Clueless SoCal Transplants

[MissLizzie85]

In addition to some of the other neighborhoods mentioned, I'd consider Forest Hills (you'd probably end up around San Cristobal), Casa Linda/Casa Linda Estates, and Old Lake Highlands/The Peninsula. Casa Linda, in particular, has much larger lots than almost anywhere else in the city, and it's a mix of political beliefs without being very religious. All these areas have easy access to White Rock Lake and are close to craft beer places. Oak Highlands Brewery, White Rock Alehouse, and District 9 Draft Haus are in the area and Deep Ellum Brewing and Braindead Brewing (in Deep Ellum) are close as well. I know several people who homeschool their kids in these areas.

[happycrow]

Originally Posted by hbdwihdh378y9

`Does Las Colinas even have houses? The OP's criteria point to Dallas.

Yes. University Park, etc. It's not the Canals, but there are definitely houses, and a variety of nice ones, on the south side of the 114 corridor between University of Dallas and Williams Square.

[jgn2013]

OP said she's a conservative.

Does this mean conservative by California standards or conservative by Mississippi standards? I feel like a 'conservative' Californian is almost a centrist in Texas unless they are really far to the right.

Truth is, your own political leanings don't matter much here. You could be surrounded by neo-cons or libs and won't know most of the time, so I wouldn't worry about that. As for neighborhoods - everyone has offered lots of suggestions, so I don't have much to add.

Restaurants - there are plenty of small chain/mom & pop joints. Your enjoyment will depend a lot on what types of cuisine you enjoy. You can find pretty good Ethiopian, Indian, Korean, Middle Eastern/Greek etc., food if you're willing to look. Don't get sucked into the Tex-Mex/BBQ trap and think that's all there is. Most newbies that complain about DFW food, aren't particularly adventurous, or they look for stuff that their home city is known for...and complain DFW is not up to snuff (like a NJ/NYC native complaining about the dearth of good mom & pop Italian restaurants compared to back home).

[justsomeguy]

If you are conservative you might want to steer clear of zip code 75208 (North Oak Cliff), though it meets a lot of your other criteria.

[Debsi]

Originally Posted by jgn2013

OP said she's a conservative.

Does this mean conservative by California standards or conservative by Mississippi standards? I feel like a 'conservative' Californian is almost a centrist in Texas unless they are really far to the right.

This is a valid point. I lived in California for 25 years and I'm considered very conservative there and moderate-independent here.

[happycrow]

California liberals and conservatives often lack the quiet libertarian streak that tends to run on *both* sides of the political spectrum here. While you will definitely find knuckleheads on both sides who just HAVE to share their political zealotry with you whether you've expressed an interest or not, it's considered bad manners here to do so outside of heavily-gentrified zones.

[smsuphysics]

So. To the OP, where did you end up?