For those of you that live there and like, or love, it???
How’s the job market? Housing? What’s to do?
What are the drawbacks?
From about now until October, it’s HOT !!
Job market sucks horribly at the moment- I’m a techie, and I know a couple guys who have been out of work for 8+ months. It looks like most of the layoffs have stopped, so with any luck, the job market has bottomed out and will start picking back up soon.
Dallas is an interesting place. The city itself isn’t that big, but there are a BUNCH of suburban communities surrounding it. Almost all the nightlife is in Dallas though- some is in Addison(the fake-boob & tan crowd), and some in parts west(boots & belt buckle crowd).
The first thing you’ll notice if you’re from a relatively down-to-earth place is that Dallas is pretentious. Lots of $30,000 millionaires around here, especially in the young professional crowd. I’m originally from Houston, and it took me a couple of years to get to where I could ignore it and not be astounded by it.
On the other hand, it does have a pretty large young professional crowd, or at least it seems that way compared to what I could find in Houston.
Stuff to do… hmm… the usual bars and nightclubs are here, and there seems to be a large number of concerts up here.
A drawback (if you drink any) is that the alcohol laws around here are a crazy quilt of dry precincts and odd zoning that can make it very inconvenient to get various types of booze depending on where you live. This applies to grocery stores, liquor stores, bars, restaraunts, etc…
I moved up here because most of my college friends lived here after graduation and I was miserable in Houston. I’d say on the whole, I like it up here, but there are definitely things I don’t like.
Not sure where you’re from CanvasShoes, but bump has the truth of it when he says it’s HOT. I hate summer in this town.
I may not be the best person to ask, since I don’t really like living in this town. I’m a country boy and there’s too damn many people in the city, but there’s not damn jobs in the country. Feh.
The job market is down, but stable now. Somewhat depends on what type of job you are looking for. Techies are indeed SOL right now, but other sectors aren’t as bad.
My own opinion on housing is that it is too pricey right now. I haven’t owned my own yet and don’t plan to in the next couple of years. I don’t want to buy a house, then get a job that requires an hour commute. I like being able to pick up and move to an apartment near work, since driving here, particularly in rush hour, is quite painful.
One of the good things about Dallas is that there is loads to do. The big club scene is down in Deep Ellum, and can be lots of fun if you’re into that. The bar scene is mostly Lower Greenville, and the pickup places are pretty easy to spot. Addison has some good hanging out places. In addition to the young professional party scene, Dallas also has a very good symphony http://www.dallassymphony.com/ that plays in a beautiful building.
I would agree that the crowd is easier to find in Dallas than Houston, but I think that says more about Houston than it does Big D. Also, the local sports teams are pretty solid right now (Stars and Mavs), or hopefully on the rise (Cowboys), unless you’re a baseball or soccer fan (Rangers and Burn).
So, to sum up, drawbacks–traffic, hot summers, medium high cost of living. Advantages–friendly people, good sports teams, fun party spots.
Dallas, hmmm
I come from a smaller ‘city’ in the midwest. I’ve lived in the big ‘D’ for about 4 years now. It can be good and it can be awful. Dallas is more pretentious than any of the cities I’ve been to, and I travel a lot. Cosmetic surgery is the norm for the Highland park women and the Addison crowd, too. When I go shopping, I’m always amazed at the sizes of clothing that are available…0’s, and 2’s. I wear a size 6 and feel fat among the in-crowd.
There are a ton of places to see and be seen. Snobbishness abounds.
BUT if you look hard there are some great areas of Dallas that feel more like small towns. I live in Casa Linda/Whiterock and I never feel like I live in Dallas. There are houses to buy or rent where I live, but they are hugely expensive for what they are. Typically they are 2-3 bedrooms 1-2 baths built in 1946-1950. They all need work and are generally under 2000 square feet. they run about $200,000-$300,000. Rent is generally $1300 and up. For other places in the city, I’m not sure although I used to live downtown in a $1000 a month loft that was only 800 square feet.
Fort Worth is next to Dallas and is a boots and Ropers/Rockies place, but it has a GREAT downtown with a laid-back nightlife. Austin is only three hours away and is quite simply heaven.
