Is DFW/Plano a good place to live? (Houston, Dallas: credit, homes)

[TheotherMarie]

Originally Posted by iWalkAlone

Hello,

Is Dallas a pretty good place to live? In regards to;

The People

The Economy

The COL

The Commute

The Weather

The Food

The Women

The list isn't ordered in terms of importance, but I was trying to get a feel for what Dallas would be like and what are some of the differences and/or culture shocks a native Californian would experience? Thanks!

I'm from SoCal, too. We've lived in other states, and have been here about 7 months so far. Here's my take:
The People: Are very much like Californians, in that they are very concerned with clothes, cars, appearances, etc. There don't seem to be too many actual Texans in Dallas.

The COL: Surprisingly high, but not by California standards, I guess. If you want to own a home, property tax is outrageous (2-3%), and insurance and utilities are high here. If you want to live in a nice, safe area, you are going to pay for it. Even apartments aren't as cheap as you'd think they should be.

The Commute: Live near where you work, because the freeways get clogged.

The Weather: Haven't seen that much rain in the time we've been here. Lots of sunny, clear days. HOT summer. COLD winter (but no snow to deal with).

The Food: The chains are well represented, but there are plenty of good, locally-owned restaurants too. They are mad about tacos here! Mexican food (Tex Mex) is nothing like Californian Mexican food. Still haven't found anything that compares to a Rubio's fish taco.

Something else to make you feel at home: Earthquakes! They are starting to have earthquakes in areas outside Dallas.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by iWalkAlone

I was simply making the point that I enjoy a lot of rain and think it's refreshing. It seems like Dallas wouldn't be too far off from what I like. 135 sunny days per year certainly isn't as low as Seattle's 58, but it's lower than places like San Diego or Los Angeles.

Again, the TOTAL rainfall amouts are similar between Seattle and Dallas, but the number of rain events per year is dramatically different. If you like a lot of rain on a regular basis, Dallas isn't the place for you. Sorry.

30-year history of average rain events per month: (S= Seattle, D= Dallas)
Jan: 6.7 D, 18.2 S
Feb: 6.5 D, 14.7 S
Mar: 7.8 D, 16.9 S
Apr: 6.6 D, 14.3 S
May: 9.5 D, 12.0 S
Jun: 7.9 D, 9.1 S
July: 4.7 D, 5.0 S
Aug: 4.5 D, 4.8 S
Sept: 5.4 D, 7.9 S
Oct: 7.5 D, 13.1 S
Nov: 6.7 D, 18.4 S
Dec: 6.8 D, 17.6 S
TTL Year 80.2 D, 152.0 S

Source:
National Weather Service Climate


You also may enjoy these links:
Top 10 greatest rainfall events for Dallas, including 5+ inches on one day in 2010
NWS Ft. Worth
And the longest time between rainfalls, including an 84-day stretch between July-September 2000.
DFW - Consecutive Days Without Precipitation


Dallas gets more rain than San Diego, but in no possible way bears resemblence to the Pac NW climate. No way.

[TurtleCreek80]

And if you want info on the Multi-year drought Texas- including the Dallas area- is in, read here: National Weather Service Watch Warning Advisory Summary

"Highlights" include:
• Dallas area is deficient between 20-33 INCHES of rain over the last few years
• Dallas area is currently classified as moderate drought
• Dallas area lakes, such as Lavon, Ray Hubbard, Possom Kingdom, Grapevine, etc are up to 20 FEET under their conservation levels.


But yeah, it rains all the time here. Just like Seattle

[Aceraceae]

Originally Posted by iWalkAlone

I was simply making the point that I enjoy a lot of rain and think it's refreshing. It seems like Dallas wouldn't be too far off from what I like. 135 sunny days per year certainly isn't as low as Seattle's 58, but it's lower than places like San Diego or Los Angeles.

For reference San Diego averages 146 clear sun days and L.A. 147.

