M/28 From Miami Florida moving to Texas, My first choice was Dallas now it might be Austin please chime in (Houston: homeowners insurance, home)
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Hello all, I'm new to the forums and very glad I found it as I have read alot of positive and constructive posts and this is my first time posting. Please bare with my post if it seems long I could really use the advise of the people here.
I am an authorized candidate for agency opening in the State Farm agency pool. Based on today's economy and State Farm Florida pulling out of Florida (no more homeowners insurance is going to be written) There are going to be no more new independant State Farm offices opened in Florida.
To my point, I have visited Dallas and I have visited Houston, but I have not yet visited Austin.
Dallas being my first visit was a very positive suprise, I found it to be a very bustling metropolitan city just like my home of Miami. I know it might sound weird but i'm 28 and all I've ever known is the Miami/New York City life style and while I like it alot and could see myself in a slower pace. I don't think Id adapt well to a complete 180degree change into a "country or slow pace lifestyle"
Houston was "ok" just seemed very spread out and just "did'nt do it for me I guess"
I've always heard nothing but Great things about Austin, as a matter of fact when I was in Dallas and Houston meeting people they would always ask me, "have you gone to austin yet? you would love it"
Doing some of my research and asking the people that I know in Dallas they tell me Austin is definately no miami because Dallas is'nt even there yet, and it might not ever be.
Why am I considering Austin over my initial thought of Dallas? Well here is the question that I have for y'all (LOL, practicing)
Dallas from a new insurance office standpoint might be much more saturated of a market with not as much possibility for growth, where as Austin (based off the research done by the numbers of state farm associates that I have, not people that live there) is much more of a safe bet.
In conclusion and this I hope you've read along so far is one very important point. The reason that the recruiters want me so much for the Texas market is because I am Bi-lingual (English,Spanish)
I know that out of 133 State farm offices in Austin only 6 of them are Spanish speaking, (I do not have those numbers for Dallas yet unfortunately)
Based off what i've read about both cities, although I have not visited Austin I think I'd prefer Dallas, but if the opportunity for growth is much more exponential in Austin I think Austin will have to do. If I have a relatively small disadvantage opening a new bi-lingual insurance in office Dallas as opposed to Austin I think Id prefer Dallas.
I'm not asking for any specific answers to a specific question, just that you understand my situation somewhat and try to offer me your honest advise,
If your bilingual asset offers you more opportunity in Austin than in Dallas and getting ahead in business is what matters most, then, given your criteria, Austin should win by default. However, if it is important to you to be in a major metropolitan area with all of the options that will afford you, then Austin might seem a bit too small for you. Dallas and the DFW metro is huge and offers much more of a big city atmosphere. It just depends on what is important to you. Either way, the two cities are only 180 miles apart. BUT, you do have to drive through Waco to get from one to the other
Everybody you see in Austin will most likely be white anglo. There is discrimination against hispanics and blacks from what others have typed. Everything is spread out in Austin similar to Houston. You will have to drive everywhere to get gas or groceries.
There is absolutely nothing to do there unless you wish to swim in a huge creek,eat, or go drinking at bars.
The culture is bland, very slow, and sometimes backward, it is not as liberal as people say. It is much slower than Dallas.
Everybody seems to be completely in their own little world and self involved.
That is my experience when I visited there and decided not to live there because the city was extremely lame. Austin is a weak village compared to the major cities in Texas.
Austin has excellent marketing campaigns, so don't be fooled by that
I moved from Miami to Dallas and like to visit Austin -- it's got water you can play in, hills, good cycling options, and big events like South by Southwest -- but always felt it would feel a bit small to live in full time for those who like city life. At the same time, it sprawls a lot for a city of its size and traffic is awful. Dallas has sprawl and traffic, too, of course, but there's also much more of a big-city feel and big-city options. Dallas is slightly less humid, too.
But Austin is hardly a hellhole and if, for professional reasons, it's better for you to be in Austin, then that's not such a bad choice. If you're making more money in Austin, you can fly to Dallas in no time for weekend partying. (Or drive down to I-35 in the other direction to San Antonio).
Everybody you see in Austin will most likely be white anglo. There is discrimination against hispanics and blacks from what others have typed. Everything is spread out in Austin similar to Houston. You will have to drive everywhere to get gas or groceries.
There is absolutely nothing to do there unless you wish to swim in a huge creek,eat, or go drinking at bars.
The culture is bland, very slow, and sometimes backward, it is not as liberal as people say. It is much slower than Dallas.
Everybody seems to be completely in their own little world and self involved.
That is my experience when I visited there and decided not to live there because the city was extremely lame. Austin is a weak village compared to the major cities in Texas.
Austin has excellent marketing campaigns, so don't be fooled by that
Don't believe this guy, he has an axe to grind against Austin for some reason, and his rant can't be further from the truth. Do I think you'll like Dallas better? Sure, especially coming from Miami. But as I said before you may have more business opportunities there than in Dallas.
