Great article about 30K millionaires, lol (Houston, Dallas: schools, live in, restaurants)

[USA_Mom]

Originally Posted by Debsi

Obviously it's much cheaper to live here, so I am NOT arguing that point. But to answer your question I find that my grocery bill is higher here because produce is quite a bit more expensive and also you have to spend a lot more to get a decent bottle of wine. Still on the whole Dallas is much more economical.

ITA fresh produce and fruit DOES cost more here than in California, but IME not so much more that housing, gas, insurance, etc makes up for the difference LOL.

[SickOfTheSunbelt]

Originally Posted by nativeDallasite

ROFLMAO....I've seen those neighborhoods, I would never spend my hard-earned money buying a house there.

Just because you think you're too good to live in a regular neighborhood with regular people doesn't mean that they don't exist. You're badmouthing neighborhoods that you know absolutely nothing about. And the fact still remains that Dallas is one of the top 2 or 3 cheapest major metro areas in the nation to live in. Anybody who has lived anywhere else in the nation can attest to this. $300K will get you a mansion around here. $300K in virtually any other major city outside of Texas will get you a modest 2/2 house in a modest neighborhood.

You may choose not to live in a regular neighborhood that represents the regular population of Dallas. But please, don't make yourself sound Moderator cut: personal attack, mod edit replace with "bad" "bad" by talking bad about the millions of fine hard working people who make these areas their home. The vast majority of people in Dallas County do not live in fancy mansions....FYI. You may choose not to associate with these people and pretend that they and their neighborhoods don't exist, but they aren't going anywhere. Sorry....

[ladysrodgers]

Originally Posted by lh_newbie

Restaurants in SF are more than Dallas. Vehicle registration in CA is more expensive. What did you find cheaper in CA than in Dallas?

I'll readily admit that the ridiculous 30K TX -vs- 90K CA is completely out of the ballpark, I find when I go to CA, just about everything costs more. Utilities are the same on a per KwH rating, but you won't use as many in CA cause the temp is more moderate and you get less sq ft for the money. That's about all I notice that's more reasonable in CA. Cars cost more cause of overhead, restaurants cost more, gas costs more, housing costs more... If I look at my monthly budget, the biggies are housing, food and gas. In CA, all three of these cost more.

Yes, that income comparison was way off the mark.

I guess it depends on where you eat. I haven't noticed any difference in restaurant prices, even when I ate in San Francisco.

The sales tax is higher here.

Groceries are much higher in this area. Meat is significantly higher in particular and of course, produce.

My auto insurance doubled when I moved here. And yes, utilities are higher - if for no other reason than what you described. Never-the-less, they are a necessity. Homes seem to be better insulated in CA too.

Anyway, those are the things I've noticed. Bear in mind I live in Plano though.

[nativeDallasite]

Originally Posted by SickOfTheSunbelt

Just because you think you're too good to live in a regular neighborhood with regular people doesn't mean that they don't exist. You're badmouthing neighborhoods that you know absolutely nothing about. And the fact still remains that Dallas is one of the top 2 or 3 cheapest major metro areas in the nation to live in. Anybody who has lived anywhere else in the nation can attest to this. $300K will get you a mansion around here. $300K in virtually any other major city outside of Texas will get you a modest 2/2 house in a modest neighborhood.

Your definition of "mansion" must differ from mine. Go down Beverley in Highland Park...those are mansions and cost in the millions of dollars to buy. $300,000 wouldn't buy you a house in my parents' neighborhood of mid-size ranch homes, but $400-$450k would buy you a plot of land. They're tearing down those houses and building $1-$1.5 million 5-6k sq ft houses on the plots now, and those aren't mansions either in my opinion. They're mini-mansions. To me, a 3k sq ft low end build in Allen does not constitute a "mansion", it's just a big house that needs some work.

You may choose not to live in a regular neighborhood that represents the regular population of Dallas. But please, don't make yourself sound Moderator cut: personal attack, mod edit replace with "bad" "bad" by talking bad about the millions of fine hard working people who make these areas their home. The vast majority of people in Dallas County do not live in fancy mansions....FYI. You may choose not to associate with these people and pretend that they and their neighborhoods don't exist, but they aren't going anywhere. Sorry....

I live near Montfort and Preston Oaks, honey; it's pretty regular up here.

