Why do you love living in Dallas? Would you rather live in Dallas or Denver? Thanks (San Antonio: real estate, houses)
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Just looking at a map, Denver proper has 3 small lakes 1 or 2 miles across, but nothing comparable to the many super lakes we have here in DFW. No Ray Hubbard, no Lake Grapevine, no Lavon, No Joe Pool, no Lewisville, no Ray Roberts, no Lake Arlington, no Eagle Mountain, and of course nothing like the many smaller lakes and ponds we have so many of. And the DFW area is very heavily wooded, especially in the Cross Tombers forest.
Have you been around the area of Martin Luther King north of the city park along York Street. Denver does have a good sized black population. I worked in Denver for over 10 years. I just moved away from there at the end of 2005 to a dink town in Texas. (Sometimes I wish I would have stayed where I was).
Denver and Dallas have no comparative lines to each other at all. My opinion is that Denver-Metro is better than Dallas-Metro. I lived in Broomfield, north of Denver, and I liked it there very much but the cost of housing was a bit too steep for me.
I live in Denver and have lived in Dallas and visited frequently. The Dallas area is not very green during the winter...I found it to be just as brown as Denver. During other parts of the year, Dallas may be more green, but of course, along with that comes the oppressive humidity and bugs. Remember, Denver is a semi-arid climate, and you simply aren't going to get the lush greenery that you get in more humid, lower-elevation climates. Dallas is very flat and visually boring. It's hard to get a sense of where you're at in the metroplex, as each suburb kind of runs into the next....kind of just a mess of concrete and subdivisions. Of course, Denver has its sprawl, but it's limited by the mountains to the west, and I find that communities typically incorporate extensive trail networks and open space.
I would add that Dallas winters aren't as comfortable as people generally think, and Denver winters are typically more mild than is widely believed. In Dallas, a 50 degree day still requires winter wear, whereas in Denver 50 degrees can be so comfortable that you will see people in shorts and t-shirts. Winter days in Denver usually don't require a coat...of course nights are usually downright cold. Obviously, Denver gets some severe weather (occassional blizzards, etc.) but it never lasts long. Denver summers are near-perfect.
On the other hand, housing (at least at the lower end) in Dallas generally far cheaper than Denver. My cousin just bought a brand new tract home in Rockwall for $130k. In a comparable suburb in Denver, it would have cost her at least $250k. As you move up the scale, I think the price difference narrows a bit...homes in the Denver suburb of Cherry Hills Village are probably pretty comparable to those in Highland Park in Dallas.
Personally, I would rather live in Denver than Dallas, but I can also see the appeal of Dallas. Jobs are more plentiful in Dallas, housing is cheaper, and the people, in general, seem warmer and more friendly than in Denver. Also, if you really like rain, you might not like Denver...it's kind of a novelty when it rains here because it happens pretty infrequently, even considering our daily 5-minute "thunderstorms" in the summer.
Backspace,
I just read your post and had to reply. My family just relocated to the North Texas area about 3 months ago from the Denver metro area. We moved to McKinney & chose a more established neighborhood so we do have quite a few trees, greenery around us. We were able to buy a "bigger" house however I must say that our mortgage is not that much cheaper although we spent $100K less on a house here because the property taxes are so much higher than CO. I am going to be blunt. I really, really miss Denver and at some point want to go back. The cost of living in DFW area really does not turn out to be that much less because now we have to pay for other types of things--Pest Control service (yes, it is true what people say about the bugs in TX), lawn service, taxes, higher homeowner insurance rates....
The weather is definitely a lot nicer and warmer and you can find every restraunt and shop you can imagine but I can't tell you how hard it is to get used the flat terrain. We went today to visit White Rock Lake park and it was very nice, pretty area but the entire time I had a pang in my heart looking for the mountains and wishing I was at Wash Park in Denver. Maybe I am just home sick but if I were in your shoes and you had a choice of where to get established I would go with Denver. Although we are making the best of some great opportunities we have here in TX (the job market seems to be very strong here) I do not see myself ever LOVING this area the way Denver gets into a person's heart. I feel this way and I haven't even been through a summer yet. I've heard the summers are very rough. Also--you mentioned some areas you looked at in Denver that really tend to be kind of known for not being very nice. There are many pretty suburbs of Denver to both the north, south and west. The awesome thing about the Front Range is you can pretty much see the mountains from wherever you are. I don't want to sound negative but wanted to give you the perspective of a person who has been a transplant in both places! After all the years I spent in Denver (college & a few years after) I really consider it to be my "home" despite growing up in Southern CA.
Winter01, you are homesick. You have an emotional tie to Denver and you have no reason to have developed one for Dallas. If I were making a choice between Denver and Dallas, the fact that you are homesick for Denver would mean nothing to me.
If a property tax in Denver is lower than Dallas for an equivalent house, other things being the same, then your local city and county services have to be inferior and underfunded.
Are you saying that the land inside the Denver city limits is Hilly? Like San Francisco is hilly? Or is the city more or less flat, but you can see mountains in the distance? I don't live in a city the size of Dallas because I value hilly terrain, or because I have a mental need to see mountains in the distance. I live here because a city with 6 million people can offer urban facilities and advantages you just don't get in a smaller town. The Dallas Arts District will finish out next year, and the range of constant cultural attractions will be one of the best in the United States. The Dallas Arts District will be comparable to Lincoln Center in New York. And the sports activity in cities such as Dallas is also far superior. A city with 6 million people can offer a lot more than a city with 2 1/2.
