Anyone from Denver move to Dallas (Plano, Frisco: insurance, houses, income)

[Wittgenstein's Ghost]

Originally Posted by RJ312

I would not move here over the nightlife and bars. The scene is pretty comparable.



My primary outdoor activity is playing tennis. I have been able to play tennis here a fair amount (though not in recent weeks). The outdoor tennis season is longer in Dallas than Denver. It is probably more comfortable to play tennis in the summer months there than it is here. During the summer months, I play tennis at night mostly. I have played after dark in summer months with temperatures around 90-95.

Tennis is cool, and I enjoy playing. You'd probably kick my ass at it if we played together. It is not, however, an outdoor sport.

[Cowboys fan in Houston]

Originally Posted by Wittgenstein's Ghost

I live in DFW and have visited Denver over a dozen times. I have multiple friends there, I go several times per year, and I think about moving there regularly. I can't imagine having a job offer to both cities, and not having some other tie such as family to one city or the other, and choosing Dallas over Denver. I simply can't imagine it. Denver has a plethora of things to do, gets a ton of sunny days, has a strong economy, is near beautiful mountains and features far more ideological diversity. A couple of above posters have suggested that Dallas has far more nightlife and bars, but I'm not sure that's true. Denver's beer scene blows away the beer scene in Dallas, and the LOHI district and the areas near city park are full of cool bars and creative restaurants. It's an incredible scene.

Dallas is literally one of the worst cities for outdoor recreation in America. I'm not exaggerating. Denver is one of the best.

If you picture yourself living in a vanilla suburb with no culture in the middle of terrible urban sprawl and you value having a 4,000 square foot house more than you value doing things outside, come to Dallas. If you are sane, go to Denver.

Last note: I've heard many people who know both cities well comment that there is a distinct difference in materialism between Denver and Dallas. In Dallas, there is much more of a "keep up with the Joneses" mentality. People care about having a big house and a luxury car. That's simply a big part of the culture. There is far less of that in Denver.

Thats one perspective, heres another.

Im not a huge outdoor person though I love long distance running. I place high value on cultural diversity, quality and variety of food, low cost of living, culture, and an airport that has a huge amount of international destinations (Im an airline consultant that travels frequently so that last one is important).

For those things, Dallas is clearly superior to Denver.

Dallas is far more culturally diverse than Denver. Dallas has a far better ethnic food selection and fine dining though Denver definitely gets the nod in creative cuisine. There are more cultural institutions in Dallas as well.

How I would make the decision is based on how much time the OP spends outdoors. If the OP is a big fine of hiking, biking, rafting, etc., then I would not leave Denver because its one of the best places in the country for outdoor activities.

[Wittgenstein's Ghost]

Originally Posted by peterlemonjello

Thats one perspective, heres another.
Dallas is far more culturally diverse than Denver.

I simply don't think this is true. I agree that the selection of ethnic food is far greater in Dallas, but when you walk (or drive) around Dallas, I feel like you see far more homogeneity than you do in Denver.

[Aceraceae]

Originally Posted by Wittgenstein's Ghost

I simply don't think this is true. I agree that the selection of ethnic food is far greater in Dallas, but when you walk (or drive) around Dallas, I feel like you see far more homogeneity than you do in Denver.

No way. I've been in and around Denver many, many times.

[hornraider]

Originally Posted by Wittgenstein's Ghost

I can't imagine any outdoor lover saying this. The only bright spot for Dallas in terms of outdoor recreation is DORBA (mountain biking). There is virtually no real hiking, there is no rock climbing, most of the lakes are ugly, there is no kayaking because the rivers are polluted, and the scenery is terrible. You can say a lot of good things about Dallas, but outdoor recreation is not one of them.

Outdoor recreation in Dallas means walking on the Katy Trail or on a "nature trail" through one's subdivision.

Dude, I do a lot of outdoor stuff (mountain biking, fishing, jogging, softball, golf) and I can do all that stuff as easy in DFW as I could in Denver. I guess you've never checked taken time to really check out that stuff, Cedar Hill State Park is one of my favorites in the state and I hit those trails after work a lot. I moved from Austin last year and enjoy the outdoor activities and lakes here more than having to fight traffic and crowds just to get to the parks in west Austin.

I'm not taking anything away from the scenery of Denver, but unless you can afford to live and work in the foothills and not work overtime, your QOL wouldn't be any different from Dallas. It is what you make of it. I go back home to the Sierra Nevada mountains twice a year to hike and camp. I have a friend in Denver who does the same, in the rockies, even though he is closer to the mountains, its all that most of average folks can afford to do. All I know, is that I'll be playing some disc golf this weekend, and my friend in Denver says he'll be indoors for weeks. Like I said, If that's what you are into, you can find it. In Dallas, its just not as obvious or as plentiful as Denver but its definetely there.

