More moving to the area questions... (Plano: homeowners insurance, house, transfer)

[hopingfordallas]

My husband and I (DH 32 and me 33) are giving serious consideration to the idea of moving to the dallas area (suburbs most likely) over the next several months (have to sell house here in chicago area). I would greatly appreciate any information you guys can provide that will assist us in making the decision. We will be coming down there late August/early September to check out the area and to start to focus in on some things.

1. My husband is italian and is pretty darked skinned. Most people think he is hispanic. Will he have trouble in the dallas area? Is the area fairly diverse? While we certainly don't mind being in a white area, we don' want him to be treated poorly because of his skin color.

2. I am a critical care RN and will be looking for a job prior to us moving down. I am interested in knowing which hospitals in the area are considered to be your top hospitals, both for pay and nurse satisfaction but also for good reputation. Any idea what I can expect salary wise as an ICU RN with 6 years experience?

3. My husband is currently a service technician and will most likely not be able to transfer within his current company. We are considering the possibily of him staying home with our children for a year or two but are curious about his job prospects in that area. Is it pretty commonplace for dallas area companies to perform back ground checks on most empolyees? My husband was arrested when he was 17 (drug related charges) but was charged as an adult. Even though this was over 15 years ago (and he has not been in trouble since), it still shows up on pre-employment background checks.

4. We have two young children ages 2 & 3. What kinds of options are available in the area as far as preschool? What are typical costs of preschools?

5. Given that we have 2 young children and jobs are not currently secured, what areas would you recommend we start looking for homes? We are looking to stay under $180K as we would like to pay cash or have a very small mortgage. Interested in possibly Plano but unsure whether this is realistic with the small budget.

6. What are typical homeowners insurance rates in the areas mentioned?

7. My husband is a big fisherman. can you recommend good fishing locations?

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

Use the 'search this forum" feature to see previous posts on, I think, Group One. They keep files on all hospital employees and can blacklist you, from what I've read here. Sorry I can't really answer your questions.