For the job market I guess it depends…you’d have to be more specific in what you’re looking for. The weather is hot, but there is worse further south and almost every house/apartment has air conditioning.
Like Carnal, I’m a country boy at heart, and there are too many people here for me. That said, it’s not a bad place…for a city. It’s no hotter than it was in the wilds of Louisiana, and there’s lots to do.
Some stuff to do besides the nightlife:
-Scarborough Faire, a very nice Renaissance Faire, runs every year in Waxahachie, less than an hour’s drive from the DFW.
-<shameless plug>There are LARP (Live Action Roleplaying) groups here, some of which are a lot of fun.</shameless plug>
-The DFW Dopers will gather at the drop of anything that looks like it might be, have been, or someday become part of, a hat. That provides an automatic base of nice, intelligent, interesting folks to hang out with. Also, Chef Troy is a fantastic cook. 
I don’t know much about the job market for environmental regulations experts (did I get that right?), but as others have noted, it’s mainly us techies that are nervous right now.
First of all, hot. I’m a native Dallasite, so I’ve seen the city change – and grow – at an amazing pace over the years. Dallas is a sea of concrete; not a picturesque city by any means. Yes, it’s a “look good” city, no doubt about that…you can’t throw a stick without hitting a blonde. Like me!
On the up side, the housing is extremely affordable compared with the rest of the country. You can get a gorgeous, huge house in Dallas (well, maybe not Dallas, but one of the suburbs) for less than $300k easily. The job market seems stable (at least in accounting, my profession).
I agree with Bump that the liquor laws are senseless…you can’t just walk into any old grocery store and buy a six-pack. In some cases you’ve got to go miles out of your way.
There’s a never-ending list of restaurants and bars – FYI, if you’re a smoker, you won’t be lighting up in Dallas proper.
Yep, Dallas has it’s warts, but it’s home to me and I’d never even consider moving away.
Blonde
Anyone mention the almost-unbearable heat yet? Oh, good.
I live and work in the Allen/Plano area, and I’ve lived here since I was 2 (I was born in Hawaii, damn parents had to move!). For the most part it’s a pretty cool place, for the reasons mentioned above. I’ll also toss in that the Dallas Summer Musicals are lots of fun too.
The drawbacks? Like Blonde said, it’s a concrete jungle. It’s a nice looking city, but Austin blows it away.
Also, you can live here for ten years without spending a nickel in an independantly-owned restaurant. We’re covered with Chili’s and On the Borders and Outbacks and whatever else. Not that these places are bad, I just like the family-owned joints on occasion.
Overall though, when the temperature is under 100F, I’m happy to live here.
What is a $30,000 millionaire?
Thanks for all the info guys, I’m moving to Dallas sometime in July.
Anoter query for the Dallasians: what’s the local music scene like (specifically little clubs that cater to a punk or ska crowd, local bands, anything about the local music)?
The local music scene is remarkably diverse and progressive - try Deep Ellum or lower Greenville. Do NOT go to Fort Worth unless you like country music, because it’s much more of a “Texas” city than Dallas. Oh, and July is not the month to move to Dallas!! Unless you enjoy 100 degree temperatures every single day, no rain, no clouds, just searing heat.
Ravenman, I’m going to hazard a guess that a $30,000 millionaire is a wannabee who acts/looks/pretends to be wealthy when they’re not.
Blonde
Hey CanvasShoes, are ya gonna change your screename to LeatherBoots?
But, semi-seriously, if you’re not from the south you’ll have to get used to complete strangers treating you like a human being. They will say “hi” (or even “howdy”), to you while passing on the street, look you in the eye, ask how you are–actually listening to your answer, give good directions, and hold the door for you just because it’s there!
Hope you love it like I do.
p.s. They forgot to mention that when it’s not too hot it’s too cold. Also when it’s not too wet it’s too dry. Not to mention tornados, softball-sized hail, thunderstorms from hell, flash floods, and (no joke) plagues af crickets and grasshoppers!
