Main Forums > The Roundtable
Tour of Texas continues....tell me about DFW
SADShooter:
In the last four years I've moved from San Antonio to The Woodlands to Austin. And now....
My wife has accepted a job in Dallas (UT Southwestern). I'll be following as soon as I can find something. We're thinking about living in the mid-cities--Arlington, HEB, etc.--based on the notion that quality of life is better/pace is slower than Dallas proper. My wife has some relatives in Forney, so she'll have a place to crash while we're transitioning, and a nice support network.
Please share any practical (or personal) observations & advice about living in the DFW area such as housing, neighborhoods, commuting, job search resources/suggestions, and of cource firearms & shooting stuff.
This is a little intimidating for me, in part because it has transpired very quickly, and because DFW seems bigger than anything I'm used to. SA and Austin are decent-sized cities, and I lived on the outskirts of Houston, but...
Thanks in advance for any and all feedback.
Azrael256:
DFW isn't really all that bad. We do have a bit of a traffic problem on the major highways, but life in general is pretty good here.
Arlington, HEB, and those other areas aren't such a bad idea. We lived up in Justin for awhile (find the racetrack on a map, and go North about three miles), and mom was able to commute down to Parkland, which is across the street from UTSW, in a relatively short time by taking 114. I would recommend any of those areas with quick access to 114 and 183. The HEB area is great for that. It's a royal stinking mess when they Cowboys play at home as you get closer to Dallas, but that won't last much longer. If you live in Arlington, you'll have to take I30 into Dallas, and it does get a little hairy with all the construction, and the jump off onto I35 is a rather exciting place. I would live in Arlington if I commuted to Ft. Worth, but not to Dallas. Coming South on 35 isn't bad, as you can avoid the downtown mess, but you won't find many decent neighborhoods until you cross North of 635.
We live up in Richardson, and mom works at Baylor now. She was at Parkland for quite some time, and at UTSW for a few months. Her commute isn't really that bad. The construction on the 75/635 interchange is a bit of a pain, but they're pretty good about keeping it flowing during rush hour. Dallas has a MUCH better highway infrastructure than does Austin, so, depending on just where you're coming from, it may all be a total breeze to you. It's only about 15 miles from our house to Parkland, and it can be accomplished in 30-45 minutes if you're careful. Once that interchange is all cleaned up and finished, it should flow a good deal faster through there. The neighborhood here seems to have stagnated a bit in the last 10 years or so, but it's still a decent place to live. We don't have much serious crime, the surface streets are all broad and flow well, and we have relatively quick access to downtown since the rail line is just a few miles away.
I recommend visiting three areas: HEB, Richardson/Garland/Plano, and the Southlake to Trophy Club area along 114. You'll be able to find good (sometimes brand new) housing in all three areas, decent (improving) road infrastructure, and basically everything about a city that you'll want without having to live in Dallas proper (you're right not to want to live in Dallas).
If I'm around when you visit, I'll be happy to show you around a little bit. This will, of course, include a tour of the respective shooting ranges in the area, as well as the best pizza joint on this side of the Mississippi.
Best of luck to you!
SADShooter:
Good pizza? I feel better already. But that prompts another question. How is availability of decent Mexican/Tex-Mex food? Growing up in SA, I think I'm a little spoiled.
Azrael256:
It's kinda hit-or-miss around here, although certainly nothing as bad as Oklahoma. We have all the usual chains. Pancho's is good if you want medium-quality food and a whole lot of it. There's a Mexican joint on every corner in these parts, but you have to visit several before you'll find one you like. We lucked out and got a decent place within walking distance of the house.
roo_ster:
SADShooter:
My wife, our boy, our two dogs, and my self live in Richardson, along the northern border of Dallas.
HOUSING
You will find that, in general, housing is really pricey south near Highland Park & University Park and gets cheaper as you go north to McKinney (with some exceptions in pockets). I do not know how much you expect to spend on housing, but the general rule is you can get more sqft for your dollar in new construction the closer you get to Oklahoma. I am not joking about hte "Oklahoma" bit. It used to be, in 1999 when I moved to DFW, that McKinney was considered waaaay out there. Well, now they are building out in Wylie & Melissa. Live out there and work in Dallas & be prepared to spend a lot of time in your car.
We were definitely "starter home" buyers in early 2002. We weighed the benefits of buying new construction in McKinney vs existing housing in Richardson (& a few other places) & decided on a fixer-upper in Richardson. Our neighboorhood was installed in 1959 & still has a few of the original owners. We like the neighborhood. We have a really cool VOLUNTARY housing association. Most people curse theirs, but ours rocks. Also, you can buy from entry-level up to million-dollar 1 acre creekside houses, all withing 1/8 mile of our home. Price per sqft has been going up ~10%/year since 2002.
So much of the new construction is zero lot-line, postage-stamp yards. We have as much yard as the average $500K home currently being built.
I can give you more housing information that dates from 2002. PM me over at THR.
TRAVEL
We are nearly equidistant from two N/S arteries: 75 & N Dallas Tollway. We are also nearly equidistant from two E/W arteries: GHWB Tollway and I635. The monstrous mess of construction at 75/I35 does not effect us, as we are so close it makes no matter. In the morning, we are 15-20minutes from downtown Dallas and aout that far from Allen. A similar amount of time will get you to the I635/I35E junction/Harry Hines.
Traffic can get pretty thick, especially if you are stuck going the way everybody else is. I work north of Rchardson, so my commute is cake.
If your work is near a DART rail station, you can make your commute less a burden by using DART & getting some work done on the train.
SCHOOLS
Richardson, Plano, Highland Park are all considered tops for public education if that is an option you will make use of. JJ Pearce HS (RISD) is one of hte top 500 HS in the USA. Avoid Dallas ISD like a leper. Same goes for several others.
There are lots of quality private schools to choose from.
DINING
There are a whole bunch of good restaurants. I will not go so far as to say I am a Mexican food expert, merely an enthusiastic amateur. I have had the pleasure of eating at some tasty Mexican restaurants from Dallas to Las Cruces, NM. We have some very good Mexican restaurants and a lot of passable ones. Of course, the best in all DFW is Joe T Garcia's in Ft Worth. The best reasonably priced Italian restaurant in DFW is around the corner (Cafe Amore). Good Vietnamese and Cantonese food, too.
SHOOTING
Several public ranges to choose from. They all have their quirks. Also, there are a bunch of gun shops. If you have not already, sign up at the yahoo group THR_DFW (you'll find a link in my THR sig).
CHURCH
We ended up going to "the big church downtown" as my boss calls it: First Baptist, Dallas. It is 15 minutes from the house and we found that it is what we need. There are, however, several good churches nearby.
EMPLOYMENT
It is not as hot as it was during the dot-bomb years, but DFW's job market is larger than that of several states. I don't know what you are looking for, so I don't know if I can help.
When you get up here to take a gander, drop us a line. We can help you with some of the areas, but others would be better able to help with the mid-cities.
Good luck and welcome to Big D.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
Go to full version