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As the title states I'm considering a move from PA. I do have a few questions that hopefully can get answered. I have spent 29 of my 31 years in north-central PA, 2 I spent in Mississippi. My reason for wanting to move south is that I miss the warmer climate. My joints do not like the bitter cold temperatures of the PA winters, or the dramatic changes in weather. Also, the people in warmer areas tend to be friendlier, but more cultured. The people in PA tend to be stubborn & depressing. My reason for the Dallas-Ft. Worth area is that I've heard the economy is good there. I drive a triaxle dump truck for a large construction company where I live now, but what are my odds of finding a job doing what I'm doing now & how about pay? I've heard the cost of living there is relatively inexpensive. I'm single, what is the dating scene like? Are women approachable & friendly for the most part? Hopefully they're not like where I'm at now; 4 kids to different fathers & hooked on anti-depressants by the time they're 30 & weighed down with emotional baggage and unapproachable to boot! I bodybuild & there's has to be some fantastic gyms around. Is it hard to find a nice apartment that will allow my cat? When I lived in MS a few years back the people were friendly, but in a business sense almost had a grudge against you if you were a "yankee," does that exist in Texas? Lots of questions I know, but would appreciate some input
Addison, near north Dallas, is the place you want to be. Great for singles, clean, this city has a lot of $$$ and barely any crime! It's fun, they have great beer or music festivals, safe, police everywhere, a decent price--not cheap though, and very cosmopolitian! People dress great, are friendly, work out all the time, great businesses/restaurants/bars, you name it! The cost of living is about $1000 for a 2 bed townhouse. If you want to live in an amazing skyrise, much more, of course. No worries about meth here!! Warning--it gets HOT during the summer---the only thing you can do outside is swim. Gyms are everywhere too. No need to worry about being a yankees!! We don't care--in fact, if you have an accent other than hillbilly--We LOVE it!! really! Where in the world did you hear that anyway? Odd, never even hear about that here....
As the title states I'm considering a move from PA. I do have a few questions that hopefully can get answered. I have spent 29 of my 31 years in north-central PA, 2 I spent in Mississippi. My reason for wanting to move south is that I miss the warmer climate. My joints do not like the bitter cold temperatures of the PA winters, or the dramatic changes in weather.
This area is definitely much warmer than Pennsylvania overall, so you will likely appreciate that. However, we do have some pretty dramatic changes in weather. Although we generally have mild winters, we are prone to the occasional bitter arctic blasts. Super Bowl week this year was a good example--it was one of the coldest weeks in decades, with the temperature staying below freezing for over 100 hours. Fortunately, these don't happen often at all, but we aren't completely shielded from occasional blasts of bitter cold.
Quote:
Originally Posted by supertrucker212
Also, the people in warmer areas tend to be friendlier, but more cultured. The people in PA tend to be stubborn & depressing.
I don't know that people here would be any more "cultured" than where you live, but overall people in the south and southwest tend to be more open and friendly overall. By the same token, I've met very friendly people when I've visited Philadelphia. I don't think you can really make such a generalization--there are plenty of stubborn and depressing people everywhere, including here.
Quote:
Originally Posted by supertrucker212
My reason for the Dallas-Ft. Worth area is that I've heard the economy is good there. I drive a triaxle dump truck for a large construction company where I live now, but what are my odds of finding a job doing what I'm doing now & how about pay?
The economy here is not great, it just happens to be a little less worse than other parts of the country. Jobs are still very hard to come by here. I don't have any experience in your line of work, so maybe someone else can help you with that question.
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Originally Posted by supertrucker212
I've heard the cost of living there is relatively inexpensive.
Compared to Los Angeles, San Francisco, or New York, it is a lower cost of living. However, everything here is not cheap. Property taxes are high, sales taxes are high, and electricity is expensive. I'm not sure where in Pennsylvania you are located, but I wouldn't come here expecting a significant change in your cost of living.
Quote:
Originally Posted by supertrucker212
I'm single, what is the dating scene like? Are women approachable & friendly for the most part? Hopefully they're not like where I'm at now; 4 kids to different fathers & hooked on anti-depressants by the time they're 30 & weighed down with emotional baggage and unapproachable to boot!
Again, I think that is probably too much of an overgeneralization. There are plenty of women like the ones you complain about here as well. The women here are not much different than anywhere else. Perhaps slightly more approachable than some other places, but women (and to a greater extent, people in general) are pretty much the same here as anywhere.
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Originally Posted by supertrucker212
I bodybuild & there's has to be some fantastic gyms around.
There are a lot of gym choices in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. I'm not sure about other areas, though.
Quote:
Originally Posted by supertrucker212
Is it hard to find a nice apartment that will allow my cat?