Especially in the north suburbs, you’ll see a large number of people wearing designer clothes & flashy jewelry, driving hot sports cars, and generally looking like moderately wealthy people. They’re actually in debt up to their eyeballs maintaining the superficial trimmings of that lifestyle. Why, I don’t know …
I’m an Illinois farm boy, lived in Chicago for a while, here in Dallas for the past few years. Chicago’s the only other decent-sized city I can compare it to; Dallas is surprisingly competitive in the music scene, well behind in ‘higher culture’, though. There are some good indie movie theatres. Good sports teams & venues. Lots of ethnic diversity. One serious downside for me is the lack of public transportation-they’re trying hard to develop the bus and light rail system in Dallas, but it’s still third-rate. Hard to get Texans to leave their cars at home, I guess. And, of course, it’s way too damn hot here in the summertime. Has anyone mentioned that?
Oh yeah, guess I should have given some background huh?
I’m from Alaska, I’ve lived here for 33 years and I’m 44. I’m a woman and I teach among other things, line dancing. But not line dancing as most people think of it, as my students like to say, “this ain’t no boot scoot,” my MO is hip hop, techno and rock, and difficult moves to go along with it. (I’ll use country if students whine enough though :D)
I also teach couples dancing and aerobics and I’m working on my certs for personal training and an IDEA (international dance and exercise assoc) cert.
But those are just my “income for the psyche” jobs, just for fun. My “real” job is as an environmental project manager. I’ve been in the enviro field going on 15 years.
Anchorage has a population of about 275k, and I HATE it. Don’t get me wrong, Alaska is as beautiful (more) than all the tourist ads make it out to be, but there is NOTHING TO DO!!!
I love coasters and water parks, also all the concerts and nightlife you guys mentioned sounds fun.
And even though Anchorage has a moderate climate, for a northern city, we don’t even generally get the brutal temps that say Minnesota does, I HATE cold, so 100 degree temps would be nice.
My daughter and I vacationed in Vegas a few years ago, we’d been there about 3 days, and we walked outside the hotel and said “hey, I think it’s cooler today”! Then we looked at the big temp reading on the sign above the hotel. It was actually a few degrees HOTTER!
LOL, we’d just acclimated very quickly. My friends all call me chilly willie (you know, the little penguin that was always freezing?).
I’m also sick of the scant selection of men here. I know everyone in the states thinks that the ratio is like 10 - 1, it’s not. It used to be back in the pipeline days, but now it’s about 1.05 men to every one woman.
And even in the days of 10 men for every girl, we Alaskan girls had a saying, “the odds are good, but the goods are REAL odd”!!!
Not that I’m all that anxious to start dating again (not sure if I’ll ever find anyone to measure up to my soon to be ex), but just in case, it would be nice to be somewhere where there was a bit more selection.
I’m used to the “bad public transportation” thing. Anchorage has the SUCKIEST bus system in the world.
And I’d wouldn’t mind paying for the extra gas it takes to commute, (after all, I’m used to having to get up an hour early to dig my car out from under 5 feet of snow).
If you’re from Alaska YOU WILL DIE A HORRIBLE DEATH FROM THE HEAT HERE!
Actually, according to your Vegas trip, sounds like you’ll survive. Well done!
And there are lots of water parks around here; there are no less than four within half-an-hour (a tad longer for Six Flags) of my area (north suburbs).
As for the male population, dudes in this town are a dime a dozen! Actually, I have no idea, since I myself am a 27 year-old male, but I wanted to use that line. 
If you’re a religious person, we do have the World’s Largest Churches here (one near me seats 7,000 people!), many of which will certainly have singles’ groups. If not, we also have the World’s Largest Malls, and the World’s Largest Movie Theaters here as well. Hang out there a while and check out the movie geeks!
And the rail system is passable, but I never use it (I work in the burbs too). Even when going downtown I usually drive cause it’s just easier. It’s expanding though, and there are some cool apartment complexes along the lines from what I hear. If I lived within walking distance of a rail station, I could see myself hitchin’ a ride once in a while, but I think like a lot of people here, I adhere to some bizarre stigma about riding the bus.
