What is the transition like moving from Phoenix, AZ to the DFW, TX?

[phoeilbert]

Update Post:

I thought I was going to be getting a job offer in the DFW area. Turns out they gave it to somebody who was a better fit. As of now, I will be staying in the Phoenix area.

I also did some more deep digging about Dallas, and I don't think it's a place I can call home. I'm a desert person and love dry air, no mosquitos, the smell of the desert, no rain, and overall desert climate. Dallas is too wet and humid and has a lot of weather catastrophes.

I'd rather stay in Phoenix where I don't have to worry about natural disasters or about hail storms with hail the size of baseballs. I can't deal with bad and terrible weather. Dallas also gets 36 inches of rain a year. No thank you.

With this said and the job not working out, it's a sign from God and the spirits that watch over me that I should stay where I'm at. Also too, the Phoenix area does have friendly people. I've had good experiences there. You just have to find the right areas. Gilbert/Queen Creek is probably the friendliest area of the Phoenix Valley.

I did more research and asked people who have been to Dallas, all have said the drivers are much worse than Phoenix drivers and the road rage is worse. I hear Dallas and LA have worse drivers than Phoenix. Makes me think Phoenix drivers are not all that bad.

So I'm staying in Phoenix.

Thank you all for educating me about Texas though. This thread is good for somebody who wants to live in Dallas.

[A.Typical.Girl]

Congrats on your decision to stay. That's important to be in a place you like.

I thought I might be headed that way, too, but was offered a job in Tampa (not DFW) & am leaving Des Moines in 1-2 days. I dislike intense humidity, but prefer an ocean, so it's my best fit, too.

Good luck to you... another job will transpire, if that's what you'd like. TY for your update!

[Leonard123]

It always sounded like a great place to live. I'd love to visit some time. I looked at the housing there online and talked to some people there, and it appears to be pretty much identical to what we have here in terms of value for the money. I love the stucco though and the low maintenance landscaping. I'm guessing people put cacti and yucca in front of their houses rather than trees and bushes. It sounds very nice!

[phoeilbert]

Yes it is. The suburbs are very nice. I always prefer the east valley, specifically Chandler, Gilbert, Queen Creek. Most family friendly areas are in the southeast valley.

[Mommalot]

I agree that wet versus dry cold are different. I spent most of my adult life on the north coast in redwood country. Wet cold can get old! Yet, snow cold is no picnic either! I love Colorado summers and fall, but winters are too much for me. Considering Texas but have concerns about acclimating to the humidity. Interested in hearing about that transition from folks coming from Colorado, more arid places. Thanks!

[RJ312]

Originally Posted by phoeilbert

Update Post:

I thought I was going to be getting a job offer in the DFW area. Turns out they gave it to somebody who was a better fit. As of now, I will be staying in the Phoenix area.

Always good to see update posts like this.

Originally Posted by biafra4life

The impression I've gotten is that for women, it can be VERY hard to find a group of female friends here. It works best if you either went to high school or college here then you have a ready made network, but for people coming from out of town with no network it can be rough. You said you were older and that can be another complication. My coworker was in her late 30s moving here, and one of the problems for her was that most of the women in her age group were married with children as opposed to her single and childess, so the interests were just too different. Hopefully none of that happens to you, but just bear that in mind if moving here.

While I think what you described is more applicable for women than men, this experience would also happen for men moving to a new city around age 30 or after. Men that are married with children don't tend to have male friends who are single and childless. Moving to a new city around age 30 or later with no network is going to be tough for either sex.

[TheOverdog]

I'd rather stay in Phoenix where I don't have to worry about natural disasters or about hail storms with hail the size of baseballs. I can't deal with bad and terrible weather. Dallas also gets 36 inches of rain a year. No thank you.

If you are a person who can deal with Phoenix being 120F at 10am for three months and the whole place smelling vaguely of being on fire, more power to you. Dallas, even in the dead of summer, is basically the opposite of that.

[Jo-nathan]

There is a lot to do here in Dallas but I have visited friends in Arizona and I find that Phoenix has a lot more to do for families. I suppose that if you enjoy the nightlife and going to events then Dallas has a ton of that stuff going on with concerts, orchestras, and other artistic things of that nature. In my case, our family really enjoyed the Food and fun things to do in Phoenix but we do have Top Golf, a few axe-throwing venue’s and a lot of great bowling alleys plus several other things to do in Dallas like an aquarium, the botanic gardens, and the Dallas Zoo.

[urbancuriosity]

I find it helpful to come up with a list of important criteria for evaluating locations. Those criteria will be different for each person and, even if identical, be weighted differently. Some of the examples for me are (in no particular order):

(1) Healthcare availability
(2) Weather
(3) Allergies
(4) Ethnic diversity
(5) Decent airport
(6) Walkability
(7) Internet quality
(8) Public transportation

No place has everything but at least you have some metrics to go by.