Living in Dallas (Houston, Irving, Richardson: home, promotional, neighborhood)

[meknaak]

Originally Posted by Dallas native

The Dallas metro area is just so huge that it is really difficult to answer your question without knowing more about your budget/interests/priorities. Based on a central location, then you can find lots of apartments in central Dallas (Downtown/Uptown/Knox-Henderson). What are you looking for as far as price and neighborhood vibe? Do schools matter?

Well, we have 5 cats and an outside dog so we would have to have a hous et o rent. Plus I didn't mention that we are looking in the Dallad/FTworth area. We would like to go cheap to rent - under 1000.00 per month. Willing to make sacrifices temporarily until we find a house. Our priority is to just find a house to rent that will take our animals - even willing to live in a not quite so nice neighborhood temporarily. Does that help?

[cwhodatiz]

Interesting reply Irving girl and aceplace...I have been here for a month maybe. You are right. There is a lot to do. I do understand what others are saying about the coast. Honestly, I have not been out west yet, but there is nothing that compares to the East coast. It's just different. I was born in Ct and I lived in Ohio for a large part of my life. I have always longed to go home but the cost of living there is astronomical. I do visit often. I am always telling my daughter about jamaican food (beef patties and coco bread, oxtails, curry chicken and rice). I am always telling her about the jamican parades, Chinatown, the puertorican festivals, grinders, ny pizza, irish festival, polish festivals, etc. I can remember going to the city for the weekends. We also went to Jersey, Pennsylvania, etc on day trips. I can remember growing up in Ct. I had white (irish, polish, etc) friends, jamaican friends, jewish friends, african friends, etc. I believe that's what some people meant when they talk about culture. It may be here, but I have not seen it yet. Again, admittedly Dallas does have alot to offer. What's offered in a city is usually a reflection of the culture that exists there. Its just an adjustment coming from a place that has everything you can imagine culturally speaking to a place that is not as diverse. There are whites, blacks, and mexicans here. So far I have seen little else. I was in Chicago for
a week before I moved here. There is an area there that when one drives down the street you think you are in China. Everything is Cinese. The stores, the restaurants, etc. My uncle called it little China but he is in his 70's and I am sure that is not what most Chicagoans call it. Where can you find that in the Dallas area? Where can I go in Dallas and get a beef patty? When is the puertorican parade here (not mexian)? When is there an Ethopian festival (that everyone attends...whether white, black, ethiopian, or asian)? Anyways...just some thought on the matter. I look forward to exploring all that Dallas has to offer.

[lpepping]

There is a korea town around the area of Royal and 35. This is in northwest dallas. Lots of restaurants, bakeries, retail, kareoke bars etc. It isn't as large as LA's korea town but it is decently sized.

[Dallas native]

Originally Posted by meknaak

Well, we have 5 cats and an outside dog so we would have to have a hous et o rent. Plus I didn't mention that we are looking in the Dallad/FTworth area. We would like to go cheap to rent - under 1000.00 per month. Willing to make sacrifices temporarily until we find a house. Our priority is to just find a house to rent that will take our animals - even willing to live in a not quite so nice neighborhood temporarily. Does that help?

Having that many pets will definitely narrow your options, but I'm sure you can find a decent house somewhere in the greater DFW area for under $1000. Again, the entire DFW area is huge. Dallas County combined with Tarrant County (where Ft. Worth is located) contains over 1800 square miles. That includes 2 major cities and numerous suburbs in an area that is larger than the state of Rhode Island. You might try looking at ads on Craigslist to find what's available in the various parts of DFW. Good luck.

[aceplace]

