Live in San Diego, Considering Moving To Dallas Money Not A Problem? Am I Crazy? (Fort Worth: renting, house)

[BongoBungo]

Have you considered the Raleigh, North Carolina area? I'd actually consider it more family friendly and conservative than DFW (DFW has become much more liberal and less family friendly in the past 10 years as people from the coasts and outside the US are moving here), and it has a generally cheaper cost of living. The climate is also much more pleasant and the topography/scenery is much more interesting than here. My wife and I have recently been able to get full time remote work so we are actually considering the move to the Raleigh area for the reasons I just listed.

[octo]

Dallas has a vibrant gay scene. Your kids will love it here, especially if they are gay!

[Aceraceae]

I think you'd be crazy to do it. I have an Aunt and Grandmother who've lived in San Diego since the 60s. Beautiful there.

[BongoBungo]

Originally Posted by Hacker1234

There is nothing to do in Dallas, you will miss California.

This is actually true to an extent. Downtown and near downtown Dallas have tons of things to do, but if you're like me and live way out in the suburbs, it's at least an hour's drive fighting traffic to downtown. You have to be upper middle class to be able to even afford to live near downtown in a nice place big enough for a family, so those of us with families making more average middle class income who don't want to live in a shack are forced to live in the suburbs. And out here in the outer suburbs, the only things to do are shop, go to the movies, and maybe walk around some crowded, mediocre parks getting bit by mosquitoes. I don't really often have time to make the trek into downtown Dallas. I lived in NYC for a while and it's the same problem there. Most of the viable places to live if you want to raise a family and aren't rich are in New Jersey, but there's nothing really to do there compared with NYC - though to be fair there's a lot more to do in New Jersey than say, McKinney or Celina. And the commute from New Jersey to NYC is much more pleasant because you can just take public transportation while you read a book rather than fight aggressive drivers on DFW highways.

Contrast this with smaller metro areas like Raleigh or the major metro areas in Colorado where there is a ton of natural beauty to explore right next to the suburbs.

[calgirlinnc]

Charlotte and Raleigh are the two most liberal areas of the state. Chapel Hill (part of the Raleigh "triangle" of Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill) is very liberal as is Charlotte proper. The suburbs are more conservative but NC is experiencing a large influx of people from NY, NJ, MA, etc. who are bringing their liberal ideology with them. NC went for Obama in 2008 and has been the center of controversy with gay marriage and the bathroom bill.

SC overall is more conservative than NC.

What is there to do in Raleigh that you can't do in DFW?

[numbersguy100]

Originally Posted by calgirlinnc

Charlotte and Raleigh are the two most liberal areas of the state. Chapel Hill (part of the Raleigh "triangle" of Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill) is very liberal as is Charlotte proper. The suburbs are more conservative but NC is experiencing a large influx of people from NY, NJ, MA, etc. who are bringing their liberal ideology with them. NC went for Obama in 2008 and has been the center of controversy with gay marriage and the bathroom bill.

SC overall is more conservative than NC.

What is there to do in Raleigh that you can't do in DFW?

Outdoor activities. Reasonable driving distance to nice beaches. Reasonable driving distance to mountain areas. I'd move to most NC cities in a heartbeat but for the fact that we have lots of family very close by in Dallas and it's important for us to have our kids grow up around cousins.

[numbersguy100]

Originally Posted by timaay

So further about why Dallas? I guess we have fallen for the 'branding' of Texas so to speak. Family values, everything bigger (LOL), etc... theme parks, can get on cruise ships easy, short flight to caribbean, ...and Dallas area seems to be one of the best in the state. North Texas has good access to the rest of the country, east coast and west as well as up middle America.

For us it checks alot of boxes. Regarding employment... i'm in my early 40's and while we are financially independent I wouldn't just do nothing the rest of my life. Will want to start another business and have access to talent that a large area like DFW can provide. Also we are thinking about after the kids grow up we want to live in an area where they would like to stay in versus a small town in the country they will most likely try to move out and live in a big city... trying to think through all of these elements.

Agree, the weather may be the hardest part but we do enjoy really hot weather and often complain that San Diego is too cold, LOL.

If these things are true, you should consider Houston instead of Dallas. Much better selection of flights to Caribbean, access to cruise ships. Most of the other requirements you have will be similar between Houston and Dallas in terms of lifestyle in terms of future aspirations to start a business w/ access to talent.

[calgirlinnc]

Originally Posted by numbersguy100

Outdoor activities. Reasonable driving distance to nice beaches. Reasonable driving distance to mountain areas. I'd move to most NC cities in a heartbeat but for the fact that we have lots of family very close by in Dallas and it's important for us to have our kids grow up around cousins.

Reasonable driving distance to beaches and mountains is the usual response as to why to move to NC. Driving to those places is not the same as having them there. It is too far for a day trip usually, especially with kids.

Asheville, yes, but then Asheville is quite liberal as well. Wilmington might work though.

I'm just saying that NC is not the ideal place CD users think it is. Schools are worse; housing (while cheaper than DFW) is getting more expensive; there is plenty of traffic. It's interesting ... but there is a poster who was complaining about DFW who recently moved to NC and is still complaining. Attitude is everything.

[Backliteyes]

Originally Posted by timaay

For us it checks alot of boxes. Regarding employment... i'm in my early 40's and while we are financially independent I wouldn't just do nothing the rest of my life. Will want to start another business and have access to talent that a large area like DFW can provide. Also we are thinking about after the kids grow up we want to live in an area where they would like to stay in versus a small town in the country they will most likely try to move out and live in a big city... trying to think through all of these elements.

Now it makes more sense to me why you are considering Dallas so heavily. If you want a larger metro area than San Diego you might also consider Houston, Atlanta, maybe even Boston. A lot of other large metro areas are coastal and may suffer from some amount of the same liberalness you're trying to get away from.

[Waterdragon8212]

Originally Posted by cordata

I don't think that "liberals" will teach your kids bad behavior.

I'd agree with that statement and add that there are plenty of wealthy, conservative families in Dallas whose kids are known for "bad behavior". That said, having lived in both California and Dallas, there is quite a difference when it comes to expecting kids to display good manners here in Texas. There are brats everywhere, but the general Texas culture is much more openly friendly and polite than what I found in California and even if kids act like jerks behind closed doors here, they are expected to behave appropriately in public.

I find it hilarious that people continue to assert that Dallas is so "liberal" or "trending liberal." Let's be honest people. There are plenty of liberals in Dallas, but the outspoken voices here are largely conservative. The Texas legislature has been red for some time. Since Ann Richards left office, every governor has been more conservative than the last. So, while there is quite a bit of political diversity in the city of Dallas proper, the suburbs are well known for trending conservative and the liberals, whether in the suburbs or the city, tend to walk around like a secret society - only speaking about their views when another member has first outed themselves as a fellow liberal. If there is an outspoken, widespread, liberal voice in Dallas, I've had yet to hear it. I'd actually argue that Dallas is pretty balanced politically speaking, but it tends to be more acceptable to voice conservative opinions in public than liberal ones.