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Old 02-21-2010, 10:24 AM
 
145 posts, read 401,222 times
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I currently live in Colorado Springs and work for a small software company as a Business Analyst. I am a 31 year old single male.

My company is closing their physical office and we will all telecommute within 6 weeks or so. I'm thinking that this is a perfect time to check out another city and possibly start over somewhere while maintaining employment and looking for another job (not terribly confident in the future of things at my company - hopefully they turn things around).

Problems with Colorado Springs (for me):

Colorado Springs is nice but pretty family oriented and is probably one of the LEAST diverse places on the planet (which gets OLD). Not a great place to meet single women from what I've found. Bar scene is really weak (nothing classy) and lots of military dudes patron the downtown bars on the weekends (not my scene). Not that I'm huge into the bar scene these days, but it's nice to get out every once in awhile. There also aren't many jobs in my field here right now.


My Wish List (in no particular order):

1. Ideally, I'd like to find a place I like and settle down there instead of starting over again and again. Note: I've started over a couple of times in my life, moving from my hometown of Cleveland to Tampa and then to Colorado Springs. Note that I did not choose Tampa or COS per se - they were simply the only other option with my employer at the time.

2. Good jobs in the IT industry (I'm a Business Analyst) and professional jobs in general with a decent economy overall.

3. Good place for singles (and attractive ones at that). I'd like to meet the right girl sooner or later. By singles, I don't necessarily mean college kids, but young professionals a few years out of school (mid-20s and up). This would include places to MEET these single professionals and hopefully not amongst a bunch of 21-22 year old drunk frat guy types.

4. Reasonable cost of living. This is the main reason I'm looking at Texas instead of SoCal right now (I've always been drawn to SoCal - mainly for the beauty & weather). I want to be able to live comfortably making $80-90k and eventually buy a nice house and not live paycheck to paycheck.

5. Better than average weather. Colorado is actually pretty nice in this regard and not as cold as a lot of people seem to think (usually). However, one thing I hate is how brown and dead things look here for 7 months once the deciduous trees lose their leaves and the grass turns brown. Even when it's a beautiful blue sky/unseasonably warm day in January, this bothers me.

6. Reasonably friendly people overall. I grew up in Cleveland where people are not overly friendly to strangers in general. Everyone who lives there most likely grew up there and people are somewhat standoffish. This type of environment makes it difficult to meet new people that you aren't forced to interact with (coworkers, etc).

7. CULTURE and diversity. I live in a very un-diverse town currently with non-chain restaurants few and far between. I'd like to find a place with a variety of activities and types of people. Somewhere where one does not have to actively SEEK culture - it's just there!

8. Traffic - I realize this will be a problem in most "better" places to live, but since this is a wish list, I thought I'd put it on there anyway


What I'm thinking of doing in April or May:

Driving down from Colorado and staying in a couple of cities for a week or two each. Working from coffee shops during the day, checking things out, etc.


What I'm looking for from you:

Thoughts on which cities might be good/bad fits based on what I'm looking for and even neighborhoods that I should be investigating when I visit if you know any. It can be very difficult to get a good feel for a place before living there, so I'm looking for help here. Right now I'm kind of thinking Austin & Dallas, but not really sure. I've never been to Texas but have been impressed by the number of cities in Texas which make the "best of" lists year after year which seem to have decent economies. Texas isn't a requirement by any means, but I haven't seen a lot of other cities elsewhere that might be a good fit for me based on what I'm looking for (maybe Raleigh, NC - not sure).


I'll be checking this thread often and really appreciate any advice/assistance with helping me find somewhere that's a good fit!

Thanks in advance!

Last edited by jkozlow3; 02-21-2010 at 11:40 AM..
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Old 02-21-2010, 11:29 AM
 
Location: NE Atlanta Metro
3,197 posts, read 5,358,762 times
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I suggest add Fort Worth to the mix. It meets many of your criteria. Affordable, a grown up dating/bar scene, plenty of single women, great place to settle and you have all the amenities of a major city at your doorstep (sports, arts, shopping, Dallas 33 miles away etc..). North Texas isn't known for the scenery; small rolling hills, lakes and oak trees but you'd probably enjoy the winter weather. Summers are hot, it's not unusual to have weeks straight of 95+ degree days from June-September. We do have air-conditioning down here though.

