Why does dfw area get bashed so much? (Dallas, Austin: college, income)

[The_Man74]

Originally Posted by Mr. Clutch

I don't think the area gets bashed (either in real life or on C-D) so much as it is that some people have unrealistic expectations of what it is, or what it should be.

DFW is a modern, expansive area with lots of amenities that are conducive to middle-class, suburban lifestyles. It has incredible bang for the buck, and you can get 85% of what you can get in many of the more expensive parts of the country for far less. Many people love it for what it is.

I think where certain people get caught up is expecting it to be something its not. DFW is not a beacon of urbanity, its not a particularly aesthetically appealing area, its not a cultural giant, and it is not a center of the creative type of thinking that many C-D types find as critical to the social health of any city.

I lived there for a couple of years, and I enjoyed it. If there were a good reason for me to move back, I would. With that said, its obvious that many people expect DFW to compare with places like SF, LA, Chicago, etc. and in many aspects, it just doesn't compare.

And that's OK, there's a reason its been one of the fastest growing areas of the country for decades - people must like it well enough!

Very well put and I repped you for it

THIS is EXACTLY the thing

If you're expecting Dallas to be SF, LA, Chicago, NYC, Miami, DC, etc... it's NOT ...it's NOT

Many people expect it to be and it simply isn't

I think it was said numerous times already... if you are in your 30s looking to raise a family it's a GREAT area

and/or if you are looking to get married, have kids, and settle down BY/AROUND 30... then it's PERFECT for you lol

I agree with pretty much your whole post but what I bolded in your post, I couldn't agree with more

DFW will NEVER be that, and that's the point, it shouldn't want to or be that... doing that takes away the personality from Dallas b/c it becomes something it just simply is not, it would be like changing the personality/vision of Dallas to something entirely different.

Ironically, for more urbanity, aesthetic appeal, culture, and creative thinking you will that more so in Houston or Austin, in Texas... but that's fine. That is not "Dallas" and so when people come in and expect it to be like that it creates the bashing

It can go two ways in that you have people who:

Move here and "expect" it to be like this because they are misinformed, ignorant, have ridiculous expectations...$30k millionaires

OR

Those who want to change it into something it is not... and no one likes people like that either... Hence, you get the "fake" stereotype that follows Dallas

Also... it's simply just overall not as "fun" of a city as the two aforementioned cities are, in regards to what Texas natives are used to. That is fine because, as I stated earlier, it's not supposed to be. But that may also be a reason

[Treasurevalley92]

Originally Posted by The_Man74

Also... it's simply just overall not as "fun" of a city as the two aforementioned cities are, in regards to what Texas natives are used to. That is fine because, as I stated earlier, it's not supposed to be. But that may also be a reason

Wait, who ever said Houston was either more fun or urban than Dallas? Neither of those are true.

[Treasurevalley92]

Originally Posted by lepoisson

I should include that in my list too. People often move back home, or move to be closer to family. Actually, it's probably one of the biggest reasons for anyone moving.

I agree with you. I lived in Paris for a while and it was fun at first, but after a few months I got tired of the constant masses of people.

My favorite areas are mid-sized, or even large, but not huge cities. They have all the amenities of huge cities, but without the cost and masses of people.

Most people tend to like where they grew up. I'm not saying I don't really like Dallas, I do, I stayed after college. I've been here 6 years now. I'm constantly telling people from the coasts it's cooler than they think.


I have only ever meet one person ever who wasn't from Dallas who considered it his first choice of places to live. The rest of us came for work. Most of my friends and I like Dallas a lot. None of us are particularly loyal. If I got a job offer in Chicago that all things considered was about equal, I'd seriously consider it.

Dallas is the 4th largest metro in the US, but in terms of amenities many small metros pack a bigger punch, (and are cheaper too) Dallas has lots of jobs and housing is cheaper than other huge metros. That is the draw if you didn't grow up here.

[lepoisson]

Originally Posted by Treasurevalley92

Most people tend to like where they grew up. I'm not saying I don't really like Dallas, I do, I stayed after college. I've been here 6 years now. I'm constantly telling people from the coasts it's cooler than they think.


I have only ever meet one person ever who wasn't from Dallas who considered it his first choice of places to live. The rest of us came for work. Most of my friends and I like Dallas a lot. None of us are particularly loyal. If I got a job offer in Chicago that all things considered was about equal, I'd seriously consider it.

Dallas is the 4th largest metro in the US, but in terms of amenities many small metros pack a bigger punch, (and are cheaper too) Dallas has lots of jobs and housing is cheaper than other huge metros. That is the draw if you didn't grow up here.

I think you're right about people liking where they grew up. I taught school in a small town in Missouri. Most folks left for college and swore never to come back, but ended up moving back anyways.

I'm originally from Raleigh, NC, but haven't lived there in a while. When I left, I was so happy to be living somewhere else. But now that I'm in DFW, I would kill to be that close to the beach, mountains, and larger East Coast cities, and have a cost of living that's rather low.

