My impressions of Dallas, then Houston?

[homeinatx]

Originally Posted by nep321

Well, like I said, I lived in NYC and had no problem with the diversity there. I felt like there were plenty of white people, and the other ethnic groups were nice to have around too. Although, for some reason, there tends to be increased levels of trash and crime with increased diversity.

Keep digging that hole.

[HtownLove]

Originally Posted by nep321

Well, like I said, I lived in NYC and had no problem with the diversity there. I felt like there were plenty of white people, and the other ethnic groups were nice to have around too. Although, for some reason, there tends to be increased levels of trash and crime with increased diversity.

If that is not racist, I don't know what is.

Crime comes with poverty and lack of opportunities not race.

[drecey]

Haha, I understand what you mean. You just want to feel comfortable and not out of place. Everyone wants that, and I don't know why everyone is making this a race thing. Yes, at first read, it does come off as a tad racist, but honestly, we all share the same feelings. I can only speak for Houston and DFW.

Houston, you won't go wrong on most of the West side, Inner Loop West is the 'happening' spots for someone your age. The only parts you might not find comfortable (judging from you 'toomany hispanics in Austin' comment is the SW side of Houston [Gulfton, Sharpstown, Alief]). But, I would like to add, that for someone who practically grew up in SW Houston, you'll definitely be missing out on some of the cultural fabric of Houston if you avoid these areas. They aren't known to be the best looking areas of Houston, or even the safest, but they have some of the best mom and pops type restaurants. All walks of the world reside here.

Dallas, the north side. Oak Lawn, Uptown, Knox-Henderson, Park Cities, Some of Deep Ellum, Bishop Arts is being revitalized. Preston Hollows. But from my experience, the best are Oak Lawn and Uptown because there is more to do. They aren't high on my 'cultural' list, but they have a mixed crowd, largely affluent caucasian population. If you want a very mixed population and still feel comfortable, the northern suburbs such as Carrollton and Plano aren't bad. Denton is great, very liberal and a cool hipster type vibe to it. Like a mini Austin.

I hope that helped, but I think you've already made up your mind and I might be a little late on this. Lol. Either way, enjoy your time here in one of the greatest states in the country!

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by drecey

Dallas, the north side. Oak Lawn, Uptown, Knox-Henderson, Park Cities, Some of Deep Ellum, Bishop Arts is being revitalized. Preston Hollows. But from my experience, the best are Oak Lawn and Uptown because there is more to do. They aren't high on my 'cultural' list, but they have a mixed crowd, largely affluent caucasian population. If you want a very mixed population and still feel comfortable, the northern suburbs such as Carrollton and Plano aren't bad. Denton is great, very liberal and a cool hipster type vibe to it. Like a mini Austin.

I hope that helped, but I think you've already made up your mind and I might be a little late on this. Lol. Either way, enjoy your time here in one of the greatest states in the country!

Bishop Arts is not on the north side of Dallas; it's in north Oak Cliff and I don't think the OP would like an area where most business names end in "-eria", as in "taqueria", "lavanderia", "panaderia", etc.

I would think the Park Cities and Preston Hollow are out of his price range; that is the case for most buyers.

[RonnieinDallas]

Originally Posted by nep321

Some of you may recall a thread I started about a month ago regarding moving from Connecticut to Texas. Well, I have taken the opportunity to drive down here and I'm in Dallas right now. Here are my impressions of Dallas.

My initial impression was...wow...this city is HUGE! I was coming down I-35 and could see the skyline in the distance, and it took a good 30-45 minutes just to drive toward it. I have to say, the driving here is absolutely stressful and intense. You never know when the traffic is going to come to a screeching halt, and congestion happens WAY too often, even during non-rush hours. It's dangerous, in fact. I feel like I'm going to die in a car accident if I lived here. You have to be very alert at all times on the road.

I thought the skyline was very impressive and I'm impressed with the wealth of amenities in the metro area. However, the city of Dallas itself seemed to be rather dirty in many areas and it smells like food mixed with car exhaust in way too many areas. It's rather disgusting. The place is very fast paced and reminds me of NYC, to be honest. It doesn't really feel like Texas at all. The people don't really make much effort to be nice, either. But that's typical of very large cities, and I know it doesn't mean they're being mean.

With that said, I am nervous about going to Houston. I thought the Dallas metro was rather dirty, over congested, and honestly, I thought the Caucasian population wasn't large enough. My friends say that Houston is even dirtier, busier, and even less Caucasian, and more crime. Should I even bother taking the 3 hour drive down there? I don't think I could live in Dallas. It's too overwhelming for me.

Keep in mind, this visit came AFTER visiting Denver earlier in the week. Now that I think about it...Denver had clean air, less traffic, beautiful scenery, less crime, and a normal mix of ethnicities and diversity. I thought the city was more manageable than Dallas.

I think the correct attitude to have is to look at things as different, instead of making everything better or worse than the other. Maybe that would help you in seeing people as people instead of always commenting on how many of a particular variety are here or there. It just sounds racist, and this is coming from someone who's not pc and the opposite of liberal.

[diablo234]

Originally Posted by Nairobi

Well, I wouldn't say all that.

Yeah I was probably a little "too" generous with my estimates there, but the point remains the same.

Originally Posted by nep321

Well, like I said, I lived in NYC and had no problem with the diversity there. I felt like there were plenty of white people, and the other ethnic groups were nice to have around too. Although, for some reason, there tends to be increased levels of trash and crime with increased diversity.

There are enough anglo caucasians in both Houston, Dallas, Austin, and even San Antonio for you to not feel out of place. Just don't expect it to be like New England or the Pacific Northwest in which 70-90% of the population is white. Anyways if you were comfortable in NYC, then I don't see how Texas is going to be any different.

[R1070]

Originally Posted by nep321

No way...I would hate that. I want a metro that's at LEAST 1 million in population and a fair amount of diversity is perfectly fine by me.

Actually, I kinda like Dallas. My only complaint is that the gay population here is not that attractive lol. It would be nice if there were some hills to go hiking on though. I'm not sure if I want to visit Austin. It seems like a crazy and wild place.

Dallas has a lot of very attractive people and lots of diversity.

[RonnieinDallas]

Originally Posted by R1070

Dallas has a lot of very attractive people and lots of diversity.

I don't know; if he went out on a Sunday night on the strip it may be a culture shock! S4 especially

[tstone]

Originally Posted by drecey

Houston, you won't go wrong on most of the West side, Inner Loop West is the 'happening' spots for someone your age. The only parts you might not find comfortable (judging from you 'toomany hispanics in Austin' comment is the SW side of Houston [Gulfton, Sharpstown, Alief]). But, I would like to add, that for someone who practically grew up in SW Houston, you'll definitely be missing out on some of the cultural fabric of Houston if you avoid these areas. They aren't known to be the best looking areas of Houston, or even the safest, but they have some of the best mom and pops type restaurants. All walks of the world reside here.

The North, SE, a good portion of the East (and Pasadena/South Houston) are much more Hispanic by % than the SW. The SW is truly international, also has the highest crime in the city. I grew up in that area, too.

[DanielWayne]

Originally Posted by nep321

Well, like I said, I lived in NYC and had no problem with the diversity there. I felt like there were plenty of white people, and the other ethnic groups were nice to have around too. Although, for some reason, there tends to be increased levels of trash and crime with increased diversity.

There are lots of places with tons of crime... and just white people. Around here it's usually rural areas or small towns. Heck there are trashy places near Houston with no diversity. Plus it still seems like you are pulling stuff out of thin air just to get a rise out of folks on here.