Houston or Dallas for African Americans (Fort Worth, Galveston: real estate market, neighborhood, school district)

[30236]

I'm a professional African American married male from the Atlanta area and I'm interested in Houston or Dallas. I have 2 children. My wife and I are both natives of Riverdale and are not fond of Atlanta anymore. We've come up with Houston and Dallas as possible relocation areas. I work as a structural engineer and my wife work as a reliable engineer. Our children are 10 and 17. We would like to be close to great schools and professionals. Our budget is 300K. Dallas tell me if you are a right choice for African Americans.

[AlGreen]

Well it depends on several things:

1) What exactly is it that you've grown to dislike about Atlanta?....You want to be sure that you won't run into the same things in Texas

2) Don't be afraid to be specific about what environment you're looking for (demographics, weather, ammenities, culture, etc.). Both Dallas and Houston are great cities for blacks, but they both offer some things that the other doesn't.

[30236]

I dislike Atlanta because it's become overrated and oversaturated. It's not the same anymore.

I do want to be close to African American professinals but can tolerate diversity. My wife and I do want to be close to nightlife to frequent.

[Exult.Q36]

Originally Posted by 30236

I'm a professional African American married male from the Atlanta area and I'm interested in Houston or Dallas. I have 2 children. My wife and I are both natives of Riverdale and are not fond of Atlanta anymore. We've come up with Houston and Dallas as possible relocation areas. I work as a structural engineer and my wife work as a reliable engineer. Our children are 10 and 17. We would like to be close to great schools and professionals. Our budget is 300K. Dallas tell me if you are a right choice for African Americans.

Dallas-Fort Worth was second in black growth this decade behind Atlanta. There are a high concentration of well off black Americans in the southern suburbs of both Dallas and Fort Worth. If you are church goer there are also large black mega churches throughout DFW area including Bishop T.D. Jakes Church. There are plenty of good schools in the suburbs of DFW. As long as you come opened minded and can deal with diversity than you will like DFW. I recommend for you the Mansfield, Texas area. A lot of black professional are moving out that way and you virtually be right between both Dallas and Fort Worth, where you can enjoy the amenities of both big cities.

Blacks in Dallas - Where and why African Americans are choosing Dallas

Census shows black population expanding in Dallas-Fort Worth suburbs | Dallas-Fort Worth Local Breaking News - News for Dallas, Texas - The Dallas Morning News

[AlGreen]

Most people will tell you that Houston has the edge for nightlife, especially for the urban market.

You say your family is in Riverdale, so I'm sure that you're accustomed to driving a lot. And is it safe to assume that y'all are comfortable with suburban living? If so, in the Dallas area, the southside suburb of Cedar Hill most likely be to your liking. It's a town of about 30K+ people that sits south of far west Dallas and is about 1/3 black. To the east, you also have the suburbs of Duncanville, DeSoto, and Lancaster (the latter of which is mostly black), but to my knowledge, these three suburbs are a bit less affluent than CH. Still, the southern suburbs in general are where Dallas' black middle class folks are concentrated.

I'm not that qualified to speak on the schools, but from what I've heard, they'll be a few steps above what is generally found in Clayton County, Ga. I know you said you have a 17 year old; is he/she graduating this year?

[AlGreen]

Originally Posted by kdogg817

Dallas-Fort Worth was second in black growth this decade behind Atlanta. There are a high concentration of well off black Americans in the southern suburbs of both Dallas and Fort Worth. If you are church goer there are also large black mega churches throughout DFW area including Bishop T.D. Jakes Church. There are plenty of good schools in the suburbs of DFW. As long as you come opened minded and can deal with diversity than you will like DFW. I recommend for you the Mansfield, Texas area. A lot of black professional are moving out that way and you virtually be right between both Dallas and Fort Worth, where you can enjoy the amenities of both big cities.

