Dallas Transit/Weather (Houston, Fort Worth, Orange: 2011, home, employment)

[ChosenNYC]

I am a New Yorker but my wife and I live in Houston and really love Texas. The only thing missing is Transit. I have noticed that Dallas has way more commuter rail options than Houston. In fact the TRE seems to be very similar to the Long Island Rail Road. I am wondering how realistic is it in Dallas to completely commute to and from work using rail for the vast majority of your trip? (We will not ride a bus, which is why we hate Transit in Houston).

My second question relates to weather. I do not like the idea of Tornado's and we chose Houston because the Tornado's here if they do occur are not as likely to be more than F0 or F1. Is the severe weather threat really a big deal in Dallas?

We think that as much as we love Houston, if we could live in a place where we did not have to drive to work we would be very happy.

[FarNorthDallas]

The train option in Dallas is sortof limited right now. If you live along or near one of the routes then you can drive to one of the stations that has parking (not all do, some are just have drop off areas) and then ride the train to your job if your job is along the train route. Not all employment centers are on a train route.

[$DFW8$]

Originally Posted by ChosenNYC

I am a New Yorker but my wife and I live in Houston and really love Texas. The only thing missing is Transit. I have noticed that Dallas has way more commuter rail options than Houston. In fact the TRE seems to be very similar to the Long Island Rail Road. I am wondering how realistic is it in Dallas to completely commute to and from work using rail for the vast majority of your trip? (We will not ride a bus, which is why we hate Transit in Houston).

My second question relates to weather. I do not like the idea of Tornado's and we chose Houston because the Tornado's here if they do occur are not as likely to be more than F0 or F1. Is the severe weather threat really a big deal in Dallas?

We think that as much as we love Houston, if we could live in a place where we did not have to drive to work we would be very happy.

There is also DART.

[WillysB]

The idea of a metro train running north/south east/west cross wise and round and round in Dallas just isn't going to happen. You can view the current and planned routes for the metro rail at DART, including the TRE and those bus routes.

In the 'burbs you can park at some train station and ride into town. In town there won't be parking for the train station and if you're going to the 'burbs for a job then you'll need the bus to get from the train station to the office, unless your work place offers a shuttle from that train station to the job site.

It's a work in progress.

[aceplace]

The new Green line will open partially in another 2 months and completely open by 2010. It will essentially be a diagonal line across Dallas county from the Northwest to the southeast, and will connect the center city to the northwest office buildings on the Stemmons Freeway. Bu 2011, the Orange line extension to the Las Colinas office park will be in place and will provide access to many employment centers there.

Many, but not all, of the employment centers in Dallas will be connected by rail transit, either by DART or by the TRE rail line to the CentrePort office district or even to downtown Fort Worth. Sure, it's definitely possible to a) live close to a rail station and b) shop near a rail station, and c) find work near a rail station. It would be wrong to say that everything in Dallas is accessible by rail, but the rail network and the neighborhoods adjacent to the stations comprise a sizable and livable city within a city.

[aceplace]

Originally Posted by ChosenNYC

My second question relates to weather. I do not like the idea of Tornado's and we chose Houston because the Tornado's here if they do occur are not as likely to be more than F0 or F1. Is the severe weather threat really a big deal in Dallas?

No, there is no reason to be in imminent fear of a tornado in Dallas.

[ChosenNYC]

I would not mind parking and riding provided that the rail station was a short drive from home. I also would not mind walking a few blocks to work from an inner city rail station. I just don't want to have to drive and sit in traffic everyday and I don't want to ride a bus at all.

[$DFW8$]

Originally Posted by ChosenNYC

I would not mind parking and riding provided that the rail station was a short drive from home. I also would not mind walking a few blocks to work from an inner city rail station. I just don't want to have to drive and sit in traffic everyday and I don't want to ride a bus at all.

Well then I would definitely use DART or the TRE because most roads in DFW have a lot of traffic during rush hour. You would need to look at cities that have a DART or TRE stop in them and then look at which areas you like the best out of those.

[ChristieP]

Originally Posted by ChosenNYC

My second question relates to weather. I do not like the idea of Tornado's and we chose Houston because the Tornado's here if they do occur are not as likely to be more than F0 or F1. Is the severe weather threat really a big deal in Dallas?

No. I've lived in Texas for all of my almost 40 years, and in North Texas, I have NEVER had a close encounter with a tornado. (West Texas is another story entirely!) When there is a severe storm, any damage is often very localized, and often is just tree limbs down or a few shingles ripped off the roof. Note, too, that certain areas of the metroplex tend to get more severe storms than others...Johnson County, Ellis County, etc.

Houston gets hurricanes, which scare me a LOT more than torndaoes do. Hurricane Rita and Ivan caused MAJOR damage to LARGE areas of the texas and Louisiana coasts. Yes, you have a few days' warning to evacuate, but you can't take everything with you, and there is a good chance that what you are forced to leave behind will be ruined! I know people who couldn't return home for a MONTH after Ivan due to power being out and roads being flooded/bridges washed out.

I'll take the low odds of being hit by a tornado over the high odds of being hit by a huricane ANY day!

[AK123]

Originally Posted by ChristieP

Houston gets hurricanes, which scare me a LOT more than torndaoes do. Hurricane Rita and Ivan caused MAJOR damage to LARGE areas of the texas and Louisiana coasts. Yes, you have a few days' warning to evacuate, but you can't take everything with you, and there is a good chance that what you are forced to leave behind will be ruined! I know people who couldn't return home for a MONTH after Ivan due to power being out and roads being flooded/bridges washed out.

I'll take the low odds of being hit by a tornado over the high odds of being hit by a huricane ANY day!

I assume you meant Ike rather than Ivan... but even so, the vast majority of Houston was fine except for debris. The areas with the most problems, where structures were destroyed, were right on or near the coast rather than in Houston proper. Of course the media would probably have you believe the whole city was practically destroyed. At our house, we had a bush fall over and no power for 36 hours with Ike. With Rita... no power for maybe 6 hours and that was it.

As far as OP's question: the transit is better, but may not be enough for your liking. I don't see that as being enough alone to make a move from Houston to Dallas. For what you really want, you may have to look outside of Texas.