Why do people from Dallas dump on Dallas? (Houston, Flower Mound: homes, schools)

[ts_123]

Originally Posted by justsomeguy

For the most part I like it here, but you can't really comment on the climate here until you've lived through the summers... it is the one thing I really hate about this place. It's not just that it is really hot, but the summer seems to last forever and it's tough to enjoy doing ANYTHING outside.... I would probably take a northern climate with milder summers and harsh winters, than here with harsh summer and mild winter (I guess I would, anyway)..... though if you've lived with Phoenix summers than it's probably not a big deal to you.


Otherwise, yes, it's not a bad place to be.....

give me one summer with Dallas and I'll be able to give solid input on this. Lived in Toronto, Canada for 30+ years so I've been through some brutal winters with temps dropping to -30C at times...even lower...Once I go through one Dallas summer, I can tell you which is better (imo)...harsher winters and mild summer or mild winters and harsh summers...I'm guessing it's going to be latter but until I experience a full Dallas summer, I can't say for certain.

[ragnarkar]

Originally Posted by hbdwihdh378y9

Wow -- it's hard to believe we live in the same city! I'm talking about Dallas proper, including the Park Cities, and I would say:

- Not crowded in the least.
- Great value for the money.
- Lack of natural, scenic beauty, but lots of beautiful neighborhoods and nicely-landscaped commercial areas.
- Not superficial.
- Certainly "glitzy" in places.
- Not shallow.
- The least rude city I've ever encountered.

Dallas is one of the least rude cities I've lived in or extensively visited, at least compared to Detroit, Sacramento, San Francisco, and Midland. Only place that I find friendlier is Portland. On the other hand, drivers here are extremely aggressive, even compared to LA.

[Exult.Q36]

I took this picture in East Fort Worth an area with plenty of big hills and native trees. If folks actually venture out of there comfort zone and really start exploring the area you will see some beautiful areas.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by ts_123

give me one summer with Dallas and I'll be able to give solid input on this. Lived in Toronto, Canada for 30+ years so I've been through some brutal winters with temps dropping to -30C at times...even lower...Once I go through one Dallas summer, I can tell you which is better (imo)...harsher winters and mild summer or mild winters and harsh summers...I'm guessing it's going to be latter but until I experience a full Dallas summer, I can't say for certain.

At the very least, you don't have to shovel heat. That said, summers here are unbearable for me. YMMV.

[metroplexman]

Dallas is like a mediocre job or marriage or life. You complain about it, but you don't leave. Because the alternatives are just so much worse.

[Gunion Powder]

Originally Posted by metroplexman

Dallas is like a mediocre job or marriage or life. You complain about it, but you don't leave. Because the alternatives are just so much worse.

Atlanta is a nice alternative to Dallas. I can't think of any way that it would be worse, unless you just couldn't find a job there.

[lovely40]

Originally Posted by Dallaz

^^^and yet people still move here.

If people disliked it that much, people would find somewhere else to live. Jobs alone is NOT the number only reason people move here and stay. Dallas is not the only place in America where jobs are plentiful.

They move there thinking its some utopia, only to find out its not. Then they're stuck there with the big house in the suburbs trying to plot a way out.

[Nn2036]

Originally Posted by WriterDude

This place is terrific!

Okay, we've been in Texas for almost 3 weeks now, and while I'll acknowledge that doesn't make me a Texan to the core, I'm pleased to say that almost every dire warning has proven to be completely overstated.

Yes, it's a continental humid climate. If humidity is your problem, go to Phoenix or Vegas. I'm not looking forward to the summer, but 7 million people living here in the metro area aren't all crazy. Somehow they manage. I've dealt with summers in Phoenix with half the population and a lot less to do. If you insist on having a coastal California summer, you do realize that Monterey or Pt. Reyes is unique in the world, right? And you pay for it every day.

Yes, it has a lot of ethnic diversity. I was in Tom Thumb the other day behind an Asian family and an Indian family, and we were all polite to one another. If diversity is a problem for you, I don't have a good answer.

Yes, a lot of services are closed or short-hours on Sundays. If religious people are a problem for you, I don't have a good answer.

Yes, at Costco they have a whole separate little store for hard liquor. If you're totally into going to bars 7 days a week and it bugs you that you have to go a different store for anything harder than beer & wine, I don't have a good answer.

Yes, it seems that every road is under construction. But when they say Dallas or the suburbs have terrible traffic? They don't know traffic. The slowdowns and backups happen - welcome to a metro area - but there are tons of major arterial surface streets or frontage roads that you can use. And because of the moderate cost of housing, you can afford to live closer to work, so a lot of the die-hard commute warriors are in that traffic because they wanted a house that was bigger, newer, and therefore further away from their work. Make better choices, people, and remember that at least in Dallas you have choices.

The people here are magnificent. I've seen people offer so many different kinds of kindness that I am a little shocked. That was how I was raised, and I didn't realize how much I missed it. Seems that you can find good humor everywhere. Don't listen to anyone who characterizes people here by aggressive driving, or by a libertarian sense of how everyone should pull themselves up by their bootstraps, or religion, or anything else. Texans are different, in every good way.

But I'm curious. I have seen so many people here on the City-Data forums presenting a sour disposition about Dallas. Why? Are you just deeply negative and cynical in general? It has to be an act, right? You're just trying to keep people from coming here because you got yours and don't need a bunch of half-witted "foreigners" adding to the line at your favorite BBQ place, crowding the malls, or clogging up traffic with last-second turns?

For anyone outside of Dallas reading these forums who has been thinking about coming here, take the grousing with a pound of salt. This area has a very strong job market, moderate cost of living, and terrific home values compared to any other metro that's worth living in. It has tons of things for families to do, tons of things for couples, tons of things for young people. The soccer fields are always full of kids who somehow manage. And did I mention that the people here are amazing?

No, I'm pretty much convinced that Dallasites are not actually down on the area, or each other. I think some of them don't have a good frame for comparison. Others don't want to deal with any slowdown in traffic, no matter how minor. Others don't want housing costs to go up, or to compete for houses against money from outside of Texas. Still others, well, they're just trying to make sure you don't get the last brisket at Pecan Lodge while they're still in line. It's all good, Dallas folks, I get ya. ;-)

Things are always rosy during the honeymoon period. Just live for a few more years, you may change your mind.

[NoClueWho]

Originally Posted by Nn2036

Things are always rosy during the honeymoon period. Just live for a few more years, you may change your mind.

LOL, right. Dude said he's only been here 3 WEEKS (LOL!!!) and he's already coming to the forum writing novel-length, super booster, Chamber of Commerce-type reviews. At only 3 weeks in, are you even fully REGISTERED as a resident yet (driver's license, voter's registration card, etc)?!? You might as well have only just been on vacation at this point. Please report back and let us know how you feel in 3 YEARS...

[calgirlinnc]

Originally Posted by Gunion Powder

Atlanta is a nice alternative to Dallas. I can't think of any way that it would be worse, unless you just couldn't find a job there.

We lived in Atlanta for 9 years.

It's prettier.

Traffic is worse or just as bad.
Weather is worse or just as bad.
Schools are worse.
Houses are cheaper.
It's closer to Disney World.
People are less friendly.

I wouldn't be happy to move back to Atlanta.