[DTXman34]

Originally Posted by The_Man74

Very well put and I repped you for it

THIS is EXACTLY the thing

If you're expecting Dallas to be SF, LA, Chicago, NYC, Miami, DC, etc... it's NOT ...it's NOT

Many people expect it to be and it simply isn't

I think it was said numerous times already... if you are in your 30s looking to raise a family it's a GREAT area

and/or if you are looking to get married, have kids, and settle down BY/AROUND 30... then it's PERFECT for you lol

I agree with pretty much your whole post but what I bolded in your post, I couldn't agree with more

DFW will NEVER be that, and that's the point, it shouldn't want to or be that... doing that takes away the personality from Dallas b/c it becomes something it just simply is not, it would be like changing the personality/vision of Dallas to something entirely different.

Ironically, for more urbanity, aesthetic appeal, culture, and creative thinking you will that more so in Houston or Austin, in Texas... but that's fine. That is not "Dallas" and so when people come in and expect it to be like that it creates the bashing

It can go two ways in that you have people who:

Move here and "expect" it to be like this because they are misinformed, ignorant, have ridiculous expectations...$30k millionaires

OR

Those who want to change it into something it is not... and no one likes people like that either... Hence, you get the "fake" stereotype that follows Dallas

Also... it's simply just overall not as "fun" of a city as the two aforementioned cities are, in regards to what Texas natives are used to. That is fine because, as I stated earlier, it's not supposed to be. But that may also be a reason

Those are all debatable (bolded) depending on the person. Although I wouldn't consider Austin as being more urban than Dallas... not by a long shot. Is it more fun? I would say overall yes, but at 11 PM on a Friday or Saturday night, it's a wash. You can't go wrong either way. Other than that, I agree with the bit about the superficiality, pretentiousness, and $30K Millionaires that seems to be a problem in Dallas.

I don't find Dallas to be pretentious by wanting to be a more creative, innovative, and cutting edge city. If I recall, it likes to pride itself on "creating something out of nothing" or its motto, "big things happen here." It shouldn't be plagued by apathy. What grinds my gears here is that a good chunk of the population is obsessed with keeping up with Jones's or so apathetic about this place that they're only here for a paycheck. That creates a "soulless" vibe.

[Jeohnny]

How is dallas not "fun" ? What exactly do you mean by "not fun"?

[kretsch]

Originally Posted by lepoisson

I was surprised to read that DFW was one of the busiest airports in the world. It's a nice airport, but the flight options are rather limited. I think AA having a semi-monopoly does the airport a disservice.

From O'Hare, you can get a non-stop to most places in Europe from over a dozen different airlines. I once got a roundtrip Chicago-Istanbul-Paris for super cheap. From DFW you are stuck with American if you want to go to Europe.

That being said, how many airports in the country, let alone the world can you fly to a combination of cities like Bueno Aires, Tokyo, Dubai, and Sydney direct?

[lepoisson]

Originally Posted by kretsch

That being said, how many airports in the country, let alone the world can you fly to a combination of cities like Bueno Aires, Tokyo, Dubai, and Sydney direct?

LAX, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, Philly, New York, Seattle, and Miami just to name a few.

Obviously the East Coast airports will offer more flights to Europe because it's closer. DFW seems to focus on flights primarily to Latin America.

I was just disappointed that one of the busiest airports in the world doesn't have Air France and many other European carriers. I think you have to fly from Houston to fly Air France.

[kretsch]

Originally Posted by lepoisson

LAX, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, Philly, New York, Seattle, and Miami just to name a few.

Obviously the East Coast airports will offer more flights to Europe because it's closer. DFW seems to focus on flights primarily to Latin America.

I was just disappointed that one of the busiest airports in the world doesn't have Air France and many other European carriers. I think you have to fly from Houston to fly Air France.

While I'm no aviation expert and feel free to correct me for those in the industry, I think a reason has to do with airline alliances and what airline partnerships you can code share with for flights. So for instance, Air france is part of Skyteam which is also with United hence Bush Airport. And of that list, none of them actually fly direct to that combination of cities aside from DFW

[The_Man74]

Originally Posted by Treasurevalley92

Wait, who ever said Houston was either more fun or urban than Dallas? Neither of those are true.

This is pretty subjective as I think they are about the same

although I would say:

Midtown Houston >>> Uptown Dallas... Midtown is more "Texas" and less fake/pretentious

Lower Greenville >>> Rice Village

Montrose/Westheimer === Deep Ellum...basically about equal

The Heights >> Addison .... Washington Ave >>>>> Belt Line LOL

Houston Galleria is BIGGER than Dallas Galleria(this is an actual fact)

TMC is the BIGGEST medical center in the WORLD... this is also a FACT

Dallas economy/business "overall" beats the crap out of Houston in terms of balance/sustainability

The nice suburbs are about equal I think. Woodlands/Spring, Katy, Sugarland, Memorial City, Kingwood = Plano, Frisco, Richardson, Grapevine, McKinney/Allen


It's pretty subjective... but I think they're pretty effing close

If I had to say "fun" (as in you put a gun to my head and make me pick ONE) I DEFINITELY pick Houston as it's not so uptight and much, much more "laid back" and "Texas". The scene is more so about just... "having a good time/fun" than being so uptight about "keeping up with the Joneses"