First visit observation

[rikity]

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

Yeah...stuff like this kind of gets my back up. As a Texas native, I get tired of people assuming that we're a bunch of racist rednecks. It's 2014 here too.

.

I understand what you'r saying and didn't mean to carry on the stereotype. I'm not going to lie. As someone who never been to Texas until recently, I did have this fear about people still being backwards on certain issues such as this. A whole lot of people asked me the same thing when they heard about me possibly moving there. I guess the good part about all these people moving to the area is that they will tell their friends/family back home that all these negative stereotypes aren't true about Texas and these will just fade away in time.

[MurphyPl1]

Originally Posted by pharpe

Just curious why you would not want alleys?

They keep you from having to pull trash cans around front every week
Allow garages to be hidden behind the house improving appearance of the neighborhood
Make it much easier to access your back yard if you ever want a store a boat, build a pool, home maintenance etc

Not sure what the down side is

Congestion.
Visibility/kids playing in the back area/drive
People don't use the front as often and people forget to keep up the visual appeal.
You don't know you're neighbors across the street.
It's easier for thieves to steal from an open garage or shed from the alley.

Personal preference. I had one and I was in the front often because I had a fantastic front porch and we sat up on a hill. But not everyone else took the same pride in their home and there were a lot of newspapers left on the porch, overgrown bushes, etc.

Honestly, taking my trash and recycle bin to the street isn't exactly one of my reasons when I consider buying a house.

[Dallaz]

Originally Posted by WorldKlas

for the real locals its Central Expressway NOT 75

As a Dallas native, I call it 75 or Central

[hal2814]

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

It all depends on where you're going and what time of day you're driving. I see abominable traffic on 635, southbound 75, southbound DNT in the AM and the reverse in the PM. You didn't mention 635 so obviously you didn't go anywhere near it. You'd have mentioned it if you did.

But that's just it. Go to a city known for having bad traffic and it doesn't matter where you are. There is no reprieve. It's bumper-to-bumper everywhere all day every day. Dallas might have a few stretches of road that are as traffic-ridden as anywhere in the nation. But as a general rule, things move pretty smoothly.

[synchronicity]

Originally Posted by hal2814

But that's just it. Go to a city known for having bad traffic and it doesn't matter where you are. There is no reprieve. It's bumper-to-bumper everywhere all day every day. Dallas might have a few stretches of road that are as traffic-ridden as anywhere in the nation. But as a general rule, things move pretty smoothly.

Yes, this. My first encounters with 635 were afternoons heading westbound from DNT to the airport. From DNT to 35E were just as bad as other cities I've lived in, but beyond that it cleared up considerably. That was about a 4-5 mile stretch. By contrast, from downtown Chicago to O'Hare airport was as bad or worse the ENTIRE distance, which was over 15 miles (17 per googlemaps).

Dallas traffic is not good or fun and the DRIVERS are the worst of any city I've lived in (even worse than Boston IMHO), but compared to many cities the traffic is pretty mild.

[Otterhound]

Originally Posted by rikity

...they will tell their friends/family back home that all these negative stereotypes aren't true about Texas and these will just fade away in time.

I think a more accurate statement would be "all these negative stereotypes aren't true about the DFW area", as opposed to the entirety of Texas. DFW is pretty cosmopolitan as far as Texas goes. If you found yourself in Vidor, Texas, you'd likely have a different experience.