Hey folks, Having been to the DFW area a few times (just during the winter holidays) in the last 6 or 7 years (family lives in the metro area), I've really have grown to like the area a lot. The weather (never been in the summer however, but I'll trade if for an upstate New York winter), the people, the energy, the lifestyle (restaurants, sports/entertainment/recreation), a huge business city that seems friendly in towards businesses/entrepreneurs (Texas as a whole), and the big city feel, yet you don’t feel “crowded”. After graduating from college late last summer (hopefully finishing up some medical things I’ve had to get taken care) with a Bachelor’s degree (Hotel and Restaurant Management), I’m looking at the DFW for employment. Do you guys enjoy living in DFW? Is the cost of living reasonable (for a college graduate, who is pretty frugal-think of no new car that many grads get, don't like to spend money in going out, ect.)? My goal is in three to five years to become an entrepreneur (business concept (search B&I section for a clue, is all detailed out, just need to save a little money and want to "settle" myself first). Is DFW, and Texas, a good state to open and conduct a business? Any advice on finding positions or contacts to gain employment? Any other general advice?
Been here for 20 years. Love it! I'm originally from Wisconsin and grew up shoveling snow 6 months out of the year. The summers here are hot, but I'll take it over the cold and snow ANY day... especially when it comes to driving exotic cars! The cost of living is reasonable, the people (in general) are friendly, and as you put it, you are living in a big city with a lot of people yet the DFW area is so spread out it does not have the "crowded" feel of some other large cities. I have many business contacts in the area. Send me an email or PM me and we can talk about opportunities in the area. [email protected] Tim
I moved here 3 years ago next month. I HATE the summers! Last summer was awful. Personally, I can handle my old Chicago winters much better than these Dallas summers. Winters are nice. Spring and fall are great. Winter does get cold, but not like it does up north. One thing that I like about Dallas is housing is somewhat cheap. Compared to Chicago it's much cheaper. The house I'm in now would be more that double the price in Chicago area where I am from. Dallas is a great business city. For the most party, people are willing to talk with you and conduct business with you. Sounds like you are young and unmarried. You'll love the women. J
Is it a dry heat in the summer? I live around the Buffalo, NY metro area. One of the worst winter spots in the country (lake effect snow is terrible). You trade one for another, but I can handle a hot summer over a lousy, cold winter. How's the traffic? Is it as gridlock as some of major coastal cities?
The dry heat people talk about in Dallas is a crock of ****! Yes, it's humid. When I moved here I said to everyone "Heat is heat, it's gets hot in Chicago too". Well....heat is not heat! We had a streak of over 20 days of 100+ days last summer and another of 16 days. At night it doesn't get under 95. It's relentless! Everytime you walk outside is like sticking your face in an oven! Personally, I'd take snow and cold over this heat...that's just me. As for traffic it depends on where you live relative to work. Yes, the expressways jam up. I rarely sit in traffic. I dont even take the highways when I go to and from work. My wife, however, has a much different commute. Sorry, for being negative... I hate to come across like that. If you can handle heat, it's a good palce to live and work. City is fun, always stuff to do. It's a little more spread out than other cities I've been to which makes it somewhat unique. I already mentioned the women, which is certainly worth mentioning again.
I've lived here 18 years and I've NEVER heard anyone say Dallas is a dry heat. It's not. However, if you think it's humid here, go to Houston. The heat is here 2 months a year. That's it. Today, it's supposed to be near 80. A nice day to drive the Ferrari with the top off. We get a lot of these in Dallas in the winter.
I'm speaking as a converted Northerner! The impression people have (who live up North) is that Dallas has this "dry" heat. You may not hear it.....I do! Not only that, but westworld asked if it's a "dry" heat. so, I guess this is the first time you've heard that question asked. The heat is here more than 2 months a year. Last summer we had 100+ days from June until September. Is everyday that hot, no, but it's there!
Ah, the "North American Heat Wave" of 2006..... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_North_American_heat_wave
I've lived in FTW all of my life (45 years). I've had numerous opportunities to move other places for job transfers within my company. I have travelled extensively both domestically and foriegn. I chose to stay here because of the climate, people, amenities, etc. In FTW we have world class museums, a zoo in the top 10 small zoos in the world, theater and musical entertainment on par within many larger cities. The traffic is such that I can get anywhere in town within 30 minutes (most times under 20). If there is something I want to do or buy that is not available in FTW I can get it in Dallas, less than an hour away. Add to that the Cowboys, Mavericks, Rangers, Stars, NASCAR, etc. Sure it gets hot here, but just like northerners are geared to handle snow, we're set up to handle heat. Cars and buildings are air conditioned. Stay indoors midday in the summer. Run or bike early mornings or late evenings and all is OK. If you play 5 sets of tennis outdoors in at 2PM in mid-July, expect a trip to the ER for heat stroke. In the winter we get rain and some ice/sleet/snow. Don't expect the street crews to deal within the frozen stuff like they do in NY. No one here can drive on ice, it just makes for entertaining video on the news. There are plenty of good restaurants and bars. Good companies to work for. Good housing available at reasonable prices. The costs to set up a new business are low and the process is fairly simple. Overall taxes aren't that bad, but property taxes are onerous even with the recent prop tax relief measures. Obviously I'm biased, but I truly beleive the metroplex (and FTW in particular) has a lot to offer. There are areas here I wouldn't live in and some I wouldn't even drive through but the pros far outweigh the cons. The heat is a con that is easy to work around. A little common sense goes a long way.
That pretty well sums it up. Give me Dallas summers vs Chicago winters ANY day. The heat is much easier to beat.
