Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
LOL!!! I know all too well about the Tysons/Germantown commute. I used to work in Tysons area, and a few of my co-workers lived in Montgomery County, and they would talk about the same thing your ex-BF did. Fortunately, our employer at the time started a "flex work schedule," so people could come into work as early as 4:30/5am (they could work a 4:30am-1:30pm or 5am-2pm shift) just to avoid traffic.
Well, Germantown is practically in Pennsylvania!
But now that I think about it, when I lived in Uptown, we were about a 10 min drive from Northpark Mall but the BF didn't like driving to the mall b/c he said it is only 10 mins on paper and takes a lot longer.
I just wanted to chime in and say that my vision of Hell is I-95 between Fredericksburg and DC. And this is from someone that battles Atlanta traffic on a daily basis.
A few months back, I was stuck on there due to three car accidents in the area, right in time for us to hit rush hour on the Beltway and the Woodrow Wilson Bridge (On my way to MD to see family). And of course, there was lots of construction - The Springfield interchange is finally finished (God, how many people retired off of that construction project? They should learn from Texas how to put up an interchange fast - The High Five was completed in far less time), BUT there was work being done on the Beltway on the approach to the Wilson Bridge. It took 3.5 hours for a journey that shouldn't have taken anymore than an hour.
I have a cousin in Burtonsville that commutes down to the District. I have another relative that commutes from Accokeek, MD to Tysons Corner. .
DC traffic is horrible! A lot of people can't afford to live close to the District, so there are these huge exurbs with affordable (well affordable for that area) housing. I have been debating between relocating to D/FW or DC, but the COL and congestion issues are the two main things that make me pause about DC.
Good luck with your move to D/FW! Your car and your nerves will be grateful!
I just wanted to chime in and say that my vision of Hell is I-95 between Fredericksburg and DC. And this is from someone that battles Atlanta traffic on a daily basis.
A few months back, I was stuck on there due to three car accidents in the area, right in time for us to hit rush hour on the Beltway and the Woodrow Wilson Bridge (On my way to MD to see family). And of course, there was lots of construction - The Springfield interchange is finally finished (God, how many people retired off of that construction project? They should learn from Texas how to put up an interchange fast - The High Five was completed in far less time), BUT there was work being done on the Beltway on the approach to the Wilson Bridge. It took 3.5 hours for a journey that shouldn't have taken anymore than an hour.
I have a cousin in Burtonsville that commutes down to the District. I have another relative that commutes from Accokeek, MD to Tysons Corner. .
DC traffic is horrible! A lot of people can't afford to live close to the District, so there are these huge exurbs with affordable (well affordable for that area) housing. I have been debating between relocating to D/FW or DC, but the COL and congestion issues are the two main things that make me pause about DC.
Good luck with your move to D/FW! Your car and your nerves will be grateful!
Hello grindin. How I really enjoyed reading your post. Yes, they FINALLY finished that Springfield interchange project. I swear it seems like they've been working on it the entire 15 years I've lived here.
I know heavy traffic is just a "fact of life" for many major city/metropolitan area, but the DC area absolutely takes the cake! Traffic (and PARKING . . . but that's another thread) impacts so much of your life in the DC area, that you don't realize it. You plan EVERYTHING around traffic patterns, even on the weekends. I just think it's a quality of life issue, and I wonder if the area leaders here will really try to do something about it. You are an example of what I mean: you are contemplating a move to the DC area, but the traffic gives you pause. I'm just saying that I wonder how many other quality, professionals does the DC area miss out on, because that person absolutely refuses to live here b/c of the traffic. Hope that makes sense. Please; I hope no one comes behind me and posts just how the many great museums, etc are here in the DC area that offsets the traffic problems --- that case has been made too many times. I just wonder how many times would you even want to be bothered going to the many great museums when dealing with traffic volume is a consideration (even on the weekends)! I've been here 15 years, and it was bearable in my earlier years here, but the last 6-7 years, the traffic has gotten seriously worse.
I know the DFW area has traffic issues, but I am hopeful it is not as bad as the DC area.
How Far Do People Live from their Jobs in the DFW Area?
Do people in the DFW area live far from their jobs on average???
