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Old 07-08-2017, 01:10 PM
 
2,611 posts, read 2,867,448 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bluescreen73 View Post
Honestly based on what I've read here I think Colorado Springs might be a better fit. It's more expensive than Dallas, but less expensive than Southern California. It has a fairly conservative reputation, and as an added bonus isn't an outdoor wasteland like DFW.
I second this. The only downfall of Co. Springs is job which is not applicable to the OP. Beautiful scenery, big house, low property tax.
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Old 07-08-2017, 01:23 PM
 
Location: North of Dallas
166 posts, read 144,954 times
Reputation: 392
Quote:
Originally Posted by WorldKlas View Post
OP, after reading your post #37, I have better insight. You want a sense of community for your family that is conserviative and hope there is a part of the country in a warm climate, near a city, that offers all this. I get it. But, in reality, most people find that "bubble" in which to raise familities among carefully nurtured circles of friends developed through church or school or other activities.

I lived in Logan, UT last summer and it amazed me how much common shared values, such as the Morman Church, influenced local society and even shops and restaurants... even in large Salt Lake City. However, I think in today's world, a city that is experiencing great economic growth and a huge influx of corporate transfers is shaky at best in representing the community you seek.

Its every parent's mission to develop the values of their kids. You do this by developing your own culture and building your own bubble with a strong circle of friends developed thru school, activities, faith, culture, travel. Raising your kids in a beautiful place at odds with your family values could give your kids a lot of skills in managing their lives when they navigate the world.

I'd stay put and explore private schools, summer camps, church, volunteering, travel......
I've moved around a lot in my lifetime, and I very much agree with this post. This kind of thinking is what makes Dallas livable for me.

I'll just piggyback on this post, and say that if you don't already live in a place like Rancho Santa Fe (or Cielo -- there's a reason for my name!), maybe look into that before moving. I know for a fact that your kind of folks are already there.

You're in a place that so many people would love to be. There's a reason why the cost of living is higher there, and why people vacation there.

Best of luck to you. (Although it sounds like you don't need it. )
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Old 07-08-2017, 01:56 PM
 
Location: In a George Strait Song
9,546 posts, read 7,041,141 times
Reputation: 14046
Quote:
Originally Posted by BLDSoon View Post
What a lot of posters are trying to nicely tell you is the world is a large place. Dallas is not what you seem convinced it is and you might end up moving only to be dissatisfied. If this is really, truly about the kids, and not about you trying to find an ideal conservative niche for yourself , there would be no need to move from the entire state of California. There are plenty of conservative leaning places in California as there are liberal leaning areas in Texas. The DFW area is going through lots of changes and you will find that many of the people you seem to want to get away from are moving here in droves. Also, several other states meet your requirements that you seem not to be considering.


Parents are the biggest influencers of their children and i think your fears that liberalness may rub off on your kids are probably unfounded. You can also guard against that by enrolling them in religious private schools etc, as others suggested. Pushing one world view on your kids too hard also frequently backfires when adulthood happens so that's something else to consider. Whatever it is you decide, make sure you weigh ALL your options, as you have quite a few (many lots better than Westlake) rather than making DFW the only one.
I disagree with your first paragraph but agree with the part of last paragraph. It is not, however, "pushing one world view on your kids too hard." It is called teaching them morals and values. Forming a certain mindset when they are young helps them cope with all that they start to become exposed to as teenagers and young adults. And we have no evidence that the OP is pushing his values too hard on his children.

Unless you are a conservative, you probably don't understand what the OP is struggling with.

In California, Trump supporters get beat up and attacked. I have read hundreds of comments from Trump supporters in California who were scared to death to wear a hat, have a sign in their yard, or a sticker on their car.

The State of California has actually hired Eric Holder to help them fight against President Trump's policies.

The State of California has made it abundantly clear that they support the (non-existant) rights of illegals over the guaranteed rights of American citizens.

California has a celebrity culture that celebrates people who insult our President and insult those Americans who voted for him and support him.

I would not want to live in a community where the trendy thing among preschool parents is to let their toddler "choose their identity".

I don't think DFW is the greatest place and if the job weren't there I would not choose to move there. But it seems ridiculous to say "the only thing to do is eat and shop". I don't even live there yet and I know that can't be true.

