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1) Dallas landscape is Ugly
That is an opinion. You may think your wife is a total knockout and the next person think she is dog ugly. Dallas is NOT ugly.
Yes it is an opinion. However, the majority of folks I talk to agree that Dallas is a dump. Last I heard folks don't vacation in Dallas for the beauty.
2) The summers are horrendous (this summer being a welcome exception)
And your considering ABQ! Geez. Good luck w/ that one. When it gets hot there they have no a/c. And talk about nothing but dirt, dry and barren, lol.
If you read my ABQ posts, we are not looking to relocate to ABQ but to the mountains to the NE of the city (behind and up Sandia Peak) where there are trees and mountain terrain. I agree that the city of ABQ itself is pretty ugly, dirt dry and barren-- actually reminds me of Dallas. We are not looking to live in ABQ. BTW. the high desert region near ABQ has much milder summers, hence the lack of need for AC.
3) The traffic is terrible
Every single major city has terrible rush hour traffic. But I know the streets of the Dallas area and can get from one side to the other pretty well no matter what.
False, some cities have worse rush hours than others. Dallas is notorious for rush hour traffic and consistently ranks as one of the worse cities for traffic. The statistics do not lie. I know the streets too, but in Dallas if you want to travel any great distance then you have to use the highways and they get congested.
4) The air quality is bad (Denver also has bad air quality but Dallas is much worse)
Every major city has a problem w/ air quality. Denvers is really bad because the mountains actually trap the haze and prevent it from moving out.
Yes Denver air quality is bad and we would not move there due to that. That is why we are looking at Colorado Springs which has much better air quality. BTW, Dallas air quality is even worse than Denver's. There are major cities with air quality that is leaps and bounds better than Dallas and cities with even worse air quality (LA).
5) Not a lot of nature/outdoor things to do (yes there is White Rock lake, city parks and the such, but nothing that can compare to Colorado.)
Your trying to compare Dallas the CITY to Colorado the STATE! HUGE difference. Take away the mountains to the west of Denver and you have nothing. Those mountains are NOT in Denver.
Yes, I am comparing the region surrounding Dallas to the region surrounding Denver. Dallas is in Texas and Denver in Colorado so it is fair to compare the states also. For folks who like to get away during the weekend and enjoy beautiful nature then IMHO Dallas lacks. Yes if you take the mountains away from Denver you have nothing, but those mountains are there and quite beautiful. The region around Dallas, including East Texas and the hill country are OK but nothing spectacular and overrated. Again, my opinion, but other transplants for the most part share my opinion.
6) Dallas has only two seasons, summer and a pseudo-winter (it can get below freezing here, and it ices over as opposed to snows.)
Yes, it can get below freezing here. We have freeze warnings. So??? I'm trying to figure this one out? The majority of the country gets below freezing. Again, your looking at ABQ. Have you looked at how cold it gets there?
Yeah it can get cold in ABQ. You miss the point. My point is Dallas does get cold. If you want year round warm weather choose some place like Santa Barbara or Hawaii. If you want year round warm weather and tolerate extreme heat choose southern Arizona or Florida. For someone who DOES NOT MIND or appreciates winter, then Dallas winter which can be cold, icy, and rainy is less pleasant than areas where they have traditional winter (i.e. occasional snow fall). Basically, in Dallas you get extreme heat in the summer and below freezing/ice in the winter with a short buffer period in between. The period of time when you can leave your windows open 24/7 is quite short.
7) City has no character
Again this is a matter of opinion.
Compare Dallas to a New Orleans, Boston, or NYC in regards to character and most will agree that it falls short. If you live in the "revolving door of transplants" Northern burbs which the poster was planning to do, then there is absolutely no character. Yes it is an opinion, but the majority of folks would agree with me.
8) Urban sprawl
Every major city has faced some kind of sprawl issues. So you think we should force all of the transplants to stop buying houses in Frisco and McKinney and make them buy an Uptown condo?
No, but Dallas is especially notorious for this. In part due to the sprawl public transit is not so great. If lack of sprawl is one of your criteria then Dallas is not a good choice.
9) Bugs
Somebody slap me, PLEASE . What place on earth does not have bugs? Keep your house clean and that won't be an issue.
Ha, you either have not traveled to many areas or misunderstood my comment. In Dallas, mosquitoes are especially bad. Makes it hard to take a pleasant walk. When we bike at night, we have to stop at least a couple of times to remove annoying gnats from our eyes. Other parts of the country do have bugs, but the mosquitoes, gnats, and other annoying insects are not nearly so bad.
10) This weird attitude from native Texans that bigger is better, that Texas is so beautiful, etc. Yes East Texas is pleasant and the hill country is OK but it is nothing spectacular.