Here in the DC area it is not uncommon for your co-workers to live as far out as West Virginia, Pennsylvania or in the remote ends of Maryland or Virginia. To give you an idea, I've got friends here in the DC area or I have co-workers who live as far as 60 or 70 miles (ONE WAY!!!!) from their jobs. This is mostly driven by the high cost of housing here; people live further out b/c the closer you live to the DC city limits, housing prices are ridiculously expensive. I've had friends/co-workers invite me over to their homes for a BBQ/cookout or something they are having at their house on a Saturday or perhaps invite me to their church on a Sunday ---- but it involved driving an hour or more to where they live. Although I'd go and had a great time, sustaining friendships in the DC area has been difficult because people live SO FAR away from each other. I am just curious if the same thing is like that in the DFW area. That is, do you have co-workers/friends who are so spread out/far apart from each other?
Imagine commuting 50, 60 or 70 miles (one way) from your job? I think this decision to live so far out has less to do with something inherently wrong or unlikable about living in DC proper, but more to do with just how expensive housing is the closer you live to the DC city limits (for example, the choice between paying $600,000 for a house vs. paying $400,000 for the exact same house in the suburbs or exurbs).
Is it this way in DFW area, too? Is that the norm? Do people live waaaay out from their jobs in the DFW area on average? Just curious . . . pls do respond!
Do people in the DFW area live far from their jobs on average???
Here in the DC area it is not uncommon for your co-workers to live as far out as West Virginia, Pennsylvania or in the remote ends of Maryland or Virginia. To give you an idea, I've got friends here in the DC area or I have co-workers who live as far as 60 or 70 miles (ONE WAY!!!!) each day to work. This is mostly driven by the high cost of housing here; people live further out b/c the closer you live to the DC city limits, housing prices are ridiculously expensive. I've had friends/co-workers invite me over to their homes for a BBQ/cookout or something they are having at their house on a Saturday or perhaps invite me to their church on a Sunday ---- but it involved driving an hour or more to where they live. Although I'd go and had a great time, sustaining friendships in the DC area has been difficult because people live SO FAR away from each other. I am just curious if the same thing is like that in the DFW area. That is, do you have co-workers/friends who are so spread out/far apart from each other?
Imagine commuting 50, 60 or 70 miles (one way) from your job? I think this decision to live so far out has less to do with something inherently wrong or unlikable about living in DC proper, but more to do with just how expensive housing is the closer you live to the DC city limits (for example, the choice between paying $600,000 for a house vs. paying $400,000 for the exact same house in the suburbs or exurbs).
Is it this way in DFW area, too? Is that the norm? Do people live waaaay out from their jobs in the DFW area on average? Just curious . . . pls do respond!
In the DFW area, it is kind of half and half. There is a lot of people that live inside LBJ which is considered close in. Then there is a lot of people who live out in the suburbs like myself. But not everybody works in downtown Dallas as there is a lot of big companies and offices in other areas and not just downtown. North Dallas has a lot of big companies and even some of the suburbs like Plano(North Dallas suburb). A lot of people consider places like McKinney, Allen, Frisco, etc the "far out" suburbs, but I really don't believe that. McKinney is the furthest north suburb and it is only 30 miles from downtown Dallas, and to me, that is really not that far. The reason a lot of people like to live in the suburbs of Dallas is that everything(houses.stores,restaurants,highways,etc. ) is new and houses are cheaper for the most part and just as nice as you would find closer in.
I am originally from New York City and have friends and family all over the Northeast, and people up there commute A LOT farther than we do here in DFW. Like you said, it is not uncommon for people to commute 60,70,80 miles each way and don't even live in the same state as they work in. But up there, there is a lot more public transportation(trains and buses) everywhere, where as here in the DFW area, there is not a whole lot. I actually lived in New York City, so I never had a very long commute.
So to answer your question about is it the norm for people here to commute 60,70 miles each way...no it really isn't for the most part. There is some people that do, but not very many.
In the DFW area, it is kind of half and half. There is a lot of people that live inside LBJ which is considered close in. Then there is a lot of people who live out in the suburbs like myself. But not everybody works in downtown Dallas as there is a lot of big companies and offices in other areas and not just downtown. North Dallas has a lot of big companies and even some of the suburbs like Plano(North Dallas suburb). A lot of people consider places like McKinney, Allen, Frisco, etc the "far out" suburbs, but I really don't believe that. McKinney is the furthest north suburb and it is only 30 miles from downtown Dallas, and to me, that is really not that far. The reason a lot of people like to live in the suburbs of Dallas is that everything(houses.stores,restaurants,highways,etc. ) is new and houses are cheaper for the most part and just as nice as you would find closer in.