Golfing, swimming, boating, kayaking, bicycling (all weather dependent so probably not year round)
Movies, bowling
Museums, zoos
The theater, the symphony
Football games, baseball games
Dancing, music

Except for it being so stinking hot and so spread out, it probably isn't that different than most places not next to the beach or in the mountains.

Last edited by calgirlinnc; 07-08-2017 at 02:20 PM..
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Old 07-08-2017, 02:44 PM
 
420 posts, read 401,532 times
Reputation: 728
Quote:
Originally Posted by timaay View Post
Hoping to get some advice and real world perspectives about whether this is a good idea or not. In my early 40's, wife and 2 toddlers living in san diego. We own our own business and do pretty well. Have a beautiful 2.5 acre estate with great views, infinity edge swimming pool in a high end double gated community (community is gated and we have private gate to our estate as well). Great schools.

Here's the thing... we just sold the business and can now live anywhere we want and really considering moving.

For some reason we just want to get out of San Diego. I've read about a lot of people wanting to move to the DFW area but seems as it's mostly for lower cost of living, etc... Is there any other reason to move there?

Reasons why we are starting to not like san diego. We are very conservative and there are a lot of liberals out here that are very outspoken. I don't mind different viewpoints, etc... but liberals here are very outspoken, and in my opinion rude and opinionated. I just don't want my kids to grow up being influenced in this way. Again, don't mind opposing view points but it's a little out of control in California. San diego itself is said to be a conservative area due largely to the big military population but again the liberal/democratic voices are still just very loud. We would go to play groups, etc.. and hear other families say how they don't want to influence their 1 or 2 year old to identify as a boy or girl they want to let them figure it out on their own, etc... ! Gender neutral, on and on... Don't like the legalized marijuana, hate that grocery bags are paid for now, don't like that the city voted to let the chargers leave. You get the point, seems everything that happens in this area lately we disagree with. we just don't agree or want our children to grow up being heavily influenced by things that we don't think fit our values. Want to be around more like minded people.

On the flip side of that is that aesthetically this area is absolutely gorgeous. Beaches, mountains, weather, parks, trails, etc... It's primarily the people we are having issues with. It's like a bad thing to be conservative church going people with family values... you have to keep that quiet or else be talked down on.

Overall hope i've given you a decent background on our situation and what we are looking for. Am i crazy for wanting to move out of San Diego when we 'seemingly' have it all here? How would say the Vaquero neighborhood in Westlake compare to Rancho Santa Fe or Santa Luz here in San Diego?

Open to all thoughts and comments. Thanks for reading.
I don't think you're crazy. A few years back I did some consulting work in SD and lived there for a year - while the weather was good (albeit chillier than I like) the people were absolutely obnoxious. My political views and yours certainly do not align, but I get what you're looking for. There's some of that "plastic" culture in SoCal that bleeds into everything and it just rots it from the core.

That said, I don't think DFW is really what you're looking for... unless you want to go big in Southlake, but you'll find that you're surrounded by the same fake herd mentality people that you're looking to get away from, and the natural beauty isn't there.

In your shoes, I'd take a long look at areas west of Austin. Once you get outside the urban core, you'll find some really beautiful spaces that will make you think of the canyon areas near Poway/RB/RSF - you'll also find that the core values are going to shift much more libertarian with some religious overtones. Schools will be small, the towns will be small, but you're striking distance from a growing area that has a robust economy and attracts talent like you wouldn't believe.
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Old 07-08-2017, 06:26 PM
 
5,258 posts, read 6,370,640 times
Reputation: 6218
Quote:
Trump supporters in California who were scared to death to wear a hat
Oh please. I was at a wedding this weekend in Huntington Beach CA, and somebody wore a Trump MAGA hat (totally inappropriate for a dress-up wedding) and nobody said a thing. In fact, instead of moving to Texas, I'd look farther north up the coast first. There's also a guy there who has a huge Trump flag adjacent to a major street. There are most assuredly conservative and vocal Trump supporters in California.
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Old 07-08-2017, 08:01 PM
 
Location: In a George Strait Song
9,546 posts, read 7,041,141 times
Reputation: 14046
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheOverdog View Post
Oh please. I was at a wedding this weekend in Huntington Beach CA, and somebody wore a Trump MAGA hat (totally inappropriate for a dress-up wedding) and nobody said a thing. In fact, instead of moving to Texas, I'd look farther north up the coast first. There's also a guy there who has a huge Trump flag adjacent to a major street. There are most assuredly conservative and vocal Trump supporters in California.
A wedding is not exactly out and about in public.

