Love Texas (Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington: real estate, insurance, how much)

[Mikes Mom]

I am from the NY/NJ area and have just come back from my first visit to the Dallas area. My husband has been researching areas to relocate for some time and has been harassing me about moving to the Dallas! He is tired of the cost of living, rushed lifestyle and plain old rudeness of where we live. We have a 5 year old and another on the way so he wants to make a big change. I had never really considered moving away from where I am, but finally gave in and gave my husband a chance....

Much to my surprise, I loved every minute in Texas. From the moment we stepped of the plane, I could not have asked for more. Every single person we interacted with with polite, pleasant and accommodating. I had no idea of how much culture and activity there is in Dallas. I had a preconception of tumbleweed and cactus... boy was I wrong. We did some real estate hunting and I am completely floored! We looked in the Plano/Frisco area and it is literally 1/3 of the price of housing where I am. The schools seem really superior to my town as well. You guys really seem to love shopping around here to! Love it!! I read some other threads where folks mentioned Dallas rudeness or snobs...I did not see that at all...maybe I am used to the "nastier" norm of NY...

Anyway, we are planning another visit next month to do some more research. I am sure I will be posting more often as we investigate and hope you can give me insight as we go on.

My general priorities are: 1) excellent schools 2) family oriented area 3) reasonable commute to Dallas (we currently own our own business and can relocate it anywhere, however, in case a further downturn in the market would need the option to find other work) 4) house prices max 350-400k 5) convenient shopping/activities

In the meantime, any general advice or direction would be appreciated!

[getmeoutofhere]

Come back in July / August before you decide to move here.

[blueskies49]

Well, yes, we do have about 5-6 months of summer with the worst of the heat and humidity being in July and August. I don't know much about the Dallas area as I live and play in Grand Prairie/Arlington (although I work in west Dallas) but the Lakewood area of Dallas would probably fit most of your criteria. Rockwall/Heath is another good area although where you work in Dallas will make a big difference in the commute from there. Alot of families are happy in Plano and Frisco if you like the suburbs. Northwest and south Arlington as well as northwest and south Grand Prairie are good neighborhoods but you'll find more variety of shopping in the southern areas of these two cities. The commute to Dallas from there, though, would be long unless you left early enough. Grapevine and Southlake are also good.

Come on down and do some investigating!

[texgrl]

Im not sure where you are living now but most of Texas is friendly. Having been born and raised in Texas I love it. I think I can shed some light on the rumors you have heard regarding people in Dallas being rude and snobs....if you venture out into smaller towns in Texas the people are extremely nice so compared to some in Dallas (not all) it can appear they are rude. If you choose to live outside of Dallas in a smaller town you really need to prepare yourself for the change of lifestyle and culture. Texans values, beliefs and traditions can be very different from other areas of the country. Your visit will not reflect that, you must live there to see it. My family is from a long line of ranchers from small towns. It was a great life one Im getting back to soon (I live in a large city now). In regards to your children, its a GREAT place to raise a family. Good Luck!

[getmeoutofhere]

Texans are far from rude. I love the New England area, been there many time, and I can tell you that Texans will be the polar opposite of people in that area. They will talk to you anywhere, and are very warm and friendly.

Dallas tends to be a very keep-up-with-the-Joneses type of town, and it can be rather shallow. Lot's of judging a book by its cover. But the people are still really nice, even for that.

Lakewood is a great communtiy, but some of the houses will stretch your budget, depending on which street and house size. I live in Lantana, which is about 45 - 60 minutes north of Dallas. It is definitely the kind of area you are looking for, and $350K buys a whole lot of house. All new, all very nice. Shopping is right down the road, but it's still more of a country area that some of the other places around. It's a master-planned golf course community, and has its own elementary and middle schools, and high schools forthcoming. I am actually looking to move closer to where you are, but in the meantime, Lantana is a very nice place to live.

My only worry would be the commute. It would depend on where in Dallas you needed to be. North Dallas would be easy, downtown not so much. It's about as far away as Frisco, just more to the west.

Do be aware that the summers are quite unpleasant, and some things, such as a white Christmas, will be extremely rare. Also, your property taxes will rise exponentially.

[kymba]

Hi Mikes Mom,

For exemplary schools and family friendly areas, you should check out Frisco, North/West Plano. The proximity to Downtown Dallas is about 25-30 mins. There's plenty of shopping and entertainment and both are still growing at alarming rates. Frisco has surpassed the 100,000 residents mark, but still has a small town feel. Houses are selling a little less than 2007 but resale hasn't taken a nose dive like other areas of the country. There are plenty of wonderful areas to live in. Try to avoid South Dallas if you can, there are some good areas, but the schools are not so great. North Texas is a great place to live and raise a family. Just be prepared for some wild weather, from awesome Thunderstorms, to 1 day ice storms, to over the top temperatures with humidity in the summer but mild winters. Overall, I'm sure your family will be fine here in Big "D".

[johnhbnn]

Mike's Mom,
I relocated here from Valley Stream in Long Island, NY four years ago. The people are nothing like NY. They actually hold the door for you in the supermarket and wait for you to cross the street instead of trying to run you down. In any city in the world you will find the "jonses" but I have not noticed that here, maybe in some parts of Dallas but not in the suburbs. Religion is big here as well, which helps the kids grow up proper. I couldn't be happier. And yes, everything is soo much cheaper...amazing! Try Frisco.

[WillysB]

Hey mom, sounds like some good tips on previous posts, lots of options for you. Just about anywhere in the northern part of Dallas county would be suitable and if you go further north into other counties you'll save on insurance and taxes.

As far as rudeness and/or snobs, that's an old Dallas cover story. Historically, Dallas and Fort Worth were competitive with one another 'for attention', probly more politically than anything. The resultant spawn is DFW. There's supposed to be a hatchet buried under a control tower somewhere. Most of the people behind those attitudes are gone or dead and now it's just a big happy metro. And shopping, yes. Two words, Neiman Marcus. Or as the poor folk say, Needless Markup.

About the heat and humidity scares. Yes, it gets hot but with a shade tree, a breeze and a mint julep it'll just be a nice afternoon poolside. The key here is having finally drug Dallas out of the nineteen sixties, most places have air conditioning. Kids love to play in the heat and humidity and adults.... well, just keep the AC going. And it cuts down on needs to dustmop. If you have a car that does NOT have AC, leave it there. No one here will want it.

So, the next thing you need to do is go to the Texas Travel website and order your FREE copy of the Texas travel guide. Over 200 glossy pages of things Texas. Get it now, before you move here so by time you get here you'll know where you are. It FREE ! ! ! There's a link over on the right side to make your request.

[**NoodLes**]

Believe me it is a complete opposite from anything on the east coast, at first its cool but many of your old tendencies and experiences do not work well in the Dallas area. If you've lived a long time in NY/NJ it will be quite a shock actually living here then visiting.

[ebuch]

What is the culture shock that you will experience from living on east coast? I have lived in Delaware my entire life so it has more of that small town feel..