A Reflection of Houston and Dallas after years in both.... (Austin: job transfer, neighborhood)

[As Above So Below...]

With all that goes back and forth between the cities on here, Ive wanted to do this for a while. I want to have a place for feedback for those of us who have lived in both cities.

Ive been in Houston for four years now. Before that I was in Dallas and Plano for 6. There are things that I like better about both. There are things that I never though Id miss about Dallas that I do and things I thought Id miss that I dont.

Anyway here are some thoughts I had after living in both.

-Dallas seems to be more politically active for whatever reason on both sides. The liberals I know in Dallas more liberal and the conservatives I know there are more conservative than in Houston. Both are more vocal as well. Houston is much more libertarian in nature where as Dallas is more liberal and conservative.
-I never appreciated DFW airport enough. Its so much more user friendly than Bush is. DFW also served about 30 more destinations than Bush does. Bush does have more international carriers but that isnt enough to make up the difference for me.
-The way each city views the other is different. People in Houston view Dallas a city with only white people and people in Dallas view Houston as a strictly blue collar city. The stereotypes are worn and tired.
-When people in Dallas complain about Houston, they mainly seem to complain about the humidity and ugliness of the industrial side of the city but I never heard people in Dallas complain about the people. When people in Houston complain about Dallas, they only seem to complain about the people. This makes me quite annoyed with Houstonians who do that.
-People in Houston are more wound up about the rivalry of the cities than people in Dallas. Especially when it comes to sports.
-People in Houston place a greater emphasis on their culinary and fine arts scene. People in Dallas place a greater emphasis on shopping and nightlife.
-Dallas has a far more consumerist mindset. People in Houston are far more laid back.
-Going out in Dallas (at least for the scene I like) was much more of a chore but a lot more intense too. We would have to get dolled up just to go to a bar, but people tended to stay out later too. In Houston, people are cool with throwing on a pair of jeans to go anywhere.
-I never considered Dallas a hilly city, but I find myself missing what hills there were. The rolling prairie had a beauty to it that I didnt quite appreciate. Now that I live in a city that is truly flat, I miss that. That said, I could totally see myself missing the greenery in Houston if I left here.
-Both cities are more religious than your average city (Dallas ever so slightly moreso), but I never once in either city had anyone ask me about my beliefs, where I went to church, or anything else on topic. I never understood the need to paint either place as overly religious. Agnostics like myself can exist either place and never have to be caught up in religious culture.
-Both Dallas and Houston have a massive number of immigrants but the flavor and feel Houston is certainly more international. Ive always said "Dallas is an American city with international residents, Houston is an international city with international residents".
-Fort Worth is the unsung hero of the Metroplex. What I did enjoy about living in Dallas was being able to go to Fort Worth and get a completely different flavor. Dallas and Fort Worth truly complement each other very well despite the rivalry. Part of the selling point of living in Dallas was Fort Worth. Houston really doesnt have an equivalent. Ive heard the arguement made for Galveston but its simply not the same. Its further and is more culturally isolated from Houston. The two just dont interact as much.
-I miss being able to drive to the foothills of the Ozarks which was only 3-3.5 hours from Dallas. That said, there are things Id miss about Houston's proximity too. I like being able to go the beaches in South Texas or drive to New Orleans and that was a plane trip from Dallas.
-Im not gay but my wife and I love going to gay clubs. The gay scene in Dallas is HUGE. Houston has nothing that comes close to Dallas on the level of gay nightlife.

So based on all of this, do I have a preference? I do have a slight preference for Houston for two reasons:
1) the people are genuinely more laid back
2) the culinary scene is objectively better. There are some aspects of the food scene that are better in Dallas (the Korean and Japanese food leap to mind), but overall Houston does win out there.

That said, if I need to move back to Dallas, I wouldnt shy away from it at all. I enjoyed my years there and wouldnt be opposed to spending more time there.

Id love to hear from people who have lived in both that wish to contribute.

[Dallas12]

Excellent assessment. I actually align with almost all of what you're saying.

[Kthnry]

Good insights. I've never lived in either city, but your observations verify my impressions from many years in other Texas cities. There may be a move to Houston in my future and I've always thought I would prefer Houston over Dallas. This confirms it.

[Westerner92]

I never had a dog in the Houston vs. Dallas fight, but I visited both plenty, and most of my friends are from both. I pretty much agree with almost everything exactly.

