Houston vs. Dallas (Fort Worth, Arlington, Plano: income, places to live, move)

[mpope409]

Originally Posted by Spade

If you want to nitpick...I guess so. But I stand by my initial comment that Sugarland is like Plano and Naperville in that it is a soulless suburb with hardly any character whatsoever. It looks no different at all from other post ww2 burbs in the nation.

With the obvious exception of First Colony at the MC adjoining.

[imaterry78259]

All in All- Houston and San Antonio are the two best cities in Texas for culture, diversity and restaurants

[metroplex2003]

Originally Posted by imaterry78259

All in All- Houston and San Antonio are the two best cities in Texas for culture, diversity and restaurants

I would add Dallas to that: We have Nobu, we have Texas' only 5 diamond/5 star restaurant: Mansion at Turtle Creek, we are the only city in Texas to N9NE Steakhouse, we are the only place in TExas to have Ghost Bar.

Diversity: WE have a Vietnamese, Chinese, and Korean district. To me that's more diverse than San Antonio. I admit we have fewer asians that Houston, but San Antonio we clearly win on that front.

Culture: I believe DFW has lots of stuff: Nationally recognized museums, zoos, etc. Ft. Worth Zoo has been in the top 5 for several years. Dallas Zoo has a well known AFrican exhibit. The Nasher has original sculpture works by Picasso. We have an Asian Art Museum. The Kimball is nationally recognized.
I believe San Antonio should is not in the same league as Houston and Dallas.

Houston and Dallas are gamma world cities. San Antonio is the 29th largest metro in the US. DFW #4, Houston #6 (soon to be #5)

[Guerilla]

Originally Posted by metroplex2003

I would add Dallas to that: We have Nobu, we have Texas' only 5 diamond/5 star restaurant: Mansion at Turtle Creek, we are the only city in Texas to N9NE Steakhouse, we are the only place in TExas to have Ghost Bar.

That's a nice list of restaurants, but not much diversity between the places. Houston still is Texas' best restaurant city (I'll find the article later).

Diversity: WE have a Vietnamese, Chinese, and Korean district. To me that's more diverse than San Antonio. I admit we have fewer asians that Houston, but San Antonio we clearly win on that front.

Yeah, DFW trumps SA in diversity, but DFW is a ways behind Houston's diversity.

Culture: I believe DFW has lots of stuff: Nationally recognized museums, zoos, etc. Ft. Worth Zoo has been in the top 5 for several years. Dallas Zoo has a well known AFrican exhibit. The Nasher has original sculpture works by Picasso. We have an Asian Art Museum. The Kimball is nationally recognized. I believe San Antonio should is not in the same league as Houston and Dallas.

Yeah, the FW Zoo has always been called on of the best in the nation. SA is not in the same league at all.

Houston and Dallas are gamma world cities. San Antonio is the 29th largest metro in the US. DFW #4, Houston #6 (soon to be #5)

Agreed.

[madmann101]

Originally Posted by imaterry78259

All in All- Houston and San Antonio are the two best cities in Texas for culture, diversity and restaurants

To me San Antonio only have one culture and it is not very diverse. Mainly hispanics

[Sarasota_Blues]

Greetings Texans (and others),...my first post. I'm a Floridian, looking at Texas as a relocation possibility. I was in Dallas a few years ago to visit a service buddy, and spent a couple days in Houston back in the 80's. (I realize a lot can change since my last visits). I'd like to render an outsiders opinion, and am actually planning a trip to both cities in August to get a better feel for both cities.

Presently, I live in Sarasota, Florida (Tampa Bay area), so the heat and humidity I'm already used to. I'm trying to enhance a budding IT career, so any comments about that are much appreciated. For the most part, I like culture (arts, theatre, nice restaurants, etc.), but for the most part am becomming more of a homebody as I get older, thus having a nice place to call "home" is of the utmost importance for me.

For the most part, the real estate in Texas is an incredible bargain compared to most other areas of the country. I have browsed both cities online, and their surrounding communities. I'm looking at what can be bought in the entry-level price range of $170,000 to $200,000.

Dallas and suburbs has some nice properties, and there are some decent choices that can be made in this price range. Most are average brick ranch style houses, relatively close together with fenced back yards.

However, the Houston area probably has the absolute best property values in this price range that I have seen. For the sum mentioned, you can get a sprawling 3,4,or even 5 bedroom house, many with pools, that have lushly landscaped grounds, without your neighbors' house being a "spitting distance" from yours. These are not centrally located properties, but will reside outside the loop for the most part.

Everyone has their own reasons why they like or dislike their own cities, but for me, "home is where the heart is",...so having a nice home to relax in, and have company at, is a huge plus in my book.

I hope my fact-finding mission in August gives me a better feel for both of these cities. However, since I have friends in Dallas, and have read that it is the "Silicon Valley" of the south, I need to keep an open mind about Dallas too. Sorry for the rambling......

[Lakewooder]

Sarasota- you must have been in one of the newer suburbs. We have homes on large lots in the Dallas city limits. In fact there are many estates with acreage in my neighborhood and in others.

[Sarasota_Blues]

Lakewooder, ...for the most part my search has encompassed Dallas, Mesquite, Plano, Richardson, and Frisco. Again, I am looking at homes in the price range of 170K to 200k. It seems like in that range, Houston seems to have a slight edge vs. Dallas. However, and this is a BIG however, in more expensive homes, and even exclusive estate homes, Dallas' properties are incomparable! They are as impressive and stately as any imaginable! Only Atlanta (in my opinion) takes first prize in southern homes.

[BearBranch]

Not sure about that. Houston has many huge estate homes.

http://search.har.com/Myhomefinder/s...918165&class=1

[blockbuster]

Originally Posted by KerrTown

With all the talk of the Dallas suburbs (North Dallas in particular), you would think one of them would be the same stature as Ft. Collins or Naperville. Guess who got the third best in the U.S. (and the best in TEXAS)? Houston's Sugar Land.

MONEY Magazine: Best places to live 2006: Top 100 1-25

If you look at the first 25 at a different somewhat more accurate perspective (IMO..) regarding suburban comparison b/w the two cities, you should notice 3 DFW areas reaching the list, and only one houston area. Not to mention that as you progress the list, you see even more DFW areas and less houston.