Young Professional looking to move to dallas!

[FarNorthDallas]

Remember the bigger the place, the bigger the property taxes, the bigger the utility bills and the more furniture and window treatments and flooring you will need and have to replace. Plus, there's lawn care and keeping all those square feet clean.

[GoPadge]

Oh I agree, there's nothing wrong with professing one's preference, even passionately. But choosing where to live is more complex than simply picking one area over another. And what may be right for one person could be a mistake for another.

And my comments weren't directed at anyone in particular. (Other than to agree with 4th Generation Dallas that each area has it's pros and cons.)

[galore]

Originally Posted by GoPadge

Well said. And I agree with you, I wouldn't trade the lifestyle in the city for what I have up here.

But everyone had their own wants, needs, and certainly opinions. It's a shame that so many users here feel the need to pimp their own area at the expense of another. (And I'll admit, I've fallen into that trap before...) Theorically we're all adults, (Terms of Service) we should act like it sometimes at least.

I know I am new here and that I have voiced a very negative opinion about Plano (where you live - so I am sure you don't like my comment).

I did this because I find it very misleading that Plano (and Frisco/Allen/all interchangeable) gets an automatic recommendation for being the place to be for families and that it is a better deal to buy a bigger house up there than closer to Dallas.

BTW, I don't live in the areas that I pimped at the expense of Plano but I would live there if I had the original's posters requirements.

I don't want to trash the suburbs but what I wrote is my honest opinion based on living in a new master planned community around Firewheel for 6 years (moved last year for many of the reasons I mentioned) and I know a lot of people living in Plano (I'd say 80% of my coworkers live up there).

The suburbs are called bedroom communities for a reason. There is not much to do other than sleep. I truly think it is a bad choice for somebody wanting to live in a vibrant, young area.

What _do_ you really do, if you are living, let's say, close to Hedgecox and Coit? I never see people outside. All the window blinds are closed. The backyards are deserted. ACs are humming. Each intersection looks similar with the same chain businesses and gas stations. Few mature trees. The houses look all alike. All the social interaction seems to revolve around church.
Even the upper-class areas of Plano are like that.

Is this observation so wrong? How can I describe this in a polite fashion without omitting the point?

If you like living in such an environment then the suburbs are wonderful.

And regarding the family-oriented aspect: I am very thankful that I didn't grow up in a Dallas suburb because without a driver's license and a car, you can't get anywhere interesting. From age 11-17, it must be a very confining place.

[Drew610]

I agree. But as a 27-year-old young professional who is used to DC, is there any reason to think he would prefer Plano to Uptown?? I am 27-year-old young professional from up that way, and it seems like a no brainer.

[Drew610]

Galore - couldn't agree with you more.

[GoPadge]

You make some very valid points galore, and it's not that I don't like your comments about Plano. I will agree that parts of Plano can appear repetitive. But if you look behind the Wendy's, Applebee's, and other chain stores you will find a number of other, locally owned and run shops, which many seem to gloss over when speaking critically about the suburbs.

The suburbs are called bedroom communities for a reason. There is not much to do other than sleep. I truly think it is a bad choice for somebody wanting to live in a vibrant, young area.

Plano is more than just a bedroom community, there are hundreds of employers, including a number of corporate headquarters, and large telecom firms including:

AT&T
Adams Golf
Alcatel-Lucent
Brinker International (Chili's)
Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages (formerly Dr Pepper/Seven Up, Inc.)
Cinemark Theatres
Countrywide
Crossmark
DealTaker
Electronic Data Systems
Ericsson
Flextronics
Frito Lay
Genband
Highland Homes
Infosys Technologies
JCPenney
Metasolv Software (being acquired by Oracle Corporation)
Metromedia Restaurant Group (Bennigan's, Steak & Ale)
Microtune
MotionZoneHD
PFSweb
Perot Systems
Prodea Systems
Raytheon
Rent-A-Center
Rug Doctor
Safety-Kleen
Texas Instruments
Triad Hospitals
UGS
ViaViente

I do agree that Plano is not the best choice for a mid 20's single professional, but we aren't all mid 20's single professionals.

