Dallas vs. San Diego vs. Boston? (Fort Worth, Richardson: credit, neighborhood, high school)

[lookingformyhome]

Hello,

I am considering moving to Dallas because there is a job opportunity there. I am originally from California but I have lived in Florida and New York State too. I have moved around a lot and I want to settle down somewhere.

I am also considering San Diego. I have also thought of the East Coast, maybe Boston.

What I am looking for:

*cultured people
*cultured/humanitarian men (as I would like to find one to marry),
*open minded people,
*a place that's not too cold weatherwise and some sun (I know Boston is cold in the winter but I would still consider it, because to me the East Coast is more "European").
*friendly people or at least open minded and sophisticated
*towns that you can walk in and you don't have to drive everywhere...

I have a feeling Dallas is not like this but I am still considering it because of the job.

Thanks so much for your input!
Lookingformyhome

[Canine*Castle]

My boyfriend (I kind of hate that term for someone my age) is cultured and from Dallas. He's very real, totally unpretentious, one of his greatest qualities. He's a humanitarian as well and always puts the well-being of others before himself. If there is one, there are many more. Yes, you can definitely find these people in Dallas as I'm sure is the case for San Diego and Boston as well.

I think Dallas fits your other criteria too.

[TrueDat]

Originally Posted by lookingformyhome

Hello,

I am considering moving to Dallas because there is a job opportunity there. I am originally from California but I have lived in Florida and New York State too. I have moved around a lot and I want to settle down somewhere.

I am also considering San Diego. I have also thought of the East Coast, maybe Boston.

What I am looking for:

*cultured people
*cultured/humanitarian men (as I would like to find one to marry),
*open minded people,
*a place that's not too cold weatherwise and some sun (I know Boston is cold in the winter but I would still consider it, because to me the East Coast is more "European").
*friendly people or at least open minded and sophisticated
*towns that you can walk in and you don't have to drive everywhere...

I have a feeling Dallas is not like this but I am still considering it because of the job.

Thanks so much for your input!
Lookingformyhome

Well, if feeling "European" is a make-or-break issue, then Dallas is not your town. Dallas is very much an American city that come of age in the 20th century, with all the good and bad that that implies. It doesn't look or feel like the Northeast.

The stereotype of Dallas is that of either a heartless J.R. Ewing, spoiled socialite, or the dreaded $30,000-a-year/creditors-are-coming-for-my-Audi millionaire, and this is partly why you think Dallas is probably not for you. Granted, those stereotypes are based in some truth but they hardly represent everyone or even the majority. If you plumb beneath that cliche, you'll find there is lots of culture here, as you would expect in a metropolitan area of more than six million souls. Like Los Angeles though, it tends to be more diffuse over a wide geographic area and less concentrated than in the Northeast.

And I'm not exactly sure what you mean by culture but if you're talking mainstream fine arts, Dallas will have one of the largest concentration of arts institutions next year with the opening of the new Performing Arts Center (Dallas Center for the Performing Arts) which will join the already existing Meyerson Symphony Hall, Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas Museum of Art, and Booker T. Washington High School for the Visual and Performing Arts. (With the economy, whether there will be anyone around to attend the Performing Arts Center is another issue altogether!).

That's not even including what's going on in Fort Worth (which has its own symphony and opera, who perform at the distinctively designed Bass Hall, Bass Hall, Performing Arts Fort Worth, and the acclaimed Museum of Modern Art, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, one of the largest contemporary-art collections in the country). Or Richardson which has the Eisemann Center (Eisemann Center | Tickets |), or at any of the universities such as University of North Texas in Denton (world renowned for its music department which has had the likes of Norah Jones and Don Henley as students), SMU in Dallas, or TCU in Fort Worth.

If you're talking about a more underground, indie art scene, it's here -- and apparently vital enough that the Santa Fe-based art zine THE decided to start a DFW edition, after launching an LA edition awhile back (THE Magazine - Dallas Fort Worth). Is it Manhattan? Probably not but then neither is your other choice, San Diego (and I like SD a lot, too).

As for the "open-minded, humanitarian" people, do you mean sorta left-of-center activist types -- those more associated with the stereotypes of coastal California and Boston? Or do you mean open-minded, humanitarian people of any political persuasion? If it's the former, try looking in East Dallas, Lakewood, Oak Lawn, or Oak Cliff where you'll run into lots of folks such as this. I haven't seen a breakdown for the presidential election results by neighborhood but -- since Obama carried Dallas by something like 57-42 -- my bet is that his victory in these areas was even more decisive. There's a large Unitarian congregation in Dallas (First Unitarian Church of Dallas | Welcome!) and what is claimed to be the largest gay church in the US, Cathedral of Hope (Cathedral of Hope - a congregation of the United Church of Christ in D)

As for driving, where will your job be? If it's on the DART light-rail line and you live near a DART station (DART.org - Dallas Area Rapid Transit), you may be able to keep driving to a minimum. But, again, to access many of the things the area has to offer, it's still best to have a car here because, as stated above, everything is so spread out. However, DART is expanding rapidly, with a major expansion opening next year. So things are improving in this regard.

Hope this answers some of your questions. You should come down for the job interview, stay a few extra days, and get a feel for the area and don't just go by stereotypes of what you've heard or what you read on this forum.

[stan4]

Not sure you could have picked three more different cities.

The only thing that Dallas does not fit on your list is the 'walking around' thing, though my brother and some friends live downtown, and they walk to work, restaurants, clubs, bars, shops, etc. I have friends who live in the suburbs, but they use the light rail to go south to get to work.