I am originally from New York City and have friends and family all over the Northeast, and people up there commute A LOT farther than we do here in DFW. Like you said, it is not uncommon for people to commute 60,70,80 miles each way and don't even live in the same state as they work in. But up there, there is a lot more public transportation(trains and buses) everywhere, where as here in the DFW area, there is not a whole lot. I actually lived in New York City, so I never had a very long commute.
So to answer your question about is it the norm for people here to commute 60,70 miles each way...no it really isn't for the most part. There is some people that do, but not very many.
Hope this helps!
Whoaaaaaa....what's up with all of us NYC-born people moving to the DFW? LOL!!!! I am originally from NYC also, but, have been in the DC area since 1994. It's time to leave the DC party, though
Yes, people up here in the Northeast live further out. NYC area has a GREAT mass transit system that extends very far out. The DC area transit systems are OK/adequate, but no where near the service level of the NYC area. I would recommend having a car here in the DC area (esp. in the 'burbs), even though there is the DC Metro rail subway system.
Thanks for your response, DFW8; it helps a lot!!! I particularly appreciate how you laid out that areas like McKinney, Allen or Frisco are considered "far out" there; this helps me gives me a perspective, geographically speaking.
Have you been in the DFW area a while? Did your job bring you there? How'd you adjust to the hot summers there, coming from the Northeast?
Do people in the DFW area live far from their jobs on average???
There ARE some that do commute a long way from their jobs. Typically these are the people that come from an area of the country where they THOUGHT this was okay, normal, sustainable, whatever. However, there are PLENTY of people that live 2-15 miles from their job and can be home for lunch or go to the school at lunch w/ their kids, etc.
Here in the DC area it is not uncommon for your co-workers to live as far out as West Virginia, Pennsylvania or in the remote ends of Maryland or Virginia.
There are a FEW that you MIGHT run into that live in Oklahoma. This tends to be people that just want to live that far away and only have to come into the Dallas area at off times and only a few times a week (pilots have been known to do this).
Us natives refer to places like McKinney as "Southern Oklahoma" as we think that if you have to drive more than 30-45 minutes to work you DO live in another state
To give you an idea, I've got friends here in the DC area or I have co-workers who live as far as 60 or 70 miles (ONE WAY!!!!) from their jobs.
Our LAKE HOUSE is 60-something miles from our house "in the city". LOL!!! And it is "out in the country" literally. Now, there are people that DO live out there that commute into the Dallas Metroplex to work on a daily basis in rush hour BUT they tend to work in the cities/suburbs closest to that side of the metroplex. For instance our lake house is on Lake Tawakoni and people do commute to work in Rockwall.
This is mostly driven by the high cost of housing here; people live further out b/c the closer you live to the DC city limits, housing prices are ridiculously expensive.
You will find that here to a point as well. Places like the Park Cities that are closer in are a LOT more expensive.
That is, do you have co-workers/friends who are so spread out/far apart from each other?
You can. If you work in the downtown area you could have coworkers that live in every direction. South of Dallas all the way down to Waxahachie (no, it is not pronounced w/ the "wax" sound ) and another that lives in Southern Oklahoma - er, I mean McKinney Then you WOULD be looking at a good hour or so to go visit them.
Imagine commuting 50, 60 or 70 miles (one way) from your job?
NO THANKS!!! We live 7 miles from our main office. That is JUST FINE If I need to have 2 kids at 2 different places at the same time then hubby is close enough to help out
(for example, the choice between paying $600,000 for a house vs. paying $400,000 for the exact same house in the suburbs or exurbs).
You will even find that difference amoung the suburbs alone.
Is it this way in DFW area, too? Is that the norm? Do people live waaaay out from their jobs in the DFW area on average? Just curious . . . pls do respond!
Some people do. Like I said earlier, it tends to be more of the people that move here from somewhere that they were accostumed to doing such. You can find examples of this all over C-D. Us locals will always ask where their job is and they will respond back saying that they are USED TO A 1 1/2 hour commute and it is okay There is absolutely no need for that here.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DC2DFW
Whoaaaaaa....what's up with all of us NYC-born people moving to the DFW?
I don't know but more and more of them keep showing up
Thanks for your response, DFW8; it helps a lot!!! I particularly appreciate how you laid out that areas like McKinney, Allen or Frisco are considered "far out" there; this helps me gives me a perspective, geographically speaking.