Oh, and Dallas did just get exponentially better: We now have a FREEBIRDS! Hopefully at least one other doper will know what I’m talking about; it’s the best burrito place in the world. (I thought of it because it’s near one of the stations on the north side of town)
If you have any other specific questions, keep 'em coming!
Whoop! Forgot about the new Freebirds! Until now I had to go to College Station to get my fixes.
Imagine a burrito restaraunt where they have something like 3-4 kinds of meat, 3 kinds of beans, 3-4 tortilla types, cheese, rice, peppers, onions(raw and sauteed), a myriad of sauces, lettuce, tomato, pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream, and probably several things I’m forgetting.
You start at the beginning, and choose the tortilla, then go down the line and have your burrito chef add all the stuff to it. At the end it comes out looking like a big tinfoil cylinder.
Mmm… Freebirds!
(if anyone doesn’t know where it is, it’s on Greenville Ave. just north of Lovers, on the East side(across from Regal Beagle and down the way from World Market and Two Rows).
It’s pretty hot and sometimes the traffic can be just horrendous(like most other major cities). Also, there’s really not much in the way of scenery in the immediate Dallas area. Kinda bland and boring for the most part.
If you’re the outdoorsy type you may have to do a bit of traveling if you have a mind to go camping. It’s really to hot to go camping and hiking in the summer(IMO at least).
One good thing though: you won’t ever lack for shopping here.
Also, Dallas is not at all like what you might think of when you think of Texas, like Cowboys and ranches and all that. It’s a major city and stuff like just isn’t that common in Dallas itself.
It’s flat. Real flat.
And it ain’t that hot.
Well, just wait up, because it is going to be DAMN hot soon.
Where the hell is that f–king rain we were promised…
Oh! Howdy, folks who are planning on moving to/visiting our lovely city. Dallas is a just beautiful, lots of great restaurants and what-not. Welcome!
did you bring sunscreen?
Oh, you guys are all just making it sound BETTER and BETTER. Please keep your personal descriptions and experiences coming. One of my clients has an office in San Antonio (and has made serious noises about hiring me if I move to the states), I may try that as well, so San Antonions, I’d be ever so grateful if you’d chime in.
As for Texas heat?? FTR, I did my basics in San Antonio in the 80s, is it similar to Dallas heat? I hate fishing, camping etc, so it won’t break my heart to not “get” to do those activities.
I do like hiking, and actual activities outdoors though (fishing has never struck me as much of an “activity” from my experience, and from observing good ole Anchorage “fishing fever” every spring for the last 33 years, it looks like standing still in a cold wet creek for hours at a time to me :D).
I LOVE shopping, but I pay for my own, stuff and don’t expect men to “take care of me” a couple of guys friends I know from online claim that Texas men will adore my sister and I because of our “unusual” attitudes about money.
They say (girls PLEASE don’t kill me, I’m only repeating what I’ve heard, please correct me [KINDLY], if the following isn’t true), anyway, the men I’ve talked to say that the Texas women tend to be very high maintenance and want to be spoiled.
Whereas Alaskan women tend to be very self-sufficient “can-do” type people. My sister and I love restoring old autos. My sister is an excellent mechanic, and I’m a passable one.
My sister loves football, but I love Hockey. But, we’re also very much “girly-girls” when it comes to dressing up and going out. We expect men to spoil us regarding love and affection, but we’re fine “taking care of” ourselves.
Well, I grew up in Dallas, and moved to Austin to go to UT. Personally, I will never go back.
Most of my old friends still live in Dallas, so I still visit occasionally, and it seems to me that the attitude of people in Dallas is getting progressively worse, and less like “Texas” every year. I totally agree about the $30,000 millionaire, and would add that the service industry (waiters, salespeople, etc) seem to be ruder in Dallas than they are in the rest of Texas.
San Antonio is pretty good. It has a much more “South Texas” feel to it, with more native Spanish speakers and great Tex-Mex restaurants. Oh, yeah … and it’s only about an hour’s drive from Austin - the greates city on Earth.
If you’re into hiking, Austin and central Texas have got you covered. There’s only one drawback … it’s freakin’ HOT here!!