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I taught for a decade in the Waco area but I wouldn't really recommend it for a young-ish single teacher. Most of the single teachers that I worked with in Waco either ended up getting married or eventually moving on to one of the larger cities. And mostly they were Baylor grads so already had a ready-made social life in the area. It wouldn't be a particularly friendly city for a young single teacher who didn't already have college or family ties in the area.
In your shoes I'd look at Fort Worth or San Antonio which are two nice cities that are not quite so overwhelming as Dallas or Houston or as pricey as Austin. The Tanglewood area of Fort Worth is very nice (near TCU) as is the museum district and newer areas just west of downtown. In San Antonio there are some interesting urban areas near the central city. The Pearl District is nice and walkable. Also Alamo Heights. And there are some nice areas in the northern suburbs. As a teacher you can live in a more interesting central area and do an easy reverse commute out to more suburban schools if you need to for work. Kind of the opposite of most other professions. Although there are plenty of inner city teaching jobs too. If I was doing it all over again and looking to move back to TX as a young single teacher I'd look very hard at San Antonio.
The upscale suburbs around Dallas are mostly going to be family-oriented. Fine if you want to spend your time doing youth soccer on weekends, and shopping at Home Depot and big box stores. I wouldn't be so quick to try to escape Dallas if you have family there. Dallas has a lot of nice areas that aren't super downtown-ish. The area around White Rock Lake is very nice, for example. Lakewood and Lakewood hills, for example. I'd happy live in on of those areas as a single person over one of the family-oriented burbs like Allen or Frisco. Much of the actual city of Dallas is pretty suburban. It isn't Manhattan or Chicago except for some very small sections dominated by high rises.
If I had to pick a Dallas area suburb to be single in, maybe Grapevine. It has sort of an historic downtown area with pubs and cafes and has more of a sense of place than most of the sprawling suburbs that are mostly just subdivisions and malls.
Just to narrow things down. I'd avoid Houston unless you REALLY want the tropical humid heat. It is in the path of hurricanes and flooding and other bad stuff more than other Texas cities. Especially if you are teaching and can basically move anywhere. Houston has plenty of nice areas because it is a wealthy city. But it is kind of more messy and less organized than the other cities in TX.
You also need to consider the work environment. The big city school districts (Dallas, Houston, SA, FW) are hot messes, full of bureaucracy, except for a few showcase schools where the overly-involved parents run the teachers and administration ragged. But they pay the best, and if you can handle the inner-city environment you can basically stay there forever (but you've got to get in with the ruling clique of the particular school).
The "name" suburbs are going to be hard to get jobs in, and the overly-involved parents will run the teachers and administration even raggeder than in the handful of showcase schools of the big city ISDs.
The working-class suburbs might be more normal.
So you really need to consider this matter - if you have a great place to live with all the outside amenities, but your job requires you to spend 40 hours a week in fear for your safety plus another 30 hours at home doing unnecessary paperwork all the while dodging the principal who has got it in for you so she can make her quota of how many teachers to get rid of each year - you won't care about that hip young city life.
The upscale suburbs around Dallas are mostly going to be family-oriented. Fine if you want to spend your time doing youth soccer on weekends, and shopping at Home Depot and big box stores. I wouldn't be so quick to try to escape Dallas if you have family there. Dallas has a lot of nice areas that aren't super downtown-ish. The area around White Rock Lake is very nice, for example. Lakewood and Lakewood hills, for example. I'd happy live in on of those areas as a single person over one of the family-oriented burbs like Allen or Frisco. Much of the actual city of Dallas is pretty suburban. It isn't Manhattan or Chicago except for some very small sections dominated by high rises.
If I had to pick a Dallas area suburb to be single in, maybe Grapevine. It has sort of an historic downtown area with pubs and cafes and has more of a sense of place than most of the sprawling suburbs that are mostly just subdivisions and malls.
Areas near White Rock Lake, such as Lakewood and Lakewood Hills, are not known as a hub for single life in Dallas. They are not the worst option within Dallas or Collin County for a single person though. I would call it acceptable but not ideal. You are correct that they are better options than the northern suburbs like Allen or Frisco. The upside is that these neighborhoods are a short drive to the more singles dense areas. With that said, there's no walkability to bars or gyms, which are 2 places that singles typically meet. People do meet on the walking path around White Rock Lake, but Katy Trail is more conducive to singles meeting each other in the walking path/park category.
