Help me convince my love! (Dallas, Fort Worth: how much, houses, unemployment rate) - Texas (TX) - City-Data Forum

Jenyphero · 12-29-2010, 05:39 PM

I'm more than likely relocating to Fort Worth from CA in a couple of months. The love of my life is having reservations about going and I need some compelling reasons why he should. For me, the move is easy. Okay, maybe not so easy considering I have two children, four pets, and a whole house-full of stuff, but I come from a military family and have lived all over this country. He was born and raised in coastal southern California and has never been further than a 300 mile radius. I'm relocating as a career move; he is worried about work (he's a paralegal by trade, and CA laws are different than TX laws). I've told him the cost of living is much better there; I can actually afford to save for a home instead of living paycheck to paycheck. I'm flying out Jan 6th to look around, but he's not. He thinks Texas is a big desert and is worried that the cost of living is less, but so is the paycheck. Can you give me some reasons why Fort Worth would be a good move and convince him that it's not a big desert in the middle of nowhere?

ClarenceBodiker · 12-29-2010, 07:11 PM

Well, for one, it's not a big desert, it's in the plains. We're also a big part of the 4th most populated metro area in the United States, so I'd hardly say Fort Worth is "in the middle of nowhere."

Fort Worth is quite well known for its outstanding museum district and lively downtown area. While Fort Worth has always been a city with a small town soul, it is actually urbanizing at an alarming rate. Make him come and check it out. Don't let him make a decision without at least keeping an open mind. It's only fair. Take him to Sundance Square. Take him to the new developments on West 7th Street. Take him down Montgomery into the museum district and then head back to University and check out the beautiful drive past the historic neighborhoods around TCU. Hell, if you have the time, you can even drive through Arlington past the Entertainment District and into Dallas. This is a huge area and has lots to offer when you consider the metro area as a whole.

ClarenceBodiker · 12-29-2010, 07:13 PM

Also, what does your significant other like to do for fun and leisure? What is his favorite type of food? His interests would help us pinpoint certain places to take him.

Guingirl · 12-29-2010, 11:13 PM

Well before we came here we thought Texas was the stereotypical dusty western town with rolling tumbleweeds! We moved out here three years ago from Northern California and we are SOOO happy that we did. Yes, the quality of life is far superior to that of California. I was born and bred in California, but I am now a Texan.

Right now I am a stay at home mom by choice and we wouldn't have that opportunity in California, especially not now and just wait until Brown gets back in office.

My brother in law skeptically told us that if we moved we wouldn't be able to move back to California. Well...guess what, you couldn't pay me to move back! Are there things that I miss, absolutely! Mostly geography, the mountains and I do miss spending times in San Francisco, but the trade offs for that just wasn't worth it.

We live in a much better home that we could even think about in CA, our kids are in every activity available and we have extra funds to go out to dinner..I know a shocker! Hopefully, he will decide to at least visit out here because I know a lot of my family that has stayed in CA are making plans on moving here. Good luck with everything!!

Jenyphero · 12-30-2010, 08:28 AM

Thanks guys! Keep 'em coming! Fun and leisure, well, that's a tough one. He's a body boarder, so convincing him to leave the beloved ocean is difficult. We do like to hike, though, so what are the trails like there? Are there any state or national parks close by? I keep hearing about the flat plains, but how far away are mountains? He's a football fan (sorry Cowboys, he likes the Dolphins!) and the stadium being close by is a draw for him. At least we won't have to plan a 3 day excursion to catch a game. Food: anything and everything. I think the Food Network has become one of his favorite channels, so if there is a lot of diversity, that's a good thing! Mainly, though, I think he needs to know that it would be a move in an upward direction for him, too. How is the economy? What's the unemployment rate? (It's almost 14% here) I know the "cost of living" is cheaper, but all I can show him is the price for homes. What other aspects are cheaper? Anything and everything you can brag about your city, please do!

I'm ultra excited to finally be able to start living the way I've planned to do. I didn't spend $25,000 on a degree for nothing! My dream has always been to buy a home for my children in a neighborhood where if they want to ride their bikes to their friends houses, they can. I want them to have a quality education, one where their intellect isn't held behind so that the rest of the class can catch up to what's supposed to be average. I think I'll finally be able to have these things that I'll never attain in California and that's what motivates me to move there. The rest of the stuff is just the icing on the cake for me.

He hasn't given a definite no. It's just that his children live here with their mom, so in order for him to pick up and move it's gotta be good. I've tried telling him there is no way he'll survive on his income alone out here, but that's not convincing him. I guess he'll just have to live through it the first few months to actually feel the weight of how much it costs to have a roof over your head out here, let alone anything else (like gas, food, utilities, etc).

Thanks for the help, and keep them coming. This is benefiting me too!

Cathy4017 · 12-30-2010, 09:04 AM

Thanks guys! Keep 'em coming! Fun and leisure, well, that's a tough one. He's a body boarder, so convincing him to leave the beloved ocean is difficult. We do like to hike, though, so what are the trails like there? Are there any state or national parks close by? I keep hearing about the flat plains, but how far away are mountains?

