Moving To Fort Worth From Chicago... Questions??

[hondagirl_94]

I live in Cleburne, its a city about 30 min south of Fort Worth, Im not sure what kind of job you are into but I know for $1000 a month here you can rent a super nice house in the good neighborhood,and excellent elementary school. apartments go about 900 for the 3/2. Our news paper is Cleburnetimesreview.com check it out you can get some prices and info there. I think the closer you are to the big cities the more epensive it is. and Cleburne is kind of a little bit country but its not too bad..

[AmandaHall]

Congrats on your move here! Not sure where you are from in the Chicago area but you get the idea of big, sprawling city. Most people who have moved here from the Mid-West could do without our summers but absolutely love our winters as they are usually more like your mid-fall and mid to late Spring. Aside from that, they feel at home after they are settled in.
FOOD! We have to keep you fed...Keller has what I am hearing is the best deep dish Chicago style pizza in N Texas but we've also got an Uno's that I have tried and think is fabulous. The great Weinberger's Deli (Originally from Chicago and maintains that Chicago style) is also here in Grapevine and my sweet husband from Chicago couldn't be happier to be in Texas, yet still be able to enjoy a real Italian Beef sandwich.
There are tons of areas in the metroplex that will help you get your life here started. If it were me, I'd want to live near as much family as possible and YES, the Keller, North Richland Hills, Roanoke, Grapevine area is a great place to look. With housing inventory on the rise, rentals are affordable. It's too bad you don't already know what part of town you'd like to live in because interest rates are incredibly low and buying power is high around here. Prolly best to rent for a year and then consider longer term housing? I believe that is how I'd do it.
What industry do you work in? That will help determine what part of the HUGE metroplex we live in would be a decent commute to work as we have lots of the same types of jobs concentrated in certain areas while others tend to be more spread out.
Hope you love Texas and hope you and your boys feel welcome when you arrive...that is usually the case.

[TrynaLearn]

thanks for that info, even though it wasn't for me. Please bear with me, I am on ReD BuLL I am planning to move by march 2011. I will only have 2k saved up but NYC has forced me to see brighter days in Fort Worth. How hard is it to secure employment in the hotel/frontdesk/server industry? Also I have experience with customer service/help desk/PC support industry. Do u know if it's good down there? Also I am hearing that 1 and 2 bedroom apartments in fair to excellent neighborhoods going for 600$ a month.....what should I expect to get if I'm budgetting rent to 450$-600$ a month, can that happen in dallas/plano/fort worth areas. Thanks you answering my question (assuming you do) . I would like to know what about the range for just renting a apartment/home. my limit is 450-600/month. What areas in Fort Worth can I achieve this. I am from Harlem so I'm not concerned or worried if the area is ghetto and/or dangerous. Thank you and enjoy your day.

[The Texan]

Welcome to DFW! My sister is currently living in Chicago to attend school, and I'm in New York for the same reason. We were both born in Fort Worth and grew up in the Dallas area. She's on Michigan Ave, and I'm in the middle of lower Manhattan, so I can definitely tell you from experience that it is going to be one heck of a change - but it will be worth it!

1. Likes/dislikes - Living in the Fort Worth area has many perks. For one thing, the cost of living in Tarrant County is absolutely amazing. You'll be in awe of how much you can get for your money coming from Chicago. Also, the economy is extremely robust, so that's also a plus. Texas has no income tax, which is also nice. Also, Fort Worth's cultural arena is very well-developed. The Bass Performance Hall has been rated one of the top 10 opera houses in the world by Travel and Leisure, and the museums, like the Kimbell, Amon Carter, and Modern, have extensive collections. Additionally, the DFW area has many great restaurants and shopping malls. Fort Worth has been rated one of the most livable cities in America, which is quite impressive given its large size.

The downside of living in Fort Worth? There really aren't many, but the whole North Texas region is very sprawled out. The air pollution in DFW is one of the worst in the nation according to NBC. Also, if it irritates you as it does me, many people will think of you living in Dallas or a suburb of Dallas. Here in New York, everyone's heard of Dallas, but Fort Worth definitely doesn't get the recognition it deserves. That's a whole new can of worms, though.

2. I'd recommend getting a single-family home. The single-family homes in Fort Worth are a pretty good deal, both financially and otherwise. I honestly don't know much about apartments, though.

3. Keller is definitely a great place to raise your kids - CNN Money named it the #7 best place to live in America in 2009 - but it is on the pricier side. For something more affordable with great school, look for the portion of Fort Worth that's in Keller ISD - particularly the 76244 and 76137 ZIP codes. Many of these areas even have Keller mailing addresses, although I think that's changing soon. These areas, while in Fort Worth city limits, are zoned to excellent KISD schools and are experiencing rapid growth. Neighborhoods in this area that you might want to check out include The Villages of Woodland Springs and Heritage. Very affordable with very good schools. I don't know about the rent, but many of these houses are worth $120,000 or so - you can find cheaper or more expensive as well.

4. I've never heard of this no homework concept, and I think whoever told you that was being misleading. All the Keller ISD schools are good. The only high school that's actually in Keller is Keller High School; the rest are in Fort Worth. Fossil Ridge, Central, and Timber Creek are the other high schools, and if you move to the area, your kids will likely attend one of them. Timber Creek is brand new and opened for the 2009-2010 school year.

Hope it helped! Let me know if you have any questions or if I was unclear about anything!

[Volt61]

Originally Posted by Squirl

During my years as a recruiter, many applicants used local addresses (usually a family member) on their resumes to disguise their out of state residences. Then, when they were able to obtain an interview, they either would fly/drive at their own expense or reveal their true situation during the phone interview phase. These days, with cell phones and skype, etc. its pretty easy to appear to be local when, in fact, you are not local.

Starting off in a deceptive way is not the best way to endear someone to a potential employer.

[Volt61]

Originally Posted by singlemomsrock

I am moving from Chicago to be near my sisters (one already lives in Keller

Have you asked your sister who is already there?

[Volt61]

Originally Posted by AmandaHall

as we have lots of the same types of jobs concentrated in certain areas while others tend to be more spread out.

Can you provide details please?

[sywi]

Nice to hear there are other former Chicagoans/New Yorkers looking forward to being Texans soon!

[La2Txmom]

Hello I am moving from Louisiana to Texas and I have a section 8 voucher. Can anyone plz tell me what safe places to move in the ft worth area

[stanwood]

You can find a nice 3 bed 2 bath home in Watauga for $1000. Watauga is a nice working middle class suburb that often gets overlooked. Schools are mostly Birdville but I think the far northern part, that borders Keller, go to Keller school. All my kids went through Birdville schools and they've done just fine - two accountants and one still in school. As I've said many times before, you get out of an education what you put in.