looking to relocate from North Carolina (Dallas, Galveston: appointed, job market, neighborhoods)

[lepoisson]

What do you dislike about the Raleigh area? If it feels like too much of a small town, then DFW might be a better fit.

I'm originally from Raleigh and lived in DFW for a year. DFW definitely feels like a bigger metro (because it is) and has more shopping, better airports, pro sports, etc, but I had the feeling like DFW was missing something. It felt very "sprawly" and not well planned out. Also, there was this weird disconnect between Fort Worth, Dallas, and the suburbs. It's almost like they pretended the others didn't exist. When you ask someone from Fort Worth about Dallas, they say something like "oh, we never go over there" or sometimes a negative comment. Dallas residents say the same thing about Fort Worth.

The thing that was the biggest disappointment about DFW is the lack of scenery. Raleigh certainly isn't Vail, but there are tons of trees and winding roads that create a nice ambiance, and it's just a few hours to the beach or mountains. DFW felt so flat and characterless to me.

Also, I hope you are prepared for the heat. As you already know, NC is very hot and humid, but it's not consistently hot and the bad heat is usually only from May to September. Summer in DFW started about 2-3 weeks earlier and lasted about 2-3 weeks longer. Also, the heat is pretty much always 90 degrees or hotter from June to September. Lastly, don't expect it to cool off at night either. I remember taking out the trash at midnight and it still being 90 degrees.

DFW is rapidly growing, so everything feels new and fresh (although I suppose the same is true about Raleigh).

[chrisacm2117]

Originally Posted by lepoisson

What do you dislike about the Raleigh area? If it feels like too much of a small town, then DFW might be a better fit.

I'm originally from Raleigh and lived in DFW for a year. DFW definitely feels like a bigger metro (because it is) and has more shopping, better airports, pro sports, etc, but I had the feeling like DFW was missing something. It felt very "sprawly" and not well planned out. Also, there was this weird disconnect between Fort Worth, Dallas, and the suburbs. It's almost like they pretended the others didn't exist. When you ask someone from Fort Worth about Dallas, they say something like "oh, we never go over there" or sometimes a negative comment. Dallas residents say the same thing about Fort Worth.

The thing that was the biggest disappointment about DFW is the lack of scenery. Raleigh certainly isn't Vail, but there are tons of trees and winding roads that create a nice ambiance, and it's just a few hours to the beach or mountains. DFW felt so flat and characterless to me.

Also, I hope you are prepared for the heat. As you already know, NC is very hot and humid, but it's not consistently hot and the bad heat is usually only from May to September. Summer in DFW started about 2-3 weeks earlier and lasted about 2-3 weeks longer. Also, the heat is pretty much always 90 degrees or hotter from June to September. Lastly, don't expect it to cool off at night either. I remember taking out the trash at midnight and it still being 90 degrees.

DFW is rapidly growing, so everything feels new and fresh (although I suppose the same is true about Raleigh).

I thought DFW was planned pretty well, Also the highway system and roads where impressive . Every time they want to build a road or expand one in Raleigh everybody pisses and moans. Same goes for development, everybody is always complaining. They do a terrible job keeping up with infrastructure everywhere in the Triangle, We still have 2 lane country roads everywhere. While I was in DFW I thought to myself this actually feels like city. The area I live in now just feels country to me. I grew up in a town that was pushed right up against NYC. Im used to having tons of shopping, restaurants, etc. Also one of the first things I noticed is that DFW is pretty green, I was expecting a wasteland. Everybody on this forum makes it out to be that way.

[calgirlinnc]

Originally Posted by chrisacm2117

I thought DFW was planned pretty well, Also the highway system and roads where impressive . Every time they want to build a road or expand one in Raleigh everybody pisses and moans. Same goes for development, everybody is always complaining. They do a terrible job keeping up with infrastructure everywhere in the Triangle, We still have 2 lane country roads everywhere. While I was in DFW I thought to myself this actually feels like city. The area I live in now just feels country to me. I grew up in a town that was pushed right up against NYC. Im used to having tons of shopping, restaurants, etc. Also one of the first things I noticed is that DFW is pretty green, I was expecting a wasteland. Everybody on this forum makes it out to be that way.

Not everybody.

[EcoDeb]

We lived in the Fuquay-Varina area while going to NCSU, back when. In DFW for 18 years. Hotter by about 10 degrees, more to do if you are an inside person, more people, postage stamp lots, not as scenic, housing is less expensive, people are GREAT, property taxes are high as are insurance rates for auto and homes in comparison to NC. People come to DFW to work and work hard. when I go back home to western NC I feel like I'm in a time warp, as everybody is so SLOW!

[chrisacm2117]

Originally Posted by EcoDeb

We lived in the Fuquay-Varina area while going to NCSU, back when. In DFW for 18 years. Hotter by about 10 degrees, more to do if you are an inside person, more people, postage stamp lots, not as scenic, housing is less expensive, people are GREAT, property taxes are high as are insurance rates for auto and homes in comparison to NC. People come to DFW to work and work hard. when I go back home to western NC I feel like I'm in a time warp, as everybody is so SLOW!

