Dallas vs Minneapolis

[gregp75]

any good info on frisco, plano or surrounding cities??

[Big G]

Plano, Frisco, Allen, McKinney, etc. all have very good school systems, on par with districts like Woodbury, Minnetonka, Burnsville, etc.

Now, if you're talking Edina or Wayzata quality, you'd have to look to Southlake or Highland Park, which would be $$$$ (just like it would be in MSP).

There's also a large private school scene in Dallas proper, if that's what you're looking for.

Commutes can be H-E-Hockeysticks down here. Buy a house reasonably close to where you work.

[backtotx]

Originally Posted by Big G

I'm not sure I agree with Mpls. being an easy city to drive around in. Maybe I'm spoiled living in Plano. In Plano the main residential arteries are 6 lane divided roads with 40 MPH speed limits. In Mpls., the comparable roads (Lyndale, Nicollet, 46th, etc.) are 30 MPH, cramped, 4 lanes if you're lucky, cars parked on the sides, etc. In a lot of the TC suburbs, the story is similar. You can definitely get from Point A to Point B faster in DFW than in MSP. Problem is, Point A and Point B are probably a lot further apart in Dallas.

As far as things to do, Minneapolis and Dallas are (surprisingly) pretty much the same. Minneapolis is an overachiever, and Dallas an underachiever.

To me, I find the cultures surprisingly similar. Engaging in stereotypes - Just about everyone goes to church in both places - Lutheran in MN, Baptist in TX. Here, everyone owns a gun and hunts. Up north, everyone owns a boat and fishes.

You can't compare driving around Plano which is a suburb of Dallas, to driving around Minneapolis which is a proper city in its own right. The point I was making is that because Minneapolis is so much smaller than Dallas it is easy to get about. There are a lot fewer congested areas so it is a more pleasant commute (generally).

For the OP I think it is a smart move to bring your kids to Texas. I have found the DFW area to be very family orientated and you have your pick of good school districts. Check out Great Schools - Public and Private School Ratings, Reviews and Parent Community which gives you a brief overview of the school districts. Moderator cut: website Good Luck.

[aaronyoung777]

I've never lived in Minn. However, everyone I've ever met from there it has been very easy for us to relate to each other. I'm sure there culture may be different, but you won't have any trouble fitting in socially. People WILL ask about your accent though.

[gregp75]

Just wanted to thank everyone for responding and giving me some preliminary information on my move. My wife and I spent the past weekend in Dallas to see what we were getting ourselves into. We are pleased to report that the area looks great and our first impression was alot better than what we were expecting. Mansfield and Forne look pretty nice. the highway system is a great deal bigger than what we have in minnesota so i am anticipating that traffic will be worse as well. Oh and whataburger is gooood!!