young culture in dallas

[onceafterlunch]

Thanks for all the comments so far. I realized with some of the responses that I could have worded this better and provided a bit more details. I'm not looking to bring NYC to Dallas as it may have seemed, I was just wondering how bustling the cityis. Also the nightlife I'm into is nice restaurants(with good/fresh fish), bars(for hanging out and watching the game be it hockey,basketball,football), and lounges(good music, relaxed atmosphere, smart/driven people). I like to go out and am pretty big into intellectual/political conversation. I also now realize that there may be more youth than I thought in Dallas which is good because good friends can make or break a city. Some of the other cities I have offers in are LA, SF, DC. Although I will be making good money with high potential, I hate the California tax structure even if I am paying for perfect weather. I am definitely rooting for Dallas to be the city I fall in love with so I can really stretch my income.

[TrueDat]

Then you should be fine in Dallas. You might look for a place in Deep Ellum, just east of downtown. Quite a few young people, bars, restaurants, live music, and galleries. It's more indie-ish but there's also Uptown (northwest of downtown) which has a lot of young people but little live music and it's more bro-centric.

Deep Ellum, Texas

[RayStokes]

Good Lord. There are good bars, restaurants, and lounges in any city in this country with a population over 1 million. Don't be so dramatic. You'll either be bitter that Dallas isn't New York City, or you'll be open to something a little different and you'll be fine. I'm thinking if you stick to the downtown/uptown area you will manage just fine.

[bencronin04]

Originally Posted by onceafterlunch

Although I will be making good money with high potential, I hate the California tax structure even if I am paying for perfect weather. I am definitely rooting for Dallas to be the city I fall in love with so I can really stretch my income.

I think you'll do just fine as long as you stick to the core of Dallas(Uptown, Downtown, Oaklawn).

The one big piece of advice I will offer is whether you make a good living or not, try your hardest to not keep up with the Jones. Dallas, and other large cities, are known for trying to be too flashy. You don't have to be the one in your group of friends with the newest/nicest car, coolest place, nicest clothes, etc. etc. It's VERY easy to get sucked into in Dallas especially in the 20s/30s crowd in the uptown area. There will always be someone with more, just live comfortably and not to impress others.

It's an older funny piece but still somewhat holds true to this day in Dallas.

$30,000 Millionaires: Douchebags in the Mist | Dallas Observer


***But we're also a city that can poke fun at eachother.

[jdallas]

Originally Posted by RayStokes

Good Lord. There are good bars, restaurants, and lounges in any city in this country with a population over 1 million. Don't be so dramatic. You'll either be bitter that Dallas isn't New York City, or you'll be open to something a little different and you'll be fine. I'm thinking if you stick to the downtown/uptown area you will manage just fine.

^Exactly. I'll only add that we are quite landlocked compared to your other location options so a good open water destination is quite far away but, on the plus side, we have convenient airport options

[GBCommenter]

Originally Posted by onceafterlunch

Thanks for all the comments so far. I realized with some of the responses that I could have worded this better and provided a bit more details. I'm not looking to bring NYC to Dallas as it may have seemed, I was just wondering how bustling the cityis. Also the nightlife I'm into is nice restaurants(with good/fresh fish), bars(for hanging out and watching the game be it hockey,basketball,football), and lounges(good music, relaxed atmosphere, smart/driven people). I like to go out and am pretty big into intellectual/political conversation. I also now realize that there may be more youth than I thought in Dallas which is good because good friends can make or break a city. Some of the other cities I have offers in are LA, SF, DC. Although I will be making good money with high potential, I hate the California tax structure even if I am paying for perfect weather. I am definitely rooting for Dallas to be the city I fall in love with so I can really stretch my income.

Good to see some further detail...

One piece of advice, check out the Dallas Observer, the "alt" newspaper, to give you some idea on clubs, live music, etc. I suspect you'll get some ideas of things you can check out.

I suspect you'll be okay. You'll find the nightlife in the areas others mentioned such as Uptown and Deep Ellum (as long as you're okay with a bit more indie and grit). You can find good restaurants, though possibly not as fresh fish? I only say that due to geography - Dallas is the largest land-locked city in the country...it takes time to get fish from a coast...

While I suspect (from my admittedly somewhat limited experience) you'll see more conservatism than in NYC because it's still in Texas, Dallas proper is relatively more liberal. That could be a good mix - come across some more conservative aspects and perspectives while still in an area with some liberalism. If you truly want intellectual/political conversation - challenge yourself to it all. You could end up surprised what you believe, especially if you hate the CA tax structure.

As far as tax structure, there is no state income tax so a big win there if you hate CA taxes. Higher property taxes (which may be reflected a bit in rent, but not terribly so since there's more land here so supply and demand kicks in to keep rents lower), somewhat higher sales tax (but compared to where I'm from, MN, not that atrocious) and some toll roads (but so does NYC have...). Texas is regularly noted for overall lower taxes so love that part of Dallas over CA.

I think the opportunity for you as a 20-something is here in Dallas as long as you are willing to make it happen.