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City data is the only place I know of where one of the criterias for how good a city is, which one has the least amount of white people, which one has the most gays, which one is the most diverse, which one has better "arts". When people are talking about moving to a new city I never hear any of that talk in person.
Dallas has a stronger, more diversified economy than Phoenix in addition to many more corporate HQ's and regional offices. Texas has a stronger pro-business regulatory environment than Arizona and, of course, no state income tax, which is very alluring for high-income earners. Also, the number and quality of higher educational offerings in DFW greatly surpass that of Phoenix, which is only home to only one noteworthy four-year university: ASU. Unfortunately, the rather large retiree/snowbird voting contingent doesn't have much interest in luring businesses to Phoenix and, in turn, creating jobs. Also, since Phoenix's has a FIRE economy--an economy that is heavily dependent on the Financial, Insurance, and Real Estate sectors--it was hit very hard by the economic downturn, perhaps the hardest of any major city in the US after Las Vegas, hence the very high foreclosure rates. OTOH, Dallas was barely affected by the recession when compared to Phoenix. All of these factors, in turn, foster a stronger competitive ethos in Dallas than Phoenix and make Dallas a better choice for corporate ladder-climbers and white-collar professionals in general.
If it’s winter and all of the associated perils (snow, ice, wind, etc.) you’re looking to avoid, then I highly recommend Phoenix. Although evenings and mornings in Phoenix are consistently chilly (i.e., 40-50 degrees F) from December 1-March 1, Phoenix enjoys much milder winter weather than Dallas, which suffers from very cold temperatures and icy conditions on a regular basis between late November and early March. Also, that’s something else to consider if you're looking to avoid winter in general--Dallas is prone to crippling ice storms in the winter, and it does snow there 1-3 times per winter. As someone whose lived through his fair share of snowstorms and ice storms, I will say that ice storms are a much more frightening experience than snowstorms. That said, snow and ice are non-issues in Phoenix because it is much warmer, drier, and sunnier in the winter, which is one of the main reasons why Phoenix is a much more popular tourist/retiree/snowbird destination.
Both cities get extremely hot in the summertime; however, Phoenix's summers are hotter and longer, although drier than summers in Dallas. I love hot weather, so this is a non-issue for me, but I'd rather be just plain hot in Phoenix than hot and sweaty in Dallas. Phoenix receives much less annual precipitation than Dallas, so it's much sunnier. The frequently cloudless blue skies are part of the allure of living in Phoenix.
On a related note, there are far fewer natural disasters afflicting the Phoenix area than the Dallas area. There are no hailstorms and tornadoes in the Phoenix area, both of which are common in the Dallas area. New Englanders usually have strong reservations about places that are prone to frequent natural disasters, since New England is largely immune to natural disasters. And no, monsoons and dust storms in Phoenix don't count as natural disasters.
Lastly, the scenery of Phoenix is much more appealing than the scenery of the Dallas-Fort Worth area, which is home to arguably the worst scenery of any major metro area in the country save, perhaps, Oklahoma City. The Phoenix valley enjoys spectacular panoramic mountain views. The scenery of the southern Great Plains is simply no match for the scenery of the Sonoran Desert. Oh, yeah--no palm trees in Dallas either.
Ultimately, if you're deciding between both cities, I would say chose Phoenix. You really have to want to live in Texas in order to enjoy and fully-acclimate to living there, so if you're deciding between the two, the better choice would be Phoenix. Phoenix--and Arizona in general--is more transplant-friendly than Texas. I find people in Phoenix much easier to tolerate and live around than people in Dallas, which is home to quite a few nosy, pretentious, flashy people. Arizona has much more of a West Coast vibe: very casual; polite; tolerant, even if not approving; and generally aloof, but pleasant if engaged. Phoenix is also way less socially-conservative and less religious than Dallas, which is arguably the Buckle of the Bible Belt. For a New Englander, the transition to Phoenix would be easier because of this reason alone. Also, many of the transplants in Arizona come from the West Coast, Midwest, and Northeast. While there are many transplants from all over the country and world living in the Dallas area, I found that Dallas is home to mostly native Texans and transplants from nearby states (i.e., OK, AR, LA), giving it a much more Southern flavor (a con in my book). The lifestyle and mentality of Phoenix and its residents are more welcoming to New Englanders than that of Dallas. YMMV.
Dallas itself is not socially conservative at all. When people talk about Dallas being conservative, they either don't know what they are talking about or they are talking about the newer suburbs which are conservative.
Dallas is also extremely transplant friendly. Admittedly, it can be pretentious, but there are people from all over the globe there. I don't see how anyone wouldn't be able to fit in. Phoenix does have more domestic transplants, but Dallas has a lot more international transplants.
Dallas itself is not socially conservative at all. When people talk about Dallas being conservative, they either don't know what they are talking about or they are talking about the newer suburbs which are conservative.
Dallas is also extremely transplant friendly. Admittedly, it can be pretentious, but there are people from all over the globe there. I don't see how anyone wouldn't be able to fit in. Phoenix does have more domestic transplants, but Dallas has a lot more international transplants.
I agree with everything you said, but you really can't fix ignorance no matter how much you try. No matter how much a city has changed (for better or worse), some people are still stuck with a perception of a place that is 30-50 years in the past. The height of Dallas's far right wing conservative era (borderline fascist) was probably in the 1960's (e.g. General Walker, JFK Assassination, etc). Those days are long gone. There were some in the Texas GOP that wanted to move their 2016 convention from Dallas because of the city's transgender-friendly ordinances.
I agree with everything you said, but you really can't fix ignorance no matter how much you try. No matter how much a city has changed (for better or worse), some people are still stuck with a perception of a place that is 30-50 years in the past. The height of Dallas's far right wing conservative era (borderline fascist) was probably in the 1960's (e.g. General Walker, JFK Assassination, etc). Those days are long gone. There were some in the Texas GOP that wanted to move their 2016 convention from Dallas because of the city's transgender-friendly ordinances.
I'm not sure what you're referring to. But if it's about Dallas having more of a concentration of the "creative class" than its suburbs, then that's not being ignorant. That's reality.
Dallas has no state tax phoenix does. Dallas has plenty to do. phoenix has plenty to do if you like outdoor fun. I actually love Dallas and it's surroundings, lived there for 16yrs. I'm waiting to see if phoenix will grow on me. So far having hard time excepting that each city in Phoenix area has their own tax! They even have a tax on your rent in some cities here! 1.5-3.0% of rent.
Phoenix is definitely more interesting geologically. Phoenix seems more like an eastern city moved to the west. Dallas has a heavier southern influence. Both are far from anywhere. I don't know which one to recommend less. Friendlier people in Dallas than Boston - to the point of annoying sometimes. Better service at retail stores. Plan to live in your car in either place. You'll also probably gain weight.
Boston is far better than either. Personally between the two I'd choose Dallas just cuz Phoenix is WAY smaller than the Hub. Better advice - stay in Boston. It's boring down here.
Location: Live:Downtown Phoenix, AZ/Work:Greater Los Angeles, CA
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Originally Posted by woo12363
Dallas has no state tax phoenix does. Dallas has plenty to do. phoenix has plenty to do if you like outdoor fun. I actually love Dallas and it's surroundings, lived there for 16yrs. I'm waiting to see if phoenix will grow on me. So far having hard time excepting that each city in Phoenix area has their own tax! They even have a tax on your rent in some cities here! 1.5-3.0% of rent.
State income tax is no big deal here. I earn about $55k per year, and I pay an effective state income tax of about $32/week (3%). That is about enough for dinner for two, so no biggie
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