What _do_ you really do, if you are living, let's say, close to Hedgecox and Coit? I never see people outside. All the window blinds are closed. The backyards are deserted. ACs are humming. Each intersection looks similar with the same chain businesses and gas stations. Few mature trees. The houses look all alike. All the social interaction seems to revolve around church.

I'm a bit further south on Coit than Hedgecoxe, but we spend time in one of the parks, at one of the rec centers, at the Cinemark Theater at Coit and Park ($1 movies rock) or out in the yard with our kids. When the wife and I want a night out, our oldest watches the others and we'll grab a bite to eat, catch a movie or show (we did a murder mystery in the spring for her birthday) or go shopping.

Did you know that Plano offers two main bicycling trails, and two nature preserves? One bike trails run from Legacy near Independence in Chisolm Trail Park, splits at Spring Creek and Custer and runs to either Alma south of Parker, or Alma north of Spring Creek. The other starts at Carpenter Park, north of Spring Creek on Coit and runs east-west to Bronze Leaf and north-south to Parker west of Coit in Preston Meadow Park.

The Arbor Hills Nature Preserve is located west of the Dallas North Tollway on Parker Rd. It features a shared pedestrian and bicycling trail which highlights the assets of the preserve, and the woods within the preserve are traversed by several unpaved trails.

Is this observation so wrong? How can I describe this in a polite fashion without omitting the point?

If you like living in such an environment then the suburbs are wonderful.

No the observation isn't wrong for you. It's the assumption that it is right for everyone that bothers me so much. But perhaps a part of the issue is that we have very different views of the environment and these views cloud our judgment.

By the way, national accolades for Plano include being selected as the best place to live in the Western United States by CNN Money in 2005, and as the 11th best place to live in the United States by Money magazine in 2006.

[SepiaZelda]

I haven't read ahead so this may have already been suggested, but if I could afford $300,000 on a house we'd be buying in Little Forest Hills. It's a very young area, close to everything and heavily treed. We looked at a house on Eustis that we came very close to buying because it has a real community over there. The neighbors get together on each other's porches at night and have wine and chat. But really, you can't go wrong in Lakewood, which is close to LFH.

Originally Posted by mithong

Hello all,

So basically, i am a 27 year old young professional who has lived in the dc metro area for 16 years and is sick of it. Frankly, its too expensive to live here as well.

I'm looking at possibly getting a fresh start and moving to Dallas, as I've heard it is a great place to live.

I'm looking at spending around 300,000 on a place... what areas of Dallas/burbs should I be looking at? Thanks.

and it would be great if you guys could give me any other information on where the young people live, what the places to avoid are, etc.

thanks!

[Lakewooder]

"Plano is more than just a bedroom community, there are hundreds of employers, including a number of corporate headquarters, and large telecom firms including:

AT&T
Adams Golf
Alcatel-Lucent
Brinker International (Chili's)
Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages (formerly Dr Pepper/Seven Up, Inc.)
Cinemark Theatres
Countrywide
Crossmark
DealTaker
Electronic Data Systems
Ericsson
Flextronics
Frito Lay
Genband
Highland Homes
Infosys Technologies
JCPenney
Metasolv Software (being acquired by Oracle Corporation)
Metromedia Restaurant Group (Bennigan's, Steak & Ale)
Microtune
MotionZoneHD
PFSweb
Perot Systems
Prodea Systems
Raytheon
Rent-A-Center
Rug Doctor
Safety-Kleen
Texas Instruments
Triad Hospitals
UGS
ViaViente"

I guess if you enjoy 'corporate-speak' and the professional drolleries of Rug Doctor, you will love Plano, where everybody doesn't know your name (the first thing asked is "what do you do?").

[AustinTraveler]

Yet again, a thread spins out of control into the same old city vs. suburbs argument. Talk about beating a dead horse.

Since the OP is now looking for an apartment in West Virginia, I suspect she no longer needs advice on Dallas. Therefore, I'll close the thread.