Women have a little bit more leeway on where they can live than men. Single men generally need to be in the center of the action.
I do think inner city life in Dallas would overwhelm me on a daily basis, although it's fun to visit. Which suburbs do you think would be good ones to explore?
In your situation I think you should at least try it out for a while. A lot of apartments are doing 6 month leases now with no rate increase, and some even shorter. There’s really nothing for you in the suburbs. If you’re going to make a big move why not step out of your comfort zone, and try something new? The central core neighborhoods are excellent for new people because that’s where all the young professionals live and hang out. I think once you get settled you’ll see it’s not the big bad city.
Quote:
Originally Posted by turf3
You also need to consider the work environment. The big city school districts (Dallas, Houston, SA, FW) are hot messes, full of bureaucracy, except for a few showcase schools where the overly-involved parents run the teachers and administration ragged. But they pay the best, and if you can handle the inner-city environment you can basically stay there forever (but you've got to get in with the ruling clique of the particular school).
The "name" suburbs are going to be hard to get jobs in, and the overly-involved parents will run the teachers and administration even raggeder than in the handful of showcase schools of the big city ISDs.
The working-class suburbs might be more normal.
So you really need to consider this matter - if you have a great place to live with all the outside amenities, but your job requires you to spend 40 hours a week in fear for your safety plus another 30 hours at home doing unnecessary paperwork all the while dodging the principal who has got it in for you so she can make her quota of how many teachers to get rid of each year - you won't care about that hip young city life.
I have friends who work all across the spectrum.
I have 3 friends that specifically wanted to work for DISD and they love it. One is middle school level in south Dallas. One teaches at a magnet, and one is in administration. They love having a positive impact on those kids, and there are good schools in DISD and great staff.
I have friends that work in Arlington, Mesquite, and Garland ISD that all have high numbers of low-income students and large numbers of ESL kids too, so even in the suburbs here you have challenges.
My neighbor teaches high school level AP at Plano ISD. Super motivated kids. They have a lot more freedom at that school.
I also know 2 people at ESD.
The 2 things they all have in common is that they all live in Oak Lawn, and I’ve never heard them complain about any of the things you mentioned.
In your situation I think you should at least try it out for a while. A lot of apartments are doing 6 month leases now with no rate increase, and some even shorter. There’s really nothing for you in the suburbs. If you’re going to make a big move why not step out of your comfort zone, and try something new? The central core neighborhoods are excellent for new people because that’s where all the young professionals live and hang out. I think once you get settled you’ll see it’s not the big bad city.
I have friends who work all across the spectrum.
I have 3 friends that specifically wanted to work for DISD and they love it. One is middle school level in south Dallas. One teaches at a magnet, and one is in administration. They love having a positive impact on those kids, and there are good schools in DISD and great staff.
I have friends that work in Arlington, Mesquite, and Garland ISD that all have high numbers of low-income students and large numbers of ESL kids too, so even in the suburbs here you have challenges.
My neighbor teaches high school level AP at Plano ISD. Super motivated kids. They have a lot more freedom at that school.
I also know 2 people at ESD.
The 2 things they all have in common is that they all live in Oak Lawn, and I’ve never heard them complain about any of the things you mentioned.
Teacher here. I've taught in half a dozen different schools from affluent suburban to poorer urban.
Honestly once you get settled into the job, teaching is pretty much the same wherever you are. You are mostly alone in your classroom with the kids. What makes the biggest difference in your life is the immediate colleagues in your department, how collaborative and helpful they are, or are not. My worst experience was in an affluent exurban school where there was little collaboration between the mostly older teachers who were set in their ways and not at all helpful to new colleagues.
And I have never taught anywhere where there were not bureaucratic headaches. Administrators can be just as incompetent and petty in small districts as large. The biggest factor is probably the tone set by the school principal, not the off-site administrators. And I've seen good and bad principals in every type of school. The most aggravating petty pinhead bureaucrat I have ever had to live with was a control-freak penny-pinching assistant administrator at a small affluent exurban district that would be comparable to perhaps....Celina.
That said, you can locate in pretty much any urban area in Texas and have several dozen school systems to pick from ranging from diverse inner city schools to snobby suburban and private schools. Unlike most other jobs, you can arrange quite easy reverse commutes when teaching that you can't do with jobs in central business districts. A teacher locating in say central Dallas will have hundreds of schools to choose from within a 30-45 min drive.
