Phoenix to Dallas (Plano, Irving, Abilene: rent, house, school district)

[Sadie064]

Hello! My husband and I (plus our 2 dogs) are considering a relocation from Phoenix to the Dallas area, as he's received an offer for a job located in Coppell. While we do love living in Phoenix, the major draw for Dallas is that we have young nephews who live in Abilene, so we would be able to visit them more often. Also, there seems to be more opportunities in my career field (corporate finance).

Unfortunately, we don't know much about Dallas yet...

* Any issues with the drive between Dallas and Abilene? Based solely on Google maps it appears to be just under 3 hours.

* For those who have made the same move, what have you liked and/or missed the most about Dallas vs. Phoenix?

Thanks for your input!!

[adjusterjack]

My daughter lived in Dallas for about a decade. I visited several times. It's a big city, much bigger than Phoenix. It's more humid but the offset is lots of foliage. I liked it enough, but not enough to give up Phoenix.


All I can suggest is that you fly there, rent a car, spend 3 or 4 days, drive around the city, talk to the people at your husband's prospective job and learn all you can about where to live, check out those areas, make the trip to Abilene and see how that goes.


If you are going to live in Coppell the toll road is about 2 1/2 hours and the other route is about 3 hours and takes you through a bunch of small towns that you probably have to slow down for, though it only adds about 10 miles to the trip.


Dallas freeways are a b----h during rush hour so I suggest living close to where you work if appropriate.

[ChristieP]

The drive from Dallas to Abilene is a straight shot on I20 west. Yes, it takes about 3 hours. There are a few small towns on it that are known to be speed traps, so don’t drive too fast.

Coppell is very popular with young families because of its well regarded school district. If that’s not important to you, you can get a lot more house for your money (and lower property taxes) in nearby cities such as Irving, Carrollton and Lewisville.

[WorldKlas]

My husband moved to Dallas from Phoenix in his 30’s and waited until retirement to return to a desert environment. He never adjusted to the humidity and missed hiking in the mountains. During the months of summer and Fall — late June through early October — Dallas can be incredibly hot with no relief at night. It has lovely green and lush stretches of lawn. Winter is much better, but there are some ice storms to contend with.

[Mershu]

We moved from Phoenix (Gilbert) to Plano six years ago and love it, all except for 2 months in the summer! But Phoenix is the same way, where you need to plan on outside activities before 10 am during those two months.

Good luck on the move, there are plenty more opportunities in Texas vs. AZ career wise.

[Sadie064]

Thanks, everyone! I agree, we need to take a trip out there as it's been 10+ years since we've spent any time in the area. Unfortunately with Thanksgiving next week and the offer deadline looming it's not looking promising.