Best cities for a single, young lady? (Houston, Dallas: vacation home, job market)

[Nikalyn]

Hey, all!

I've toyed with the idea of moving to Texas for quite a while now. I just graduated from Auburn University (in Alabama) this last May and the plan was for me to move to Dallas immediately following graduation, but it never worked out and I moved back home to New Jersey. Now, I'm looking to find the PERFECT city for me. I had a friend recently move to Austin, and she loves it, but let me give a little info on me.

1) I have a degree in Spanish and I'm currently getting my Master's degree to get certified to teach.
2)I was born and raised in the Northeast, but, attended college in the South so I'm used to humidity.
3) I'm quite conservative when it comes to politics.
4) I like to go out, but I'm not a huge party person. So nightlife is important, but not a dealbreaker.

Now, ideally, I'd like to move to Austin to be near my friend and because I love the college town feel and vibe, but I've heard it's very liberal. Is this true? Also, San Antonio is another city that interests me because I'm under the impression that there is a very high Hispanic population (no different from the rest of the state) but I've heard it's also very, very dangerous. Thoughts? My dad's best childhood friend lives in Grand Prairie and works in Dallas, so there's the added bonus of being near someone I know. Another one of my father's friends owns a vacation house in Galveston, so Houston would be great as well since it's (relatively?) close to Galveston and, if need be, I can live there until I get on my feet.

Knowing this info, which city would you suggest for me? Thanks in advance!

[1751texan]

Originally Posted by Nikalyn

Hey, all!

I've toyed with the idea of moving to Texas for quite a while now. I just graduated from Auburn University (in Alabama) this last May and the plan was for me to move to Dallas immediately following graduation, but it never worked out and I moved back home to New Jersey. Now, I'm looking to find the PERFECT city for me. I had a friend recently move to Austin, and she loves it, but let me give a little info on me.

1) I have a degree in Spanish and I'm currently getting my Master's degree to get certified to teach.
2)I was born and raised in the Northeast, but, attended college in the South so I'm used to humidity.
3) I'm quite conservative when it comes to politics.
4) I like to go out, but I'm not a huge party person. So nightlife is important, but not a dealbreaker.

Now, ideally, I'd like to move to Austin to be near my friend and because I love the college town feel and vibe, but I've heard it's very liberal. Is this true? Also, San Antonio is another city that interests me because I'm under the impression that there is a very high Hispanic population (no different from the rest of the state) but I've heard it's also very, very dangerous. Thoughts? My dad's best childhood friend lives in Grand Prairie and works in Dallas, so there's the added bonus of being near someone I know. Another one of my father's friends owns a vacation house in Galveston, so Houston would be great as well since it's (relatively?) close to Galveston and, if need be, I can live there until I get on my feet.

Knowing this info, which city would you suggest for me? Thanks in advance!

I turly believe Dallas is your better choice. Austin is young and the folk of austin are very tolerent...you may not find the open vibrant GLBT or Bohemian folk to your liking.

Houston is hard for someone with no back up...Its big, fast and mean.

I think Dallas is a good fit for you, nice neighborhoods, lots of churches, great dinning and fun night spots...Upscale living with downhome charm...

[gy2020]

Don't be scared of San Antonio. Move into the Northside school district. Great starting pay, safe neighborhoods and some of the best schools in the state. There is plenty of night life, churches and largely a conservative city, but you can find all kinds here as well. I understand the starting pay in NISD is around $50,000 a year. Not bad, right out of the gate. Your bilingual education will be an asset.

[malamute]

If you're looking for a Spanish speaking city, I would suggest El Paso or Brownsville.

[ocean2026]

If you like small towns Rockport ( 24 min from Corpus Christi) has more men than women. Most other places with more men than women contain prisons lol. Rockport is great if you like the ocean and wildlife but its pretty quiet -very friendly.

The Valley ( Brownsville - McAllen) has the opposite more women than men. The schools need help.

Dallas Houston and San Antonio are big cities and there is not much special about them. They have no attractions like Denver,Las Vegas or San Francisco and summers are miserable.

El Paso is an interesting place. Desert and quite friendly for a big place.

[bocifus]

Originally Posted by Nikalyn

Hey, all!

I've toyed with the idea of moving to Texas for quite a while now. I just graduated from Auburn University (in Alabama) this last May and the plan was for me to move to Dallas immediately following graduation, but it never worked out and I moved back home to New Jersey. Now, I'm looking to find the PERFECT city for me. I had a friend recently move to Austin, and she loves it, but let me give a little info on me.

