better to live Dallas or Tampa (West, Miami: oceanfront, condo, house)

[BstYet2Be]

My argument would be based on this alone:

Hurricanes? Tampa - a season of possibility from June to October
.................Dallas - None

Until you've lived through a season of these do you realize the pain in the butt they really are... even if they never hit your area... the preparation for the possibility that they might is all-consuming... and may be repeated throughout the season... watching the news 24/7, buying and packing up supplies, medicines, kids, animals and autos, trying to find somewhere else to stay and evacuating, along w/thousands of other people, etc. And, if they DO impact your area... the utter devastation... not just your home or community... but for miles around with no basic public services for days on end.

And, while someone may counter with the tornado season in Dallas... and if even one actually hit your home or community... there are still people and services available almost immediately in the area to help out... not the case with hurricanes.

[**NoodLes**]

Originally Posted by south-to-west

I understand the negatives of Dallas not being on the coast. However you're beyond soft and utterly hopeless as a North American if you can't handle a Dallas winter.

Winters in Florida are the best times down there. I am aware that the winters could be much, much worse but everything is relative. Moderator cut: personal attack
Moderator cut: bashing

[rosscountry]

Originally Posted by south-to-west

From someone who isn't a resident of either, Dallas is hands down the better of the two. Better economy, better quality of life, better schools, more amenities, and more diversions. Tampa has the beautiful gulfside location, but Dallas offers more in regards to quality of life--as well as choices regarding the type of community in which you choose to settle. If you want the beach, you can catch cheap direct flights to almost anywhere in the country from DFW Int'l.

If you want the beach- Live by the beach. Who would fly in if it is that important and within reach just live there.

to the OP. At the end of the day you have to look at what lifestyle you want for your family. The more you are in line with that then the better your quality of life will be.

if you don't have an affinity for a year round warm climate, the ocean, then there is less of a reason to pick tampa over dallas.

the overall economy is better in Dallas, lots of people, lots of families and all of the activities that you can think of for a landlocked town. Its like an adult disney world.

But- a lot of the things you can do in Dallas you can also find in tampa.

one thing i hear a lot of and have personal experience with is so far the healthcare in dallas from pediatrics to dental to the hospital ER is superior in Dallas.

there is not much of a cultural struggle in Dallas as it is in many NFL towns in Florida as well.

[rosscountry]

Originally Posted by new2sa

My argument would be based on this alone:

Hurricanes? Tampa - a season of possibility from June to October
.................Dallas - None

Until you've lived through a season of these do you realize the pain in the butt they really are... even if they never hit your area... the preparation for the possibility that they might is all-consuming... and may be repeated throughout the season... watching the news 24/7, buying and packing up supplies, medicines, kids, animals and autos, trying to find somewhere else to stay and evacuating, along w/thousands of other people, etc. And, if they DO impact your area... the utter devastation... not just your home or community... but for miles around with no basic public services for days on end.

And, while someone may counter with the tornado season in Dallas... and if even one actually hit your home or community... there are still people and services available almost immediately in the area to help out... not the case with hurricanes.

---
you hit it on the head. if you truly love the south florida lifestyle you don't let the storms keep you away forever.

The people who really love it there just enjoyed 2 straight weeks of 80 degree weather from Christmas to new years and have forgotten all about those storms. South FL voluntary storm amnesia.

if you have the resources do as some lucky floridians get to do and put up the shutters and leave dodge for the week(end).

---

if you love 2 seasons summer and winfall(winterfall: 30 to 40 degree temperature swings during winter months) come to Dallas.


Tampa:
10 Day Weather Forecast for Tampa, FL - weather.com

Dallas:
10 Day Weather Forecast for Dallas, TX - weather.com

[DaveG99]

Everyone has different tastes. You cant say a place is better than an other because you like it better. Its really an individual thing and the person needs to visit both places in order to decide.

And I love Florida and lived there for 14 years. But I do like the colder temps in Dallas. It feels good to have cold weather for a few days.


This is just one of the many reasons I LOVE Florida. It was taken in Ft Lauderdale this year on one of my trips to Florida.

[KittySkyfish]

I lived in the Clearwater/St. Pete area for four years and I thought Tampa was pretty nice - generally speaking. I knew many people who were very happy living there and some were clawing their way out. The same can be said for Dallas.

The Dallas metro area is much larger than Tampa. Tampa feels pretty quaint by comparison, but that can be a good thing! Both areas have homes that can be expensive or affordable, but you can generally get more square footage in the Dallas area. Make sure you get an idea of homeowners insurance rates, too. I remember I paid more in FL than I do here. Finding a new home depends on where in Dallas/Tampa you'll be working and if you want to commute. Both cities have nicer older districts that are great to live in if commuting is an issue.