Is Austin slower than Dallas? Sure, but not by much. Culture? There may ONLY be one symphony, one main museum (with many smaller cultural museum's), one major ballet company, one central sports theme (UT of course) w/ many other semi-pro sports thrown in.
Unless you're in NY, you have to drive everywhere in Dallas, or Houston, or almost any other place in Texas to get groceries. Don't let this guy fool you. There are no corner grocery stores, like in NY.
It may be that this guy thinks people in Austin were self-involved, simply due to the fact that in Austin if people can visibly see your shut-off, judgmental and are simply more problems than you're worth, they will simply....ignore you. There are too many things in Austin and in the rest of Texas for that fact to spend time wasted on someone with that many problems, and who want to pee on everyone else's parade simply because of their own inadequacies.
So, don't let this artsyguy fool you into thinking Austin isn't a nice place. It is. But I do think DFW would be a better place for you...to start.
Dallas is majority Hispanic (mexican-american). Austin is only 35-40%. However, Dallas has a very saturated insurance market. Austin not so much. There are a lot of bi-lingual agents here already (not saying there couldn't be more, but there are more than Austin). Austin would be prime for a bi-lingual agent who has the marketing skills to get themselves out there, and you could build a very, very good business around it. I did the same w/ my Banking skills, and it paid off well. However, that said....I still think Dallas or anyplace in the DFW area would be a better fit.
Those are pretty strange and rude assumptions you've made about me. If I'm so inadequate and so problematic then how come when I visit Dallas the atmosphere is completely different. People are nice and friendly and there is always some free event or party going on every weekend in Dallas, whereas in Austin nothing seems to be going on except for people boasting and bragging about UT Long Horn statistics and other useless BS, not to mention people are commonly flippant there. I guess that is what you call "friendly" and happening atmosphere.
Austin is much slower and you can see the segregation between the minorities and the white anglo people which I find to be backward. In Dallas and Houston you see much less of that BS.
Dallas and Houston have more business opportunities, that is a fact.
Quote:
Originally Posted by txgolfer130
Don't believe this guy, he has an axe to grind against Austin for some reason, and his rant can't be further from the truth. Do I think you'll like Dallas better? Sure, especially coming from Miami. But as I said before you may have more business opportunities there than in Dallas.
Is Austin slower than Dallas? Sure, but not by much. Culture? There may ONLY be one symphony, one main museum (with many smaller cultural museum's), one major ballet company, one central sports theme (UT of course) w/ many other semi-pro sports thrown in.
Unless you're in NY, you have to drive everywhere in Dallas, or Houston, or almost any other place in Texas to get groceries. Don't let this guy fool you. There are no corner grocery stores, like in NY.
It may be that this guy thinks people in Austin were self-involved, simply due to the fact that in Austin if people can visibly see your shut-off, judgmental and are simply more problems than you're worth, they will simply....ignore you. There are too many things in Austin and in the rest of Texas for that fact to spend time wasted on someone with that many problems, and who want to pee on everyone else's parade simply because of their own inadequacies.
So, don't let this artsyguy fool you into thinking Austin isn't a nice place. It is. But I do think DFW would be a better place for you...to start.
Dallas is majority Hispanic (mexican-american). Austin is only 35-40%. However, Dallas has a very saturated insurance market. Austin not so much. There are a lot of bi-lingual agents here already (not saying there couldn't be more, but there are more than Austin). Austin would be prime for a bi-lingual agent who has the marketing skills to get themselves out there, and you could build a very, very good business around it. I did the same w/ my Banking skills, and it paid off well. However, that said....I still think Dallas or anyplace in the DFW area would be a better fit.
I have a very aggressive business mentality, while I hold myself to be extremely ethical and I think I am a very helpful person. Miami doesn't always feel that people reciprocate that. A friend advised me of calling the State Farm agents in each respective city that Texas people are nice and they may want to help. Can I hold this statement true? Do you feel calling some of my peers in these respective cities might be able to give me some more insight as to which city would be the better fit? (which area's are untapped, which market has higher premiums etc..)
Honestly you comparing Austin to Dallas. Truthfully no comparsion. Dallas is much bigger and offer much more than Austin ever will. Ausitin is a nice little town but DFW is a massive metro area. In other words you want have to much of a problem finding a good job in DFW.
Dallas, of course is going to offer more because of its size, but Austin is an up and coming city.
If being successful is your main concern and you feel Austin can use your bi-lingual talents go for it.
If being successful is part of your goal and living somewhere with a diversified life is another stick with Dallas.
One thing, i don't think you mentioned, or a couple, actually, your general age, and your marital status, do you have kids? Do you like the night life, are you more liberal or conservative? These issues should play into your decision to some extent.
Nita
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