Sounds like you're taking the right steps by visiting each location for an extended amount of time prior to moving.

Best wishes!
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Old 02-21-2010, 01:41 PM
 
6,578 posts, read 25,420,730 times
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I'd go to Southern California while you are unencumbered and rent an apartment for 12 months and then come to Texas.
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Old 02-21-2010, 01:55 PM
 
145 posts, read 401,222 times
Reputation: 93
Quote:
Originally Posted by FarNorthDallas View Post
I'd go to Southern California while you are unencumbered and rent an apartment for 12 months and then come to Texas.
Because I'll get sick of SoCal and realize it's flawed once I actually live there?

Again, I want a place that will be satisfying in the long as well as the short term. If I could never really afford to live comfortably in SoCal, I might as well just cross it off the list now rather than taking a 12 month vacation there.


Thanks for the suggestions...keep 'em coming!
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Old 02-21-2010, 02:51 PM
 
Location: Willowbend/Houston
13,384 posts, read 25,665,542 times
Reputation: 10591
Ill give it a shot:

Both places are the strongest for IT careers in Texas. I know Dallas has the "Silicon Prarie" which extends from 635 on the Tollway and 75 into Richardson and Plano. Im not quite as sure on the specifics of Austin, but I know they do have opprotunities as well for IT jobs.

For singles, in Austin you would be more likely to meet colleged aged and mid-20's girls. From what I can tell they seem nice enough and down to earth overall. In Dallas, you will be more likely to meet girls from the mid-20's on up since its not a college town. I would also say that you would be more likely to meet a more racially diverse group of singles in Dallas. However from what I gather, dating in Dallas is like dating in LA. There are alot of shallow girls out there. The trick is knowing where to look.

The cost of living is definately lower in Dallas and in the Dallas area. Austin on the other hand is more scenic.

Both Dallas and Austin are reasonably friendly cities, you should be able to meet friends in either one. People will be friendly, but remember these are small town Texas cities. Dont expect the check out lady at the supermarket to invite you over for dinner. When you break the ice with people here, they might do that.

As for diversity, its a trick question. Dallas is hands-down more diverse than Austin. There are alot more groups represented here. We are home to:

2nd highest percentage of Central American immigrants of any of the top 10 cities in the US.
3rd largest (foreign born) Mexican popuation by Metro Area
4th largest Vietnamese population in the US by metro area
4th largest Thai/Lao population in the US by metro area
5th largest Salvadoran population in the US by metro area
6th largest Indian population in the US by metro area
7th largest Korean population in the US by metro area

There are also alot Chinese, Filipinos and African-Americans.

Like Dallas, Austin is getting more diverse really fast.

However with this said, diversity is new to Dallas. This didnt happen until about 15-20 years ago. The cultures arent really sure how to handle each other here. Therefore, they dont interact as much as they should.

I give Fort Worth the best culture in the metroplex moreso than Dallas. Im not as sure about Austin on this level so Ill let someone else comment.

Traffic overall is probably worse in Dallas, but Austin has one or two problem spots that are really bad.

Weather isnt much different either place. Winters in Austin see less ice and snow. Other than that, its pretty much the same.
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Old 02-21-2010, 03:15 PM
 
145 posts, read 401,222 times
Reputation: 93
Wow, thanks for the detailed writeup! Glad to hear DFW is so diverse. I'm Caucasian, but am frequently attracted to women with a somewhat exotic look and Asian and Hispanic women are often the ones who make me do a double take more often than not.

Any recommendations as to areas in DFW I should stay in during my visit and investigate for candidates to live in (looking for hip, fun areas with single professionals)? I didn't realize Fort Worth was considered an entirely different metro area and 30+ miles away. I kind of thought it was just a large suburb of Dallas, but it doesn't sound like that's the case. Perhaps I should split my time equally between Austin/Dallas/FW during my extended visit?