Annual Sunshine

[iWalkAlone]

Originally Posted by TheotherMarie

I'm from SoCal, too. We've lived in other states, and have been here about 7 months so far. Here's my take:
The People: Are very much like Californians, in that they are very concerned with clothes, cars, appearances, etc. There don't seem to be too many actual Texans in Dallas.

I'm not FROM Socal, I'm from Norcal.

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

Again, the TOTAL rainfall amouts are similar between Seattle and Dallas, but the number of rain events per year is dramatically different. If you like a lot of rain on a regular basis, Dallas isn't the place for you. Sorry.

30-year history of average rain events per month: (S= Seattle, D= Dallas)
Jan: 6.7 D, 18.2 S
Feb: 6.5 D, 14.7 S
Mar: 7.8 D, 16.9 S
Apr: 6.6 D, 14.3 S
May: 9.5 D, 12.0 S
Jun: 7.9 D, 9.1 S
July: 4.7 D, 5.0 S
Aug: 4.5 D, 4.8 S
Sept: 5.4 D, 7.9 S
Oct: 7.5 D, 13.1 S
Nov: 6.7 D, 18.4 S
Dec: 6.8 D, 17.6 S
TTL Year 80.2 D, 152.0 S

Source:
National Weather Service Climate


You also may enjoy these links:
Top 10 greatest rainfall events for Dallas, including 5+ inches on one day in 2010
NWS Ft. Worth
And the longest time between rainfalls, including an 84-day stretch between July-September 2000.
DFW - Consecutive Days Without Precipitation


Dallas gets more rain than San Diego, but in no possible way bears resemblence to the Pac NW climate. No way.

Dallas gets more rainfall per year, look it up please.

Originally Posted by Aceraceae

For reference San Diego averages 146 clear sun days and L.A. 147.

Annual Sunshine

So I was correct, the number of sunny days is lower in Dallas than in San Diego or Los Angeles.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by iWalkAlone

Dallas gets more rainfall per year, look it up please.

Your reading comprehension skills are amazing......

Yes, Dallas gets more total inches of rain, but Seattle gets rain about twice as often as Dallas. Those two things are VERY, VERY different. Seattle is a wetter climate. Period.

I really don't know any other way to explain it.......

[iWalkAlone]

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

Your reading comprehension skills are amazing......

Yes, Dallas gets more total inches of rain, but Seattle gets rain about twice as often as Dallas. Those two things are VERY, VERY different. Seattle is a wetter climate. Period.

I really don't know any other way to explain it.......

Yes, my reading comprehension is just fine. I'm not going to refute this straw man, semantic argument that Seattle has more rain "events". I don't even know why that argument was even introduced. More rain will touch down in Dallas than in Seattle in any given year...that's my point. Thanks for replying everyone!

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by iWalkAlone

Yes, my reading comprehension is just fine. I'm not going to refute this straw man, semantic argument that Seattle has more rain "events". I don't even know why that argument was even introduced. More rain will touch down in Dallas than in Seattle in any given year...that's my point. Thanks for replying everyone!

OMG...are you seriously trying to argue about the weather in Dallas...with people who live in Dallas...when you don't live in Dallas?

Don't ask questions if you're going to argue with us about the answers. Seriously.

[iWalkAlone]

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

OMG...are you seriously trying to argue about the weather in Dallas...with people who live in Dallas...when you don't live in Dallas?

Don't ask questions if you're going to argue with us about the answers. Seriously.

I'm just reading information of off creditable weather websites..You guys are comparing Dallas to places like Los Angeles and San Diego, and I can't find any evidence to support those claims. But if you guys know better than the science that creates these statistics I'm reading, then more power to you.

[Aceraceae]

Originally Posted by iWalkAlone

I'm not FROM Socal, I'm from Norcal.



Dallas gets more rainfall per year, look it up please.



So I was correct, the number of sunny days is lower in Dallas than in San Diego or Los Angeles.