I agree though, it's tacky to wear any political gear to a wedding.
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Old 07-09-2017, 12:37 AM
 
1,173 posts, read 1,079,202 times
Reputation: 2166
Quote:
Originally Posted by calgirlinnc View Post
I disagree with your first paragraph but agree with the part of last paragraph. It is not, however, "pushing one world view on your kids too hard." It is called teaching them morals and values. Forming a certain mindset when they are young helps them cope with all that they start to become exposed to as teenagers and young adults. And we have no evidence that the OP is pushing his values too hard on his children.

Unless you are a conservative, you probably don't understand what the OP is struggling with
Both political sides have been behaving very badly. Trump's most rabid ( and i say rabid because rational people can handle discourse with some decorum) supporters aren't choir boys.

On the 'unless you are conservative' comment, I will say i used to be republican. I'm not sure i've ever truly been 'conservative. I no longer identify as such as i feel the party has morphed into one who's primary values i no longer identify with. I'm not a Democrat either. I'm that 'Independent' voter you hear so much about. I have a low tolerance for BS. Each side has valid points on certain issues and invalid ways to achieve their goals. Lots of nonesense then ensures. From both sides.

I'll try not to give too much information but I'll say that i grew up a non-profit/missionary kid, with parents that had jobs that moved them a lot, and us with them, saving people... from illness, poverty, and whatever religions they practiced that weren't Christian. I'd say few non-immigrant Americans have lived a life in more conservative environs. In some of those places, most American Conservatives were considered too socially liberal.

In my teens it became clear to me that the people we were saving needed education and resources not salvation. They already knew God, just not in the way we did. I learned to respect and learn other religions. I learned that we dont have all the answers and its pretty obnoxious to think we do. I learned to stop looking at things through a viewfinder. We learned to live among people that do not share our values, and would never see things our way... ever. And we lived. We didn't change religions, or become atheists in spite of the fact that i accompanied local friends to madrasa at the mosques and wore head coverings when we did as a show of respect. I've celebrated a couple of non- christian religious holidays in my lifetime and celebrated Christmas with many non-Christian friends.We had to explain our stances on things and defend our religion (and our countries) often. Sometimes, there were tears.

My guess is OP's situation is nowhere near that severe. All I meant is the kids dont need their environment perfectly tailored to a certain viewpoint. OP is not bad for wanting to do so. Some of my muslim friends hid our friendship from their parents as well, as their parents did not approve of us or our views/religion. I think its a natural herding tendency in humans. You cant fault that.

But, no matter how much tailoring is done, at the end of the day, modern kids will someday come to find out that there are other viewpoints, other ways of life, other religions. And they will likely be curious about them ( or hostile towards them) and will need to learn how to live with that realization without it completely shattering their sense of self/ security. I'm not sure moving to a more conservative state can change that fact.

Last edited by BLDSoon; 07-09-2017 at 12:47 AM..
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Old 07-09-2017, 05:12 AM
 
Location: plano
7,885 posts, read 11,366,761 times
Reputation: 7794
Dallas should not even exist. The weather, especially before AC days, and lack of natural beauty were not the huge barrier to existence that lack of a port was to business when Dallas sprung up.

Dallas exists because of leadership and will power to be where it should not be. Attracting business from other cities to relocate is harder than just offering temporary tax breaks and lower costs. Leaders like business here and businesses can thrive without the barriers some places put in place to stop it.

Dallas is growing while many cities are fighting to stay important. Growth means change, hardly a conservative mantra. Growth means more roads, more houses, more people and more opporunity.

Dallas exists and grows because it wants to. If you like that type environment and want to start a new small business, its easier to do so with the wind at your back here than many other locals.

Dallas can be what you make of it. Dallas is diverse because the things it values are valued by all cultures. Move here if you want to be part of what this place can be not what it isnt.
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Old 07-09-2017, 07:21 AM
 
964 posts, read 873,174 times
Reputation: 759
Well OP you asked a question on an opinion forum so you will get my opinion. Let me preface this by saying a bunch of people here will get offended by me posting this but I simply don't care.

