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Next week I am heading out to Texas for a month to explore some areas of which I am considering as possiblities for relocation.
I have not spent much time in your state at all--so I know very little about Texas. I've been in Florida for the past 8 years--and though I don't hate it--I don't love it either. I am looking for a climate that has relatively mild/short winters. Texas is the last southern frontier for me to explore before making a decision on this.
I would like to hear about what & where are the places I should go to get a feel for what life is like as a resident--not a tourist. This is not a tourist trip at all. I am going with my eyes wide open as to living here--not visiting.
I deeply appreciate any and all suggestions as it will help me focus. I will be traveling alone so please, any suggestions on areas that I should just avoid all together will be most welcome. I know every city has its bad areas--and that is not part of the criteria I will be looking at--I'll find it anywhere.
I want to get a feel for your people and your culture. Shopping, parks, lakes, outdoor life, where's the boom areas and the bust areas, etc.
First of all - I moved to DFW about 8 years ago from the New Jersey (about 13 miles from NYC), so it was a bit of a culture shock at first, and there are things that I miss - notably hills - that you just can't change. I also grew up in a very old home in a very old town so the general "newness" of many areas in DFW were a bit of a turn-off for me. We currently live in Keller, which is north of Fort Worth because it is close to our work. We love it even though we live in a newer home and a newer neighborhood and feel like the general quality of life is wonderful.
If you are looking for short winter, you are definitely coming to the right place - weather wise I think you can't get any better (but it is highly subjective as I love when it is 110 degrees and stifling).
So - specific areas you should visit to get a feel for the local vibe? To get a true idea of where you might want to live, you would have to tell us how much you would want to spend, but to get you started:
In Dallas - I would definitely check out downtown and the farmers market. Downtown has recently been "rejuvinated" with tons of new loft space opening up. It went from being busy only during work hours monday through friday to actually having a pretty cool, trendy feel. Watch out for homeless people though as they are abundant. South of Downtown is Fair Park which was once quite industrial, it is picking up a very "hip" urban atmosphere now with lounges, art galleries and top notch restaurants opening up, but it isn't all that safe either. If you continue further south into Oak Cliff (which is typically a pretty bad area), there are pockets that are undergoing massive renewal - notably the Bishop Arts District (Bishop and Zang Blvd) so if you are planning to buy a place, although areas are still kind of sketchy, many believe that in about 5 years it will be cleaned up quite a bit.
If you go North of Downtown, there is Uptown which is young professional/gay/chic. There are a ton of eateries and nightlife up and down McKinney and on/around Oak Lawn and Cedar Springs, but be prepared to pay for it. I love the restaurants and shopping but I never liked going to bars/clubs/lounges where the music is so loud and everyone is sitting around staring at each other. There is a more "local" crowd (unfortunately many college kids from SMU) who hang out on Greenville at the local bars/pubs that are condusive to conversation and extreme amounts of drinking. They are fun though. There is also Highland Park, which is pretty much the creme de la creme of Dallas. Areas like Lake Highlands, the M Streets and Lakewood (which can be very pricy as well) are great to look at for the neighborhood vibe of Dallas.
I can't stand far North Dallas and Plano.
In Fort Worth, you can get a good idea for the vibe in the decent neighborhoods (which aren't all too plentiful in my opinion) by checking out Sundance Square and the environs. What I don't like about Fort Worth is that you could be in a fine neighborhood one block and in a terrible area the next. The Northern Suburbs (Southlake, Colleyville, Grapevine and Keller) are nice but can be quite expensive. A lot of soccer moms and polo dads... white collar (especially Southlake and Colleyville) and not very racially diverse. Great shopping in Southlake Town Square and little shops in historic downtown Grapevine.
There is a great lake in Grapevine with a bike/hiking trail boat rentals and some beaches - I have spent many a summer day there with my family. It is nice.
If you can't tell, I am partial to Dallas - I think it has more charm and perhaps more "culture." You can find outdoor life anywhere but you definitely have to look. You can't get around DFW without a car... no real public transportation and massive highways.
I hope this helps - your question was really broad.
Feel free to ask if you need any more info!
Thank you for a great reply. Wherever I end up, I will definitely be renting at first. These areas are way too large for me to want to take a plunge into homebuying--esp. since I am so unfamiliar with the area. Back in 2003 I was in Dallas for a couple of days--went to Galleria mall and the shops in Grapevine--which I thought was cute--but that was it. One day I was there it rained almost all day--so really didn't see a lot.
When I get to a city that I want to explore, the first thing I do is drive the interstate and/or main highway thru town and then take the loop around the city. That way I start to get a feel for the size of an area and just seeing all of the exit names helps a lot when I go to hunt something down. It also helps tremendously if cities are laid out in the N-S E-W grid system and not in circles and curves. I had a horrible time getting acclimated in Raleigh when I lived there because everything goes in circles. The inner beltway and the outer beltway were the same road--so what the ??? I never knew which one to get on until someone told me what the trick was.
