Just moved back after fifteen years in Ga (Houston, Dallas: appointed, 2015)

[1969]

Grew up in Farmers Branch in the 70's and 80's. Lived in the Carrollton area once I was on my own. Moved to Ga in 2001, and gratefully returned home (and it always was home) this last October. Now my wife daughter and I reside in Arlington.

I didn't visit the entire time I lived in Ga (a god forsaken state if there ever was one) until this last July. I was shocked by all the changes then, and now that I've been able to spend some time here, driving around, seeing the sights, I'm even more shocked.

Farmers Branch has seen many changes, and I'm not impressed with any of them. They had some great parks and playgrounds they've torn down in favor of newer that I would have been disappointed by as a kid. Those big metal rockets with the slide at Gussee (sp?) Fields, and the playground by Don Showman were COOL.

The Albertsons getting mowed for a Wal-Mart market was saddening, but to mow down that entire shopping strip that housed the Radio Shack, fabric store and others is hard to understand. And did the McDonalds there really need to move to the corner and displace that cool old Shell station?

I was surprised to find Prestonwood mall was razed. Last time I visited in in the late 1990's, it seemed to be doing fine, not that I'll swear my memory is reliable on that front. But I *do* recall Valley View mall still doing well around 1998/1999. We went to visit that place last week and were shocked by what it has become. Fortunately the Galleria is doing well, and we were able to take my daughter to see the giant christmas tree and ice skating rink.

And of course the changes in all the roads with the PGBT and the additions to 635. I can barely tell where I'm at in Las Colinas due to all the changes.

I was delighted though, to find Two Guys From Italy still operating. I've been going there since it opened in the 70's. It's impossible to find other places that serve pesto al fungi, and their pizza is among the best anywhere.

Despite all the changes, and having to get used to them, I'm so relieved to be back. I was homesick for almost the entire fifteen years. I can't recommend Georgia as a place for a native Texan to move to. But I have to wonder - why does Dallas mow everything down? doesn't Dallas want to keep any of their own history?

[RJ312]

I think a lot of what you detail is true of many cities, especially US Sun Belt cities. The same thing could have been written by a person who lived in Houston, Austin, Denver, Phoenix, or Tucson and moved away from any of those cities for 15 years and didn't return.

I have had a way of not returning to a lot of the cities I've formerly lived in.

I hope you can enjoy Dallas of 2015-2016 in the way you did in the 1970s-1990s.

Valley View is basically a ghost town at this point. Something better can probably be done with the land.

[mm4]

The plan is for a New Urbanist thing that's going to be called "Midtown."

Changes in cities over time are fascinating. They coincide with changes in technology and population and artistic movements and occupations and all feed off and inform one another. You look at these things at the time and think, "this is great now and there's no reason for it to disappear, but it won't last."

[cordata]

I'm curious as to what problems the OP sees with Georgia ?

[Gilah G.]

I'm a native Texan just moved to Georgia.
Lived in the Dallas area for 14 years.
Georgia (roswell) is a beautiful place to be.
I do miss the roads, infrastructure, txdot, and stellar school system of (richardson ), but we are definitely pleased with what Ga. Has offered us so far.
Welcome back home btw.

[1969]

Well, I *am* enjoying it here, but I've had to adjust to many things that have changed. Things that are long gone that were part of my history. But that doesn't change how happy I am to be back.

Problems with Georgia? Let's see... roadways that don't make nearly as much sense (and a lack of overpass u-turns) the humidity. The constant wall of green that hides the horizon. The fact that everything is much more expensive, the state taxes. The music scene is dead compared to Texas in general, that's from the perspective of both local live shows, and as a working musician. And there's not nearly as much to do there, as compared to DFW. And what there is to do, costs much more. The traffic is completely out of control. I've never sat in traffic that hardly moved for three hours, and when it did, it only moved fractions of a mile. The traffic here moves. And that was even before all these new roadways.

Roswell may be pretty, as with much of the northern half of Ga, but as someone I met who is from here commented "It's pretty there, but we couldn't wait to get out of that godforsaken state." Seems people who are born and raised here tend to have that kind of reaction. And without prompting from me. I'm puzzled that many use that same phrase "god forsaken state". Hey, I was born here, and lived here for 31 years, so I'm biased. The biggest problem with Georgia is that it isn't Texas. Ha! Strange coincidence - as we were in the last few months there, preparing to move, we met many people (a number who were Delta transfers like my wife) who were either moving back here, or expressed a strong desire to, for many of the same reasons we did.

