Houston verses Fort Worth (Dallas, Arlington: hotels, home, to buy)

[sonegirl]

It looks like my husband will be relocated with his work to Texas. We currently live in Colorado now. We will have a choice for him to work in Houston or Fort Worth. So I am just wondering which is better.
We have two kids, both toddlers. So they are not in school yet.. but knowing about schools would help. Which area is more geared towards families and what things are there for us to do?
We lived in Arizona for 7 years, so we are used to hot... but very dry heat... so which has better weather as well?
I just never thought we would move to Texas. So any information would help us out a lot.
Thanks!

[DanielWayne]

I tend to think both areas are family oriented, and there are tons of things to do in both cities. I wouldn't think one beats the other since Ft Worth is also part of DFW. (Ft Worth is better than Dallas too )

And weather is a toss up too. Both get bad weather. Houston - gets really hot and humid, like right now. Hurricanes are a threat, but you have a long time to prepare. Ft Worth - less humid but slightly hotter temps for the summer high I believe. Also a bit more prone to bad tornadoes and ice. Houston can't handle ice very well...

We live outside of Houston, but I really like Ft Worth because it is easier to get around. And Ft Worth has some top notch things to see and do like the museums, botanical gardens, awesome downtown, etc. Houston has some serious world class amenities, but you have to drive a lot to see them.

Based on your criteria so far, it would be a toss up to me.

[Cowboys fan in Houston]

You could do either. Both great cities with tons of family oriented activities.

[Metro Matt]

Fort Worth if you want a much slower paced country lifestyle inside a fairly good size city with decent amenities.

Houston if you want an extremely diverse, fast paced big city where "almost" anything goes.


I'm thinking Fort Worth would be more your speed since you have a family & are used to the dryer heat.

[binkyman]

Originally Posted by Metro Matt

Fort Worth if you want a much slower paced country lifestyle inside a fairly good size city with decent amenities.

Houston if you want an extremely diverse, fast paced big city where "almost" anything goes.


I'm thinking Fort Worth would be more your speed since you have a family & are used to the dryer heat.

Ahem . . . you know, if one wanted those things you mentioned about the big city, one wouldn't even need to go next door to Dallas. Indeed, one could just remain right at home in Fort Worth. Fort Worth is very pretty. There are small mountains located just to the west of the city in and around Possum Kingdom Lake and Mineral Wells, Texas.

And the Alliance area north of Fort Worth might just be the best place to live in the world, economically speaking. Fort Worth as of now is in the process of reloading concerning its manufacturing base. It is home to the fracking gas industry in the area.

Indeed, Fort Worth has its own beautiful zoo, the best museum in Texas in the Kimball, the richest person in Texas along with its share of billionaires, a large aerospace industry, and so on.

And, like you didn't say, if you needed to buy something for more money, look down on something insignificant from a skyscraper, or intermingle in a crowd acting important, you could just drive a short distance over to Dallas.

[Metro Matt]

Originally Posted by binkyman

Ahem . . . you know, if one wanted those things you mentioned about the big city, one wouldn't even need to go next door to Dallas. Indeed, one could just remain right at home in Fort Worth. Fort Worth is very pretty. There are small mountains located just to the west of the city in and around Possum Kingdom Lake and Mineral Wells, Texas.

And the Alliance area north of Fort Worth might just be the best place to live in the world, economically speaking. Fort Worth as of now is in the process of reloading concerning its manufacturing base. It is home to the fracking gas industry in the area.

Indeed, Fort Worth has its own beautiful zoo, the best museum in Texas in the Kimball, the richest person in Texas along with its share of billionaires, a large aerospace industry, and so on.

And, like you didn't say, if you needed to buy something for more money, look down on something insignificant from a skyscraper, or intermingle in a crowd acting important, you could just drive a short distance over to Dallas.

Not really.

Fort Worth has its drawbacks. The pace of life is very slow for a big city, but for the OP that might be just want they're looking for. You pretty much have to venture into Dallas to see & do anything halfway exciting.

The museums & Stockyards can get old after the first couple of visits. Downtown is nice, but small.

[binkyman]

Originally Posted by Metro Matt

Not really.

Fort Worth has its drawbacks. The pace of life is very slow for a big city, but for the OP that might be just want they're looking for. You pretty much have to venture into Dallas to see & do anything halfway exciting.

The museums & Stockyards can get old after the first couple of visits. Downtown is nice, but small.

