Where are the jobs? (Houston, Dallas: rent, new home, find a job)

[rikity]

Hi there. I'm another Californian who is looking to relocate to the Dallas area. I'm currently in the IT field making $120k a year in Southern California and have the opportunity to work with the same company out of Plano TX for the same salary. The biggest reason for this move is that Dallas would afford us to live comfortably with my wife not having to work.

My wife and I are in the process of house hunting in one of the Dallas suburbs and have read a lot about the northern Suburbs such as Plano, Allen, McKinney. Even though I plan to be at this current company for a while, I do realize that this is not a life long marriage to this job and there could be possibility that I will end up working for someone else in the future.

My wife and I have 3 small kids so school and safety is huge for us when finding our new home as well as a community that has lots of kids and neighbor all interact with each other. So my question is what suburbs (doesn't have to be the 3 I mentioned) has the best combination of the above as well as in decent driving distance to where all the corporate jobs are at? My limitation of driving distance would be about 45 minutes one way. We also would like some sort of diversity in the city where we'll live. I'm Asian and my wife is hispanic and our kids are mixed. This doesn't really mean that we'll want to be in a city that is high percentage of either Asian or Hispanic. We just don't want to be the only Asian or Hispanic in that town. I know there is tons of corporate jobs that need IT personnel in Dallas but I'm not sure which city outside has this.

Any suggestion would be appreciated.

Thanks

[rikity]

BTW...my budget for a house is around $350-$400k and at least 3000 square foot.

[Indyguy_2011]

Best part of Dallas isit is very spreadout. You will see a major employment areas in every 10-12 miles.
More central is Irving.However you can also look at the Plano/Frisco. Legacy area in Plano where tons of it jobs are there is borders with Frisco. Also If you are in the Plano/Frisco border area, It will be easy to get to Addison. I know many people working in Addison. ANother big area for the IT companies is Richardson, It will also be with in 45 Mins if you are around the Legacy area(in both Plano and Frisco)
Hope this helps...

[ayahuasca_mike]

Irving actually has quite a few IT headquarters there. I believe Avaya, Cisco, and some smaller ERP consultancy outfits are there. What specifically in IT are you? I work as Linux Systems Engineer with a bit of Cisco switch and router configurations but no mass network planning. Been looking for a gig in the DFW for a while without much luck. I find it strange as Houston is booming with jobs in the IT sector with GOOD pay as I have now but the fiance wants to be closure to family

[mSooner]

Coppell works well for us (I work in Plano--25 minutes on the tollway to my job), but there really isn't a bulletproof suburb that will get you anywhere in DFW in 45 min

[Cowboys fan in Houston]

[quote=rikity;34984083. We also would like some sort of diversity in the city where we'll live. I'm Asian and my wife is hispanic and our kids are mixed. This doesn't really mean that we'll want to be in a city that is high percentage of either Asian or Hispanic. We just don't want to be the only Asian or Hispanic in that town. I know there is tons of corporate jobs that need IT personnel in Dallas but I'm not sure which city outside has this.

Thanks[/quote]

Stay in Central or North Plano. Its an excellent area for diversity. My neighborhood is like the UN.

[TX75007]

Plano will fit your budget and your requirements. Why look anywhere else. Short commute. Lots of diversity. Great schools. Very safe. Lots of kids.

[rikity]

Originally Posted by moddestmike

Irving actually has quite a few IT headquarters there. I believe Avaya, Cisco, and some smaller ERP consultancy outfits are there. What specifically in IT are you? I work as Linux Systems Engineer with a bit of Cisco switch and router configurations but no mass network planning. Been looking for a gig in the DFW for a while without much luck. I find it strange as Houston is booming with jobs in the IT sector with GOOD pay as I have now but the fiance wants to be closure to family

I'm currently an Infrstructure manager so dealing with Windows server and Cisco routers/switches. I don't necessarily need to work for an IT related company but any corporate company that has a need for an IT department would suffice.

I've heard there are a lot of corporate companies based out of either Richardson and Irving as well as Plano. Is this generally true and where most of the companies are out with regards to area outside of Dallas limit and West of Fort Worth?

[rikity]

Thanks for the reply everyone. Murphy has also caught my attention since it tends to have a larger lot. Does anyone know the commute time from Murphy (area near Plano) to either Irving or West Plano near the Legacy area? I've done Google maps but they're not always accurate. I would like feed back from people who actually live and make know these drives.

[qwerty14]

I just moved from New York to dallas last month and here are my observations regarding your questions:

1. 115-130k is not uncommon here for a senior level IT position. I myself am a .Net developer and received 3 offers in that range. Remember, there is no state income tax in texas so you will save a little more than california, also I assume its more expensive in california.

2. The jobs are spread out. There are good number of jobs in downtown dallas. Also Irving area has a lot of companies. Another hot area for jobs is Richardson/Plano where a lot of companies are relocating.

3. Based on where you find a job, you can find a place to live withing 45 mins from work and good schools for kids. Example : Coppell is a nice area near Irving, also can be about 40 mins to downtown. Frisco/Plano are cities with a lot of good neighbourhoods and good schools close to north dallas/richardson. Keller is a nice area near Fort Worth. There are also other areas to consider like murphy, Little Elm etc but the schools may be a step down from above areas.

As for the price, you can find a 3000 sq ft home for 300-400k. You may have a hard time finding a new construction home, but certainly resale homes. I have noticed that the DFW housing market being hot with several buyers out there

I suggest you find a job first and come rent for about 6 months so that you can get a feel for the area.

As for diversity, all these cities above are diverse, have a good mix of asian and hispanic population so you will not be alone.