Should I move to Texas - DFW area from NorthEast? (Dallas: employment, to live in)

[Lakewooder]

Also check out this video - some of it is taken around 'downtown' Lakewood so that's why you see cars and buses.


Community Video: Lakewood in Dallas, TX - YouTube

Here's one done about the 2008 Lakewood Home Festival which raises funds for Lakewood Elementary and for J. L. Long Middle and Woodrow Wilson High schools. There are are over 400 volunteers and they raise about $140,000 plus each year - the last few years that money has been put toward International Baccaluareate at Long and Woodrow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEIwfGkGK5s

[Lakewooder]

The Lakewood Outdoor Learning Area - YouTube LOLA in the creek behind the school

[Labamigo]

Originally Posted by jennifw

You can drive to Galveston in about 6-7 hours, but it isn't the prettiest beach area.

Port Aransas is much better than Galveston, but a little bit longer drive. Around 8 hours.

[CGGirl]

Originally Posted by EDS_

What?

???

[offmove]

CGGirl - I think he probably couldn't believe your comment about diversity and thats why he replied "Whattt..." I bet he thinks there is plenty of diversity in the Dallas area..! I am being psychic here.. heheee.. Maybe EDS_ can confirm!!

[offmove]

Hey Lakewooder.. you rock man!!! I love the 5th and 10th picture on your list.. Pretty cool.. gives me hope..

Oh-- btw, do you live in Lakewood? Maybe you are the mayor?!!!! you seem to convince people "for lakewood".. which i might add is being successful!!! I still haven't looked at those videos yet.. i will comment later!

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by offmove

CGGirl - I think he probably couldn't believe your comment about diversity and thats why he replied "Whattt..." I bet he thinks there is plenty of diversity in the Dallas area..! I am being psychic here.. heheee.. Maybe EDS_ can confirm!!

Correct. Dallas and DFW are not just incredibly diverse - Dallas itself is both majority minority and among the most well integrated big cities in the US. These notions are not conjecture on my part, they are vetted out by census data and respected statistical studies.
The problem really is that many have a hard time letting go of long held social canards.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by offmove

Hey Lakewooder.. you rock man!!! I love the 5th and 10th picture on your list.. Pretty cool.. gives me hope..

Oh-- btw, do you live in Lakewood? Maybe you are the mayor?!!!! you seem to convince people "for lakewood".. which i might add is being successful!!! I still haven't looked at those videos yet.. i will comment later!

Lakewood would be another great option for you and within the upper range of your budget. You can search the zillions of threads about Lakewood -or ask or resident expert- but the general "gist" is that it's eastern border is White Rock Lake, full of winding woodsy roads (and even the killer "Loving" Hills if you're an avid cyclist!), like a Norman Rockwell painting of "small town America" complete with the July 4th parade and kids playing freely throughout the neighborood.

I think you would like Kessler Park / North Oak Cliff, too, but the overall school situation (beyond 5th grade) is more stable in Lakewood than Kessler Park. All depends on how long you expect to be in Dallas.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by EDS_

Correct. Dallas and DFW are not just incredibly diverse - Dallas itself is both majority minority and among the most well integrated big cities in the US. These notions are not conjecture on my part, they are vetted out by census data and respected statistical studies.
The problem really is that many have a hard time letting go of long held social canards.

I didn't understand that comment either. Maybe because people don't see Dallas' large Hispanic population as being as "glamourous" as San Francisco's Asian population?? Both are in the mid 30% range.

The DFW area is INCREDIBLY diverse - Plano, Richardson, Coppell & Irving are all about 15% Asian, but many different types of Asians- Koreans, Vietnamese, Chinese, Indian, even islanders such as Filipinos have a considerable presence in Irving. We have a Chinatown in Richardson, a Little Korea in northwest Dallas, and pockets of Hasidic Jews (and their delicious pastries & breads) in North/ Far North Dallas.

None of the inner-ring suburbs are over 60% white and even the outer burbs are rapidly becoming more diverse.

Not all DFW Hispanics are Mexican; many in northwest Dallas are Salvadorian or Columbian. Many blacks, particularly in northeast Dallas are African refugees / emigrants.

There are restaurants & bars owned and operated by many ethnic families all over DFW- whether you're German, Irish, Middle Eastern, Moroccan, French, Jewish, Ethiopean, or Korean.......there's a place where you can get your favorite ethnic treat served by someone from your home country.


Bottom line- if you can't find the diversity here, you need to open your eyes.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

I didn't understand that comment either. Maybe because people don't see Dallas' large Hispanic population as being as "glamourous" as San Francisco's Asian population?? Both are in the mid 30% range.

The DFW area is INCREDIBLY diverse - Plano, Richardson, Coppell & Irving are all about 15% Asian, but many different types of Asians- Koreans, Vietnamese, Chinese, Indian, even islanders such as Filipinos have a considerable presence in Irving. We have a Chinatown in Richardson, a Little Korea in northwest Dallas, and pockets of Hasidic Jews (and their delicious pastries & breads) in North/ Far North Dallas.

None of the inner-ring suburbs are over 60% white and even the outer burbs are rapidly becoming more diverse.

Not all DFW Hispanics are Mexican; many in northwest Dallas are Salvadorian or Columbian. Many blacks, particularly in northeast Dallas are African refugees / emigrants.

There are restaurants & bars owned and operated by many ethnic families all over DFW- whether you're German, Irish, Middle Eastern, Moroccan, French, Jewish, Ethiopean, or Korean.......there's a place where you can get your favorite ethnic treat served by someone from your home country.


Bottom line- if you can't find the diversity here, you need to open your eyes.

Outstanding post.

The OP wants mental pictures of what Dallas/DFW is all about. In addition to what you mentioned the the other poster referring to DFW's broad Hispanic/Latino population as "Mexican" is off-putting at least. There is more to it than that but I don't want to de-rail the OP's thread.