The sheer size of these cities will keep me from seeing and doing everything--as I know I can't even keep up with all in Orlando--and I've been here 7 years. I just want to get a good feel for general lifestyle & attitudes, etc.
I live a middle-class/slightly upper middle class lifestyle--so living in the upper affluent areas will not be my direction. However, the work that I do requires that my clients have disposable income so I need to look in upper middle-class and affluent areas in which I will open a practice or rent space. I am an esthetician and electrologist so skin care and hair removal is my thing. Electrolysis I will be able to begin practicing right away as I have the qualifications to meet Texas requirements. I will have to find out from the state what they want me to do to meet your skin care requirements for licensing.
I have small-town mid-western roots so I am a friendly, outgoing person. Snootiness doesn't sit well with me as it's out of my comfort zone so I prefer to not deal with it. I'll avoid those areas.
Please keep the suggestions coming--as I really am starting out from scratch (other than what I find on this forum) and I've been reading all of the Texas threads for a couple of months now.
Fort Worth is a great city, although many look toward Dallas as the more "cultured" of the two. Fort Worth has great museums, performance halls, and so on. We live in the mid-cities area, which is nestled in between Dallas and Fort Worth (specifically Hurst, which is closer to Fort Worth). We've been here 10 years and lived in a good solid, middle-class neighborhood with fantastic neighbors.
Drive through the mid-cities area, which is comprised of Hurst, Euless, and Bedford; all nice towns but I really wouldn't look too far South of 183, especially in Euless/Bedford; the neighborhoods in some areas (not all) are a little shaky but I do know that Hurst has been investing in the infrastructure and such on their South side.
there are all kinds of "spas" opening in the NE tarrant county area--Southlake/Colleyville/North Richland hills/Hurst --- there are other nail salons and beauty salons throughout the metroplex and some of them offer same thing you do...there are also dermotologists who advertise as part of their practice that they have people with your skills on staff...
Per capita income is probably highest in Southlake and Westlake--but so would the rents I also guess...
thank you synopsis & loves 2read--its all good, useful info. Where specifically are some of the main shopping areas? I see a lot of malls located on the map. I'm not a big mall shopper anymore, but I love all of the "town center" shopping areas where you can find most everything. Town centers is a term used a lot here in Florida--not meaning the actual downtown area, but the growth centers in the surrounding areas.
There is a huge amount of shopping available in Northeastern Tarrant County. I believe that Northeastern Mall is one of the largest malls in Texas, and probably in the nation. Aside from that, there are tons of areas to shop within 1 mile of our home. Northeast Mall is within a mile of our home as well.
Go to Yahoo Local and type in the 76054 zip code for "malls," and "shopping," you'll find a ton of stores to shop at from Nieman Marcus, to Saks Fifth Avenue, to Macy's, and so on. There are also a lot of fine restaurants in the area.
Irving, which is a hop, skip and a jump away has Thai, Indian, Mediterranean, Chinese, Japanese, and a plethora of dining to suit anyone's taste, and these are very fine places to eat with the best cuisine you can find anywhere in the US.
My wife really enjoys shopping at Southlake Town Center... it is all outdoor and there are some great restaurants and eateries too - you can make an afternoon of it.
I also recommend (from the additional information you provided) that you look towards Northeast Tarrant County - Grapevine, Colleyville, Southlake and maybe even Keller.
I live in Keller and what I love about it is that you can live very nicely without breaking the bank and you can enjoy all of the amenities of Southlake right next door. It is a nice compromise (living an upper-middle class lifestyle without necessary paying for it).
Best city in the USA! Born and raised here, still here...2 out 3 kids have remained here. have 3 houses in the family that are either for sale or going to be for sale if interested.
The Southlake/Keller/N. Richland Hills area is certainly a shopping mecca right now - it may already be saturated with your kind of business IF you were preparing to open your own business. If you were just looking for a job - it could be a great choice.
The Downtown area of Fort Worth is extremely vibrant and safe - lots of new housing book rental and owned. Check to the west of downtown along 7th street also - that's growing. Hulen is a growing area with a lot of shopping and might be a possibility. Perhaps even the hospital district - it is also growing with new restaurants/shops. All of these would be safe to travel in and safe to live in with the exception of the hospital district. You might also consider near the TCU campus. Lot of money in that area.
Arlington / Mansfield are both places you might want to check out. Again - they may be saturated with your service. Lincoln Square in North Arlington would be worth a look. The Highlands shopping area (very much like Southlake Town Center) would be the new area in South Arlington - fairly close to the mall but not as crowded. I notice that stores that were satellites to the mall are moving to Highlands.
Mansfield is booming along 287 - lots of stuff going on there. Waxahachie might even be a possibility.
This is a huge area - you would probably want to check out the competition and "need" for your business before making any real decisions. I would advise doing that before you arrive so that you can concentrate on the best areas for your re-location.
Good Luck
K
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