Single 24 year old professional gal moving to Plano, TX (Dallas: best cities, apartments)

[jay2012]

Hi!

I just accepted a really nice job offer in Plano, TX, and have also just signed up to lease an apartment in the same area.

I'm wondering what kind of advice anyone could give me on things to do around Plano for a girl my age, with my kinds of interests:
- Love to run, play tennis (I love tennis walls if they have them)
- Enjoy hiking
- I love music, especially classical orchestras/performances
- Big fan of organic food/organic markets, eating healthy, and learning new recipes
- Big fan of froyo (frozen yogurt)
- REALLY want to meet new friends, not quite sure how yet

Things I've checked out:
- I know there's a community college (Collin Community College) and I'm planning on checking out some classes to meet people
- Found some of the organic grocery stores in the area, like Whole Foods and Central Market, which are pretty cool
- Lots of SUSHI restaurants around here! And all-you-can-eat too very cool

Things I WANT to check out:
- I've never been in the bar scene before, but would like to give it a shot...not sure how to start!
- New ways to meet people? I'm going to have a full-time day job, and I also run my own side business at the same time...but outside of that I'm usually free on weeknights and weekends to get a life
- New ways to enjoy the community

Worries:
- I've heard mixed reviews about Plano...that it's more of a quiet area and perfect for raising a family (neither of which I'm really looking for)
- Cops are mean? I guess you get that everywhere...
- Nothing to do if you're single! :/

I'm kind of on this "soul-searching" part of my life I guess. I'm not so worried about money (I have enough to live comfortably as long as I do a good job), I'm not so worried about family/strings (I'm single, I have no kids and am not planning on any right now, and not really looking for a boyfriend either...just looking to indulge in myself during my 20s!), and I'm on track for my long term plans such as my retirement job etc.

Any advice or ideas would be much appreciated!

(Oh, and I'm coming from Orange County, CA)

Thanks .

[Pooua]

Plano has received several distinctions in the last year or so. It is the safest city of its size in the U.S. It is one of the best cities in the U.S. for women's health. It is the most affluent city in the U.S. per capita. What it amounts to is, Plano is a quiet, safe city. You sound like you would be bored by that.

You might enjoy Dallas better. I've never done the bar scene, and I don't recommend it for anyone, but you would be more likely to find it in Dallas than in Plano. I do happen to lead a few hiking and camping groups in the Plano area, though, including a single's "adventure" group (when I have the time, money and inclination to schedule events). So, you can find some wonderful nature trails in this area. But, night life is more of a Dallas or Addison thing.

[TurtleCreek80]

You can live in Dallas (Uptown or the Village apartments) and enjoy a fairly quick 15-25 minute reverse commute to Plano via US75 or the Dallas North Tollroad (depending on if your office is east side or west side).

City life is far more fun & exciting than family-focused Plano. Even the Shops @ Legacy bars in Plano are more centered around divorcees and 30-40's than 20-something singles.

Dallas itself has dozens of froyo shops, a Farmer's market downtown as well as Whole Foods & Central Market for healthy/organic foods, running trails (Katy Trail & White Rock Lake), the whole arts district downtown (museums, opera, musicals, theatre, symphony) and smaller arts venues in Uptown & Deep Ellum.

Many of the restaurants & bars are "neighborhood hangouts"- places where it's perfectly normal & acceptable to walk in by yourself and make friends & meet neighbors. There are also tons of young professionals groups that facilitate social events and also support your interests. There's the Élan Circle for the Symphony, the Junior Associates Circle for the Dallas Museum of Art, etc

[Squirl]

The Dallas Sierra Club has fun activities and many are singles-focused: Dallas Sierra Club

You can also go to meetup.com and seek out activities that interest you: Do something, Learn something, Share something, Change something - Meetup

[xS☺B☺s]

Pretty much everything you appear to seek is not what you're gonna find in Plano. Plano is a dull family oriented place. IT has no parks worth mentioning unless you like football fields. Hiking running nope. Lots of bone dry sundrenched trails with twig trees. No culture, no young people, no bar scene, and I have spit some of the sushi out of my mouth.

It does have a Whole Foods and I do very much like the Japan House although sushi is very good (not great).

What you're looking for is as Turtle Creek explains above is in the Uptown neighborhood of Dallas.

Originally Posted by jay2012

Hi!

I just accepted a really nice job offer in Plano, TX, and have also just signed up to lease an apartment in the same area.