I'm surprised you're happy with the schools there Gilah. You must be in a private school. We had nothing but problems with our daughter in public schools. There are a few exceptions, such as Decatur, but if you check, you'll find that the primary, middle and high schools there have rated nationally in the lowest three or four rankings for years. And you have to contend with Common Core, something that Texas has said "No" to. I hope you're experience is better than ours. Thanks for the welcome back, albeit from a distance.

Maybe there are exceptions, but all my years here, I heard it from those raised here "There's no place else like Texas" and how it gets in your blood. This is home and I'm delirious to be back.

[walker1962]

Welcome back,

You moved to metro Atlanta, 2001, the year I moved back from Georgia to Texas. I won't say Georgia is god-forsaken but the metro area does have its challenges. Foremost, traffic is godforsaken there. Like you said, no underpass u-turns, and frontage/feeder roads are non-existent but for a short stretch along I-85, inside of 285. In addition, a fair number of roads are still two lane in width. I think much of this arises from governance in that counties don't cooperate sufficiently for the greater good. Metro Atlanta is much like metro Washington D.C. where I also lived but the latter is a more cohesive governing area when it comes to mobility. Its why to this day, metro Atlanta still only has one airport. I visited back in the early 1990s when a study was completed for a second airport (in Gwinnett, northeast of the city) but that county didn't want it! How short sighted can they be! Thousand of PERMANENT jobs lost and greater INCONVIENENCE for those living on the northside of greater Atlanta.

The area needs another water source besides 58 year old Lake Lanier. The area has grown significantly, really beyond the long term capacity of the reservoir and legal action by Alabama and Florida for claims on the river that feeds the lake will cause long term problems for Georgia.

Schools are ok overall. Colleges of Emory, Georgia and Georgia Tech are actually quite good. The Lottery funds the Hope Scholarship for children of the State who can maintain a B average. Texans definitely have a lot more higher education choices but I don't think the Lotteries here do as much as they should for our youth.

Medical care is ok at best. Emory is great but not much else to recommend there, especially compared to the great Texas Medical Center in Houston.

Outdoor recreation in Georgia is actually pretty good. Hiking in the Foothills of the Appalachians (The Appalachian trail begins in Georgia). Stone Mountain Park east of downtown Atlanta is a great urban asset. Callaway Gardens southwest of the city is a nice weekend getaway as is Savannah and Jekyll Island.

But overall, I think the quality of life in Texas surpasses Georgia and I'd pick D/FW over Atlanta in general

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by 1969

Grew up in Farmers Branch in the 70's and 80's. Lived in the Carrollton area once I was on my own. Moved to Ga in 2001, and gratefully returned home (and it always was home) this last October. Now my wife daughter and I reside in Arlington.

I didn't visit the entire time I lived in Ga (a god forsaken state if there ever was one) until this last July. I was shocked by all the changes then, and now that I've been able to spend some time here, driving around, seeing the sights, I'm even more shocked.

Farmers Branch has seen many changes, and I'm not impressed with any of them. They had some great parks and playgrounds they've torn down in favor of newer that I would have been disappointed by as a kid. Those big metal rockets with the slide at Gussee (sp?) Fields, and the playground by Don Showman were COOL.

The Albertsons getting mowed for a Wal-Mart market was saddening, but to mow down that entire shopping strip that housed the Radio Shack, fabric store and others is hard to understand. And did the McDonalds there really need to move to the corner and displace that cool old Shell station?

I was surprised to find Prestonwood mall was razed. Last time I visited in in the late 1990's, it seemed to be doing fine, not that I'll swear my memory is reliable on that front. But I *do* recall Valley View mall still doing well around 1998/1999. We went to visit that place last week and were shocked by what it has become. Fortunately the Galleria is doing well, and we were able to take my daughter to see the giant christmas tree and ice skating rink.

And of course the changes in all the roads with the PGBT and the additions to 635. I can barely tell where I'm at in Las Colinas due to all the changes.

I was delighted though, to find Two Guys From Italy still operating. I've been going there since it opened in the 70's. It's impossible to find other places that serve pesto al fungi, and their pizza is among the best anywhere.

Despite all the changes, and having to get used to them, I'm so relieved to be back. I was homesick for almost the entire fifteen years. I can't recommend Georgia as a place for a native Texan to move to. But I have to wonder - why does Dallas mow everything down? doesn't Dallas want to keep any of their own history?

Welcome back. However, mowing down an old strip center etc. is not erasing historically important spaces. Prestonwood had to go it was a decaying POS. Hopefully, most all of ValleyView will be R&R'd in 5-7 years as well.

[cordata]

Originally Posted by 1969

The constant wall of green that hides the horizon. .

You mean all the trees ?

[1969]

You're right, that strip was not historically significant. That's not what I was referring to though. I should have expressed myself more clearly.