The gay nightlife in Dallas is bigger, but the culture there is just really vapid IMHO. It’s a scene where botox and steroids are common.

[Mark Senior]

You can count me as well, as mostly agreeing with much of your assessment.

[TheMoreYouKnow]

Great commentary about both, I can't really find anything I disagree with even though my time in Dallas is relatively short compared to my time in Houston.

Why did you move from Dallas to Houston in the first place?

[Treasurevalley92]

Great points all around. I've never actually lived in Houston, but I dated a girl from there, have visited numerous times, have friends who currently live there who used to live in Dallas etc.

I really like both cities.

I know alot of the locals will protest, but I've always found the two cities to be much more similar to each other than different. There are no two large metros that are more similar. They are almost identical in size, importance, and grew during similar periods. Not that there are not distinctions, and unique qualities, and industry mix but they have so much more in common than not.

I agree the stereotypes are pretty worn out. How anyone thinks of DFW as a "White People" place is beyond strange to me, but then again I came from an actual "white people place." There are very few places in the country that are more diverse than Dallas. Houston is one of them, for sure, but I don't think the gap between Dallas and Houston internationally speaking is as wide as Houstonians would have you think.

I agree with you that in general Houston has the better food scene, but Dallas is no light weight in this department and probably takes the cake in Indian and Korean food. Actually, I sometimes wonder if any city has better South Asian food than DFW.

I will say I think the Dallas nightlife scene is better, is more central and has more options. I agree with your point about people getting Dolled up, but there are alternative options like Deep Ellum where people really do wear whatever. It's also alot easier to lets say Start in Lower Greenville for dinner and happy hour and catch a short uber to Deep Ellum in Dallas. It's easy to jump between scenes.

Speaking of Deep Ellum, the only other grouping of bars that even competes in terms of number of options in a short walk in all of Texas is 6th Street.

Not that Houston don't have great nightlife, it actually has my favorite hockey bar, "The Maple Leaf" But Dallas's bar districts are both closer to each other and more walk-able once you actually get there.

Anyway, I think that anyone who likes living in either of these cities should be find living in the other. Not that you can't have a preference, but there are so many similarities, Loving one and hating the other I think would come down to splitting hairs, both are great cities.

[Johnhw2]

I lived in Houston for 33 years and Plano for 8 my experience is pretty similar to OP's so I will highlight the differences.

I worked in international energy in Houston. We rarely had a reason to take about Dallas. I had family living in far north Dallas so had visited Plano where I am now.

I moved here to be near family after retiring. I did not expect to like planning more but do

The reasons are more pronounced seasons and like the colder half of the year. Big reason I prefer it here is hurricane inpacts and Houston flooding.. I am too old to deal with that mess.

I was surprised at how international Dallas area was. I live the diversity that comes with the large interest ayional nature if both cities.

If I were to move it would be out of Texas. In Texas I like where I am now

[As Above So Below...]

Originally Posted by TheMoreYouKnow

Great commentary about both, I can't really find anything I disagree with even though my time in Dallas is relatively short compared to my time in Houston.

Why did you move from Dallas to Houston in the first place?

Job transfer. It wasnt actually more money, but it was the same pay for 2/3 the amount of work. Cant beat that!

Originally Posted by Treasurevalley92

I agree with you that in general Houston has the better food scene, but Dallas is no light weight in this department and probably takes the cake in Indian and Korean food. Actually, I sometimes wonder if any city has better South Asian food than DFW.

Yeah, Ive spent a good amount of time in India and Dallas (specifically Plano, Irving, and Richardson) have Indian food thats as good as anywhere it exists on earth. To this day, the best Indian food Ive had was at the Indian Independence Day celebration in Irving. You had hawkers cooking Indian street food but up to American sanitation standards. In India, you cant eat off the street.

Originally Posted by Johnhw2

f I were to move it would be out of Texas. In Texas I like where I am now

I agree fully with this. Austin is cool and there are other parts of the state I enjoy visiting, but if I couldnt be in DFW or Houston, there is no way on earth Id stay in Texas. To be honest, I really dont like most of the state but I do love DFW and Houston.

[R1070]

I also think Dallas has more identity from neighborhood to neighborhood. They each have their own vibe and flavor to offer and all in close proximity to downtown.