Moving to Dallas or Austin from Boston - Please help!!! (Fort Worth: apartment complex, condo)

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by azriverfan.

Dallas is often considered the capital of the Bible Belt and it is a very Evagelical Christian city. It's home to several conservative Christian universities and megachurches. Socially, it is very conservative. I'm from California who lived in Dallas for 3 years and people would regularly ask me what Church I attended. People on this forum are in denial about it but the facts speak for itself. Dallas is one large suburb so don't think of it like a separate city because it's really one large metroplex that includes Ft. Worth. The cit of Dallas itself is slighly more liberal than the other cities but the area as a whole is very conservative. Being Jewish and from Boston, it's a no brainer, if I had to choose between Dallas and Austin, I would go with Austin.

One last misconception, there is far more to do in Austin than Dallas. Dallas is flat and has no real outdoor or recreational activities. There are no mountains, hills and very few lakes. I didn't even think their nightlife was very impressive. Austin has more to do. They have much better nightlife than Dallas and they have more outdoor activities and lakes. They have a better live music scene and the people are more educated and liberal.

Unlike the people here, I'm an objective 3rd party reviewer. I'm not from Austin or Dallas. I'm from LA who now lives in Phoenix.

The major advantage Dallas has over Austin is its job market. I will give Dallas credit with regard to that. It is by far better than Austin with that regard but with regard to social activities and the people itself, Austin is better. Oh, and Austin isn't crunchy granola. Texas is pretty conservative in general so to Texans, Austin is mocked for being granola but to people like you and I who are from large cities outside the South, Austin is just somewhat normal (albeit its more conservative than Boston, LA or Phoenix socially speaking)

What??? Austin's Jewish community is tiny and Dallas's is huge and runs the gamut from ultra-Orthodox to gay synagogues! If someone wants to have contact with a Jewish community, Dallas is better than Austin hands down, no contest!

[Dallas native]

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

What??? Austin's Jewish community is tiny and Dallas's is huge and runs the gamut from ultra-Orthodox to gay synagogues! If someone wants to have contact with a Jewish community, Dallas is better than Austin hands down, no contest!

You've got that right, Dallas is way more Jewish than Austin. The person who posted that comment is a meshugener http://www.yiddishdictionaryonline.com/dictionary/משוגעןער.html (broken link) and a persistent Dallas basher. He/she/it had a bad experience here living in one of the suburbs (probably in the 1950's) and has nothing better to do than troll around the CD forum looking for opportunities to spread misinformation and s**t all over the comments of people with whom he/she/it disagrees.

[Dallas native]

Originally Posted by ar8739

Also based on what everyone was saying Uptown was the place to be. What is wrong with Downtown? (I think they mentioned it was dangerous). Besides uptown - where could I get more for my money that is still safe - close to everything (bars/restaurants)?

I drove thru the Knox-Henderson 'hood tonight (after the big gay bashing event but before the cross burning started) and wrote down some websites that you might want to check out. The first complex is located on the Knox St. side of I-75 and offers immediate access to the Katy Trail and many chi-chi restaurants, bars and shops. The Knox St. area is basically going to have a similar vibe to Uptown. On the east side of I-75 the street changes names to Henderson. The character changes as well. The further east you go, it gets a lot more laid back and bohemian. This is where most of the new apartment development is occurring. I would expect all of these places to be less expensive than Uptown, but they still offer upscale living in walkable neighborhoods just 2 - 3 miles north of downtown.

Gables Knoxbridge:
Gables, Gables.com - DallasÂ*TX Apartments for Rent, Dallas Luxury Apartments

The Easton Apts: Dallas Texas Apartments - Home - Easton Apartments (http://www.eastonapts.com/1/Dallas-Texas-Apartments - broken link)
These are only 3-4 years old.

The Eastwood Apts: Eastwood on Henderson. These just opened and should still have very low occupancy, so hopefully they will be making deals. There are other new apartments still being built in this area, but not yet open. Don't know when you're moving here, so I didn't get the names of them.

