trying to decide where to move to.. (Dallas, Plano: apartment complex, sex offenders)

[Dallas native]

Originally Posted by mir86

so since I've ruled out the scariness of tornadoes..is Dallas still a good fit for me?

It could be. Dallas is very large and very diverse and it can be what you want it to be: big city urban, suburban or in-between. Being Jewish is just not an issue. There are plenty of Jewish people here. People here are generally very friendly and welcoming. There is no shortage of cultural activities, sporting events, concerts, independent movies, great restaurants, clubs, bars, etc...

Dallas is not particularly southern or western IMHO. Nor would I call it a cowboy culture unless you are referring to the Dallas Cowboys. The weather is very different from AZ. More of a 4 seasons kind of place, the longest season being summer. It can be humid during the summer but less so than places like Houston or Florida. There is lots of opportunity here and it is very affordable as compared to many other major cities. There are also plenty of colleges and universities here since you plan on continuing your education.

Gotta go now, but I'll check back later if I think of anything to add to this. Best of luck to you.

[momof2dfw]

Originally Posted by mir86

woah..that wichita falls pic looks terrifying..wouldn't the entire area be at risk though?

No. The weather patterns in Wichita Fallas vs Dallas are different. We get some of the same systems that come thru but a lot of times some massive storms move northward towards Oklahoma from the Wichita Falls area. Ft Worth and the areas west of it tend to have more severe weather than Dallas and this side of the metroplex. For some reason storms hit I-35E and just kind of weaken or move north well above the immediate Dallas area. Don't let people tell you that ALL of Texas or such has the same weather. It doesn't . Even me in Garland has weather that is different than up the road in McKinney where my sister lives. Their temps can be as much as 10-15 degrees COLDER than ours. That is just one example.


If you have jobs that will transfer, can finish school and the cost of living and all work out and your young enough......... TRY IT! What exactly can it hurt. Nada. Your young and not tied down to a family yet. You can work, finish school a lot sooner and get going on in life. Dallas is a GREAT place to get a career going and offers a great opportunity for business. It really does. A lot of people get started here and prosper very well because of the business climate being very business friendly and being smack dab in a great location for the country for business travel is great.

For young people in your age group.......... if your outgoing, have a job, in school, do something for fun you WILL have no problem meeting people. Dallas is a very socially active city.

[TXNGL]

Originally Posted by Dallas native

Yes, the entire N. Texas area can experience tornados. Lakewooder is correct though that the last one to hit inside the city of Dallas was in 1957. The one in the picture of Ft. Worth occurred in 2000. The one in Wichita Fallas appears to have been in 1979. I've lived in Dallas for 3/4 of my life and I've never seen a tornado nor do I worry about them. Plenty of people keep moving here despite the extremely remote possibility that they will ever be affected by a tornado. Dallas is a very large, spread-out city and it is highly unlikely that the specific 'hood to which you move will be hit by a tornado.

That was the last bad one, but there were some tornadoes that hit back in May of 1976, I believe it was. One was very near my childhood house, near Forest Lane. I don't think anyone was injured and there wasn't terrible destruction, but people did lose roofs and trees. Having said that, to the OP, we don't worry too much about tornoadoes. We have a weather radio and meteorology has come a long way in that they can predict when some storms may become tornadic, so you have some warning. They don't just drop out of the sky willy-nilly.
Hail is a bigger concern. Make sure you have a garage.

[Dallas native]

Originally Posted by TXNGL

That was the last bad one, but there were some tornadoes that hit back in May of 1976, I believe it was. One was very near my childhood house, near Forest Lane. I don't think anyone was injured and there wasn't terrible destruction, but people did lose roofs and trees. Having said that, to the OP, we don't worry too much about tornoadoes. We have a weather radio and meteorology has come a long way in that they can predict when some storms may become tornadic, so you have some warning. They don't just drop out of the sky willy-nilly.
Hail is a bigger concern. Make sure you have a garage.

Hmmm....mea culpa Didn't know about that one. It must not have hit my N. Oak Cliff 'hood. What WAS I doing in May 1976? Must have been wearing my polyester school uniform while watching the Cher Show or Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.

