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Ive lived in southern California my entire life aside from a few years in Portland, OR. I have been all over the country though. Ive been to 27 states but haven't spent much time in each place. On my last cross country trip a few years back, I really liked Austin, Dallas and Nashville. Been to Dallas and Nashville a few times now but a few days isn't really enough to get a true feel what its like living there. Which of the three has the most variety of things to do (restaurants, bars, clubs, shopping etc..) the least amount of humidity and rain, more on the conservative side rather than liberal, less traffic. Thanks
If you liked Dallas when you visited, I'd say go for that. You'd get a huge city with everything you could possibly want in terms of amenities, tremendous job opportunity, booming economy, and a low COL. Most people don't just pass through Dallas and fall in love with it (like they might with Nashville and Austin), but if you did then it could be a very good fit.
Austin and Nashville have plenty to do in terms of restaurants/clubs/etc, better outdoor activities and natural beauty, and being smaller cities all those things are easier to access and more centralized. With Dallas you have all the stuff but it's a lot more spread out. Austin has bad traffic, and might be too liberal for your tastes. All those places will be more humid than you are used to, with Dallas and Nashville having harsher winters (still mild though compared to other places). All 3 cities will be quite different, culturally, than SoCal or Portland.
It's not my personal preference, but Dallas sounds like a great fit based on your criteria.
Just remember that conservatives in Texas and the rest of the South are a very different breed than the conservatives in California and the rest of the West.
To give you a frame of reference, conservatives in cities like Dallas and Nashville would make people in Orange County and the Inland Empire seem liberal and irreligious.
If you liked Dallas when you visited, I'd say go for that. You'd get a huge city with everything you could possibly want in terms of amenities, tremendous job opportunity, booming economy, and a low COL. Most people don't just pass through Dallas and fall in love with it (like they might with Nashville and Austin), but if you did then it could be a very good fit.
Austin and Nashville have plenty to do in terms of restaurants/clubs/etc, better outdoor activities and natural beauty, and being smaller cities all those things are easier to access and more centralized. With Dallas you have all the stuff but it's a lot more spread out. Austin has bad traffic, and might be too liberal for your tastes. All those places will be more humid than you are used to, with Dallas and Nashville having harsher winters (still mild though compared to other places). All 3 cities will be quite different, culturally, than SoCal or Portland.
It's not my personal preference, but Dallas sounds like a great fit based on your criteria.
Nashville and Austin are liberal cities aside from their more conservative suburbs. If you are looking for a conservative city then Dallas fits the bill.
Bars and Entertainment Options: Nashville wins here. There are a plethora of diverse music venues, dance clubs, lounges, museums, botanical gardens, and other cultural gems outside of country music that most do not know about. They are all in close proximity. Austin would be a close second, just not on the same scale. Dallas has a great selection of entertainment options and night life, but is more spread out. You won't be bored in any of these cities.
Shopping: Dallas has some of the best shopping in the country. Whether it is high end boutiques, antiques, strip centers, mega malls, what have you, Dallas has it all. Nashville and Austin are no slouches either. Nashville is in transition right now on the retail front. Retailers and developers are starting to take notice by adding millions of square feet of new high end shopping downtown and in the metro area. Austin and Dallas are ahead of Nashville in terms of high end shopping. Nashville wins on consignment, thrift store, and whole sale items (you will find very high end selections deeply discounted at T.J. Maxx Runway stores, men's and women's clothiers, Marti and Liz Shoe Store, Levy's department store, and Nordstrom due to the lack of high end department stores in the area. For example, Marti and Liz Shoe Store sales Prada, Gucci, Donald J. Pliner, Cole Haan shoes for $40-$100 that may have not been in production or samples only worn once at a fashion show in New York or Los Angeles.)< I like this kind of shopping and you might too.
Food: Dallas will have more options being a larger city. Nashville is full of chains and some local fair. Austin has a good food truck and organic thing going on, but of course being home to Whole Foods will step up the competition in the area. If you are a coffee drinker, Nashville is your town with many local coffee shops and a higher than average number of Starbucks locations for its size.
Quality of Life: This one is tough, because they are all ranked high on quality of life.
Economy: Austin, then Dallas, then Nashville. They all have diverse and fast growing economies. To be more specific, Nashville's economy is heavily based on Music, Healthcare, Government, Hospitality, Education, and Retail. Austin's economy is based on Technology, Engineering, Government, Grocery, and Music. Dallas doesn't have dominance in any one economy, however, Banking, Petroleum, Telecommunications, Aerospace, and Retail are the largest.
Transportation: Dallas and it's not even close.
Sports: Dallas or Nashville.
Weather: Austin. Nashville is tornado and flood prone. Unlike Dallas or Austin, Nashville experiences all four seasons, pretty equally with summer being a few weeks longer. The weather is pleasant year round with little snow in the winter. We experience more ice than snow in the winter, so be careful. However, summers are humid and full of bugs and mosquitoes. Austin probably has the best weather out of the three.
Topography: Nashville is hilly, green, heavily forested, and surrounded by lakes and rivers. Austin is hilly and less green. Dallas is the flattest.
Religion: Religion is a very big part of the culture in Nashville and Dallas with churches on every corner. It's not so much in Austin.
Which city will be right for you? Who knows? You may have to take a visit and see which one fits your lifestyle.
Just remember that conservatives in Texas and the rest of the South are a very different breed than the conservatives in California and the rest of the West.
To give you a frame of reference, conservatives in cities like Dallas and Nashville would make people in Orange County and the Inland Empire seem liberal and irreligious.
Just be careful of what you wish for.
Dallas is totally Democratic. The surrounding rural/suburban counties are conservative....
Dallas County has a gay sheriff and the largest gay christian church in the world.
There's only one republican Dallas County commissioner and the mayor of Dallas is a democrat.
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