The idea of "cowtown" is more myth than reality. Just where in Houston does the pace of the city get, as you say, exciting? Don't roosters still crow a quarter a mile from downtown Houston? I know they did back when I was a school bus driver. and the city of Fort Worth has a downtown loop system where people can drive busily and honk at each other.

Long before either Dallas or Houston thought about rebuilding their downtown areas, Fort Worth was already well on the way. it's museum district is quite beautiful and second to none in the state of Texas.

[sonegirl]

Thanks for all the information. Which city has lower crime? One thing I love to do it run and train for marathons. Which city has more running trails, etc... and is safe for runners?
It sounds like both Houston and Fort Worth have a lot to offer for families. That's great!

I was unsure of Texas at first, but the more research I am doing the more excited I am getting!

[JJG]

Originally Posted by Metro Matt

Fort Worth if you want a much slower paced country lifestyle inside a fairly good size city with decent amenities.

Kind of exaggerating a bit.

Sure, Fort Worth has a slower pace than Houston... most cities do. But "country lifestyle"? It's not 1925, man.

[RayStokes]

I like both cities and think you'd be fine in both. But here are some of my personal (and admittedly biased) opinions.

Both cities have tons of trails. I'll let a Houstonian speak for their own city, but Fort Worth has the Trinity Trails which cover a large portion of the city that run parallel to the Trinity River.

Trinity Trails - The Biking/Cycling, Running, Walking trails along the Trinity River in Fort Worth, Texas

Fort Worth has the big annual Cowtown Marathon, the White Rock Marathon next door in Dallas, and a lot of smaller races that take course over the year in and around DFW.

Cowtown Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K, 5K Dallas Ft. Worth Texas

https://www.dallasmarathon.com/marathon/

Race Calendar | RunOn!


Regarding safety, I'm going to have to give the edge to Fort Worth. This city had a reputation of being very dangerous in the 1980's and early 1990's but really cleaned up its act and has recently made multiple "safest cities in America" lists. The city has been on a major upswing for 15 years now, but I also think you could say that about most big cities in this state, including Houston. Downtown is very well lit and has private police security as well as the Fort Worth police and has a reputation of being very safe and family friendly. As far as schools go, I can't tell you since I don't have kids and don't really research that stuff. I'm sure you can find good school districts in both areas.

Matt is right that Houston is a much bigger and faster paced city, hard to argue that, but I think Fort Worth has a lot of exciting things to offer. I could have lived in either place and chose Fort Worth. DFW metro is very large and fast paced, but describing Fort Worth as sleepier or laid back compared to Houston is fair. The plus side of that is I think it has more of a community feel than Houston, which to me feels more impersonal. Downtown Fort Worth isn't big, but you'll find more people roaming around Sundance Square on any given night than bigger Texas cities' downtowns like Houston or Dallas. I also think it offers more for people of all ages. I'd probably describe Houston as a better singles town and Fort Worth as a better family town. But then that's not to say that both cities aren't very well suited for both singles and families.

Some popular attractions downtown:

Sundance Square - Located in the Heart of Downtown Fort Worth

Fort Worth Water Gardens - Fort Worth Attraction

Bass Hall, Performing Arts Fort Worth

Tube the Trinity-Rockin the River Summer Music Tubing Series

Main Street Arts Fest :: Home


And the Cultural District located 1.5 miles west of downtown:


West 7th :: UNIVERSITY DRIVE NORTH AND WEST 7TH ST., Ft. Worth, TX. 76107 ::

https://www.kimbellart.org/

Homepage | Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth ---> (This is personally my favorite museum that I have ever been to)

Fort Worth Museum of Science and History |


And then a newer, still growing revitalized restaurant/bar/entertainment district:


Magnolia Avenue Restaurant Row | Fort Worth South, Inc.


Entertainment in the suburbs for the family:


https://www.grapevinetexasusa.com/Fe...4/Default.aspx

Grapevine Hotel | Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center

Texas Water Parks | Texas Family Resorts | GreatWolf.com

Six Flags Over Texas

Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Arlington



And while Fort Worth itself is smaller and slower paced, I'd say DFW as a whole is nearly identical to the Houston metro in regards to available activities and amenities. As a family you could easily live in a suburb in the mid cities (term used to describe suburbs between Dallas and Fort Worth) and have easy access to both Fort Worth and Dallas, which I think is a huge plus. If you don't want to visit a museum in Fort Worth, Dallas is a 30 mile drive or train ride away.