Yes, Texas IS beautiful. Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder and I think God did a GREAT job on Texas. Most major cities do not have much in the way of "natural beauty" so give it a rest.
This is the attitude I was alluding to. The "Texas is God's country" mentality. Basically Texans have this inferiority complex where you can not criticize their Garden of Eden without them getting all defensive. I think this is why they have this "bigger is better" attitude. I am just pointing out negatives of "God's state and Dallas" so that people who care about the issues I care about are well informed. There are other major cities that have done a better job of integrating the natural beauty, which again is an opinion but which most would agree to.
Also, speaking of God, most of Dallas and Texas has this perverted idea of Christianity as being a cross between the Republican party, nationalism, and prosperity gospel. Think 700 club, Pat Robertson, and Jerry Falwell. Yes you can find some churches that have not fallen into this trap, but you have to look pretty hard. If you are more progressive then you are in the minority.
Yes I am a transplant, but not being a native and having lived in the midwest and mid-atlantic I have something to compare LIVING in Dallas to. My advice, if you don't like the cold, look for someplace other than Dallas/Texas. If you really like being cooped indoors in the summers, shopping, watching movies, and want a big house for cheap, then don't worry, you will like it here.
Whose cooped up? Maybe you are but the rest of us are out having a grand time What is funny is your speaking out of both sides of your mouth as we like to say. First you say it is so hot here you have to be cooped up but then you say "cold winters". LOL!!! Which is it?
Both. Dallas has hot summers and the winters can be cold. There are some lucky folks who can tolerate both. Others can not. On 100 degree hot summer days (which are usually numerous) I guarantee you the majority of Dallas is cooped up in AC houses. When it is cold in winter you don't see folks flocking to the park either. Since we like the outdoors, we do not stay cooped up either, but I must say it is far less pleasant to be outdoors in the weather we get. That is why we are looking for a place where we can enjoy the outdoors to the fullest.
I'm in total agreement w/ txlady in that some people are just not happy no matter where they are. What a pity. To live the best years of your life and not be happy with where you are in life. To always be chasing some allusive dream in some location that makes you miserable. I've traveled all over the country and many places outside of our borders and I have yet to find a place that suits me to a "T" to live in day in and day out. The other places are great to visit but not to live for me personally. And the remark on "good taste" was in VERY bad taste and uncalled for.
I agree too that it is a pity to live the best years of your life and not be happy where you are. That is why I point out the negatives of Dallas, so folks who can find a place that fits them. No place is perfect, but some are worse than others.
For folks moving here, realize that a lot of the native Texans simply are incapable of pointing out negatives about where they live. There are some positives about Dallas including cheap housing, jobs, and lots of shopping. If that floats your boat then you will like it. If you care about the issues I mention in this post then look elsewhere.
Also I have lived and driven in Dallas for decades and I hardly ever use a freeway to get anywhere.
I have lived in Lake Highlands, Plano, and Allen TX. Look at a map of Dallas and it is pretty clear that to get from point A to B you most likely will take a highway. This is not necessarily bad in that Dallas has a lot of highways. The bad part is they are congested and often jammed. I can also get places without using the highway, just takes a lot longer.
Yet another example of where a Dallas native cannot accept criticism of the city. I am merely stating a fact that Dallas is heavily dependent on highways and unfortunately they are very congested.
Also thought I would post a pic showing the air quality in Dallas:
While not all days are like this, many are smoggy like this picture shows!
Whine, whine, whine....I want to bash Dallas but I'm gonna cry and complain if anyone disagrees with me. The nerve of you Dallas people. You just need to stop being so defensive and jump on the bash Dallas bandwagon.
It's funny how people say "my opinion" then shortly after that say "most people would agree with me" Umm, no, it's just YOUR opinion.
I know lots of people who live in Dallas and love it. Matter of fact the majority of people I know in Dallas have little to no complaints.
They even think crazy stuff like Dallas is better than Houston, which we know isn't true
I have lived in Lake Highlands, Plano, and Allen TX. Look at a map of Dallas and it is pretty clear that to get from point A to B you most likely will take a highway. This is not necessarily bad in that Dallas has a lot of highways. The bad part is they are congested and often jammed. I can also get places without using the highway, just takes a lot longer.
Yet another example of where a Dallas native cannot accept criticism of the city. I am merely stating a fact that Dallas is heavily dependent on highways and unfortunately they are very congested.
Also thought I would post a pic showing the air quality in Dallas:
While not all days are like this, many are smoggy like this picture shows!