The OP can pick any larger city in Texas and will have a lot of different districts to choose from. Although the difficulty of getting hired is pretty much proportionate to the wealth of the district. Wealthy suburban districts are usually where most teachers want to teach because of the newer schools, more resources, better pay, and generally easier to teach student bodies. Poorer inner city and rural schools have the hardest time hiring teachers.
Last edited by texasdiver; 04-17-2020 at 08:03 PM..
Areas near White Rock Lake, such as Lakewood and Lakewood Hills, are not known as a hub for single life in Dallas. They are not the worst option within Dallas or Collin County for a single person though. I would call it acceptable but not ideal. You are correct that they are better options than the northern suburbs like Allen or Frisco. The upside is that these neighborhoods are a short drive to the more singles dense areas. With that said, there's no walkability to bars or gyms, which are 2 places that singles typically meet. People do meet on the walking path around White Rock Lake, but Katy Trail is more conducive to singles meeting each other in the walking path/park category.
Women have a little bit more leeway on where they can live than men. Single men generally need to be in the center of the action.
I was just throwing that out there as an example of a more suburbanish and nice part of Dallas where I have friends (admittedly married friends) living. Not necessarily as a singles mecca. You folks who live in Dallas would know where the best spots are. My point was that you don't need to go way out to the outer suburbs to find quiet leafy neighborhoods, Dallas is full of them. The OP seemed leery of living in a more happening central location.
I was just throwing that out there as an example of a more suburbanish and nice part of Dallas where I have friends (admittedly married friends) living. Not necessarily as a singles mecca. You folks who live in Dallas would know where the best spots are. My point was that you don't need to go way out to the outer suburbs to find quiet leafy neighborhoods, Dallas is full of them. The OP seemed leery of living in a more happening central location.
Yes, you definitely don't need to be in a Dallas suburb north of Interstate 635 to find quiet, leafy neighborhoods. There are some good neighborhoods south of 635 that are quiet. Lakewood is suburban in nature.
I probably wouldn't recommend Dallas as a whole for the OP. Among the bigger cities in Texas, Fort Worth is probably her best option.
Yes, you definitely don't need to be in a Dallas suburb north of Interstate 635 to find quiet, leafy neighborhoods. There are some good neighborhoods south of 635 that are quiet. Lakewood is suburban in nature.
I probably wouldn't recommend Dallas as a whole for the OP. Among the bigger cities in Texas, Fort Worth is probably her best option.
Yep. For a young teacher Fort Worth or San Antonio would be my two top picks. Both are FAR larger and more interesting cities than anything in Kansas. San Antonio is obviously more Hispanic and touristy. But has some very interesting new neighborhoods and lots of cool stuff happening. San Antonio is also much closer to the ocean so weekend or even long day trips down to Port Aransas are doable. Fort Worth also seems more liveable and manageable than Dallas, also with a lot of great neighborhoods.
Austin is crazy expensive for a young teacher and overwhelmed with growth. Dallas and Houston are both just enormous and have more dysfunction.
Yep. For a young teacher Fort Worth or San Antonio would be my two top picks. Both are FAR larger and more interesting cities than anything in Kansas. San Antonio is obviously more Hispanic and touristy. But has some very interesting new neighborhoods and lots of cool stuff happening. San Antonio is also much closer to the ocean so weekend or even long day trips down to Port Aransas are doable. Fort Worth also seems more liveable and manageable than Dallas, also with a lot of great neighborhoods.
Austin is crazy expensive for a young teacher and overwhelmed with growth. Dallas and Houston are both just enormous and have more dysfunction.
Fort Worth and San Antonio would also be my top 2 as well.
The general attitude of Fort Worth residents, particularly on the singles scene, is generally more palatable than the attitudes encountered in Dallas. The reason why Dallas attracts people is volume. Put simply, there are more single and unattached people in Dallas, providing for a larger dating pool. Fort Worth is large enough to have a dating pool. For adults that are over 25, a lot of places get too small to effectively date when the population is below 100,000. Fort Worth is well above that, and it is above 500,000.
Teaching is one of the those occupations that is less location specific. In DFW, a lot of out of state transplants choose Dallas over Fort Worth because of the job options. That's relevant in a lot of white collar, office worker type roles. Teachers are fortunate that the aforementioned scenario is less relevant.
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