[tbone65]

Moderator cut: personal attack In fact, most of the country views Dallas as a second tier city.
I was once in a Dallas shop and the proprietor was telling an obvious "inside the Beltline moron" that he could find what he was looking for in a shop in Frisco. The response was "I have never heard of Frisco".
Here is a local that has never heard of a town that is fifteen miles away. As if saying that he has never heard of a town somehow makes him feel better about himself. You will find this attitude is pervasive inside the Beltline. I guess if I felt there was anything special inside the Beltline, I could better understand this attitude, but there is nothing special, NOTHING.
Good night.

Originally Posted by nativeDallasite

Your definition of "mansion" must differ from mine. Go down Beverley in Highland Park...those are mansions and cost in the millions of dollars to buy. $300,000 wouldn't buy you a house in my parents' neighborhood of mid-size ranch homes, but $400-$450k would buy you a plot of land. They're tearing down those houses and building $1-$1.5 million 5-6k sq ft houses on the plots now, and those aren't mansions either in my opinion. They're mini-mansions. To me, a 3k sq ft low end build in Allen does not constitute a "mansion", it's just a big house that needs some work.

I live near Montfort and Preston Oaks, honey; it's pretty regular up here.

[aceplace]

Originally Posted by tbone65

[MOD CUT]In fact, most of the country views Dallas as a second tier city.

That sounds pretty damming. I don't believe you are an expert on what "most of the country" thinks, but in my experience, Most Of The Country is geographically illiterate and couldn't point to Texas on a map, let alone evaluate the national stature of the DFW area. Mostly, people are reasonably up to date on their local area, and as for the rest of America, know only what they see on TV and the mass media. That may or may not include a realistic picture of Texas and its cities.

[BstYet2Be]

Originally Posted by tbone65

[MOD CUT] In fact, most of the country views Dallas as a second tier city.
I was once in a Dallas shop and the proprietor was telling an obvious "inside the Beltline moron" that he could find what he was looking for in a shop in Frisco. The response was "I have never heard of Frisco".
Here is a local that has never heard of a town that is fifteen miles away. As if saying that he has never heard of a town somehow makes him feel better about himself. You will find this attitude is pervasive inside the Beltline. I guess if I felt there was anything special inside the Beltline, I could better understand this attitude, but there is nothing special, NOTHING.
Good night.

My, my... another expert on Dallas and its' natives! I don't think so, considering that not only does this poster not live in the Dallas area, he doesn't even reside in Texas! And, from a previous statement made, his (low) opinion of all people in Texas, in general as he says, are that they are a bit fake both mentally and physically. As always, it pays to consider the source!

(NJ forum 12/04/07 posted by tbone65)
BTW, I have live in Mass, NY, NJ, TX and now NC. Out of all of them, Texas is by far the least attractive in every sense. The geography is bland, the people, in general, are a bit fake(both physically and mentally).
Yes, it is cheap to live in TX, but you get what you pay for.

[aceplace]

Good point, new2sa.

There is a a nasty class of people I have encountered from time to time. One of them may come into Dallas or Houston or San Antonio with an Ugly American attitude, and when the natives put him in his place a time or two, decides to retailate in the only way he can. By slandering his former victims.

Most of us with the wisdom of a few years under our belts know enough to turn off from his noisy and angry messages.

In fact, a good way to judge the moral worth of an individual is by the way he talks about others. Why? Someone who disparages other people and places is subconsciously trying to justify the harm he has done to them.

When a salesman runs down his competition, when a job applicant has to talk about how rotten his former company was, when a first date runs down his/her ex... you know you're dealing with a loser and a bum.

[tbone65]

Sorry, but I did live in DFW for almost four years. Get your facts straight.
Also, nobody put me in my place. I know my place and it, thank you, is nowhere near Dallas.

[tbone65]

Let me say that I have not done any harm to anyone in Dalas. Just stating my experience.
I do not have an ugly American attitude. I have traveled extensively and my issue with DFW is that it personifies the ugly American attitude.

Originally Posted by aceplace

Good point, new2sa.

The bad guy in question is just typical of a class of people I have encountered. They come into Dallas or Houston or San Antonio with an Ugly American attitude, and when the natives put him in his place a time or two, decides to retailate in the only way he can. By slandering his former victims.

Most of us with the wisdom of a few years under our belts know enough to turn off from his noisy and angry messages.

In fact, a good way to judge the moral worth of an individual is by the way he talks about others. Why? Someone who disparages other people and places is subconsciously trying to justify the harm he has done to them.