Originally Posted by cwhodatiz

Interesting reply Irving girl and aceplace...I have been here for a month maybe. You are right. There is a lot to do. I do understand what others are saying about the coast. Honestly, I have not been out west yet, but there is nothing that compares to the East coast. It's just different. I was born in Ct and I lived in Ohio for a large part of my life. I have always longed to go home but the cost of living there is astronomical. I do visit often. I am always telling my daughter about jamaican food (beef patties and coco bread, oxtails, curry chicken and rice). I am always telling her about the jamican parades, Chinatown, the puertorican festivals, grinders, ny pizza, irish festival, polish festivals, etc. I can remember going to the city for the weekends. We also went to Jersey, Pennsylvania, etc on day trips. I can remember growing up in Ct. I had white (irish, polish, etc) friends, jamaican friends, jewish friends, african friends, etc. I believe that's what some people meant when they talk about culture. It may be here, but I have not seen it yet. Again, admittedly Dallas does have alot to offer. What's offered in a city is usually a reflection of the culture that exists there. Its just an adjustment coming from a place that has everything you can imagine culturally speaking to a place that is not as diverse. There are whites, blacks, and mexicans here. So far I have seen little else. I was in Chicago for
a week before I moved here. There is an area there that when one drives down the street you think you are in China. Everything is Cinese. The stores, the restaurants, etc. My uncle called it little China but he is in his 70's and I am sure that is not what most Chicagoans call it. Where can you find that in the Dallas area? Where can I go in Dallas and get a beef patty? When is the puertorican parade here (not mexian)? When is there an Ethopian festival (that everyone attends...whether white, black, ethiopian, or asian)? Anyways...just some thought on the matter. I look forward to exploring all that Dallas has to offer.

There is a Chinese settlement with Chinese shops in Richardson, east of US75, between Belt Line and Arapaho roads. It may be small compared to San Francisco, but it is there. Another poster mentioned a Koreatown. There is a considerable South Asian presence in DFW, and the area has a Pakistani station and a Hindi station on AM, and a 24 hour Hindi station on FM. There are ethnic and international festivals in Dallas as well... the Irish music festival in March is pretty enormous and usually has several stages going at once. The area on Park lane west of Greenville Avenue is colloquially called "Little Ethiopia".

There is a place in McKinney in the greater Stonebridge Ranch area that seems to be a recreation of a Croatian waterfront town. A Dallas developer visited the resort town of Supetar in Dalmatia and loved the place, so he decided to replicate it in the Dallas area. It is not only the town itself, and a harbor, but a ship in the harbor. The town is called Adriatica. The website is http://www.adriaticamckinney.com/newsletter.asp

When you move to a different region, you can't really expect to duplicate everything you had before. Every place has its own identity and mix of offerings. Personally, I can't imagine feeling a loss due to the absence of Puerto Rican culture in Dallas.

[ufcrules1]

Lets be honest here. Its not a little bit cheaper than the coasts, its a HELL OF A LOT CHEAPER here! We moved back in November 08 from Maryland and bought a house here in Castle Hills (North Dallas). Our house was 350k but a similar house in Maryland would be 600 to 700k. Most people here have their heads on straight, they have a job that pays the bills and lets them live modestly. They don't focus their lives on their jobs in the same manner people on the east coast do. Since their cost of living is so much lower, it allows them to spend quality time with their families.

Dallas has tons to offer, pretty much the same as any big city. Tons of restaurants, pro stadiums, restaurants, shopping, lakes, jobs, cheap groceries,SUNNY DAYS(Tons and tons of sunny days). Dallas doesn't have nice beaches, and it doesn't have a lot of pretty scenery.. that is true. However, the ridiculously low cost of living is just too hard to pass up. My wife and I are in heaven here compared to the east coast. How many things do people really need? Ask yourself how much you really need?

In Maryland we paid 13k in state/local income taxes, here we get all that money back. Yes, our property taxes are high ($8500) but the 13k we don't have to pay anymore pays our property taxes and puts money back in our pocket. In MD we had to pay the 13k for state and local taxes, and we had to pay $6k for our property taxes. So you do the math.. 13k+6k = 19k total state and local in MD, and TX is $8500.00. A savings of $10,500.00. This is not an exaggeration, this is fact.

When you move from the coasts to the Dallas area, your pace of life will slow down a bit and you will be able to enjoy yourself more. Parents here spend so much quality time with their kids its unreal!. Most people know how to be courteous and respectful here. Holding the doors for ladies, letting them go in the elevators first, using the words yes maam, yes sir to their elders, etc. These are things that have pretty much gone away on the coasts. People have stronger morals and values here as well. Those of you who never had strong morals or values won't know what I'm talking about. Who cares if someone goes to church or wants to live an honest life? I see a few people here who act like thats a bad thing.

All in all we LOVE it here compared to the east coast.

