Seattle or Dallas? (Lakewood: school, living, cost of living)

[ladyjay73]

I think that the OP already knows what he wants to do. I honestly don't believe that a few posts on a public board can convince anyone of anything. Why? Everyone here is going to give their opinion as they see it. Can someone's opinion of a subject sway your decision making? Isn't better to see for yourself? Shouldn't your question be why moving to Dallas would be a good move, since you already know that you love Seattle?

If you've already been to Seattle & know what you love about it, why would you want to be convinced that it's a great place to move to? It seems to me that Ambassador lays it out for you quite nicely. Although welll written, I think it was a little harsh about the Dallas point of view. This person obviously does not enjoy the heat & warm weather as it is most of the time in Dallas. (Side-bar...... It did get cold enough to snow last week. Some people saw as much as a foot overnight.) Maybe the weather, environment, healthy lifestyles & such in Seattle works for them. Will that work for you? I think it's unfair to call out WannabeaTexan. She gives her opinions just like Ambassador did. She just happens not to like Seattle, & gives you her opinion of the things that don't work for her living there. Will the things that she dislikes apply to you? I recently relocated to Dallas from Seattle. For me it has been wonderful. I love Dallas. I love the heat. It was over 100almost every day in July when I got here! I am a sun baby & the heat will win out everytime. Besides it's not like you are standing out in the sun all day long. Almost every establishment in this area has central A/C.That was one of the main reasons why I decided to move. I didn't like the overcast cloudiness of Seattle. I did love the scenery & the greeness of it all. The snow in the mountains is Beautiful. BUT I still choose to leave. It didn't work for me & my family.

Yes the cost of living is cheaper in Dallas, but you get what you pay for. There are some areas that can are pretty pricey thou. I think that people are a friendlier out here, southern charm as they say, but there are those that are still living in the dark ages culturally. One thing I did notice is that I sneeze a lot more here in Dallas. So you might want to be careful if you have allergies. I really can't tell you about the women here, as I am a woman, & personally am finding it hard to find a man over 5'8".

Look, OP come to Dallas. Do some site seeing & research. Post again once you've been here & let us know what you decide.

Good luck.

[CityGirl72]

I totally agree - I agree with everything everyone is saying.

I (unfortunately) when I used to visit Seattle, hated it, thought it was brown and industrial looking (Husband lived in Fremont) and it was darn cold every time I visited.

I REALLY should have thought harder...but didn't. That is my mistake

[rozinante]

Oklahoma City is the place to be!!! It's near Dallas and booming, and the OKC Sonics play here at the Ford Center.

[wannabeaTexan]

Originally Posted by rozinante

Oklahoma City is the place to be!!! It's near Dallas and booming, and the OKC Sonics play here at the Ford Center.

Now that is just wrong to say on this board.

[readytojet!]

Oh well, I don't see myself in Oklahoma and I am a strong believer that the Sonics should STAY in Seattle. You should take the Hornets.

[Topaz]

Originally Posted by CityGirl72

I REALLY should have thought harder...but didn't. That is my mistake

You know, CityGirl, I don't think you should be so hard on yourself. My husband and I have never moved anywhere without EXTENSIVE reflection and tons of analysis and emotional soul searching. And we have still been really surprised by the reality of a place after moving.

There were lots of things that were difficult to evaluate without actually living them. In several instances, we thought we knew what something would be like (eg living in a smaller town, living in snow, living in a drizzly climate, the cultural vibe of the Pacific Northwest) and then it turned out really different than what we expected.

I love talking about different cities (Sociology of Place was one of my favorite college courses) and that's one reason why the City Data Forum is so fascinating to me. But that doesn't mean that more information or more thought can save anyone from a change of heart or mind once you are living somewhere and you realize you'd rather be somewhere else.

I think of it as a big adventure! And I love that I don't have any wistful longings about different places because I've already lived in most of them.

[pwright1]

Everybody has their opinion so here's mine. As a child my family lived in Dallas and Wichita Falls for 3 years and we had to leave. My brother had asthma and it was hell for him. Any city that has temperatures in the mid to upper 90's and many times over 100 with humidity as high is simply a place I could never live in. Even the Taste of Dallas was too hot for Dallasites when I was there. How could anyone possibly eat in 100 degree heat? Its finally becoming more dense and urban in recent years which is what I love, but its not nearly as walkable, dense and urban as Seattle. Dallas with its cheaper cost of living just doesn't cut it for me. Give me a city with true urban character that is walkable, dense, bike friendly with a true pulsating downtown. Throw in some beautiful breathtaking natural beauty, surrounded by water and Dallas just can't compare in my book. Dallas has some urbanity but being huge at almost 400 square miles it still has that car cultured, strip mall, giant shopping mall suburban mentality.

[Blindtom]

Dallas is hot and flat.
Seattle is cool and hilly.

[HistoryAficionado]

Originally Posted by Ambassador

IAs an extension of the above point: Most homes in Dallas are of the McMansion variety. Many are cheaply built(probably why they are cheaply sold) and are carbon copies of eachother. Sprawl is a major problem and in recent years has been a major concern. Unfortunantly the suburban sprawl phenomenon has now snowballed to the point that it will take years to slow down and even longer to reverse.

The Seattle area has much less sprawl, given; however, I'm not impressed with the home construction here either -- in fact, when I was house-hunting I was wisely advised by my realtor to beware of certain types of siding (there are some brands of composite siding, commonly used up here in the 1990's, that failed/started to deteriorate after only a few years and were subject to a lawsuit, but many owners never replaced it and later just tried to sell their houses as-is during the real estate boom). Also, it doesn't take long for a newer building exterior to get a weathered look in this area due to the climate.

[DrinkGreen]

Originally Posted by readytojet!

Oh well, I don't see myself in Oklahoma and I am a strong believer that the Sonics should STAY in Seattle. You should take the Hornets.

I've said that all along. But what do I care. I'm an Oklahoman who wants to get out and go to Seattle.

On the topic of Dallas, what I've seen mentioned all seem true so far. Heat and humid is VERY true. Something that seems to be missed on is the traffic and drivers in Dallas. I've talked to people from all over the country, and Dallas rush hour is always on topic of a city rush hour to avoid. Now put horrible, "parking lot" type traffic together with VERY Hot and humid weather. Sound fun? It's not.

Texans, like the rest of the South, are a more friendlier and up front type of people (As long as its not a Texan talking to an Oklahoman or vice versa). But drivers in Dallas can be some of the craziest, rudest, and most impatient drivers I've seen. It probably stems back to the hot weather and the non-moving traffic because once you get out of the Dallas proper area, the drivers seem to level off back to normal.