I hear what your saying! It depends on the person, obviously. I'm the exact opposite though. I can handle the hard winter better than I can handle these hot summers down here. I will admit, I am getting somewhat acclimated to the heat, but I'm still not looking forward to June through Sept. It's pure, sweaty, misery for me. The rest of the year ain't bad!
Pros: Good economy. Lots of recreation. Convenient Cons: Hot. No seasons other than summer and a couple of cold days. No scenery. Flat urban sprawl is it. Not even a real river. There's a large creek here that they try and pass off as one.
Who needs rivers? We have a gazillion lakes within an hours drive. Many of them you can actually buy a home on for a reasonable amount of money.
Interesting fact: DFW has more dining establishments per capita then any other city in the US. One other nice thing about the area is ability to fly to any point in the US non-stop with a large choice of flights (thanks to the hubs of AA and SW), and non-stop connections to all major cities internationally. AA flies to four European cities and one Asian city (London-Gatwick, Paris, Frankfurt and Zurich/Tokyo), as well as all the major cities/markets in the Americas.
We are not unique in the Lakes category, except for the fact that they are all reservoirs. Doesn't change the fact that this place is simply urban sprawl. The Natural landscape is in the bottom 10 percent. However, we make up for it with the 'pros' that I listed.
Born in Dallas, raised in Canada...lived in Washington State for 3 years.....and I moved to Houston. *DOH!* DFW is GREAT! I despise the heat, but I'll put up with it for the people and the opportunities. After living here in Houston for 8 months, I still love Dallas. As a young college grad (last May), I'd encourage you to seriously consider the DFW area. If you want any help, feel free to PM me.
Thanks for all the information. The heat doesn't bother me. As long as your cars and buildings have AC, it doesn't bother me. I would trade long horrible, cold winters (which can often ground you in your house) for short, humid summers. Any place you go has a weather drawback (earthquakes out west, hurricanes in the gulf and east coast, cold winters up north). The nice part is I have close family in the area that I can stay with if I came down, until I get settled and that.
Thanks. I will do. Out of curiosity, what would be an average rent + utilities for a studio/2-br apartment (not in the "bad" parts)?
Do you guys (and gals) have any inside information on the new Ritz-Carlton, Dallas? It opens in July.
At first you may not be able to rent a floor DFW has a fantastic diverse economy. I moved down here from Wisconsin 20 yrs ago to work as an aircraft mechanic for Braniff. (work on the ramp in negative temperatures once or twice and suddenly the heat doesnt sound so bad). I do miss the real lakes, trees, and summers but a plane ticket takes you anywhere.
Westworld, I'm from Niagara so I know what you're going through! We tried it out for a summer and really enjoyed the DFW area. We lived in FW area and I worked in Dallas. Having done both, I think Dallas summer is worse than Vegas if you have to dress in business attire. Vegas is hotter by the thermometer, but you sweat less, surprisingly. But it's cheap to live, salaries are high, homes are cheaper than dirt to buy, plenty of nice cities and suburbs, lots of good restaurants and great people - including what is probably the most active Ferrari group in America. Downsides are the heat, it's flat (although people get boats and there are lakes), property taxes, no urban center life after 7pm (downtown is a ghost town at night, only the "economic zombies" shuffle about asking for money), and uptown Dallas tries to be "more Beverly Hills than Beverly Hills." My first day there they warned me about the "$30,000 Millionaires" - the many creatively financed young people of the area who work retail and drive leased 325i's. However, that's a lot of places nowadays. Kind of funny to see so many are here on the board living in DFW from Wisconsin, since we ended up moving to Wisconsin instead. Tough choice though, since if I would have gone with a firm there, we would been in our first house and I'd be driving a Ferrari next month. It would have been a nice, straightforward life. However, I can't ever do things the easy way in life and I'm going for a higher risk, higher return position.
Vegas is a secondary option I am looking at. The job-hunting should be pretty smooth. But the cost and quality of life are both of a concern to me. The $30,000 Millionaires. My neighbor is one (a Envoy lease, 3 computers that are all 2 or less years old (just picked up a $3k notebook, when he doesn't travel/lives at home/doesn't need it for work, spends on all the lastest electronics and buys the "good stuff" when he drinks). It's borderline insane silly how little he has in savings (no debt or bills (except the cards and financing his toys) and makes a decent salary ($50-60k a year). No thanks. I want to be the cheapest SOB for most of my 20's. If not, I'll never get to where I want to go. Take a risk, become an entrepreneur. Make myself wealthy, not someone else, and work for that nice, worry-free life (basically, being in a position to live like a millionaire with the assets and income to back it up). And the key thing, is that I truly feel I will enjoy the risks and excitement of being an entrepreneur.
you hit the nail on the head. we just moved to Dallas and am shocked about what i see. it gets really interesting at some of the chic restaurants and "bars" when you see these people - getting downright annoying so i just tend to ignore it now. but it has made me want to sell my wife's 325 even though it's such a great little car
Vegas homes are about 2x Dallas homes, but aside from real estate *buying* Vegas is an affordable place to live. Rent for a nice 2 bdrm apartment in a nice Summerlin complex with 3 pools runs $975-1300/mo. Life in the suburbs is pretty quiet and the burbs are pleasantly conservative and very convenient. Unless people work on the Strip it's really not a part of daily life. My wife and I would just go to the Strip when people came to visit, or to go to a particular restaurant (even then, we stuck mostly with the restaurants on the outside of town - we lived near the Red Rock Casino and Boca Park complexes). Probably a lot more hotel management options in Vegas. Salaries are probably higher in Dallas (law salaries, for example, are 30-40% higher in Dallas). Neither has state income tax, which is great.
