Should I follow everyone else to the Big "D"? (Houston: living, trees)

[Metro Matt]

Originally Posted by artsyguy

My answers are in bold letters.

Dallas the Hill Country? Um no.

99% of Dallas is FLAT or nearly flat except for a slight rise in elevation in far Southwestern Dallas County.

[artsyguy]

Did you not read that I said Cedar Hill and South Irving. Have you driven down highway I-20? Obviously not. You would have noticed the hills. And it is more than 1%.

Originally Posted by Metro Matt

Dallas the Hill Country? Um no.

99% of Dallas is FLAT or nearly flat except for a slight rise in elevation in far Southwestern Dallas County.

[LAnative10]

Originally Posted by Metro Matt

Dallas the Hill Country? Um no.

99% of Dallas is FLAT or nearly flat except for a slight rise in elevation in far Southwestern Dallas County.

I think the accurate answer is between what the two of you are argueing.

DFW isnt the hill country. Its no where near as hilly.

However 99% of it isnt flat.

Its got hills in certain parts and its flat in certain parts.

Its not the hill country, but its not the gulf coast either.

[Metro Matt]

Originally Posted by artsyguy

Did you not read that I said Cedar Hill and South Irving. Have you driven down highway I-20? Obviously not. You would have noticed the hills. And it is more than 1%.

I've been driving that stretch I-20 to Dallas & Arlington for as long as I can remember & I'm almost 30 years old now so yes, I know about that slight change in elevation from the rest of a mostly flat region of the state. Even East Texas is hillier than the Dallas area. Ever been down to Rusk or Jacksonville? Heck, even Tyler has some hilly terrain.

[artsyguy]

I'm comparing the hill area to the rest of dallas which is flat.

And I said heading south towards south Irving, Grand Prarie, and cedar hill not Arlington.

Originally Posted by Metro Matt

I've been driving that stretch I-20 to Dallas & Arlington for as long as I can remember & I'm almost 30 years old now so yes, I know about that slight change in elevation from the rest of a mostly flat region of the state. Even East Texas is hillier than the Dallas area. Ever been down to Rusk or Jacksonville? Heck, even Tyler has some hilly terrain.

[Metro Matt]

Originally Posted by artsyguy

I'm comparing the hill area to the rest of dallas which is flat.

And I said heading south towards south Irving, Grand Prarie, and cedar hill not Arlington.

As I said before, that area only represents a very small percentage of the Metroplex. The rest of the terrain ranges from totally flat to slightly rolling hills. Las Colinas & Valley Ranch have a few hills too, but nothing major. Western Arlington/Eastern Fort Worth is also slightly elevated.

This reminds me of how Dallasites like to make the argument they have all these trees when they really don't.

[momof2dfw]

When did rolling hills come to equal "flat"?

FYI, there are plenty of "rolling hills" in northeast Dallas County and into the neighboring areas of of Collin County and Rockwall County in that vicinity.

[Lakewooder]

A lot of East Texas is flat cotton land, so Matt - don't throw stones...

[Metro Matt]

Originally Posted by momof2dfw

When did rolling hills come to equal "flat"?

FYI, there are plenty of "rolling hills" in northeast Dallas County and into the neighboring areas of of Collin County and Rockwall County in that vicinity.

Lets face it, Dallas doesn't offer much in the way of naturally beauty & I think that's something most people who visit there often or have lived there for any extended period of time would attest to. I've lived in The City of Dallas, Lewisville, & Arlington myself. Dallas' real beauty lays in its modern architecture & pristine neighborhoods north of downtown that's about it with a few nice lakes here & there in surrounding suburbs.

Texas in general doesn't offer much in the way of natural beauty except for in places like the Hill Country & East Texas, unless you consider the arid & rugged terrain of West/Southwest Texas beautiful which I in fact do. Other than that the rest of the state is boringly flat. I can live with the flatness along the Gulf Coast though because its near the ocean & has a semi-tropical look & feel about it.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by 99percent

How long are the super hot months where it is un-pleasant to be outside?

July and August are awful. September can be pretty bad too.

Does Dallas offer a big city feel to it?

Dallas yes, suburbs not so much!

What is around Dallas and the surrounding counties? Is Dallas in the midlle of the desert?

Dallas is on a blackland prairie, no desert anywhere near here.

What are some nice suburbs near Dallas? Near the airport?

Most of them are fine, it would be faster to tell you what I think you should stay away from but everybody has their own opinion about that. It will depend mostly on where your job is.

How bad is traffic?

It can be terrible depending on which highway you are using and which direction you are going. Westbound LBJ and southbound 75 and tollroad are horrible in the morning, reverse in the evening.

What are some nice catholic high schools in the area?

Being Jewish I have no idea but I am sure there are nice ones. Most of the great private schools are in Dallas itself, not the suburbs.

What is there to do?

Anything you can think of that does not involve ocean sports, snow skiing, or mountain climbing.

How are the winters?

Wet and mild to chilly.

Does Dallas have alot of illegal immigrants?

Unfortunately, yes.

Is dallas growing (in popualtion) too fast for its own good? Why is Dallas (and other Texas cities) grwoing so fast?

DFW is growing too big and fast in my opinion. People come here because they think the cost of living is low and jobs are plentiful. Both can be true or neither can be true depending on your budget and field of employment.

How is Dallas doing in the recession? (some say Texas isnt even in a recession)

Not as bad as the rest of the country, but that does not mean that there are not people here who are hurting badly.

Basically, I am looking for a good, family friendly place with a lot of stuff to do. I have narrowed it down or Dallas or Orlando, FLA.

I would choose Dallas over anywhere in Florida any day of the week.