It shouldn't be difficult.
Quote:
Originally Posted by supertrucker212
When I lived in MS a few years back the people were friendly, but in a business sense almost had a grudge against you if you were a "yankee," does that exist in Texas?
I never even hear that word used in Dallas/Fort Worth. This is a far cry from Mississippi. If you are in rural Texas, you might hear it, but no one here is going to hold a grudge against you based on where you are from originally.
Addison, near north Dallas, is the place you want to be. Great for singles, clean, this city has a lot of $$$ and barely any crime! It's fun, they have great beer or music festivals, safe, police everywhere, a decent price--not cheap though, and very cosmopolitian! People dress great, are friendly, work out all the time, great businesses/restaurants/bars, you name it! The cost of living is about $1000 for a 2 bed townhouse. If you want to live in an amazing skyrise, much more, of course. No worries about meth here!! Warning--it gets HOT during the summer---the only thing you can do outside is swim. Gyms are everywhere too. No need to worry about being a yankees!! We don't care--in fact, if you have an accent other than hillbilly--We LOVE it!! really! Where in the world did you hear that anyway? Odd, never even hear about that here....
I would advise against Addison for the single lifestyle, but check it out if you want. Addison is known for its chain restaurants, wide streets and the need to drive to everything. Look in Dallas' Uptown and other neighborhoods around downtown. It is safe and clean -- especially compared to urban areas in any city in Pennsylvania.
This area is definitely much warmer than Pennsylvania overall, so you will likely appreciate that. However, we do have some pretty dramatic changes in weather. Although we generally have mild winters, we are prone to the occasional bitter arctic blasts. Super Bowl week this year was a good example--it was one of the coldest weeks in decades, with the temperature staying below freezing for over 100 hours. Fortunately, these don't happen often at all, but we aren't completely shielded from occasional blasts of bitter cold.
I don't know that people here would be any more "cultured" than where you live, but overall people in the south and southwest tend to be more open and friendly overall. By the same token, I've met very friendly people when I've visited Philadelphia. I don't think you can really make such a generalization--there are plenty of stubborn and depressing people everywhere, including here.
The economy here is not great, it just happens to be a little less worse than other parts of the country. Jobs are still very hard to come by here. I don't have any experience in your line of work, so maybe someone else can help you with that question.
Compared to Los Angeles, San Francisco, or New York, it is a lower cost of living. However, everything here is not cheap. Property taxes are high, sales taxes are high, and electricity is expensive. I'm not sure where in Pennsylvania you are located, but I wouldn't come here expecting a significant change in your cost of living.
Again, I think that is probably too much of an overgeneralization. There are plenty of women like the ones you complain about here as well. The women here are not much different than anywhere else. Perhaps slightly more approachable than some other places, but women (and to a greater extent, people in general) are pretty much the same here as anywhere.
There are a lot of gym choices in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. I'm not sure about other areas, though.
It shouldn't be difficult.
I never even hear that word used in Dallas/Fort Worth. This is a far cry from Mississippi. If you are in rural Texas, you might hear it, but no one here is going to hold a grudge against you based on where you are from originally.
As the title states I'm considering a move from PA. I do have a few questions that hopefully can get answered. I have spent 29 of my 31 years in north-central PA, 2 I spent in Mississippi. My reason for wanting to move south is that I miss the warmer climate. My joints do not like the bitter cold temperatures of the PA winters, or the dramatic changes in weather. Also, the people in warmer areas tend to be friendlier, but more cultured. The people in PA tend to be stubborn & depressing. My reason for the Dallas-Ft. Worth area is that I've heard the economy is good there. I drive a triaxle dump truck for a large construction company where I live now, but what are my odds of finding a job doing what I'm doing now & how about pay? I've heard the cost of living there is relatively inexpensive. I'm single, what is the dating scene like? Are women approachable & friendly for the most part? Hopefully they're not like where I'm at now; 4 kids to different fathers & hooked on anti-depressants by the time they're 30 & weighed down with emotional baggage and unapproachable to boot! I bodybuild & there's has to be some fantastic gyms around. Is it hard to find a nice apartment that will allow my cat? When I lived in MS a few years back the people were friendly, but in a business sense almost had a grudge against you if you were a "yankee," does that exist in Texas? Lots of questions I know, but would appreciate some input
Too old to date so I can't tell you about that one!
As for most of the other questions they have been answered except specific to your job. If you are looking to work as a dump driver here then don't get all excited about your prospects as they are slim. Unless you get extremely lucky and hire onto the County or City teams the local private companies are paying $10 - $12 an hour with little hope of much in the way of raises. Construction has not died here but has significantly slowed down. Most of the private companies treat their drivers like crap, expect you to run hard and many times illegal, and don't offer much in benefits either. As for the City/County jobs you really have to know someone here to even hear when an opening occurs and to get your foot in the door.