1) I have a degree in Spanish and I'm currently getting my Master's degree to get certified to teach.
2)I was born and raised in the Northeast, but, attended college in the South so I'm used to humidity.
3) I'm quite conservative when it comes to politics.
4) I like to go out, but I'm not a huge party person. So nightlife is important, but not a dealbreaker.

Now, ideally, I'd like to move to Austin to be near my friend and because I love the college town feel and vibe, but I've heard it's very liberal. Is this true? Also, San Antonio is another city that interests me because I'm under the impression that there is a very high Hispanic population (no different from the rest of the state) but I've heard it's also very, very dangerous. Thoughts? My dad's best childhood friend lives in Grand Prairie and works in Dallas, so there's the added bonus of being near someone I know. Another one of my father's friends owns a vacation house in Galveston, so Houston would be great as well since it's (relatively?) close to Galveston and, if need be, I can live there until I get on my feet.

Knowing this info, which city would you suggest for me? Thanks in advance!

I think I can offer you some good advice on this. I was in your shoes recently.

Depending on what size of city you are looking for I'd recommend the following cities in this order:

1.) Austin - it might be a little to liberal for your liking but it is probably the best city in the state (if not the nation) to be a young single. Austin has great outdoor stuff to do and an amazing nightlife. I don't think you'd have any trouble meeting new friends. Austin is very beautiful and clean, it is expensive and a competitive job market, unfortunately. Austin is awesome.

2.) Dallas/Ft. Worth - Ft. Worth is much smaller and more laid back. I love both cities but for different reasons. Both are conservative cities overall but have a somewhat liberal urban core (Dallas more so). Both cities have great nightlife and stuff to do. Might not be as easy to make friends as Austin, but still easy. The city is a cross between the midwest, southwest, and south.

3.) Houston - I like DFW better. Houston is more of a southern city, very conservative, very baptist. Good enough nightlife. Not a lot of stuff to do for a city of that size imo. Very much a "business city". Very very humid summers, but mild winters. 40 miles or so from Galveston but depending on where your job was, the commute could easily be over an hour.

4.) San Antonio - easily the most family oriented and least youthful city imo. Very laid back. Awesome place to visit but I wouldn't want to move there if I was single. Definitely the most Hispanic city. It certainly has bad areas but so do Dallas, Houston, Austin (safest imo) and every other large city in the US.

Traffic congestion is terrible in all of the above cities, especially Houston and DFW.

Out of curiosity, why does your dad's buddy own a vacation home in Galveston. This is not meant to be offensive to anyone, but....Galveston sucks.

You might want to look at the smaller cities like Abilene, Tyler, Longview, New Braunfels/San Marcos, etc.

I wouldn't look at Brownsville, El Paso, Amarillo, Lubbock, Waco, or Midland/Odessa but that is just my opinion.

I would concentrate on finding a job and then visit places that you get a job offer.

Good luck and let me know if you have any other questions.

[Nikalyn]

Bocifus, he has a vacation house there because it was bought as an investment years ago (meaning he wanted to fix it and sell it) and then he decided to keep it. He rents it out during the year and visits every so often.

Also, thank you for your honest opinion and breakdown of the cities. It's funny that you'd put Austin and Dallas as the top two, in that order, because those are my top two - in that order. I've heard fantastic things about Austin, mostly from younger people, and I'm very excited to visit.

Why did you suggest I not look at Lubbock? That was another city/area I was considering and I figured, because of Texas Tech, that it had a young vibe. I also thought it was relatively cheap in comparison to the other cities.

I'm certainly going to apply for jobs in all the major cities, and the smaller ones that you suggested. In your honest opinion, which city would I be most likely to find a job in? If I were to move in the next few months I would just need a filler job to hold me over until I'm a certified teacher. Of course, I'd still need to be able to live, though. Any suggestions as far as the job hunt? Thanks again!

[txstate]

San Antonio but its Houston and the nightlife for singles is great.

[jaxart]

Originally Posted by Nikalyn

Why did you suggest I not look at Lubbock? That was another city/area I was considering and I figured, because of Texas Tech, that it had a young vibe. I also thought it was relatively cheap in comparison to the other cities.

You're right in your "figuring" but when comparing the availability of activities - all kinds of activities - that make life worth living for young people, Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio are "where it's at."

Other cities such as El Paso, Lubbock, Amarillo, Corpus Christi etc. are all viable options but with caveats regarding young life styles.

[Westerner92]

Originally Posted by Nikalyn

Why did you suggest I not look at Lubbock? That was another city/area I was considering and I figured, because of Texas Tech, that it had a young vibe. I also thought it was relatively cheap in comparison to the other cities.

IMO, Lubbock is a very nice city, but maybe not the best for someone looking for a great nightlife. It's both a college town and family town, but not exactly a singles town if that makes any sense.