I just moved to Fuquay from Cary, I live right off W Academy Street in a new sub-disvion. It incredibly slow here, we went out for pizza tonight, took them 35 mins to get the appetizer out. Then place was empty, food was not bad thought. Talk about bored to death im about ready to take the plunge, off a short pier.

[chrisacm2117]

Originally Posted by calgirlinnc

Not everybody.

You've lived in Cali and NC? How does TX compare to NC? I would love to get some input from a person who has lived in a big city and then NC.

[calgirlinnc]

Originally Posted by chrisacm2117

You've lived in Cali and NC? How does TX compare to NC? I would love to get some input from a person who has lived in a big city and then NC.

Our very first house was in Fuquay. We lived in the Raleigh area, Asheville, and the Charlotte area.

I can't compare apples to apples because we don't live IN Dallas. I can pretty much only compare suburban life styles.

What I prefer about NC:

--the ability to get to other places within half a day. I miss Hilton Head and Charleston.
It's nice to go up to Biltmore, etc. Distances out here are much further.

--fresh cut Christmas trees a few hours away; we always made a big day of getting our tree

--drivers are better and roads are better maintained

--housing and property taxes are less expensive

--Fall color is better. There is autumnal color in DFW but it is more subtle.


What I prefer about my corner of DFW/Texas:

--schools are better. Not every teacher all the time, but overall the course selections, facilities, general attitude of the faculty and staff are a huge improvement. The approach toward kids with learning disabilities is much better. Opportunities for kids to participate in whatever their interest is are abundant. There is an attitude here that wants success for the next generation.

--in the more affluent suburbs, there is more planning in the design of the town. The approach is more similar to Southern California, where I grew up. Buildings are nice and new. Everything is so clean looking.

--it is less humid in the summer

--except when they are driving, people are 1000% friendlier. When you are shopping, workers say hello and ask if you need help. Even though there is a lot of money here, people don't seem snobby about it, or maybe I just don't know those people.
(Maybe it's different in Highland Park). In the south, people seem very preoccupied with status. Here people are more approachable.

--fewer people with tattoos and piercings everywhere. People generally seem to care about their appearance more.

--chances to travel to places that are new to us. We'd been up and down the east coast a zillion times. Also you can cruise out of Galveston.

-- no state income tax

--I like the wind here

--this is just my perspective, however it seems as if cultural events here such as museums and concerts, are more world class. For example, Andrea Bocelli is performing in Dallas in December, one of only 5 stops in North America

--my son's seasonal allergies are less severe here



Negatives about NC:

--humid summers

--people aren't as friendly

--huge socioeconomic disparities, and it shows in everything from housing to schools to how people act



Negatives about DFW:

--my number one major complaint is the drivers, followed closely by terrible roads

--No quick driving access to great beaches (Texas beaches are just OK)

--some neighborhoods are ridiculously tight and the housing looks uninspired. Don't buy that if it bothers you.

--raking leaves at Christmas


Things that make no difference to me:

--weather: it is hot in DFW in the summer. It is hot in NC in the summer. It's a different kind of heat. Buy a house with a pool. The other three seasons in DFW have seemed pretty nice, which is something that gets misrepresented here. We probably would have bought a different house with a different backyard set up if we had known how nice it can be here.

--the scenery: unless you live in Ashville or OBX, your daily life is not really affected by the scenery. There are pretty areas of NC and there are pretty parts of TX, and ugly parts to both as well. TX does have trees and awesome vistas of the sky with the accompanying sunrises and sunsets.

--restaurants and grocery stores: you can find good examples of both in both places

--diversity: I don't care about it one way or the other

--outdoor activities: depends what you like to do.

--historical sights: good in both states

Hope that helps!

[tcualum]

You can cut your own tree at Mainstay Farm.

[calgirlinnc]

Originally Posted by tcualum

You can cut your own tree at Mainstay Farm.

We found a place last year.

You cannot cut a Frasier fir; they don't grow them here.

And the trees are not growing on the side of a snowy mountain.

I appreciate the recommendation, but it just isn't the same.

[Chloe333]

I have lived in NC and I currently live in TX. It really depends on where you live in NC as the state has mountains, ocean, foothills, flatlands, cities, suburbia, small towns, and rural farming areas. I would compare many areas of NC as geographically comparable to TX. For example, my experience living in DFW is not too different from my experiences living in Charlotte or the Raleigh area. Both geographically are like much of Anywhere, USA.

I find Texans generally to be a bit more friendly and laid back than North Carolinians if I had to generalize. NC has the mountains and ocean and that is nice. TX has the ocean but I have yet to visit it so I don't know how to compare. To me, Texas has somewhat of an energy going on like things are faster moving and happening. I feel that in certain parts of NC too but not on the bigger scale that it feels like in TX. I can't explain it beyond that. it's something I just sense or feel. In lots of ways, TX feels like the land of milk and honey where wealth flows. There is a lot of wealth here, and while it exists in NC, it feels like it exists here on a bigger and more prevalent scale.

There are lots and lots of transplants here so everyone is from somewhere else. You kind of have that southern traditional vibe here but equally mixed in with a western vibe and it can feel a little more interesting and less stuffy, bland than solely the east coast influence that you would get especially around the older wealthier, established areas of the NC cities. Texas does have its own funky vibe going on.