Compare Orlando to DFW - May be headed to TX (Miami: sales, insurance)

[DonInOtown]

No kids. Wife and I are in our 50's. Promo opportunity. Lived in Orlando most of our lives and can't say that we love it anymore. Anyone here lived in Ft. Worth for any length of time. Aside from a couple of months during the summer being even hotter than Orlando, and a semblance of winter weather, what's to love and not love? Sure looks like you get a lot more house for the money. Thanks.

[Soup Not See]

Originally Posted by DonInOtown

No kids. Wife and I are in our 50's. Promo opportunity. Lived in Orlando most of our lives and can't say that we love it anymore. Anyone here lived in Ft. Worth for any length of time. Aside from a couple of months during the summer being even hotter than Orlando, and a semblance of winter weather, what's to love and not love? Sure looks like you get a lot more house for the money. Thanks.

You should probably post this in the Dallas forum ?

[DonInOtown]

Originally Posted by leftee

You should probably post this in the Dallas forum ?

I did. So, the only perspective that should matter would come from someone who moved from Orlando to DFW, and not vice versa?

[djneph]

We moved from FL to TX 5 years ago (Miami to Austin). Can't comment on Orlando to DFW but can give you some insight on taxes and such and things I have learned.

Traffic in Orlando is nothing like DFW, I dread when I have to visit the DFW area. Lots of highways to get you around, but can be crowded and a little intimidating to some (lots of flyovers and interchanges).

property taxes are big out here. My home is valued around $190k and have the homestead exemption. My annual taxes are around $5300. Sales tax is about 8.25%. Also, look at water rates they can vary greatly from city to city (anywhere from $2 - $3/1000 gallons). Also, I worked in insurance when I first moved here and DFW has some of the highest home/auto insurance rates in the state (lots of extreme weather - hail/thunderstorms).

Just some info, that I didn't have when we made the move from FL to TX.

[DonInOtown]

Thanks. Saw the property taxes and sales tax. Certainly looks dense enough for traffic problems. Appreciate it.

[DavieJ89]

I have only driven through the DFW area but yes traffic there is very bad and drivers there are worse than in Orlando.

I found I-30 east of downtown Dallas to be very intimidating. Very winding, narrow lanes with concrete walls just inches from your driver side mirror. I coulda sworn I was going to crash

Good luck in DFW and be safe driving out there. Drivers in Dallas suck

I-35 West in Fort Worth isn't a treat either

[cichlid]

moved form Dallas to Orlando a month ago:

1. Its the drivers in Orlando that suck. They drive too slow and dangerously. The drivers in DFW drive faster, yet it is much safer. You will not run into too many folks driving below the speed limit on the left lane of the highway like in Orlando.

2. The property taxes are higher- that is what pays for the better school districts, though schools are not a concern for you.

3. The dining out options are far superior to Orlando.

4. The weather in DFW can get really hot. Although not humid as in Orlando, I felt the heat there this time last year worse than in Orlando.

5. The whole metroplex of DFW is generally cleaner than Orlando.

6. There are not a lot of things to do in DFW compared to Orlando (beaches, Disney, etc.)

7. Gas is cheaper in DFW.

8. The housing market is much more stable.

[CoreLysium]

The climate is different:
City Climate Comparisons
And when I lived in Dallas, besides dead grass, what I remember is the wind. I was a kid, so I can't comment on the traffic, but DFW seems more big city to me.

You may want to get some chrome on your pickup truck before tailgating that Corrola in the slow lane.

Edited to add: I lived in DFW, actually Plano, in the 1970s, but I have visited since. Dallas seems like an un-laid-back Houston, kinda.