I'm wondering what kind of advice anyone could give me on things to do around Plano for a girl my age, with my kinds of interests:
- Love to run, play tennis (I love tennis walls if they have them)
- Enjoy hiking
- I love music, especially classical orchestras/performances
- Big fan of organic food/organic markets, eating healthy, and learning new recipes
- Big fan of froyo (frozen yogurt)
- REALLY want to meet new friends, not quite sure how yet

Things I've checked out:
- I know there's a community college (Collin Community College) and I'm planning on checking out some classes to meet people
- Found some of the organic grocery stores in the area, like Whole Foods and Central Market, which are pretty cool
- Lots of SUSHI restaurants around here! And all-you-can-eat too very cool

Things I WANT to check out:
- I've never been in the bar scene before, but would like to give it a shot...not sure how to start!
- New ways to meet people? I'm going to have a full-time day job, and I also run my own side business at the same time...but outside of that I'm usually free on weeknights and weekends to get a life
- New ways to enjoy the community

Worries:
- I've heard mixed reviews about Plano...that it's more of a quiet area and perfect for raising a family (neither of which I'm really looking for)
- Cops are mean? I guess you get that everywhere...
- Nothing to do if you're single! :/

I'm kind of on this "soul-searching" part of my life I guess. I'm not so worried about money (I have enough to live comfortably as long as I do a good job), I'm not so worried about family/strings (I'm single, I have no kids and am not planning on any right now, and not really looking for a boyfriend either...just looking to indulge in myself during my 20s!), and I'm on track for my long term plans such as my retirement job etc.

Any advice or ideas would be much appreciated!

(Oh, and I'm coming from Orange County, CA)

Thanks .

[Macbeth2003]

Just throwing in my voice with the others. Plano sounds like the antithesis of what you are seeking. Plano is a quiet family oriented conservative (politically and socially) suburb. It is almost the prototype of the modern suburb. Bigger homes, lots of shopping and dinning (particularly chains), not much night life, not much of an arts scene (music or visual), very clean, very safe, very good schools, very family oriented.

If you want the kind of activities you describe coupled with a fast paced active all hours nightlife then Uptown is for you. If you want a lower key area, but still with the arts scene, music scene, etc then still look for neighborhoods closer to central Dallas. Exactly where in that case would depend if your job is towards the East or West side of Plano.

[shelbelle72]

Originally Posted by xS☺Be

Pretty much everything you appear to seek is not what you're gonna find in Plano. Plano is a dull family oriented place. IT has no parks worth mentioning unless you like football fields. Hiking running nope. Lots of bone dry sundrenched trails with twig trees. No culture, no young people, no bar scene, and I have spit some of the sushi out of my mouth.

It does have a Whole Foods and I do very much like the Japan House although sushi is very good (not great).

What you're looking for is as Turtle Creek explains above is in the Uptown neighborhood of Dallas.

Plano is always disrespected on this forum. It's really quite unfair, because this city has some great things to offer.

I live in Plano, just west of 75/Central, and yes it is centered more around families than Uptown. It's not for everyone, but Plano does have a wonderful hike/bike trail system. We have real trees, not just sticks. Check out the Chisholm Trail, Oak Point(near the Collin College), Bob Woodruff and Arbor Hills for great running trails. Plano has wonderful places for tennis as well, though not sure about the "wall" you mentioned. We also have a thriving downtown area with a small farmer's market, great restaurants and pubs. It's a small area, but we like it.

However, if you are young, single and like the bar scene, by all means live in Uptown. I find it full of Affliction-wearing, pretentious players and 30 thousand dollar millionaires. Uptown is about image. (How's that for generalizing an area?) If you love to run, look into East Dallas areas near White Rock Lake. Rent a place on the M Streets or Lakewood. It will be a little bit of a drive to get to your job on Plano, but not too bad.

Plano may not be the best place for 20 something singles, but it's not the dull, parched, lonely desert people make it out to be.

[Macbeth2003]

Originally Posted by shelbelle72

However, if you are young, single and like the bar scene, by all means live in Uptown. I find it full of Affliction-wearing, pretentious players and 30 thousand dollar millionaires. Uptown is about image. (How's that for generalizing an area?) If you love to run, look into East Dallas areas near White Rock Lake. Rent a place on the M Streets or Lakewood. It will be a little bit of a drive to get to your job on Plano, but not too bad..

If your job is in East Plano, and you want to be near night life, but not in the, active all hours Uptown area then East Dallas might be a good fit. The Lake has lots of places t run, and beautiful settings. You are a few minutes from the Uptown Bars/Pickup Joints, a few minutes from the lower key bars on henderson, and can walk to local neighborhood bars, and restaurants. Lakewood proper is also more of a quiet place, maybe look at a more mixed area. M-Streets, or some of the places of Henderson.

If your job is in north west Plano, the commute will probably make you miserable. I have made that commute, and it was worth it for me, because I LOVE it here, but it is a hell of a commute to make.

[ggolf]

"However, if you are young, single and like the bar scene, by all means live in Uptown. I find it full of Affliction-wearing, pretentious players and 30 thousand dollar millionaires. Uptown is about image."

Yeah, Plano gets a bad rap on this forum vis-a-vis Uptown. So what? People will live where they feel the most comfortable. Some of us are Plain ol' Planos, others are Yuppie Uppies.

[Pete53FR]

Welcome to Dallas-Plano. I think that since you already signed a lease go ahead and live there. Finding friends can be easier than you think. If it were me I would check out to see if I knew anyone here using social media and I would consider appropriate groups. Sometimes work can help with parties and although I don't recommend dating coworkers they certainly know people to introduce you too.

Good Luck