I, too, was in a position like yours in that I was looking to get out of CA (for different reason) but feel I can give you a much more realistic opinion because I grew up in higher end areas in CA (San Marino) and live in one of the higher end areas in Dallas therefore my expectations seem to be in line with people who share similar expectations. If not no problem you can disregard everything.

For reference I am hoping you are familiar with Southern California and know most of these cities. There are only about 9 cities in SoCal that I would even consider living in but this can give you a perspective of what we find acceptable and you can go from there. The 9 places are Montecito, San Marino (parts of Pasadena would be acceptable), Malibu, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, Hancock Park, La Jolla, Bela Air, and Beverly Hills. Sure you could probably cherry pick a few more but you can see those are the types of places that appeal to my family. Having said that there are only 2 places in Dallas I would consider living and those are Southlake/Westlake and University Park/Highland Park. I might consider Preston Hollow but would have to do a little more research to be honest but it would probably be on my list to check out. Any place else isn't good enough. If other places are good enough for other posters here, then more power to them.

Westlake - Very nice area with a lot of gated homes. Great houses that tend to be newer. The issue I had with Westlake is the people are very very private there so you don't see a lot of kids playing outside. As far as schools Westlake Academy is excellent academically but lacks in other areas that we find important. I would have no issue with sending my kids there up until 4th grade but the lack of other things we desire just are not there after that. The other issue I had with Westlake was that if you want to grab a sandwich or grab some groceries it is a 15 minute ordeal each way. Just nothing close enough for me to pull the trigger. Many people are certainly happy there and do not care.

Southlake - Very similar to where I grew up which was San Marino. Nice, clean place to live. There is enough research on the internet for you to find out about this city and this is where we chose to buy. Have not regretted it for one second.

Highland Park, University Park - Very similar to Hancock Park. Very nice homes, that are next to less desirable areas which is one of the problems I had. I have no desire to have my $4M home next to a $200,000 apartment a few blocks away. The other issue I had was that it felt old and tired. Tends to have older money there. Certainly not an issue for many. Proximity to downtown does make it very easy to get downtown and restaurant choices blow the other 2 away because it is so close to downtown. I certainly understand why people choose to live there but it just wasn't for us.

I could move back to CA anytime I wanted and have no desire to do so. People in these areas are definitely more conservative and based on what you have posted seem very similar to your viewpoint of what other people choose to do in their lives is fine by you.

I laughed when a poster above said that people in these places are fake. Completely disagree and unlike that poster I live here and have experienced the opposite. Since most of these people actually have money what I have found is that people with money tend to care less what others think and speak more openly and truthfully since they don't care about impressing you nor do they care what you think of them because they are not trying to get anything from you. Do these people spend money and buy nice things? yep and I personally see nothing wrong with that. If someone wants a to drive a $120,000 car and can afford to do so then they should. Most posters here think they do it to try to impress someone. The reality is that some people just like nice cars.

As far as Austin goes it is a cute city but has little to no sophistication as it is mostly a college and/or government town. I travel to Austin and work there 5-10 times per year na enjoy my time there, but the lack of sophistication compared to SoCal is huge and compared to Dallas it is much less.

You will laugh at what people call traffic here in Dallas. You have seen some posters talk about bad traffic here. Pretty funny if you have lived in SoCal and have experienced the 605, the 405, and the 5. It's like comparing a pistol to a tank.

We also considered Houston but with the worst weather and worst traffic of the 3 areas in TX (Austin/SA, Dallas, and Houston) it simply never had a chance. I would choose Austin over Houston in a heartbeat and if I could not live in Dallas it would be Austin. Hope it gives you a perspective from someone who has and does live a similar lifestyle to what you currently have.
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Old 07-09-2017, 10:09 AM
 
19,617 posts, read 17,913,246 times
Reputation: 17146
Quote:
Originally Posted by kyam11 View Post
Well OP you asked a question on an opinion forum so you will get my opinion. Let me preface this by saying a bunch of people here will get offended by me posting this but I simply don't care.

I, too, was in a position like yours in that I was looking to get out of CA (for different reason) but feel I can give you a much more realistic opinion because I grew up in higher end areas in CA (San Marino) and live in one of the higher end areas in Dallas therefore my expectations seem to be in line with people who share similar expectations. If not no problem you can disregard everything.