Yes, some of us consider Frisco, Allen & McKinney "far out there". My sis lives in McKinney and in rush hour traffic it can take a good 45 minutes for me to get to her house and I'm right off 190 and only 5 minutes from 75. Stop and go traffic all the way creeping and crawling along the way. THEN, the red lights on the narrow main side streets (who in their right mind thought that 2 lanes in EACH DIRECTION was enough for Eldorado Pkwy and Virginia???? ) My brother-in-law had a choice of 2 job locations a few years ago: Richardson or Sherman. Richardson is a close in north suburb. Sherman is a small city up at the Texas/Oklahoma border. He can be in Sherman a LOT quicker than he can in Richardson.
Since your moving here for the first time I HIGHLY ADVISE you to rent first. Sadly, these far out suburbs are seeing more of the slowdown in the real estate market than a lot of other areas. A lot of it has to do w/ the fact most are full of people that transfer job locations often and don't stay long. Throw in the fact that since housig is "so much cheaper" here they feel they can FINALLY buy a "brand new home" and so they tend to skip over the pre-existing homes. Therefore a lot of the pre-existing homes sit on the market a lot longer. Since the weather and everything else will be new to you........... rent first. This also gives you time to drive around and check out the ENTIRE metroplex and find an area that suits you as there are PLENTY of different areas.
In the Plano ISD, with some capacity limitations, and with a good excuse, you can send your kid to ANY of the schools in the district.
That means you could rent a house and get your son established in a school without being tied to that exact neighborhood.
When the time comes to buy, you could shop all over the school district, yet keep your boy in the same school. If your son doesn't deal with change well, that might be a good option.
Whoaaaaaa....what's up with all of us NYC-born people moving to the DFW? LOL!!!! I am originally from NYC also, but, have been in the DC area since 1994. It's time to leave the DC party, though
Yes, people up here in the Northeast live further out. NYC area has a GREAT mass transit system that extends very far out. The DC area transit systems are OK/adequate, but no where near the service level of the NYC area. I would recommend having a car here in the DC area (esp. in the 'burbs), even though there is the DC Metro rail subway system.
Thanks for your response, DFW8; it helps a lot!!! I particularly appreciate how you laid out that areas like McKinney, Allen or Frisco are considered "far out" there; this helps me gives me a perspective, geographically speaking.
Have you been in the DFW area a while? Did your job bring you there? How'd you adjust to the hot summers there, coming from the Northeast?
We moved here from NYC 10 years ago and really like it here! Things are slower paced here and the people here actually will stop and say hello on the street instead of just storming by in a rush like what you will find on most NYC streets. But there is certain things that we do miss and of course our family and friends up there. We go back and visit a lot, and I am in NYC a lot for business trips, so it's not so bad.
Now one thing that is definitely going to throw you off when you move here is the weather! There is no consistency! One day it could be 40 degrees and windy and the next, it could be 75-80 degrees and sunny! That took us quite a while to get use to!
You would be surprised at how many people live here that are from the Northeast. We live in Frisco and our neighbors 2 houses down from us are from NYC, so that was neat.
I hope your move goes well and that you like it here as much as we do!
In the Plano ISD, with some capacity limitations, and with a good excuse, you can send your kid to ANY of the schools in the district.
That means you could rent a house and get your son established in a school without being tied to that exact neighborhood.
When the time comes to buy, you could shop all over the school district, yet keep your boy in the same school. If your son doesn't deal with change well, that might be a good option.
Thanks, Big G. YES, we definitely plan to rent first. We've been surfing the web on rentals, and here's what is interesting (at least to us) is that there were some apt communities that rent apts that are just as big (in sq feet) as some of the houses. I heard everything is bigger in TX, but dang, your apartments, so are the apartments? LOL!!!!
Also, we noticed that the rental APARTMENTS and rental HOUSES are really not that much different in price. I would think a house would cost more to rent than an Apt.
Anybody got a theory as to why that might be??
Last edited by DC2DFW; 01-28-2009 at 06:10 PM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
How Far Do People Live from their Jobs in the DFW Area?
If I need to have 2 kids at 2 different places at the same time then hubby is close enough to help out 
) My brother-in-law had a choice of 2 job locations a few years ago: Richardson or Sherman. Richardson is a close in north suburb. Sherman is a small city up at the Texas/Oklahoma border. He can be in Sherman a LOT quicker than he can in Richardson.
