Greener area in Dallas?! (Austin, Fort Worth: house, neighborhood, school)

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by bluescreen73

If outdoorsiness is a big deal to you, DFW is probably not going to be a good fit. The options are limited, the terrain is largely flat, and (unless you're a masochist) the summertime weather (mid-June to mid-September) is not conducive to outdoor recreation.

I would strongly advise against moving there sight-unseen. If you can, visit the area for a week - preferably in late July/early August when the summertime heat is at its worst.

This. X 1,000!!!

[rantanamo]

interesting how we handcuff ourselves over 2 months out of 12.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by rantanamo

interesting how we handcuff ourselves over 2 months out of 12.

I'm with you - I see people on bicycles, walking, running etc. all summer.

[Made_it_To_the_Metroplex]

I don't know about anyone else here, but my partner & I moved from the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains (Greenville, SC) area, which is arguably a much better area for outdoor activities. But we spend much more time outdoors here in Dallas than we ever did there (except that we had boats on a lake there and spent most weekends there). But on a day-to-day basis, we enjoy more time outdoors here.

We live near White Rock Lake in E. Dallas and the whole area is has mature landscaping, tall shady trees and our townhome even backs up to woods & a creek. There is a nearly 10-mile trail around White Rock Lake, and that also connects to the Santa Fe trail that leads into Deep Ellum/Downtown. It also connects to the White Rock trail that runs from the lake northward past I-635/LBJ. There are plenty of things to do outdoors here. And except for extreme heat, summertime isn't a problem as long as you do things intelligently, like exercise in the mornings or evenings.

[Aceraceae]

Originally Posted by rantanamo

interesting how we handcuff ourselves over 2 months out of 12.

Agreed

[4Movingeast]

Originally Posted by EDS_

I'm with you - I see people on bicycles, walking, running etc. all summer.

Add me to the head scratchers over the heat. Just saw a post on FB from a friend in San Diego chastising the La Jolla schools for not dismissing in (gasp) 95 degree weather. I know, right? I guess the kicker is that some buildings aren't air conditioned but come on now. We are all frolicking outside like it's fall when it drops to 90!i will grant you that there are more beautiful places on the earth. But where else can you find a good job, affordable home, and a 30 min commute in a metro area? <-- this is rhetorical for those of you that have a hard time discerning tone

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by 4Movingeast

Add me to the head scratchers over the heat. Just saw a post on FB from a friend in San Diego chastising the La Jolla schools for not dismissing in (gasp) 95 degree weather. I know, right? I guess the kicker is that some buildings aren't air conditioned but come on now. We are all frolicking outside like it's fall when it drops to 90!i will grant you that there are more beautiful places on the earth. But where else can you find a good job, affordable home, and a 30 min commute in a metro area? <-- this is rhetorical for those of you that have a hard time discerning tone

That should be on a t-shirt.

[carroll4628]

Yes, there are people biking and running when it's 90 degrees outside. My 8 y.o. had soccer practice when it was 103 at 5pm - lots of water breaks. There are nice areas around White Rock Lake and Flower Mound has some "woodsy" areas. The lakes are ONLY for boating - I took my dog to Lake Ray Hubbard to fetch in the water and the neighbors thought I was crazy. Never did it again and I've never seen anyone swim in the Lake. Maybe Lake Lewisville is cleaner/more active. I know people go to Possum Kingdom and there are swimming lakes out past Tyler to the east. I do see people windsurfing occasionally on Lake Hubbard and I've even seen some SUPs in Rowlett. But, like others have said, I hope you are coming here for the job and plan on traveling for your "outdoors fix" - wooded Arkansas, the Hill Country (which I find similar to eastern Oregon - fun fun).

Also, no one has mentioned the weather between late Nov and Feb. It's 40-45 degrees, windy and (occasionally) rainy. The wind makes it worse than Seattle in the winter - AND it's 12 hours to the snow in Colorado. Sure, we'll have some great sunny 60 degree days in January, but there aren't many folks riding their bikes outside during those 2-3 months either. (Of course, we're still outside playing soccer in the windy muck.)

Now, if you would have asked, How's the Shopping and How are the Restaurants - We love to eat out. Then, by all means pack your bags for Dallas.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by carroll4628

Yes, there are people biking and running when it's 90 degrees outside. My 8 y.o. had soccer practice when it was 103 at 5pm - lots of water breaks. There are nice areas around White Rock Lake and Flower Mound has some "woodsy" areas. The lakes are ONLY for boating - I took my dog to Lake Ray Hubbard to fetch in the water and the neighbors thought I was crazy. Never did it again and I've never seen anyone swim in the Lake. Maybe Lake Lewisville is cleaner/more active. I know people go to Possum Kingdom and there are swimming lakes out past Tyler to the east. I do see people windsurfing occasionally on Lake Hubbard and I've even seen some SUPs in Rowlett. But, like others have said, I hope you are coming here for the job and plan on traveling for your "outdoors fix" - wooded Arkansas, the Hill Country (which I find similar to eastern Oregon - fun fun).

Also, no one has mentioned the weather between late Nov and Feb. It's 40-45 degrees, windy and (occasionally) rainy. The wind makes it worse than Seattle in the winter - AND it's 12 hours to the snow in Colorado. Sure, we'll have some great sunny 60 degree days in January, but there aren't many folks riding their bikes outside during those 2-3 months either. (Of course, we're still outside playing soccer in the windy muck.)

Now, if you would have asked, How's the Shopping and How are the Restaurants - We love to eat out. Then, by all means pack your bags for Dallas.

1. Swimming in local lakes is bad idea because the water is copy/confused because of boat traffic and summer winds.

2. People bike, run, walk like crazy all winter around here.


3. I really wish people wouldn't make bogus claims about the weather here.

According to The National Weather Service...............
The average longterm daytime highs in DFW are:
Oct. - 78
Nov. - 65
Dec. - 56
Jan. - 54
Feb. - 60
Mar. - 68
Apr. - 76
May - 83

Under no circumstance is that worse/colder than Seattle:
Oct. - 60
Nov. - 51
Dec. - 46
Jan. - 46
Feb. - 50
Mar. - 53
Apr. - 58
May - 64

So on average Seattle has 5 months colder than our coldest month.

The average daily wind speed here is less than 2 mph. higher than Seattle.

[pinemon]

Originally Posted by carroll4628

How are the Restaurants - We love to eat out. Then, by all means pack your bags for Dallas.

Yep, Dallas is definitely a foodie town with a lot of fine/fun dining and Tex Mex & Middle Eastern ethnic food.

But back to outdoor hiking, Cedar Ridge Preserve in Cedar Hill sounds comparable to Cameron Park in Waco - with lots of forested hiking/biking trails over hundreds of acres of hilly terrain...

Outside of that though, I'm not sure what other hikable areas of natural beauty in DFW there are yet?

The Santa Fe Trail is nice in stretches, but doesn't have a shady tree canopy over it - which feels like it can lower the temperature 10° and thereby make summer afternoon heat bearable. And peak Dallas heat even in late July/August is actually tolerable IF YOU ARE IN THE SHADE. But otherwise, you will fry like an egg.

So after a while, you will likely choose only to hike in the summer mornings or in shaded areas, which are sparse. And otherwise, really the only comfy times for outdoor activities are the late Spring, Fall, & early Winter.