Millennials couple moving to Dallas area (Plano, Greenville: crime, home, layoffs)

[DTXman34]

Originally Posted by KerrTown

I would suggest that the OP to consider another Texas (or American) city instead if potential employers keep lining up along the Dallas North Tollway. You shouldn't be living your life around the toll and wasting your income on bonds that will never be paid off.

The OP hasn't indicated where they're going to be working yet. There's a ton of other major employment areas outside of the Dallas North Tollway -- Downtown/Uptown Dallas, Richardson, Las Colinas/Irving, Preston Center/North Dallas (technically near the tollway, but can be avoided) etc. etc. We really don't know yet.

If it happens to be in Frisco or Plano (west), then yeah I wouldn't move to DFW based off of the OP's lifestyle (unless they want to sit in traffic). Frisco is an abominable place for a young urban professional.

[RJ312]

Originally Posted by ChristieP

You need to find a job before deciding where to live. Our traffic here is very heavy, and the metro area is the size of the state of Connecticut. If you get a job in Plano or Westlake, and you live in Deep Ellum, you will easily be spending 2+ hours a day driving in your car, and over $8 a day in tolls.

I agree you need to be concerned about safety in Deep Ellum.

Originally Posted by DTXman34

Frisco is an abominable place for a young urban professional.

It isn't always feasible to line up employment before moving. During the late 2000s/early 2010s recession when I moved here, I moved here without a job and I moved here in good part for the employment market. I picked a place to live, then found a job around that.



On this board, you see people in their 20s/30s and single from out of town getting jobs in far flung suburbs away from the singles scene, often ensuring that their time in the Dallas area will not be optimized. They either have to sacrifice their social life for a commute, or live in the heart of the action and have a less than optimal commute. Lifestyle is more important than job. I would not want to a be a 27 year old single of either sex person living in Plano or Frisco and trying to date.

[ChristieP]

As an employer, I would not look seriously at a candidate who would be making a ridiculously long commute. Past experience has shown me over and over again that when they find a job that's closer to where they live, they quit.
And then there is the question of how frequently they will be late because they are stuck in traffic. I would give a much more seriously look to a candidate who lived fairly close to the work location.

Also, good luck finding a landlord who will rent a property to someone with no verifiable income. Especially someone that is young with limited credit history.

[RJ312]

Originally Posted by ChristieP

As an employer, I would not look seriously at a candidate who would be making a ridiculously long commute. Past experience has shown me over and over again that when they find a job that's closer to where they live, they quit.
And then there is the question of how frequently they will be late because they are stuck in traffic. I would give a much more seriously look to a candidate who lived fairly close to the work location.

Also, good luck finding a landlord who will rent a property to someone with no verifiable income. Especially someone that is young with limited credit history.

What do you define as a ridiculously long commute? I guess you don't find that employees at your company are willing to uproot for the company and move closer to the office.

There are ways around the landlord issue. You can demonstrate that you have sufficient savings/net worth. You could have a parent, sibling, friend, or significant other pay your rent. Three, you can live in an extended stay motel until you figure things out. A lot of employers weren't touching non-local candidates during the recession, and where I lived before Dallas did not have the economic opportunity I needed. For that move, I evaluated cities based upon the economic opportunities I would gain, and then started applying as a local candidate.

In Metro Dallas, there are a lot of big employers in areas that aren't friendly to Millennial singles. Think about the Legacy corridor where Frito Lay, Dr. Pepper, Toyota, and others are. What's the incentive for a single person under 30 or 35 who is new in town to live near the Legacy corridor?

[burber]

Originally Posted by JazzmineD01

Hi everyone,

I am planning to move to the Dallas area after college graduation. I am looking into the Deep Ellum/Uptown area. I will be going to visit to scope out areas soon. I'm looking to be sort of in the city, however I don't want to be afraid to go into my home at night. I am looking for lofts preferably. Budget about $1,600 max.

Any advice?

dont move near downtown/

[Treasurevalley92]

Even though the OP seems to be in a relationship, I still wouldn't want to live up in Frisco, or even Plano really. The singles scene up there really isn't all that good, and they only people who really seem impressed by the Shops at Legacy are divorced suburban parents looking to go out, or local collin county kids who never left and don't know any better that all the real nightlife is further south.

