Arlington VA to Dallas TX, comparisons??? (Bedford, Greenville: apartments, houses, job market)

[VirginiaIsHome]

I am relocating to Dallas TX from Shirlington/Arlington VA first of the year. The cost of living and affordable housing coupled with a seemingly healthly job market has been a deciding factor why I've chosen to settle in Dallas. Anyone here recently come from Dallas, that can shed some light on what I can expect, areas to settle in (thinking of Plano, Frisco or Mckinney), areas to stay away from ( I will be working downtown Dallas). Thank you

[Carlingtonian]

This is a really old post, but since no one responded, and since I've actually lived in/near both places, I can provide some perspective that I hope will help those in the future who might have the same question.

North Arlington away from the Metro stations is probably a lot like Richardson or the part of Dallas above NW Highway--very suburban, some of it built in the '30s and '40s, and large chunks built in the '50s and '60s.

South Arlington, it depends on where you mean. Nauck resembles maybe Grand Prairie or even South Dallas (but not as violent)--not many trees, and the houses are old but not really charming, for the most part. The northern part of S. Arlington (Arlington Heights and Penrose) might be comparable to Lower Greenville--some nice prewar houses with a few (disappearing) local businesses on Columbia Pike.

Clarendon (N. Arlington) is somewhat like Deep Ellum--used to be artsy and weird, and now it's just rich kids and tourists. (Though maybe DE isn't quite that bad yet.)

Arlington Ridge/Oakcrest is sort of like Swiss Avenue, but with smaller lots and a few little bungalows and ramblers still there, peppered among the giant custom chalets.

[Southchick318]

I used to live in Ft. Worth but I have many friends who live in Dallas and its suburbs. Dallas is awesome. The good: Friendly people, huge apartments and houses, no state tax, and great nightlife. The Bad: It gets hot in the summer. Way hotter than Virginia, most of the time, and your utility bills will probably be a bit spendy. Traffic can get really bad in some parts of Dallas. Whenever I traveled home to Louisiana, I made sure to leave early so that I wouldn't catch the I-35, I-20 traffic. McKinney is going north so your commute might be long coming from that area. Most of my friends chose the HEB area, that's Hurst, Euless, and Bedford, because of its proximity to Dallas and Fort Worth. Dallas does have public transportation, nothing like the Metro, but if you're downtown you will have access to the train and buses.