Thanks again!
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Old 02-21-2010, 03:52 PM
 
Location: Knox - Henderson
1,193 posts, read 3,510,500 times
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Since it's your first time here and you're looking for a fun area in which to stay, then I would recommend staying in one of the many hotels in Downtown (for weekend action) or Uptown (action most nights). No, FTW is not a suburb of Dallas. It is it's own city with a population of over 700k, which is approx. the same population as Austin. FYI, you can take the TRE train between Dallas and FTW so you could check out both cities on the same trip. I would recommend devoting several days to DFW and 2 or 3 days to Austin.
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Old 02-22-2010, 12:10 AM
 
10,130 posts, read 19,838,912 times
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When are you going on your trip? I can't speak to which neighborhoods in Dallas are the best for what you are looking for, but it looks like there are other posters with great suggestions for that. I've also heard good things about Ft. Worth. IMO the DFW metro will have many more job opportunities than Austin... due to it's size and the relatively higher competition for jobs in Austin.

But, as I am an Austin resident, I'll give you my suggestions for when you come visit here:

1 - Stay in the SoCo (South Congress) area or downtown (western part of downtown, if possible). That will give you plenty to do within walking distance, plus easy driving access to lots of neat central, east and west Austin neighborhoods. Depending on your visit dates, priceline should yield great deals esp. downtown (check biddingfortravel.com) ... although beware of times like SXSW and ACL fest, as hotel prices will be much higher.

2 - Areas like SoCo, SoLa, Clarksville, Tarrytown, West 6th (not to be confused with the drunker east-6th bar scene), warehouse/4th street neighborhood, east Austin, etc. are great places to get a feel for the city and the young professional crowd. Not many students in these areas, but lots of singles.

3 - For coffeeshops to work at: Check out Jo's on South Congress, Mozart's on Lake Austin blvd, Austin Java on Barton Springs Road, Flip Happy Crepes (also on Barton Springs Rd), Whole Foods downtown and Central Market off Lamar.

4 - Pack a picnic lunch, charge your laptop battery and visit Mt. Bonnell. Or drive out a little farther and visit the Oasis, maybe when there is some live music (Thurs-Sun I think).

5 - Even though there are more college students, check out Hyde Park north of campus... or campus itself.

6 - Be sure to go to the Ladybird Lake trail (formerly Town Lake), and maybe Barton Springs Pool / Zilker park, just to get a feel for the people and maybe walk off some of that coffee and food!

Have a safe trip and let us know how it goes.
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Old 02-22-2010, 08:23 AM
 
145 posts, read 401,222 times
Reputation: 93
Thanks atxcio! Mid-April is the earliest I'll be able to make it down. It may be in May however. The only problem with reserving rooms is that I wasn't sure how long I would want to stay in each city. I was hoping to just find something cheap (think motel 6) in a decent area of each city and then spend as little time in the room as possible. Just play it by ear and move on when I'm ready. I'm thinking I'll be in TX for 2-4 weeks overall, splitting my time up between cities.

If anyone has similar suggestions to atxcio's post but for Dallas, I would greatly appreciate it!
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Old 02-22-2010, 09:14 AM
 
16,087 posts, read 41,083,112 times
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Actually Dallas IS a college town - of sorts. SMU (my alma mater) is located in the heart of town - and therefore a force in many of the central areas whether you are talking students or recent graduates. Good coffee places to work from would be Pearl Cup on Henderson, Buzzbrews on Central at Fitzhugh, Legal Grounds on Abrams in Lakewood and the Starbucks on Knox. Streets with a lot of clubs, restaurants with single women are Greenville Avenue, aforementioned Knox-Henderson, McKinney Avenue and Main Street Downtown. Just go through some of the Dallas threads and you can get an idea. Also if you live downtown it's relatively easy to get to know people who live in the converted office buildings. There's a La Quinta on North Central Expressway a block south of Henderson and you can do a lot of walking from there. There's a rail station (subway) to the south at Lemmon and to the north at Mockingbird (near SMU). You can also catch the McKinney Avenue Trolley at that Lemmon (CityPlace/West Village) station - that will take you downtown.
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