If you have any OTR experience (dry van or tanker preferred) or you have pulled a Pup for a long time, then you do have another option. If you do not own a home then this could also potentially help you. Schneider has a training facility here just South of Dallas. If you were inclined to you might be able to get into their program and go straight into the Tank Yanking end. They run a lot of dedicated routes so you can at least have some stability. You could live mostly out of the truck until you decide if Texas is right for you or not.
Another thing you might want to consider is just doing OTR for awhile. That can give you a much better view of the South, as well as other areas, to make a final decision on. Here in this area we have a number of larger national carriers you can sign on with. There is Schneider who trains here, Stevens Transport who trains here (I have heard they have gotten better), TransAm, Texas Star, as well as others with large terminals here.
I know the OTR thing would put a crimp in a regular workout but if you lump your own cargo it would be a good workout and some of these outfits will pay you rather than a Lumper.
Addison, near north Dallas, is the place you want to be. Great for singles, clean, this city has a lot of $$$ and barely any crime! It's fun, they have great beer or music festivals, safe, police everywhere, a decent price--not cheap though, and very cosmopolitian! People dress great, are friendly, work out all the time, great businesses/restaurants/bars, you name it! The cost of living is about $1000 for a 2 bed townhouse. If you want to live in an amazing skyrise, much more, of course. No worries about meth here!! Warning--it gets HOT during the summer---the only thing you can do outside is swim. Gyms are everywhere too. No need to worry about being a yankees!! We don't care--in fact, if you have an accent other than hillbilly--We LOVE it!! really! Where in the world did you hear that anyway? Odd, never even hear about that here....
Dude. Where on earth did you dig this stuff up? Addison is not "the place to be" for singles. Not even close. For the singles scene, you'll be in Dallas proper. Uptown and Knox-Henderson are the main places where you'll see like minded people who meet and mingle.
Addison is a chain restaurant heaven where you'll have to walk through gigantic parking lots for each Outback or Bennigans that you go to after you've driven a few miles to get there. Dallas' downtown and surrounding neighborhoods are sparkling compared to other cities its size -- especially areas like Uptown. If anything, it's a little too clean.
Avoid Addison, but don't take my word for it. Check out both Uptown and Addison -- see what you think.
Too old to date so I can't tell you about that one!
As for most of the other questions they have been answered except specific to your job. If you are looking to work as a dump driver here then don't get all excited about your prospects as they are slim. Unless you get extremely lucky and hire onto the County or City teams the local private companies are paying $10 - $12 an hour with little hope of much in the way of raises. Construction has not died here but has significantly slowed down. Most of the private companies treat their drivers like crap, expect you to run hard and many times illegal, and don't offer much in benefits either. As for the City/County jobs you really have to know someone here to even hear when an opening occurs and to get your foot in the door.
If you have any OTR experience (dry van or tanker preferred) or you have pulled a Pup for a long time, then you do have another option. If you do not own a home then this could also potentially help you. Schneider has a training facility here just South of Dallas. If you were inclined to you might be able to get into their program and go straight into the Tank Yanking end. They run a lot of dedicated routes so you can at least have some stability. You could live mostly out of the truck until you decide if Texas is right for you or not.
Another thing you might want to consider is just doing OTR for awhile. That can give you a much better view of the South, as well as other areas, to make a final decision on. Here in this area we have a number of larger national carriers you can sign on with. There is Schneider who trains here, Stevens Transport who trains here (I have heard they have gotten better), TransAm, Texas Star, as well as others with large terminals here.
I know the OTR thing would put a crimp in a regular workout but if you lump your own cargo it would be a good workout and some of these outfits will pay you rather than a Lumper.
Thank you for answering that specific question pertaining to my job. Wow, $10-12 an hour! I make $17.50/ hr with health, dental, & eye, that barely costs me anything & a 401K. I don't live in one of the more expensive areas in PA either. OTR is not for me sorry. I don't just workout, but live the bodybuilding lifestyle, the lifting, the eating, ect.. There's no way I'm giving that up for a job. Living out of a truck and eating at greasy truck stops is NOT for me. I do have a class A liscense though maybe there is T/T work that gets you home every day but pays a little better. I'll look into it. Thanks
I know nothing about the truck driver opportunities. It seems crazy to me though that my 19 year old son will earn $11.50/hour this summer working as a head lifeguard. How can a driver of a dump truck earn so little?
DFW (and Texas) otherwise might offer some nice options for the OP. Although our property tax rates are higher than most states, the actual $$ is not far above national averages because of generally lower property values.
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