There is a lot more to do with your toddler in Tampa, especially outdoors. You can take an hour's drive and go to WDW, or see the beach (there are many!), or go to several nice aquariums in the area, or snorkel in the Crystal River (when your toddler gets older of course!). Busch Gardens is IMO better than Six Flags because it's part zoo and the grounds were always clean and attractive.

Check on the schools. I don't *think* you'd have a problem there but Dallas has some excellent schools.

Dallas has the better airport. If you'll be flying often, DFW airport has the greater number of direct flights.

The shopping is better here in Dallas. lol.

Bottom line - both cities are nice to live in and you won't go wrong with either choice.

I need to add: if your transfer happens to place you in St. Pete or Clearwater...don't move there. Both areas are noticably more "retirement centerish" and overall shabbier. That's where we lived and thought Tampa was much better by comparison.

[KittySkyfish]

Oh, there's more rain in Tampa. In the summer, it would often start to thunderstorm about 4:30 in the afternoon. Yes, right in time for my commute home! And it is verrrrrrrrrrrry humid in the summer.

[grindin]

Originally Posted by KittySkyfish

I need to add: if your transfer happens to place you in St. Pete or Clearwater...don't move there. Both areas are noticably more "retirement centerish" and overall shabbier. That's where we lived and thought Tampa was much better by comparison.

I lived in Largo over in Pinellas County, between St. Pete and Clearwater. The locals used to lovingly refer to it as "Larghetto". I HATED Pinellas County! It was drab and too retirement centric just like you said. I liked Tampa better, it was faster paced (but still pretty 'slow' compared to Miami or Orlando), and more "city-centric". But partying in Ybor got old after a few months and I knew very few people outside of work. Also, even though 3 million people live in the Tampa Bay area, the area felt really small townish to me - the area felt more like a collection of mid-size cities and towns, rather than one cohesive metropolitan area. People pretty much stuck to their own areas. St. Pete people didn't associate with Tampa people and vice versa.

I live in Atlanta now and like it much, much, much better. I liked Tampa okay, but not enough to really be compelled to move back there.

As a native of San Diego, I did like the access to the beach, but after awhile, my trips to the beach became rarer and rarer once the novelty wore off. It would get way too crowded and it became more of a hassle.

Also, the scenery there is more similar to Houston than it is Dallas -- Coastal prairie/forest, with an occasional swamp here and there. The water views are beautiful. Whenever I was stuck in Traffic on the bridges, at least I had the water to look at. I know some people take offense to this, but the scenery around Dallas leaves a lot to be desired in comparison.

The year we moved there, we went through 4 hurricanes back-to-back. Dealing with hurricane season can be a huge pain.

Also, they don't say "Florida pays in sunshine" for nothing. Hope it's a high paying job that you're getting, because Florida is NOTORIOUS for being a low-paying state, and the Cost of Living is way more expensive now than it was in the 90's. When we moved, the big issue was the taxes and how expensive homeowners insurance was. I think the situation has been somewhat corrected, but being in a hurricane zone, the insurance is still going to be high. Also, home prices have fallen, BUT housing prices are still kind of high for what you get compared to Dallas.

The culture options were pretty good for the size of the area. Lots of museums (RUN, don't walk to the Salvador Dali Museum!) in the area, and Sarasota is close enough to drive down to for even more museums.

To wrap this up, I will have to co-sign the other posters, figure out your needs before you make this decision. If being by the beach is something that is hands-down important, and you abhor temps below 50 degrees, Tampa Bay may be a better fit for you. Otherwise, Dallas has more to offer in terms of job options, housing options and travel options (D/FW is practically in the middle of the country, so you're within 3-4 hrs flying distance to most cities in the country, vs. Tampa) and whatnot. So you can always fly to Tampa whenever you have a hankering for Clearwater Beach.

[KittySkyfish]

Originally Posted by grindin

I lived in Largo over in Pinellas County, between St. Pete and Clearwater. The locals used to lovingly refer to it as "Larghetto". I HATED Pinellas County! It was drab and too retirement centric just like you said. I liked Tampa better, it was faster paced (but still pretty 'slow' compared to Miami or Orlando), and more "city-centric".

Ha! That's where I lived! Larghetto...love it. My husband spent a few years stationed in Panama and said Largo (and much of Pinellas) felt very similar. I don't think he was being kind.

[grindin]

Originally Posted by KittySkyfish

Ha! That's where I lived! Larghetto...love it. My husband spent a few years stationed in Panama and said Largo (and much of Pinellas) felt very similar. I don't think he was being kind.

Largo wasn't that bad depending on where you were though. Also, they were aggressively annexing unincorporated areas that were pretty nice.