Transplants to Dallas or Richardson: what do you like or dislike most after living there? (Canyon: crime)

[wheregirl]

Hello,

To all of you who have gown up outside of TX and moved to live in Dallas or the surburbs, e.g. Richardson, what you do like and dislike most about your new environment compared to where you came from?

I have lived in both east coast and Ca, and have met and known people from the south (GA) and the midwest, but have never lived in TX nor known people from there. So I would really appreciate your inputs so that I can get a sense of TX/Dallas/and surburbs (people and climate) as compared to other parts of the country.

THank you!

[Big G]

Cut-rate freeway entrances and exits, especially the ones where you have to cross opposing traffic, then reach cruising speed in about 100 feet.

[BigDGeek]

I am new to Richardson but not to Dallas, I was born and raised in the Big D.

Pros about Richardson:

Quiet
Crime in my area is low
Not too many fast food restaurants nearby (they attract an...element)
Good schools (I have no kids but it is good for resale value)
Close to everywhere I go (work and play)
Established, mature neighborhoods
A real sense of community
City management seems to be competent and forward-thinking
Neighborhood pride in my neighborhood is high and family-sized houses if priced right move fast

Cons:

Traffic control/management could be better
Condition of some of the roads is not great, but they are working on some of them
Parts of east Richardson are not very nice
DART rail is on the other side of 75 from me (so is most of Richardson)
Richardson Heights shopping center north of Belt Line is a pit
Shopping could be better, but there is good highway access so I can get to good shopping

I rarely went to Richardson before I started working in the city so I still do not know it very well and am still learning about the amenities and businesses in my area. So far I am satisfied with the "everyday" amenities like supermarkets, gas stations, vets, etc. The city has good utilities management as far as I have seen, and the city is working hard at remaining an attractive place to work, run a business, and to raise a family. That is a very good thing.

Richardson is an "old" suburb and the area where I live is mostly 50s and 60s homes. Canyon Creek is mostly 60s and 70s homes. A lot of east Richardson seems to have been built from the 50s to the 70s. For a while the schools in Richardson suffered from declining enrollment as kids grew up and left school but their parents stayed behind in their houses. As those parents move into assisted living/nursing homes or die off, the houses are being sold mainly to younger families. The demographics in Richardson are shifting again in favor of younger people, but it is not a "young hip" place. It has a nice mix of older people, young families, and first generation immigrants mainly from China, India, Ethiopia, the Middle East, and Vietnam (as well as those from Mexico, but Richardson's Hispanic and overall immigrant population is nowhere near as large a percentage as Dallas's).

I hope this helps.