The ocean/bodyboarding may very well be the deal breaker!

The nearest mountains are going to be in the Trans-Pecos area....Fort Davis and Alpine, which is very definitely arid desert with mountain ranges in the vicinity. It's my favorite area of the state, but you have to like that sort of country to live there. That is almost 500 miles southwest of DFW.

The next closest mountains are going to be Ruidoso, NM (545) and Cloudcroft, NM (570 miles).

So, as far as mountains go, there aren't any close by.

Neither are the coasts, though there are some routes that are a little shorter, depending on which way you go, but it's a long way any way you look at it.

The nearest coast would be Galveston (310), Port Aransas (435), and the best, IMHO, South Padre Island (560). I'm not a beach bum, so I have NO idea how good or bad any of the Texas coastal areas are for body/board surfing.

You definitely have your work cut out for you! Good luck.

fwjeff · 12-30-2010, 09:43 AM

Here's a few helpful links for things to do in the Fort Worth area...

www.sundancesquare.com

Touchdown Fort Worth!

Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth

https://www.kimbellart.org/index.aspx

Fort Worth Museum of Science and History |

Home (Cowboys Stadium just 12 miles east of downtown)

The Official Site of The Texas Rangers | texasrangers.com: Homepage

Schedule - Texas Motor Speedway (http://www.texasmotorspeedway.com/Schedule/ - broken link)

West 7th :: Home

One Montgomery Plaza, Fort Worth, Texas

http://www.so7fortworth.com/retail/restaurants/

University Park Village - Fort Worth

Southlake Town Square

Welcome (over 20 miles of hiking trails)

And while we don't have mountains or the ocean we do have lots of lakes!

Hope this helps you!

Westerner92 · 12-30-2010, 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jenyphero

I'm ultra excited to finally be able to start living the way I've planned to do. I didn't spend $25,000 on a degree for nothing! My dream has always been to buy a home for my children in a neighborhood where if they want to ride their bikes to their friends houses, they can. I want them to have a quality education, one where their intellect isn't held behind so that the rest of the class can catch up to what's supposed to be average. I think I'll finally be able to have these things that I'll never attain in California and that's what motivates me to move there. The rest of the stuff is just the icing on the cake for me.

My family has some friends who have moved to California, and they're trying to move back for the same reason. Having the mountains and ocean nearby is wonderful, but when the cost of living is affecting the kids' quality of life, it's time for not just one, but both parents to make some changes IMO.

I know my parents had plenty of opportunity to move elsewhere, but they chose to stay put because it's hard to beat Texas' combination of cost of living and family-friendly environment. I was able to have the childhood you describe, yet my family was able to experience things like the beach and mountains almost as often as people who live near them because we could afford to visit them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cathy4017

Thanks guys! Keep 'em coming! Fun and leisure, well, that's a tough one. He's a body boarder, so convincing him to leave the beloved ocean is difficult. We do like to hike, though, so what are the trails like there? Are there any state or national parks close by? I keep hearing about the flat plains, but how far away are mountains?

The ocean/bodyboarding may very well be the deal breaker!

The nearest mountains are going to be in the Trans-Pecos area....Fort Davis and Alpine, which is very definitely arid desert with mountain ranges in the vicinity. It's my favorite area of the state, but you have to like that sort of country to live there. That is almost 500 miles southwest of DFW.

The next closest mountains are going to be Ruidoso, NM (545) and Cloudcroft, NM (570 miles).

So, as far as mountains go, there aren't any close by.

Neither are the coasts, though there are some routes that are a little shorter, depending on which way you go, but it's a long way any way you look at it.

The nearest coast would be Galveston (310), Port Aransas (435), and the best, IMHO, South Padre Island (560). I'm not a beach bum, so I have NO idea how good or bad any of the Texas coastal areas are for body/board surfing.

You definitely have your work cut out for you! Good luck.

The Ouachita Mountains are fairly close by in eastern Oklahoma/western Arkansas, and the Ozarks are north of that. They are small mountains for sure, but they have decent outdoor activities.

Guingirl · 12-30-2010, 12:12 PM

Yah, the ocean may be a deal breaker, but at some point you have to make a choice, ya know?

I think it is wise of you to let him make his own decision and not force him because I have heard so many significant others that did move to the area that all they do is sit and complain that they have this in California but not here. Well no kidding..

Economically, we chose the area because there are 6 million people in the Metroplex and the area is home to hundreds of company headquarters. Companies are moving out of California and companies are moving in to Texas.

The legislature meets for 180 days every other year, so there is no full time legislature making constrictive business laws that they do in California.

Cathy4017 · 12-30-2010, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Westerner92

......

The Ouachita Mountains are fairly close by in eastern Oklahoma/western Arkansas, and the Ozarks are north of that. They are small mountains for sure, but they have decent outdoor activities.

Thanks for the clarification--they are a little closer than the western mountains at about 300 miles or so. You're right...I have never associated OK with mountains, but they are there!