[TrueDat]

According to this 2007 story, the Jewish population of Dallas is four times that of Austin (to be fair, it's not huge in either city):

Jewish population small in number, large in influence in Texas : Columns : Abilene Reporter-News

And there's this from a 2008 D Magazine piece written by Serge Frolov, associate professor and Nate and Ann Levine Endowed Chair in Jewish Studies at SMU:

"Now that we are welcomed by our neighbors in their social clubs, we happily join them in everything except specifically Jewish activities. And although the Jewish population of Dallas is small in comparison to such centers as New York, Los Angeles, Miami, or Chicago (according to a recent estimate, there are about 50,000 Jews in North Texas), my sense is that the choice of such activities is not inferior to the one I had in Southern California and even in Israel. Dallas and surrounding cities have about 20 Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform synagogues, several Jewish schools and educational institutions, and chapters of just about all national Jewish organizations—from Bnai Zion to the Anti-Defamation League to the Lubavitch Movement. There is even a local Jewish newspaper, the Texas Jewish Post."

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by TrueDat

According to this 2007 story, the Jewish population of Dallas is four times that of Austin (to be fair, it's not huge in either city):

Jewish population small in number, large in influence in Texas : Columns : Abilene Reporter-News

And there's this from a 2008 D Magazine piece written by Serge Frolov, associate professor and Nate and Ann Levine Endowed Chair in Jewish Studies at SMU:

"Now that we are welcomed by our neighbors in their social clubs, we happily join them in everything except specifically Jewish activities. And although the Jewish population of Dallas is small in comparison to such centers as New York, Los Angeles, Miami, or Chicago (according to a recent estimate, there are about 50,000 Jews in North Texas), my sense is that the choice of such activities is not inferior to the one I had in Southern California and even in Israel. Dallas and surrounding cities have about 20 Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform synagogues, several Jewish schools and educational institutions, and chapters of just about all national Jewish organizations—from Bnai Zion to the Anti-Defamation League to the Lubavitch Movement. There is even a local Jewish newspaper, the Texas Jewish Post."

I grew up as a part of Dallas's Jewish community and it is large and rich in its diversity of belief and experience. Seriously. Dallas is no New York or south Florida to be sure but it is not a wasteland here for Jews. Not by a longshot!

[xS☺B☺s]

Tell me where you would live in Boston and I'll tell you where you should live in Dallas.

[ar8739]

I live in Brighton right now. I grew up in Natick.

I want people that are 24-30 - love to go out to the bars. I love to dance. I love everything closeby, but also want to get a good bang for my buck. My roommate and I will spend around 1600 if the deal is right. ( I think she will!) haha

[TrueDat]

Originally Posted by ar8739

I live in Brighton right now. I grew up in Natick.

I want people that are 24-30 - love to go out to the bars. I love to dance. I love everything closeby, but also want to get a good bang for my buck. My roommate and I will spend around 1600 if the deal is right. ( I think she will!) haha

Uptown or Knox-Henderson are the obvious choices.

[Joei]

I just find this hard to believe. I actually want to move from DFW to Boston cause I cant stand it here. I only visited Boston once last month for a week, but coming from a non-white person who has lived in the south all my life (originally Miami)...Boston seemed to have little hangups over someone being black than it is here in Dallas.

As to the O.P., I know we are 2 different people but I just didnt get that rudeness in Boston as I do here in Dallas. And I know rude because Miami people are as about rude as it gets in the south.

I read through this entire thread, but just because Dallas has things to do and this and that...Theres more to it. Like someone here said, you will do ALOT of driving. Last year I arrived here with about 144,000 miles on my car. Right now Im close to 170,000. Now uptown area is close to alot of things, but seems like no matter where you live DFW will 'stick it to you' because you may need to go someplace that is far away. Whereas in Boston, I had no car and was able to get to every place I needed within a 5-10 mile radius (airport, train,gym,every store,hotel,list goes on) that in DFW, would be about 20 miles or more in some cases. And dont forget about the blue laws here. Im not sure how it is in Boston (I stocked up on wine that week I was there)...but Texas has seriously gay blue laws. You may have to drive 50 miles just to buy liquor, so stock up boy.

This area just cannot compare to the northeast. I havent met any true-Northeasterns to come to Dallas and love it enough to stay. Its 2 different worlds. And once you leave Dallas, you're in Mexico. Irving, Arlington, part of Fort Worth and Dallas are all Mexico. They are very tight people here in Dallas who are clickish and have known each other for years. They arent open to outsiders much, unless its just for casual fun (sex).

If you're from the east coast, I'd seriously consider taking a couple more trips before settling here, its not all that.

[TrueDat]

Where are you living in the city of Dallas that you have to drive 50 miles to buy liquor?

I like Boston but Boston/Massachusetts is well-known for its history of Blue Laws:

HowStuffWorks "Boston Nightlife & Entertainment"

and troubled race relations:

Harvard Gazette: Has Boston shed its racist reputation?