For reference I am hoping you are familiar with Southern California and know most of these cities. There are only about 9 cities in SoCal that I would even consider living in but this can give you a perspective of what we find acceptable and you can go from there. The 9 places are Montecito, San Marino (parts of Pasadena would be acceptable), Malibu, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, Hancock Park, La Jolla, Bela Air, and Beverly Hills. Sure you could probably cherry pick a few more but you can see those are the types of places that appeal to my family. Having said that there are only 2 places in Dallas I would consider living and those are Southlake/Westlake and University Park/Highland Park. I might consider Preston Hollow but would have to do a little more research to be honest but it would probably be on my list to check out. Any place else isn't good enough. If other places are good enough for other posters here, then more power to them.

Westlake - Very nice area with a lot of gated homes. Great houses that tend to be newer. The issue I had with Westlake is the people are very very private there so you don't see a lot of kids playing outside. As far as schools Westlake Academy is excellent academically but lacks in other areas that we find important. I would have no issue with sending my kids there up until 4th grade but the lack of other things we desire just are not there after that. The other issue I had with Westlake was that if you want to grab a sandwich or grab some groceries it is a 15 minute ordeal each way. Just nothing close enough for me to pull the trigger. Many people are certainly happy there and do not care.

Southlake - Very similar to where I grew up which was San Marino. Nice, clean place to live. There is enough research on the internet for you to find out about this city and this is where we chose to buy. Have not regretted it for one second.

Highland Park, University Park - Very similar to Hancock Park. Very nice homes, that are next to less desirable areas which is one of the problems I had. I have no desire to have my $4M home next to a $200,000 apartment a few blocks away. The other issue I had was that it felt old and tired. Tends to have older money there. Certainly not an issue for many. Proximity to downtown does make it very easy to get downtown and restaurant choices blow the other 2 away because it is so close to downtown. I certainly understand why people choose to live there but it just wasn't for us.

I could move back to CA anytime I wanted and have no desire to do so. People in these areas are definitely more conservative and based on what you have posted seem very similar to your viewpoint of what other people choose to do in their lives is fine by you.

I laughed when a poster above said that people in these places are fake. Completely disagree and unlike that poster I live here and have experienced the opposite. Since most of these people actually have money what I have found is that people with money tend to care less what others think and speak more openly and truthfully since they don't care about impressing you nor do they care what you think of them because they are not trying to get anything from you. Do these people spend money and buy nice things? yep and I personally see nothing wrong with that. If someone wants a to drive a $120,000 car and can afford to do so then they should. Most posters here think they do it to try to impress someone. The reality is that some people just like nice cars.

As far as Austin goes it is a cute city but has little to no sophistication as it is mostly a college and/or government town. I travel to Austin and work there 5-10 times per year na enjoy my time there, but the lack of sophistication compared to SoCal is huge and compared to Dallas it is much less.

You will laugh at what people call traffic here in Dallas. You have seen some posters talk about bad traffic here. Pretty funny if you have lived in SoCal and have experienced the 605, the 405, and the 5. It's like comparing a pistol to a tank.

We also considered Houston but with the worst weather and worst traffic of the 3 areas in TX (Austin/SA, Dallas, and Houston) it simply never had a chance. I would choose Austin over Houston in a heartbeat and if I could not live in Dallas it would be Austin. Hope it gives you a perspective from someone who has and does live a similar lifestyle to what you currently have.

Some of your thinking is right on the money. To wit....people who think DFW traffic is bad for a top-5 US metro really are ignorant of current realities across peer cities.

So far as your thoughts on cities, towns and neighborhoods I honestly can't tell if your are trolling or just patently ignorant.

1. Your arguments noted........about 1 or 2% of HP and UP is bordered by "less desirable areas". Spend an hour in your car driving around and prove it to yourself.

2. DFW sports dozens of upscale neighborhoods you seem to be totally ignorant of - Westover Hills, Vaccaro, old school mansions along Colorado Boulevard and other areas in Oak Cliff, Bluffview, the horse farms in Azel, Aubrey, Sunnyvale, Fairview, Prosper, and several other areas, Mira Vista, The Colonial Neighborhood, Turtle Creek, Uptown and Downtown and many more.
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