Need Suggestion - Moving from Edison, NJ to Plano, TX (Houston: crime, school district)

[sohail009]

Hello,

I have got an offer from Dallas based company, currently I am living in Piscataway, NJ and have two school going kids. I am getting mix reviews regarding Dallas or Texas about discrimination or things like that. We are Muslim family but little bit conscious about moving as don't want myself, family or kids to get racially discriminated. Can anyone advise how is life in Dallas for Muslims and specially in schools, crimes compare to NJ etc?

Anyone recently moved from NJ to TX (Asian family), how is life compare to NJ? Is it really a good decision to move?

Any suggestion or recommendation?

Thanks.

[Peter5457]

I don't think adults have to worry about discrimination issues. My older daughter felt a little bit compared to CT schools. But there weren't many asians there at all.

If you have kids in school you should have a very good reason for moving. Some kids progress slows and may take a while to get back up to speed. If they have good friends they may not make good friends somewhere else. It happens sometimes.

Wow, so many great college choices just a train ride away from you. Here, out of town means several hundred miles away.

[sohail009]

Originally Posted by Peter5457

If you have kids in school you should have a very good reason for moving. Some kids progress slows and may take a while to get back up to speed. If they have good friends they may not make good friends somewhere else. It happens sometimes.

Wow, so many great college choices just a train ride away from you. Here, there are almost none.

Well, they are in 2 and 3rd grade so I feel they may not going to have a hard time to adjust in new environment and schools. But based on your comments it seems like I am better off wherever I am

[Peter5457]

Originally Posted by sohail009

Well, they are in 2 and 3rd grade so I feel they may not going to have a hard time to adjust in new environment and schools. But based on your comments it seems like I am better off wherever I am

No, wait, there's gonna be like 50 Homer's that will tell you how great it is here. And, I even see some Indian restaurants and temples nowadays. And, you don't even have to go to Jersey City.

And we even have In N Out burgers. Ha, you don't have that in NJ. Although I do miss some White Castles at 1 AM sometimes

[Soccernerd]

I am not Muslim, so I can’t help you if there’s discrimination here or what mosques are like.

Could you tell us where the company is located? That would helpful in recommending specific places to live. You could then look up some mosques in those areas and ask the members about life as a Muslim in Dallas.

Good luck!

[Capitalprophets]

Originally Posted by sohail009

Hello,

I have got an offer from Dallas based company, currently I am living in Piscataway, NJ and have two school going kids. I am getting mix reviews regarding Dallas or Texas about discrimination or things like that. We are Muslim family but little bit conscious about moving as don't want myself, family or kids to get racially discriminated. Can anyone advise how is life in Dallas for Muslims and specially in schools, crimes compare to NJ etc?

Anyone recently moved from NJ to TX (Asian family), how is life compare to NJ? Is it really a good decision to move?

Any suggestion or recommendation?

Thanks.

I moved from North Jersey about year n half ago for similar reasons. Initially, I thought the same way prior to moving but it turned out to be the complete opposite really. Muslims are everywhere here, just like you'd find Hindus and Christians, everyone respects each other. But all in all there is a massive presence of Muslims who are professionals and heavily involved in their communities to keep them safe. There are mosques that directly work with local government authorities to take extra security measures. You'll find North Texas to be way more diverse than it was a few years back due to a huge influx of expats.

North Texas area like Prosper and Frisco are very low in crime and the schools are top notch. I find it here ideal place to raise family compared to NJ. Its a conservative state which I prefer as I'm not a huge fan of liberal ideology.

DM me if you have any questions.

[UnfairPark]

I’ve noticed involvement of local Moslems, Hindus and jews everywhere from city, police, fire station, school district, food pantry, HOA, women’s shelters, library, inter faith projects etc.

Most I met were educated professionals raising families and well integrated in local communities.

Obviously, I can’t comment if they face discrimination or not but it can’t be any more or less than NJ. Texas isn’t some bigot haven, Texans are open minded people but sadly have a reputation of being close minded creatures.

NJ can give you better access to some of the best colleges in this nation. Texas only has one T20 college in Houston and one high rated state school campus in Austin. Acceptance rate for public high school graduates from Texas into top colleges is very low. Your kids are young but do keep this in mind, they grow up fast.

Travel to other states is much easier from NJ. We have to drive for hours just to get out of the state. Housing is more affordable but property taxes are higher. There is no state tax but it may change.

[ChristieP]

A couple of pointers:

You can get almost anywhere in the world via one connecting flight from DFW. DFW is the USA's 4th busiest airport for passengers, while EWR is the 14th busiest. Yes, you will drive more miles here, but that's true of anywhere in the western US.

In addition to Rice and the University of Texas at Austin, Texas also has several very highly rated universities, including Texas A&M (excellent engineering programs and veterinary medicine), University of Texas at Dallas (STEM), and University of Houston (STEM). There are also several Christian universities, including Texas Christian, Baylor, and Southern Methodist, too.

I agree that Texans are open minded people, and we welcome people of all faiths. I don't know where outsiders got the impression that Texas is full of bigots, but that is really untrue and undeserved.

[GigiTer]

Originally Posted by Soccernerd

I am not Muslim, so I can’t help you if there’s discrimination here or what mosques are like.

Could you tell us where the company is located? That would helpful in recommending specific places to live. You could then look up some mosques in those areas and ask the members about life as a Muslim in Dallas.

Good luck!

Good advice here! It will give you peace of mind. Also come visit! While we are not from NJ, we moved here this summer having lived in DE and PA and of course visited NJ. DFW is very diverse with many Islamic Centers throughout the Metro. I understand the reputation of TX you may be hearing, we got lots of comments that were unfavorable of the area before we came too !

If it is a worthwhile job offer than do consider. This area is definitely booming and offers good job supply. Your kids are young and will have no problem adjusting. The biggest difference in their school day will be saying the TX pledge in addition to the US pledge of Allegiance! My new to TX 9th grader was stunned at this first day of school! Lol! Sports are a little different here in the schools too but again yours are so young will not effect them.

There are loads of youth programs here and sports facilities are very nice even for the youngest. It’s a nice place for family life.

[smsuphysics]

Irving is the most Muslim area, but it's more Middle Eastern Muslims. Plano is the most Asian suburb in the DFW. Primarily Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Richardson/Garland has a lot of Indian Muslims around the "TI Corridor" (Texas Instruments). You can check demographics for schools, but I used to teach and 10 years ago Plano high schools except JJ Pearce were 20-33% Asian kids. Plano has more Hindu population of late as a few Hindu temples have popped up in East Plano and Allen. Allen and Plano have become more Japanese of late with Toyota moving in a few years ago.