[TrueDat]

Originally Posted by cwhodatiz

Interesting reply Irving girl and aceplace...I have been here for a month maybe. You are right. There is a lot to do. I do understand what others are saying about the coast. Honestly, I have not been out west yet, but there is nothing that compares to the East coast. It's just different. I was born in Ct and I lived in Ohio for a large part of my life. I have always longed to go home but the cost of living there is astronomical. I do visit often. I am always telling my daughter about jamaican food (beef patties and coco bread, oxtails, curry chicken and rice). I am always telling her about the jamican parades, Chinatown, the puertorican festivals, grinders, ny pizza, irish festival, polish festivals, etc. I can remember going to the city for the weekends. We also went to Jersey, Pennsylvania, etc on day trips. I can remember growing up in Ct. I had white (irish, polish, etc) friends, jamaican friends, jewish friends, african friends, etc. I believe that's what some people meant when they talk about culture. It may be here, but I have not seen it yet. Again, admittedly Dallas does have alot to offer. What's offered in a city is usually a reflection of the culture that exists there. Its just an adjustment coming from a place that has everything you can imagine culturally speaking to a place that is not as diverse. There are whites, blacks, and mexicans here. So far I have seen little else. I was in Chicago for
a week before I moved here. There is an area there that when one drives down the street you think you are in China. Everything is Cinese. The stores, the restaurants, etc. My uncle called it little China but he is in his 70's and I am sure that is not what most Chicagoans call it. Where can you find that in the Dallas area? Where can I go in Dallas and get a beef patty? When is the puertorican parade here (not mexian)? When is there an Ethopian festival (that everyone attends...whether white, black, ethiopian, or asian)? Anyways...just some thought on the matter. I look forward to exploring all that Dallas has to offer.

Unlike other regions, North Texas does a poor job of marketing its ethnic areas to turn them into tourist attractions. And if you're interested in world music, you're a bit out of luck. Very little touring African, Caribbean or Brazilian music, for example, comes through here. But there are lots of global communities here; you might have to dig a little to find them. One good way is to look at the website from DFW International --- DFW International -- which always lists international-themed festivals/seminars/parades/goings-on in the Metroplex.

[aceplace]

Originally Posted by TrueDat

Unlike other regions, North Texas does a poor job of marketing its ethnic areas to turn them into tourist attractions. And if you're interested in world music, you're a bit out of luck. Very little touring African, Caribbean or Brazilian music, for example, comes through here. But there are lots of global communities here; you might have to dig a little to find them. One good way is to look at the website from DFW International --- DFW International -- which always lists international-themed festivals/seminars/parades/goings-on in the Metroplex.

Thanks for your points, TrueDat. I've looked at the DFW International website from time to time, and I do think it is a good reminder of how much ethnic variation we do have in DFW. What we don't do is force (or encourage) our international community into ethnic ghettos.

[cwhodatiz]

...Thanks to everyone that suggested areas to check out. I decided to be adventurous and go exploring this morning. I managed to map my way to work from my brothers apartment to Harry Hines without getting on the expressway! Yeah me (lol)!!! I could have just mapquested it, but where's the fun in that. I was pleased to find an area that I found interesting. I ended up somewhere in North Dallas. I found the Oak Lawn area also. Highland Park area looks nice. Hercules!! Hercules!!! I can't wait to check everything out!

[GayleTX]

So interesting that 'festivals' in ethnic communities would be one's measuring stick of how 'cultured' an area is. Festivals are a reflection of the people who live in a place....we don't have many Cuban/Chinese/Puerto Rican/Jamaican festivals because not many Cban/Chinese/Peurto Rican/Jamaican people live here. We do, however, have our own 'festivals' that celebrate our own heritage and culture and ethnicities - you might try attending some of them and learning to appreciate this place for what it is - it's TEXAS! We have great rodeo's, chilli cook-offs, barbeque contests, classic car cruises, monster truck shows, antique shows, trades days,craft shows, tractor pulls, Longhorn cattle drives, Native American tribal gatherings, gun shows, gospel music shows, county fairs, German Fests, Polish Fests, Renaissance Festivals, family reunions, cemetary reunions, and dozens of football/basketball games that entire towns plan their lives around for months at a time. That's our celebration of our background, our history, our ancestors, our life.....it's our culture - TEXAS culture!!! And you are certainly invited to participate and share in our culture and our 'festivals' and learn to appreciate what they are about and who we are and what is now your home.