Need some honest advice on living in Plano, Tx (Dallas: apartment complex, rent)

[toshibamouse60]

Hello community,

My wife woke up one day and announced to me she is leaving me. It was a painful blow to me and brought my entire world upside down. Now my company is offering me a promotion in our Plano, TX office. I am at a cross road not knowing what to do. I live in Northern Cali right now. I am thinking it may be a good idea for me to take the offer and move to a new environment to help ease and heal my pain. I am not sure if I will go but I need some guidance here. I do not have kids.

a) How much is the cost of living in Plano?
b) I heard there is no state income tax in Texas?
c) How are the houses there? Can I purchase a house for around $300K
d) I am thinking of renting an apt for a start coz I will not sell my house in Cali. That said, what is the average rent for a 1 BR apt in Plano?
e) How hot can we expect during summer?
f) how is the community in Plano, is it a diverse mix like in San Francisco?

Thanks in advance.

Ken

[getmeoutofhere]

a) It's very cheap. Coming from California, especially North California, you will be very pleasantly surprised.

b) That's correct, no state income tax. Just high property taxes.

c)You can purchase a very nice house for $300K. In fact, I would look at cheaper ones first to see if they fit your needs. $200K buys a very nice in Texas.

d) Depends on the apartment complex, but around $700 - $1000, depending on what you want and how big you want it.

e) Hot. It's much hotter than California, and it stays that way for a while. There are hundreds of threads debating this topic, but it's pretty hot. You will likely see several days over 100 degrees.

f) Plano is not that diverse, but it's part of the sprawl of the Dallas area, which is very diverse overall.

[triwing]

How old are you? You might want to live in Dallas and just commute to Plano considering Plano is more family centric.

[loves2read]

post your question on the Dallas forum--more specific info there since Plano is large suburb of Dallas

run a search
most of your questions have been asked and answered many times over
get a map and see where your office is located and compare to different areas that are discussed in the Dallas forum...
Plano is mainly a suburban area but there are apartments and singles or couples, also large number of divorced, single parents with kids as well as extended families and retired people
it is a city--with all that implies...

[eepstein]

Sorry to hear about your unfortunate circumstances. Here are my responses to your questions.

Originally Posted by toshibamouse60

Hello community,

My wife woke up one day and announced to me she is leaving me. It was a painful blow to me and brought my entire world upside down. Now my company is offering me a promotion in our Plano, TX office. I am at a cross road not knowing what to do. I live in Northern Cali right now. I am thinking it may be a good idea for me to take the offer and move to a new environment to help ease and heal my pain. I am not sure if I will go but I need some guidance here. I do not have kids.

a) How much is the cost of living in Plano?
Cost of living in Plano is fairly reasonable for the most part. Obviously, it tends to be more pricey than many other DFW burbs, but overall it's not bad.

b) I heard there is no state income tax in Texas?
That is true. But don't get too excited because what you save in lack of income tax, you shell out in high property taxes.

c) How are the houses there? Can I purchase a house for around $300K
There are many areas of Plano where 300K can buy you a nice home.

d) I am thinking of renting an apt for a start coz I will not sell my house in Cali. That said, what is the average rent for a 1 BR apt in Plano?
Im guessing a decent apt will probably run you somewhere in the 700-900 dollar range. Possible a bit cheaper depending upon what part of Plano you are in.

e) How hot can we expect during summer?
Plano is generally quite hot during the summer. Temps are almost always in the 90's and temps over 100 occur on a fairly regular basis. Humidity is generally low, but there are a few days that it can be uncomfortable. There are also many sunny days during the summer months.

f) how is the community in Plano, is it a diverse mix like in San Francisco?
Un no. Not even close. Plano is probably 80% white with a decent amount of asians as well (about 10% i think). Hispanics make up another 5-10% who live mostly in the eastern parts of Plano. Blacks make up less than 5% of Plano's population.


Thanks in advance.

Ken