Boston gets very cold, San Diego not so much, Dallas somewhere in the middle with winter temps ranging from 80 degrees to 1 degree. Little bit of a fluctuation there, eh?

The three cities fit the rest of criteria - there are people from all over the world in all 3, there is culture, open-mindedness, a variety of political and religious beliefs, etc. You just have to choose which one fits you the best. No way to find that out besides visiting.

[ctrres]

Jobs are at a premium anywhere in the US--if you're working today you're lucky. It really doesn't matter in which major metro area that occurs, especially if there's more than a few miles of rail transit.

Boston and Dallas are fairly evenly matched in mainstream arts. (Fort Worth art museums rival NYC, their only real US peers.) For a few years in the recent past Dallas had a far edgier and imaginative underground arts scene than NYC. Boston historically has almost utterly lacked one; it's a provincial, inward looking region in comparison to almost anywhere else. Texas, and most sections of the midwest and south, have sardonic artistic underbellies that just don't exist on the coasts (which have historically fed on the talent).

The only thing European about Boston is the street layout and urban density. It's a great walking and mass transit city, which is also a good way to meet people.

Because it's on the Gulf Stream of the Atlantic, Boston doesn't actually get very cold, and can frequently get oppressively humid in the summers. The temperature averages are maybe 7 or 8 degrees lower than Dallas year-round. Most of the winter action is inland state--Worcester and west beyond.

[FarNorthDallas]

I have lived in two of the three - Dallas and San Diego - and I don't think either one is what you are looking for, except for the "not too cold" weatherwise item. Dallas does have some friendly people no question, but those nice people are not necessarily open-minded, cultural, or sophisticated.

[Bostonian08]

Originally Posted by ctrres

Boston and Dallas are fairly evenly matched in mainstream arts. (Fort Worth art museums rival NYC, their only real US peers.) For a few years in the recent past Dallas had a far edgier and imaginative underground arts scene than NYC. Boston historically has almost utterly lacked one; it's a provincial, inward looking region in comparison to almost anywhere else. Texas, and most sections of the midwest and south, have sardonic artistic underbellies that just don't exist on the coasts (which have historically fed on the talent).

The only thing European about Boston is the street layout and urban density. It's a great walking and mass transit city, which is also a good way to meet people.

Because it's on the Gulf Stream of the Atlantic, Boston doesn't actually get very cold, and can frequently get oppressively humid in the summers. The temperature averages are maybe 7 or 8 degrees lower than Dallas year-round. Most of the winter action is inland state--Worcester and west beyond.

I have to disagree with a few of your points here. There is no comparison whatsoever between NYC and DFW, much less Ft Worth regarding museums.

The weather in Boston is significantly colder in the winter and significantly cooler in the summer.

[aceplace]

Originally Posted by FarNorthDallas

I have lived in two of the three - Dallas and San Diego - and I don't think either one is what you are looking for, except for the "not too cold" weatherwise item. Dallas does have some friendly people no question, but those nice people are not necessarily open-minded, cultural, or sophisticated.

Hmmmmm.... I don't know of any studies that measure openmindedness or sophisticated, or "cultured". In fact, I don't know if we can agree on what those words mean.

Also, is open-mindedness a good thing? Wouldn't it be just another form of gullibility? Like being open-minded to the possibility of getting rich from a Nigerian e-mail? Most of us develop our own philosophy of life at an early age and keep it for a lifetime... we may be tolerant of other people's views but we don't copy the opinions of the people we encounter.

[$DFW8$]

Originally Posted by Bostonian08

I have to disagree with a few of your points here. There is no comparison whatsoever between NYC and DFW, much less Ft Worth regarding museums.

The weather in Boston is significantly colder in the winter and significantly cooler in the summer.

That is definitely true. NYC and DFW are like night and day opposites. I am from NYC and have also lived ln LA. I have also been to Boston many times and have some family there. First off, Dallas would be the best one to move to right now because of the economy. I am in NYC, Boston, LA, and pretty much all the big cities in the US all the time for business trips and family visits all the time and Dallas is definitely doing very well compared to other big cities. There is more job oppertunities here and the cost of living is lower here as well. The weather in Texas overall is just weird though! When we first moved here from NYC many years ago, I was always sick because of the weather changes. One day it can be 70-80 degrees outside and the next it could be 40 degrees! Generally speaking though, it is not very cold here and it is sunny a lot. As far as friendliness of people, Dallas is going to have more friendly people out of Boston and San Diego. I was overwhelmed at the friendliness of people when we first moved here. They will actually stop and say "hello", instead of just rushing by you like they do up in the Northeast.

As far as public transportation goes, Dallas does not rate very well. We have DART and the TRE here, but that's pretty much it. I was so use to public transportation in NYC(subways,taxis, buses) and then I came here and realized that Dallas is far behind as far as that goes. you will most likely need a vehice in Dallas to get around. But it is possible to go without one, but you will need to live in the city of Dallas itself or atleast not outside of 635.

So overall, Dallas is the best choice in my opinion.

Hope this helps!

[dvlpr]

Originally Posted by Bostonian08

I have to disagree with a few of your points here. There is no comparison whatsoever between NYC and DFW, much less Ft Worth regarding museums.

The weather in Boston is significantly colder in the winter and significantly cooler in the summer.

Actually, the point regarding the quality of Fort Worth museums is mostly correct. Strange, I know, for "cow town".