’s starting to bite the city in the butt. We have to pay higher taxes due to that.

This is just incorrect.

[75214Dad]

Originally Posted by Austin-Dallas

Comparison is who is running Dallas now and who ran Detroit into the ground. Nobody said they are the same right now.

Who ran Detroit into the ground and who is their Dallas peer?

Again I ask, where do your friends think you should live?

[Treasurevalley92]

Originally Posted by Dallaz

Property taxes are high because Dallas has ignored the southern half of the city for decades. The northern half has picked up most of the tax burden due to it having the vast majority of the investment and established businesses/higher income earners. Now, it’s starting to bite the city in the butt. We have to pay higher taxes due to that.

Schools have nothing to do with the city, since they’re independent. The state of Dallas ISD is directly due to the vast majority of higher income people pulling their kids out of the district. Dallas ISD is a majority minority lower income district. When higher income people leave any school district, it suffers greatly. This has been a demographic trend since the 1970s.

If Dallas does become the next Detroit, the whole region would decline. I think many fail to realize this. Like I’ve said in a previous thread, Dallas is the anchor city and the suburbs are extensions of Dallas. If the anchor dies or declines so will the suburbs. You cannot have strong prosperous suburbs with a weak anchor city. Dallas is why companies come to the Metroplex, even if they decide to go the suburbs.

Crime is starting to spike due to Dallas having a shortage of officers. Dallas once had the lowest officer pay in North Texas. Many of the officers left and went to the suburbs for a higher salary.

I wouldn’t go as far as to say Dallas will become the next Detroit/Chicago, but as a native Dallasite and one who has been watching the politics in Dallas city/county. It is something to keep your eye on. I’m personally not pleased with the performance of the city council/mayor and was highly annoyed at last night’s election of our new mayor. I hate to say this...but I feel like they’re trying to run this city into the ground. My opinion can change, if I see what happens when the new mayor takes office. As of now, I’m not very happy.

Man, and with the new Mayor, things are definitely going to get worse. $$$ talks.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by 75214Dad

Who ran Detroit into the ground and who is their Dallas peer?

Again I ask, where do your friends think you should live?

A certain political party has had nearly unanimous control of Detroit for pushing 60 years. The last mayor from the other party left office in 1962.

The same party that drove Detroit into the ditch is in near full control of Dallas now. Clearly more than politics wrecked Detroit but politics have played a key role.