[LeagleEagleDFW]

If someone offered me a job in Denver, I'd take it in a split second. Denver is gorgeous.

[Cowboys fan in Houston]

Originally Posted by Wittgenstein's Ghost

I simply don't think this is true. I agree that the selection of ethnic food is far greater in Dallas, but when you walk (or drive) around Dallas, I feel like you see far more homogeneity than you do in Denver.

Its true. Here is the data to prove it. This is metro area data from 2013 per the census estimates:

Dallas/Fort Worth:

48.7% White
28.5% Hispanic
16.4% Black
5.8% Asian

Denver Metro area:

65.3% White
22.8% Hispanic
5.5% Black
3.7% Asian

In terms of international immigration, in 2013:

27,680 immigrants came to the DFW area to establish residency
7,498 immigrants came to the Denver area to establish residency

From any perspective, Dallas isn't just more diverse than Denver. Its a lot more diverse than Denver.

[hornraider]

Originally Posted by peterlemonjello

Thats one perspective, heres another.

Im not a huge outdoor person though I love long distance running. I place high value on cultural diversity, quality and variety of food, low cost of living, culture, and an airport that has a huge amount of international destinations (Im an airline consultant that travels frequently so that last one is important).

For those things, Dallas is clearly superior to Denver.

Dallas is far more culturally diverse than Denver. Dallas has a far better ethnic food selection and fine dining though Denver definitely gets the nod in creative cuisine. There are more cultural institutions in Dallas as well.

How I would make the decision is based on how much time the OP spends outdoors. If the OP is a big fine of hiking, biking, rafting, etc., then I would not leave Denver because its one of the best places in the country for outdoor activities.

I agree, Denver is very bland culturally and ethnically compared to Dallas. DFW has better food and lower COL, and the diversity is much more apparent.

[Wittgenstein's Ghost]

Originally Posted by hornraider

Dude, I do a lot of outdoor stuff (mountain biking, fishing, jogging, softball, golf) and I can do all that stuff as easy in DFW as I could in Denver. I guess you've never checked taken time to really check out that stuff, Cedar Hill State Park is one of my favorites in the state and I hit those trails after work a lot.

I'm on the trails here at least four days a week. I've ridden virtually every trail system in DFW. They are all fun because any day on a bike is better than just about any day off of it. I ride about 100 miles per week on trails in DFW, so I don't appreciate the unfounded assumption of "I guess you've never taken the time to really check out that stuff." Also, jogging, softball and golf are not outdoor sports.

I didn't say there were no trails. I said DORBA was the only bright spot on the Dallas outdoor scene. That's true.

Originally Posted by hornraider

I'm not taking anything away from the scenery of Denver, but unless you can afford to live and work in the foothills and not work overtime, your QOL wouldn't be any different from Dallas.

We have no idea what the OP's salary or hours will be, so we shouldn't speculate. There are lots of trails in the Denver metro area that one can ride after work. I've ridden many of them myself, and the vast majority of them make Big Cedar look like a flat bike path.

Originally Posted by hornraider

It is what you make of it. I go back home to the Sierra Nevada mountains twice a year to hike and camp. I have a friend in Denver who does the same, in the rockies, even though he is closer to the mountains, its all that most of average folks can afford to do. All I know, is that I'll be playing some disc golf this weekend, and my friend in Denver says he'll be indoors for weeks. Like I said, If that's what you are into, you can find it. In Dallas, its just not as obvious or as plentiful as Denver but its definetely there.

I agree that you should make the most of what you have, but it isn't true that "it is what you make of it." You can't make the DFW landscape into mountains. You can't make our muddy rivers with swimming warnings on them into clear mountain streams with positive thinking. You can't turn Dinosaur Valley into a ski resort.

Look, I'm obviously an outdoors guy myself, and I live in DFW. I make the most of it, like you. But the OP is coming to us and asking "Which city should I move to?" From an outdoor perspective, it's a no-brainer. He or she may hate the outdoors, so all of this may be irrelevant, but I don't want to say that Dallas is some great outdoor spot just because guys like you and me are still able to have fun here.

[Wittgenstein's Ghost]

Originally Posted by peterlemonjello

Its true. Here is the data to prove it. This is metro area data from 2013 per the census estimates:

Dallas/Fort Worth:

48.7% White
28.5% Hispanic
16.4% Black
5.8% Asian

Denver Metro area:

65.3% White
22.8% Hispanic
5.5% Black
3.7% Asian

In terms of international immigration, in 2013:

27,680 immigrants came to the DFW area to establish residency
7,498 immigrants came to the Denver area to establish residency

From any perspective, Dallas isn't just more diverse than Denver. Its a lot more diverse than Denver.

What does the racial makeup have to do with cultural diversity?