Denver to Dallas? (Austin, Arlington, Irving: transplants, real estate, cheap house)

[DenCoGuy]

Hi all,

I am graduating college in May with a Marketing degree. I currently live in Denver and am considering a move to Dallas. Is there anyone who has lived in or spent extensive time in both cities who can give me some comparisons between the two places? I have been to Dallas but have not spent extensive time there.

I'm drawn to the area's strong job market and low cost of living. Can anyone give me input on what the people are like... I am gay and fairly liberal. Would I be accepted there? I realize that Dallas is more conservative than Denver, but is it as conservative as people beleive? How is the nightlife? Traffic?


Any insight is greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

[DenCoGuy]

OK, so far there have been 37 views and no responses. Does anyone have any advice??

[LastDallasNative]

The out of staters complain a lot about Dallas. It is not like the place they left. Dallas is not Denver.

You would probably miss the mountains, the snow, the skiing, the trees, etc.

You would be accepted because most people are transplants and you would be another one of them.

There is nightlife and the traffic is bad.

By the time the Californians finish moving in, the cost of living won't be low.

[Panam]

Moderator cut: Unnecessary commentThe scene is small compared to major cities and the city doesnt offer much. Cheap houses, strong job market, bla bla bla are all pluses but you'll get bored stiff here. I'm leaving after 4 months. I recommend you take a look at S. FL... vibrant gay scene, a bigger market, lots of marketing work.

Good luck

My $.02

[socketz]

This is a thriving family/suburban town with lots of focus on work and family activities. I'm not gay, but if I was, I probably wouldn't choose to live here. If I were single, I'd probably not live here either. The nicer burbs here would be like CO Springs where your from.....again, you may get bored. If your looking for a 'gay scene' (never thought of it like that), then Frisco, Manhattan, So Florida are probably your best bets.

[AustinTraveler]

Have you considered Austin?

[buck75061]

I recommend visiting first, but yes, the city has a fantastic gay scene. In fact, search Dallas and use your browser’s “find” field to jump down to “Gays & Lesbians.” Surprise! Dallas has an overall gay index of 196 – the highest among the ten largest U.S. cities. Click through and you’ll see that that gay male index is an astounding 254!

Dallas County has an elected, openly lesbian sheriff and the city council always has an elected official or two who identifies as gay. There are already two gay mayoral candidates running in the next election. The city has a large, highly active LGBT chamber of commerce. Oak Lawn is a vibrant gay neighborhood buzzing with restaurants, shops and nightlife. Some of the nightclubs are absolutely huge and can get freakishly packed on the weekends. Search the GLBTDallas site run by the city’s CVB for details. Grittier north Oak Cliff around Bishop Arts District is gentrifying and has quickly turned into another LGBT-friendly neighborhood. People who recommend Austin for its progressive vibe are right and mean well, but frankly Dallas is a huge business center and will be much more bountiful with career options. State politics overall are still conservative, though. Don’t plan to marry in Texas anytime soon.

I moved here from Kansas City (originally from Wichita, Kan.) last year and like it very much. I have friends who live on both coasts, but I decided to stay in the center to be within a half-day drive of my elderly parents. I still get a great urban environment and happening gay scene without paying the high cost of living on either coast. Denver is a really nice city, though. Do you want to flee because of the recent blizzards? Be fully aware that Texas summers are HOT and may take some getting used to after living in Colorado. Good luck!

[socketz]

This is interesting information. This city continues to defy all the strereotypes. To be honest, even if you are not gay, strong->growing gay populations are typically a good thing for real estate investment potential (according to a few experts). In San Diego alone I've watched several areas really blossom (Hillcrest/Kensington/North Park) in the past 10 years after becoming gay hot spots. From what I've seen, these areas typically begin as marginal urban areas, then gentrify into diverse yuppie destinations. It sounds like this may be happening near downtown Dallas as well. This combined with the trend of baby boomers seeking more urban settings may be what Dallas needs to bring downtown back.

It would also help if they put the stadium downtown. Who's great idea was it to put the new stadium[s] way out in Irving ? I giggle when I watch Cowboy games and they pan around Downtown Dallas and it looks all cool.....but I know the stadium is actually in Irving, which is ....... This happens with Redskins games as well. The new stadium they built is in gang ridden Landover Maryland, but the shots from the blimp always show the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, White House etc in D.C...

[DenCoGuy]

Thanks, guys!

I really appreciate the advice... it gives me a better idea of what to expect.

[momof2dfw]

I'll back up buck's comments and agree, there are MANY areas of Dallas that are thriving gay areas. The gay club scene is HUGE!!! Oak Lawn and the Turtle Creek area are thriving areas w/ a huge gay population. I have a relative that owns a funeral home in Dallas and their clientele (sadly ) is mostly gay. Because of the nature of such deaths they are very sensitive to what can happen and transpire w/ family issues and such. They have been around for many years and active in the "gay scene". So it does exist and it is okay to be "open" in the Dallas area. We see it ALL the time. We have friends that are gay w/ children and moved back to Dallas (Turtle Creek) from NYC. They thought they wanted to be in NYC w/ children for schools and such but found it was much better here all the way around and came back. There is a LARGE gay church in Dallas that is heavily involved in politics and area events. Check out the Turtle Creek Chorale also. It consists of gay men, it has existed for at least 20 years and they are AWESOME!!!!!!! Yes socketz, the Dallas area is not at all what most people envision. It is so complex that one that has never really experienced it has no clue to how diverse it really is. We have had several gay council members over the years. Lupe Valdez, the new Dallas County Sheriff is open about being a lesbian. The Design District is a huge part of the Dallas commercial landscape and has many businesses/showrooms that are owned by gays. I've been at many a soriee that have probably more gay men than straight in attendance. You will find more gay/lesbian people IN Dallas than you will in the suburbs. Though I've known many that have lived in the burbs and been just fine. Our old neighborhood had two gay couples and we currently have a lesbian couple in our neighborhood. No one has threatened them, burned a cross in the yard or made any sort of deal about it.

As for "Texas Stadium" home of the Dallas Cowboys, at least in Irving you could see Dallas from there and only a few blocks from the actual city limits of Dallas. When they move to the new stadium in Arlington, that is going to be a different story.