Bottom line... Denver may have a few things that people are specifically attracted to and are found nowhere else. Denver will have its fans. Cities like Dallas, however, have more things that appeal to more people. And the numbers that describe Dallas' growth bear this out.
If a property tax in Denver is lower than Dallas for an equivalent house, other things being the same, then your local city and county services have to be inferior and underfunded.
We actually lived in a suburb South of Denver and paid about $2K property tax per year for a $375K house. The recreational amenities, trail system, city planning, schools, etc. were extremely organized and a far cry from underfunded. In fact, there was money in the budget to provide school bus service for every child in the district direct from their neighborhood, plow all roads during snow storms, structured city activities, etc. We now pay about $6K in property tax for a $270K home.
Are you saying that the land inside the Denver city limits is Hilly? Like San Francisco is hilly? Or is the city more or less flat, but you can see mountains in the distance? I don't live in a city the size of Dallas because I value hilly terrain, or because I have a mental need to see mountains in the distance.
Having been to San Francisco numerous times, I can say that no, the city of Denver is not hilly like San Francisco--which is known for its hilly terrain. The city is not what I would call flat, the suburbs are hilly. Our home in the suburbs was on the top of a hill with unobstructed mountain & city views. From Denver, one could drive about 15 to 20 minutes and basically be in a mountain or hilly area. One could drive about 2 - 3 hours and have choice of some of the most beautiful and highly rated ski areas in the nation. Not to mention fishing, hiking, mountain biking, arts (Vail, Telluride, Beaver Creek, Aspen). Something that is great about Denver is that you have all the amenities of a great city but can also satisfy your mental need for scenery & beautiful landscape if that does happen to be important to you.
Also--if you like pro baseball (Rockies did make it to the world series last year), football (Broncos), hockey (Avalanche), soccer you can access Coors field, Broncos stadium, or the Pepsi center within 30 minutes or less of most suburbs and there is direct access by public transportation (Light Rail) to and from many suburban areas.
Denver is by no means a small town and in reading your post I guess I am just not sure you have even spent much time in Denver. I am most definitely not saying that Denver is superior to Dallas as I have not spent enough time here or in the actual city of Dallas yet. Also--it is a matter of perspective and what is important to a person. I guess I would say I am one of those people who DOES have a mental need for scenery so I prefer what Denver has to offer overall.
I was giving my 2 cents from the perspective of a person who has lived in both areas.
I have a friend who grew up here in Lakewood (Dallas) who moved to Castle Rock south of Denver 8-10 years ago. She has a huge home there but is so dying to move back to Dallas that she has purchased a home back in Lakewood (Dallas) even though she can't move back for a couple of years. She was making just weekend vists but now they are getting longer. She literally cries when she has to get on the plane for Denver.
Good posts, Winter01, and thank you. Some people who don't like it in Texas just trash it and are rude about it. I feel for you being homesick and missing your mountains. My brother lives in Denver and just loves it. They and their kids love going up to the mountains. And it is beautiful. But I am opposite from you in that, while lovely to look at, the mountains make me feel closed in. I love the wide open skies of Texas. To each their own, as they say. Too bad you had to move away but maybe, hopefully, you can relocate back to Denver soon.
A few statements in this might be a bit overstated
Quote:
Originally Posted by aceplace
Winter01, you are homesick. You have an emotional tie to Denver and you have no reason to have developed one for Dallas. If I were making a choice between Denver and Dallas, the fact that you are homesick for Denver would mean nothing to me.
If a property tax in Denver is lower than Dallas for an equivalent house, other things being the same, then your local city and county services have to be inferior and underfunded.
Are you saying that the land inside the Denver city limits is Hilly? Like San Francisco is hilly? Or is the city more or less flat, but you can see mountains in the distance? I don't live in a city the size of Dallas because I value hilly terrain, or because I have a mental need to see mountains in the distance. I live here because a city with 6 million people can offer urban facilities and advantages you just don't get in a smaller town. The Dallas Arts District will finish out next year, and the range of constant cultural attractions will be one of the best in the United States. The Dallas Arts District will be comparable to Lincoln Center in New York. And the sports activity in cities such as Dallas is also far superior. A city with 6 million people can offer a lot more than a city with 2 1/2.
Bottom line... Denver may have a few things that people are specifically attracted to and are found nowhere else. Denver will have its fans. Cities like Dallas, however, have more things that appeal to more people. And the numbers that describe Dallas' growth bear this out.
I would add that Dallas winters aren't as comfortable as people generally think, and Denver winters are typically more mild than is widely believed. In Dallas, a 50 degree day still requires winter wear, whereas in Denver 50 degrees can be so comfortable that you will see people in shorts and t-shirts.
What???
So somehow a 50 degree day in Dallas is different than a 50 degree day in Denver?
Dallas winters aren't as comfortable as people think? Forget 50s, nearly 2/3rds of the days this winter were in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. That's about 2 months out of the 3 months of winter with highs in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. I'm from a Denver-like climate, and I wore a coat to work 1 day this winter in Dallas. Should I ask my friend from a Denver suburb how many times he didn't wear a coat this winter? We used to wear the same thing when we lived in the Midwest together. I should add that he's getting sick of the weather there and is trying to talk his wife into a move to Texas.
Jason
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Denver & Dallas are VERY different