These are family cities anyway, and for what you get as a single person they are a bad value and over priced since you aren't sending your kids to school and getting some of your property tax money back that way and your local nightlife options are limited.

For loft style they could check out South Side on Lamar, though it might be a little out of their price range.

[RJ312]

Originally Posted by Treasurevalley92

Even though the OP seems to be in a relationship, I still wouldn't want to live up in Frisco, or even Plano really. The singles scene up there really isn't all that good, and they only people who really seem impressed by the Shops at Legacy are divorced suburban parents looking to go out, or local collin county kids who never left and don't know any better that all the real nightlife is further south.

These are family cities anyway, and for what you get as a single person they are a bad value and over priced since you aren't sending your kids to school and getting some of your property tax money back that way and your local nightlife options are limited.

For loft style they could check out South Side on Lamar, though it might be a little out of their price range.

Relationships have the potential to be rather transient. Marriage is a little less transient, but marriages end in divorce commonly. An unmarried relationship can end more easily than a married one. What is a really bad situation is moving to Plano/Frisco as a childless couple, and then separating. Plano/Frisco isn't a good fit for most singles who need to date. I could make the case that it would be worse for a childless single male under 40 to be up there than a childless single female under 40 because there's generally an oversupply of single males relative to single females.

I agree that as a single person that they are getting a bad value on property, but if a single person is a renter, they are paying property tax in an indirect way and they might not be able to determine what portion of their rent is affected by the local property tax.

OP needs to be somewhere in the city center area, like a Lower Greenville or Deep Ellum.

[ChristieP]

Originally Posted by RJ312

What do you define as a ridiculously long commute? I guess you don't find that employees at your company are willing to uproot for the company and move closer to the office.

Anything over an hour each way is too much.
I’m not going to tell you where I work, but most employees in our company live near their work. And yes, many of my coworkers have moved across the country for their jobs!

In Metro Dallas, there are a lot of big employers in areas that aren't friendly to Millennial singles. Think about the Legacy corridor where Frito Lay, Dr. Pepper, Toyota, and others are. What's the incentive for a single person under 30 or 35 who is new in town to live near the Legacy corridor?

Back when I was single, I lived in east Dallas near where I worked. When I went out, it was just once or twice on a weekend, not every night. I met my friends at one of our apartments and we all went to a club or bar together. I know times have changed!
Employers want employees who are dedicated to their work, not someone who sees a job as just a “gig” until something better comes along. I wouldn’t say there’s a bias against Millennials, but many people in this generation haven’t done much to improve others’ opinion of it...

[DTXman34]

Originally Posted by ChristieP

Employers want employees who are dedicated to their work, not someone who sees a job as just a “gig” until something better comes along. I wouldn’t say there’s a bias against Millennials, but many people in this generation haven’t done much to improve others’ opinion of it...

It's a 2 way street. When employers view their employees as disposable at any time, don't expect a whole lot of "loyalty." Many people in the Baby Boomer generation also haven't done much to improve others' opinion either. Last time I checked, Baby Boomers still dominate the government and private sector. Pretty bleak, if you ask me.

[RJ312]

Originally Posted by ChristieP

Anything over an hour each way is too much.
I’m not going to tell you where I work, but most employees in our company live near their work. And yes, many of my coworkers have moved across the country for their jobs!



Back when I was single, I lived in east Dallas near where I worked. When I went out, it was just once or twice on a weekend, not every night. I met my friends at one of our apartments and we all went to a club or bar together. I know times have changed!
Employers want employees who are dedicated to their work, not someone who sees a job as just a “gig” until something better comes along. I wouldn’t say there’s a bias against Millennials, but many people in this generation haven’t done much to improve others’ opinion of it...

30-35 minutes in each direction is about my maximum tolerable commute.

There is a lot of angst on both sides in the employer-employee relationship. Employees feel employers are often looking to lay them off, so the dedication is often hard to come by when a lay off could happen at any moment. Interviewing for jobs is often a royal pain for employees, and employees know this.

The older half of Millennials graduated into the worst recession since the Great Depression and are still digging out from it.

Too many people go out on Friday and Saturday night, so it could be an advisable strategy for single people to do the opposite and go out on a Wednesday night. With the right venue selection, going out on a night other than Fri/Sat makes sense. Between nights spent looking for mates and going on dates, it wouldn't be odd for a single person to go out 5 nights a week.