[mir86]

wow, thanks for all the feed back!

momof2: everything you said is why I'm considering Dallas vs. anywhere in California at this point. I really want to start my own business as well someday, but I want to learn first and come up with a set in stone plan before I execute it. Is it hard to replace jobs if something were to happen with my current jobs? I don't have a whole lot of professional experience so it makes it hard for me anywhere..I'm so lucky I have 3 jobs...lol yes 3. Socially active city sounds very appealing to me..haha.

TXNGL: how bad does the hail get? the only hail I've seen have been very very tiny. do most apartment complexes have covered parking at least?

Dallas native: how are the other seasons besides summer in Dallas? is winter any colder than here in AZ? we get to about 30-40 degrees down in Tucson and its super bitter with the dryness, it literally burns my skin sometimes if there's wind. I'm not a majorly outdoorsy person but what kind of outdoors activities do people do? I love being outside too and I know there won't be any hiking out there and there's no ocean to fish in..

[mir86]

Originally Posted by Dallas native

Hmmm....mea culpa Didn't know about that one. It must not have hit my N. Oak Cliff 'hood. What WAS I doing in May 1976? Must have been wearing my polyester school uniform while watching the Cher Show or Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.

hahaaa!!

[Dallas native]

Originally Posted by mir86

Dallas native: how are the other seasons besides summer in Dallas? is winter any colder than here in AZ? we get to about 30-40 degrees down in Tucson and its super bitter with the dryness, it literally burns my skin sometimes if there's wind. I'm not a majorly outdoorsy person but what kind of outdoors activities do people do? I love being outside too and I know there won't be any hiking out there and there's no ocean to fish in..

Well, Spring and Fall are definitely the best IMO. Each one lasts about 2 months. This Fall has been a bit rainy so far, but some days are absolutely flawless: low humidity, clear blue skies and temps in the 60's. The winters are probably a little cooler than Tucson, although there are days when it gets up to 80. There will also be occassional days when it might hit 20. But mostly it's pretty tolerable without bitter dry winds. Plan on winter lasting no more than 3 months. That leaves 5 months of summer , but you're used to the heat. There will be dry days during the summer, but there will also be plenty of humid days.

As for outdoor activities, if you live in inner-city Dallas you'll definitely want to check out the Katy Trail: Friends of Katy Trail:. It's several miles of an old railroad track that have been turned into a jogging/roller-blading/bicycling path through some of the best parts of the city. Also located close-in is Whiterock Lake: Dallas Parks - Whiterock Lake. Within about 2 years there will be a new park that joins Uptown Dallas with Downtown Dallas: The Park. It connects Dallas' two most urban 'hoods right next to the spectacular Dallas Arts District: Dallas Arts District. But, one of the most popular outdoor activities in Dallas (at least for me) involves sitting on the patio at one of the many great restaurants or bars while drinking Margarita's. The options are too numerous to mention here, but the West Village in Uptown is a good place to start: Dining and Nightlife in West Village.

Gotta go to bed now. Will check back manana.

[TXNGL]

Originally Posted by Dallas native

Hmmm....mea culpa Didn't know about that one. It must not have hit my N. Oak Cliff 'hood. What WAS I doing in May 1976? Must have been wearing my polyester school uniform while watching the Cher Show or Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.

LOL! I just remember that one well because it was so close. It was the last day of school for me and a bunch of us 4th graders had been taken to Josey Skate Rink in Carrollton that afternoon. We were being driven back to my North Dallas "hood" during the storm, it was a bit of a haul, and we had no idea how close we came to the tornado until we were home and it was all over. The tornado started somewhere in west Dallas and moved northwest into North Dallas, which was really north at that time. Except for some roofs, etc...just southwest of us (within blocks), I think it hit mostly fields as it moved northeast away from us.
To the OP, don't let this freak you out. As I said, this was in 1976 and this is the storm I remember best, that was a long time ago!

[TXNGL]

<<TXNGL: how bad does the hail get? the only hail I've seen have been very very tiny. do most apartment complexes have covered parking at least?>>

It's usually going to be tiny, but it can get bad. We had a bad storm several years ago and got a new roof from it. We needed a new roof, so we weren't exactly heartbroken. :-) Don't know about most apartment complexes, but many that I see often have carports.

[mir86]

very helpful tips! thanks again guys!

What are safe neighborhoods that are still cheap? I hate living in urban areas so downtown is out of the questions, lol.