trying to decide where to move to.. (Dallas, Plano: section 8, apartments)

[Lakewooder]

May 26, 1976. We were on the way to the State Fair Music Hall for graduation (with a stage covering humongous '76 Bennington American flag for the Bicentennial folded up in the car) and the sirens were going..had never really heard those much. We thought, oh well it's up in North Dallas. Didn't last long.

[Dallas native]

Originally Posted by 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.

Perhaps the Village Apts would work for you. They are about 4-5 miles north of downtown. It's a huge complex surrounded by lots of restaurants and retail. There are lots of young people living there, so you would easily be able to meet new friends there. The Village has a somewhat suburban appearance, but it is definitely in a heavily populated area in the middle of the city. Don't know what the rents are, but it should be less expensive than most places in Uptown or Downtown. TheVillageapts.com | Home

[texan4me]

what about the bugs everybody!???????????????

[mir86]

Originally Posted by texan4me

what about the bugs everybody!???????????????

oh ewww...ya...what about them?

[bethboon2009]

I lived in Oklahoma for about 6 years (late 1970's early 1980's) and never saw a tornado. Not once.
I was in a small town once at a stop light and like a wall out of nowhere came a dust storm. Before the car windows were rolled up it was over. Had dirt in our teeth and hair and all over but, that only happened the once.

California has earth quakes!

IMO It is really just a matter of choice. You will find good and bad in most places.

[bethboon2009]

what about the bugs everybody!???????????????

I was wondering that....where I live now it is 'fly season', 'gnat season', 'fly season'.

I love sitting outside but, the flies are ruthless buggers and won't leave us alone.
I can not put a glade plug-in in my house because they draw too many gants and
we already have too many of those.

SO, how are the bugs?
Am I going to be able to sit outdoors and enjoy the patio or do I need to invest
in OFF Stock?

[mir86]

good points Beth. actually, the earthquakes in California weren't that bad (and actually kinda fun! haha)..they're worse in the bay area (where there are 3 main bridges)..and there was a pretty high level one right before I visited the bay in '06..but I guess they're like the tornados in TX..the big ones are rare and don't happen very often.

[FarNorthDallas]

The mosquitos will bug you outside, but this year they weren't so bad. There are some wasps and bees, some spiders, june bugs, rolly pollies, ants (fire and regular), roaches, water bugs (those creatures that look like giant roaches). Right now outside we have giant earth worms everywhere. I'm talking 8-12 inches long. Not sure what's up with that but they are disgusting.

[HappyinDallas]

This link might help to give a glimpse of the safer areas:Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitors sites is not allowed Are you wanting to stay in Dallas for sure? West Plano is very safe, as is Frisco and parts of Allen and McKinney. Richardson and Carrollton are older but have safe areas as well. You might also want to look up where sex offenders live: National Sex Offender Registry Searching "crime statistics" for Dallas will pull up many results as well. I would advice asking the nearby police their opinion on particular areas as well, as I don't always find "statistics" to be accurate.

We do get storms, and sometimes there are close calls, but it's very rare for any real damage to be done, and if so, it's usually just a small concentration. I find the storms exciting (most of the time). Be sure to have a weather radio so you're at least aware of what's going on. The worst of the storms usually tend to skip over us in Dallas it seems! West, North and East of Dallas seem to get hit worse.

As for bugs, I'll vouch for Dallas having lots of mosquitoes!!! Big roaches do exist in this area, but if you buy several house geckos at the pet store, they can be a huge help (usually eliminate the problem in single family homes - I don't know how effective they would be in apartments).

As for being Jewish, there are several synagogues in the area. I would contact the Jewish Community Center of Dallas: JCC of Dallas.

Also, be sure you are taking advantage of google maps, street view, etc! For example, you can look up the google map for a particular area of Dallas. Once the map is pulled up, you can then search "grocery" to see where your closest grocery stores would be, etc. Street view is wonderful for getting an idea of what a particular area looks like too!!!

I would definitely do what you can to finish your degree while you're young. The longer you wait, the harder it'll be, and I would think the less your chances would be of finishing. However, if it's possible to finish in AZ, where your family is, you might consider that as well. Or, finish college in Dallas and then move back to AZ to start your business? I would miss my family if I were too far away from them, but that's just me.

Good luck to you!!

[mir86]

thanks HappyinDallas! I'll def. check out those crime rates. As for the bugs..will they stay out if my apartment is clean? do most apartment complexes offer pest control as well? I would be living by myself and big giant bugs scare the crap out of me and I don't throw up ever, but that might be one thing that might make me barf..lol.

Thanks for the suggestions on the JCC. I don't really practice though, but the JCC may be an option for socializing at least. Do you know if there are any Israeli/middle eastern deli's or grocery stores in the area that carry real authentic food? Those seem to be most rampant in big metro's (the only plus about living in L.A.).

Google maps is my favorite thing ever! I use the "street view" option all the time. it definitely helps!

I agree about finishing my degree which is why I feel this huge need to hussle on that! I don't think I'd be moving back to AZ if I ever left (i'm tired of uprooting over and over). I'd visit for sure as I have a few friends left here. My only family here is my mom and one of my brothers. Dad's in Colombia and my other brother is in the military and 100% of my extended family lives in Israel. At this point, I'm debating either moving to Dallas or staying here in Tucson (blech). The cost of living here is maybe 2% higher, lol, but there are no job opportunities here, unless you're military, work at Raytheon, at the UofA or own your own small business or are in medicine. I don't think any business ventures I have in mind will do very well here unless I move to Scottsdale. While I don't mind phoenix for its amenities and the people are nice too, the weather is hard to tolerate (its a noticeable difference from Tucson!).

My worry about Dallas at this point is how easily will I make friends (we all know how hard it is the older we get), and how long will I be homesick for and will I be able to afford to visit friends on occasion. Are people in Dallas very sociable with newcomers? I'll know nobody at all in that region. the big plus about possibly moving to San Diego is I would have friends no more than 6 hours away in all directions (except west obviously, lol), though I also have friends on the east coast, but financially SD would be a huge disaster, it may even be a disaster school wise since the CSU's there are cutting down enrollment. I'm not worried about jobs or school so much with Dallas since I have 2 that transfer and I'll be getting my yearly raises prior to arriving also. I have a lot of pro's and con's to weigh, but I plan to leave about this time next year so I have time to decide. I just need to decide what city to go visit by spring break (March) and also for financial aide reasons for school so I'm doing my research now .

Thanks again for all the input so far! I really appreciate it!

Also I was wondering, what do people do for recreation in nearby areas to Dallas, for the occasion people may want to get out of the city?