Blacks in Dallas - Where and why African Americans are choosing Dallas

Census shows black population expanding in Dallas-Fort Worth suburbs | Dallas-Fort Worth Local Breaking News - News for Dallas, Texas - The Dallas Morning News

DallasBlack.com: Barry Bonds Found Guilty in Federal Steroids Probe Trial

I'm assuming that last link was an accident. Here's the main page:

DallasBlack.com: Stageplay Home

[Exult.Q36]

As far as night life...There are nice jazz clubs all around...Fort Worth Buttons has got really good reviews. Its the spot right now...
Live Music and Food Ft Worth | BUTTONS Restaurant | Fort Worth, Addison



http://c0413294.cdn2.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Buttons2..jpg (broken link)

[family fitted]

Greetings,

Just wanted to add my opinion to this post. I am originally from the New Jersey/New York area and my wife is from Chicago. I lived and worked in the I.T. field for 4 years in Dallas and attended college here in Houston. My experience as a young African American man living in Dallas was pretty good however I prefer Houston over Dallas. In my opinion Houston has a lot more culture than Dallas. Dallas has much more to offer I.T. professionals than Houston but Houston has much more to offer medical and oil and gas professionals. We live in Katy which is approx 25 miles from Downtown Houston. We decided to come to Katy because of the school district. HISD is not so favorable in my opinion and had we stayed in Dallas we would not have enrolled our child in the Dallas ISD either. The suburbs offer a better public isd in both cities if you ask me. If one was to compare the nightlife I would have to say that both cities have much going on. Every time I go to Dallas I hear about a new venue but the same is true for Houston. Houston has more to do outside the city of Houston such as Galveston beach and Kemah boardwalk. In conclusion I would like to say that the 2 cities are a 4 hour drive or a 45 min flight apart. The heat is very dry in Dallas and very humid in Houston but both cities are still HOT! Winters are very short in Houston and very cold in Dallas. The cost of living is very reasonable and the real estate market is one of the strongest in the country. The opportunities career wise will really depend on what field you are in. I feel that if a person is happy with the career opportunities then an active nighlife won't be hard to have even if you have to go between cities...

[R1070]

I think Houston would have more social/cultural offerings geared toward African Americans than Dallas. Houston has had a larger AA population for a longer time frame than DFW. Not that Dallas doesn't offer them but this area tends to not specialize things by race. You are more likely to hear people in Dallas say "oh thats a great bar or restaurant" rather than "thats a great bar or restaurant for blacks, whites, etc.". When I lived in Atlanta I heard Houston mentioned a lot more than Dallas when it came to comparison. I can definitely see the similarities of the two. As for you losing your interest in Atlanta. I know the Riverdale area isn't the best area to live there. If you don't relocate from Atlanta perhaps moving to an intown neighborhood or somewhere on the northern end would be a better experience for you. Clayton County is not going to get any better, I would not want to raise my children in that environment with the troubled school system, etc. Good luck with the decision making, Houston and Dallas both offer a lot for anyone no matter what race.

[Exult.Q36]

Originally Posted by R1070

I think Houston would have more social/cultural offerings geared toward African Americans than Dallas. Houston has had a larger AA population for a longer time frame than DFW. Not that Dallas doesn't offer them but this area tends to not specialize things by race. You are more likely to hear people in Dallas say "oh thats a great bar or restaurant" rather than "thats a great bar or restaurant for blacks, whites, etc.". When I lived in Atlanta I heard Houston mentioned a lot more than Dallas when it came to comparison. I can definitely see the similarities of the two. As for you losing your interest in Atlanta. I know the Riverdale area isn't the best area to live there. If you don't relocate from Atlanta perhaps moving to an intown neighborhood or somewhere on the northern end would be a better experience for you. Clayton County is not going to get any better, I would not want to raise my children in that environment with the troubled school system, etc. Good luck with the decision making, Houston and Dallas both offer a lot for anyone no matter what race.

I personally find this ignorant. Black people in DFW pretty much attend any event that interests them. Houston is pretty much the same way. As a black guy there is nothing in Houston I can't do in Dallas. DFW and Houston roughly have the same number of black folks. As far as I am concern a slight advantage equal no advantage IMO. Black people don't move based on black culture they move based on opportunity (go where the money is). If they moved strictly based on black culture places like Indianapolis, would not be seeing a massive influx black professionals. As far as I am concerned DFW offers just as much as Houston.