Oh please. If the Dallas highways are as congested as you make them out to be then please explain how delivery companies and such can somehow manage to operate. I know for a fact that our highwas are not THAT BAD all the time and congested. Otherwise we would suffer greatly. As it is I can send a driver from say the northeast side of the metroplex (outside of the Dallas city limits) to say over around Industrial Blvd/Commerce to pick up products or deliver and be back making a full days round of deliveries and still be done on time. Oh, and we ONLY operate during normal working business hours.
I can leave my childs doctor at Medical City during late morning rush hour, jump on Central Expwy and head north to 190 and have her checked into school in 20 minutes (counting the time it took to get out of the parking garage). I can leave my house in the Firewheel area of Garland during morning rush hour jump on 190 and hit Central south and be in the Northpark area in less than an hour EASY! I can leave same house and be sitting in my seats at AAC for a hockey game in less than an hour. I can leave my house in morning rush hour and take 190 all the way to 635 to the airport and be getting off the Park n Fly shuttle at my gate in less than an hour. I'd say that ain't too bad. You should try Miami, LA, San Diego, Sacramento, Denver and many other places that I experience. Dallas is a piece of cake.
I CAN accept criticism. It you your attitude that constantly puts down the place that can be irritating that we don't have to accept. HUGE difference. Good luck in ABQ w/ no a/c ...... hahahahahahahahaha. It gets PLENTY hot there. Oh, and you MUST use the highways to get anywhere around there. You should really go visit sometime.
"I have lived in Lake Highlands, Plano, and Allen TX." So there you have it - you've never lived in the real Dallas (LH is not in the school district so some of us consider it a foreign land -- though certainly better than the other two suburbs!).
Oh please. If the Dallas highways are as congested as you make them out to be then please explain how delivery companies and such can somehow manage to operate. I know for a fact that our highwas are not THAT BAD all the time and congested. Otherwise we would suffer greatly. As it is I can send a driver from say the northeast side of the metroplex (outside of the Dallas city limits) to say over around Industrial Blvd/Commerce to pick up products or deliver and be back making a full days round of deliveries and still be done on time. Oh, and we ONLY operate during normal working business hours.
I can leave my childs doctor at Medical City during late morning rush hour, jump on Central Expwy and head north to 190 and have her checked into school in 20 minutes (counting the time it took to get out of the parking garage). I can leave my house in the Firewheel area of Garland during morning rush hour jump on 190 and hit Central south and be in the Northpark area in less than an hour EASY! I can leave same house and be sitting in my seats at AAC for a hockey game in less than an hour. I can leave my house in morning rush hour and take 190 all the way to 635 to the airport and be getting off the Park n Fly shuttle at my gate in less than an hour. I'd say that ain't too bad. You should try Miami, LA, San Diego, Sacramento, Denver and many other places that I experience. Dallas is a piece of cake.
I CAN accept criticism. It you your attitude that constantly puts down the place that can be irritating that we don't have to accept. HUGE difference. Good luck in ABQ w/ no a/c ...... hahahahahahahahaha. It gets PLENTY hot there. Oh, and you MUST use the highways to get anywhere around there. You should really go visit sometime.
It's a good thing you like where you live. Obviously it suits you well. I sure don't want any other opinions stated on this board. If they are not pro-Dallas, that is. LOL Ha haha hahahahahahahahahah haha ha
I am lucky to have actually lived in other areas, despite being a native Texan, and I have to agree with some of the points KCTX makes. There are places that have a much higher quality of life, but you probably aren't interested in hearing about them. And, since the original poster from Colorado was looking for opinions, it's only fair to present all opinions about Dallas.
Quality of life? Well, Dallas outer suburbs can be cheap. But don't get me started on DISD. And though I live in Lakewood (Lakewood proper), I have to say that outside of Lakewood and HP/UP there are not that many pretty, established, older (not from 1970, mind you) neighborhoods, oh, unless you're looking for McMansions. Gotta love them McMansions Dallas offers. Cheeeeeeeeep housing. Housing that doesn't appreciate too much over time, because they can always build further and further out. Houses built with Tyvek. Oh, wait, I do like Southlake, but I like older houses, so my choices are limited in terms of housing. So for 800K to 1M, I think other places look more appealing than Dallas.
So there you have it. And I am a happy person, too!!! ha ha ha ah aha hahahahaahahahh
Just because I have an opinion contrary to yours does not mean that I am an unhappy ogre.
Hello fellow Lakewooder -- I shall have to disagree with you about my alma maters but I don't think this guy believes me about the fact that I don't use freeways (unless I am forced) and that I have everything I want within 10 minutes.
And total agreement on the McMansions here! Tyvek -- that was hilarious.
I've only driven 76,000 miles since 1995 -- how about you?
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. What place on earth does not have bugs? Keep your house clean and that won't be an issue. 
