# So, what's Dallas like? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 3, 2003, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-dallas-like/179306 "2003-06-03T04:10:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Road\_Rash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a8b319/32.png) [@Road\_Rash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Road_Rash)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2003, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-dallas-like/179306/41 "2003-06-08T02:35:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Reckless Humor \* > \*\*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!! \*\* What is the favorite thing an Austinite likes to talk about? How bad Houston is. The second favorite thing an Austinite likes to talk about? How great Austin used to be. Austin is cool. I have a cousin who lives there. I plan to go sailing with him on Lake Travis next weekend. I would have this weekend, but I wrecked my truck and had to buy a new one. In Houston, people like to talk about how snobby Dallas people are, but every time I have been there I have met very friendly people. more so than Austin, where you have to get to know the natives a bit first (lots of Birkenstock snob types). Dallas has its funky areas, its posh places, its sprawling suburbs. The difference from Houston is that they are more segregated, due to elaborate, and often strange zoning laws. Houston has little to no zoning, so the funkiness kind of spreads about. Its just a matter of what you enjoy. An Irish themed pub in Dallas will likely be just as inviting as one in Houston. As far as high maintenance women. Come on down, us common folk could always use more “down to earth” chicks. There is a Freebirds within walking distance of my place in H-town. Good and fairly cheap. ---
**Author:** ![Road\_Rash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a8b319/32.png) [@Road\_Rash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Road_Rash)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2003, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-dallas-like/179306/42 "2003-06-08T02:45:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Reckless Humor \* > \*\*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!! \*\* What is the favorite thing an Austinite likes to talk about? How bad Houston is. The second favorite thing an Austinite likes to talk about? How great Austin used to be. Austin is cool. I have a cousin who lives there. I plan to go sailing with him on Lake Travis next weekend. I would have this weekend, but I wrecked my truck and had to buy a new one. In Houston, people like to talk about how snobby Dallas people are, but every time I have been there I have met very friendly people. more so than Austin, where you have to get to know the natives a bit first (lots of Birkenstock snob types). Dallas has its funky areas, its posh places, its sprawling suburbs. The difference from Houston is that they are more segregated, due to elaborate, and often strange zoning laws. Houston has little to no zoning, so the funkiness kind of spreads about. Its just a matter of what you enjoy. An Irish themed pub in Dallas will likely be just as inviting as one in Houston. As far as high maintenance women. Come on down, us common folk could always use more “down to earth” chicks. There is a Freebirds within walking distance of my place in H-town. Good and fairly cheap. ---
**Author:** ![Blonde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Blonde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blonde)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2003, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-dallas-like/179306/43 "2003-06-08T02:57:18Z")
**Road Rash** , next time you visit Big D the beer’s on me. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2003, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-dallas-like/179306/44 "2003-06-08T06:40:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Glory \* > \*\*One of my favorite places in Dallas: > > Connmara - great outdoor art/sculpture exhibit > > [http://www.guidelive.com/profile/103210/?p=1](http://www.guidelive.com/profile/103210/?p=1) \*\* OOooooh, PRETTYYYYYYYYYY! 🙂 Rolling grassy fields (no damn mountains blocking all the scenery, hehe). ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2003, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-dallas-like/179306/45 "2003-06-08T06:44:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Carnal knowledge \* > \*\*Greenville and Lovers, just a bit north. I had dinner there yesterday. I wasn’t amazingly impressed, but had to try it given the kudos I’d heard. YMMV > The Mavs are the local NBA basketball team. They got beat by the San Antonio Spurs in the conference finals last week. > I’ll third this. I like Fort Worth, but then I’m closer to being a hick than most in Dallas. 😉 \*\* Who is the Hockey team? I’m not into basketball at all (all the SQEEEEEkkkkk, squeeeksqueeeksqueek of the tennis shoes makes me want to Ouzi [sp?] someone). How far away from Dallas is Fort Worth? Isn’t the city area called Dallas-Fort Worth? Or is that just the Airport? I’m not sure, but coming from a state with such a tiny population and one that’s so isolated, I might be a bit of a hick (or at least severely oversheltered) myself. If Fort Worth is close enough, maybe that would be more suitable at first. Til I get my “city legs”? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Road\_Rash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a8b319/32.png) [@Road\_Rash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Road_Rash)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2003, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-dallas-like/179306/46 "2003-06-08T12:09:14Z")
It’s far enough away to fit in a couple of cities of 200,000 people(Arlington and Irving) between them, Plus a giant airport. About 45 miles. A decent distance between larger European cities, Edinbourgh and Glasgow are closer, but close enough in Texas to hyphenate (like Midland-Odessa). There are a bunch of 60,000 to 200,000 population suburbs all around Dallas. Like Houston, Dallas is eerily void of suburbs coming in from the South. That may be changing. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2003, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-dallas-like/179306/47 "2003-06-08T17:19:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Road Rash \* > \*\* Like Houston, Dallas is eerily void of suburbs coming in from the South. That may be changing. \*\* Huh? League City, Webster, Clear Lake, South Houston, Pasadena, Missouri City, Sugarland, Friendswood, Pearland, and Deer Park were all roughly southerly suburbs of Houston. The reason that Dallas has so few southern suburbs is because all the “bad parts of town” are in the south part of Dallas, while the ritzy areas are in the north. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2003, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-dallas-like/179306/48 "2003-06-08T17:23:04Z")
\*Originally posted by CanvasShoes \* \*\*Who is the Hockey team? \*\* The Dallas Stars, formerly the Minnesota North Stars about 10 years ago. \*\* How far away from Dallas is Fort Worth? Isn’t the city area called Dallas-Fort Worth? Or is that just the Airport? \*\* Dallas and Ft. Worth are about 40-45 miles apart. Yes on both counts. The airport’s actually an incorporated town named “DFW Airport”, and the whole area is called D/FW, DFW, the DFW Metroplex, or sometimes just the Metroplex. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2003, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-dallas-like/179306/49 "2003-06-08T19:26:36Z")
I tried to post this last night, but the hamsters ate it so it may be a little repetitive, but here goes: The Dallas Stars won the Stanley Cup in '99 and thus are very popular, plus they (and the Mavericks) play in a nice new arena–The American Airlines Center. Tickets ain’t cheap, though. Arlington, as mentioned previously, is parked right in between Fort Worth and Dallas and is home to Six Flags Over Texas, Hurricane Harbor (a waterpark), and The Ballpark in Arlington where the Texas Rangers play. Irving is the home of Texas Stadium where the Dallas Cowboys play. And DFW airport is centrally located also. So wherever in the Metroplex you live, the big attractions aren’t too far away, even if you are going from Fort Worth to Dallas or the reverse. Dallas is the place for most of the rock/pop/alternative music scene, whether it is big concerts or smaller shows. Fort Worth attracts more of the country and Texana artists. There is a commuter train that goes back and forth between Fort Worth and Dallas. I’ve ridden it when going to Dallas to see hockey games, but I don’t know how well it serves the daily business commuter. And like others have said, the Metroplex is a big sprawl with cities and suburbs everywhere, so there are lots of choices about where to live. Some places are pricier than others, but just go a few miles in any direction and you’ll find something different. It does seem like most of the growth (businesses, jobs, housing, etc.) is spreading out northward from Dallas and Fort Worth. ---
**Author:** ![Road\_Rash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a8b319/32.png) [@Road\_Rash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Road_Rash)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2003, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-dallas-like/179306/50 "2003-06-08T21:01:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bump \* > \*\*Huh? League City, Webster, Clear Lake, South Houston, Pasadena, Missouri City, Sugarland, Friendswood, Pearland, and Deer Park were all roughly southerly suburbs of Houston. > > The reason that Dallas has so few southern suburbs is because all the “bad parts of town” are in the south part of Dallas, while the ritzy areas are in the north. \*\* Give me a break! All of these are southwest or southeast. I am talking straight SOUTH. Down the Gulf Freeway, the Southwest Freeway, or Telephone road. I think you know well what I am talking about, and getting all technical for some cutesy reason. Coming from the south on 288, until fairly recently the first noticeable thing you woud see was the old Astrodome and the Medical Center skyline. Sunnyside is there, but it is an old, easily missed subdivision. By then you were almost to loop 610. That is changing. ---
**Author:** ![Road\_Rash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a8b319/32.png) [@Road\_Rash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Road_Rash)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2003, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-dallas-like/179306/51 "2003-06-08T21:02:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bump \* > \*\*Huh? League City, Webster, Clear Lake, South Houston, Pasadena, Missouri City, Sugarland, Friendswood, Pearland, and Deer Park were all roughly southerly suburbs of Houston. > > The reason that Dallas has so few southern suburbs is because all the “bad parts of town” are in the south part of Dallas, while the ritzy areas are in the north. \*\* Give me a break! All of these are southwest or southeast. Down the Gulf Freeway, the Southwest Freeway, or Telephone road. I am talking straight SOUTH. I think you know well what I am talking about, and getting all technical for some cutesy reason. Coming from the south on 288, until fairly recently the first noticeable thing you woud see was the old Astrodome and the Medical Center skyline. Sunnyside is there, but it is an old, easily missed subdivision. By then you were almost to loop 610. That is changing. ---
**Author:** ![Road\_Rash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a8b319/32.png) [@Road\_Rash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Road_Rash)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2003, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-dallas-like/179306/52 "2003-06-08T21:09:06Z")
The two posts above may look identical, but a sentence was moved in the second one for more accuracy. I did not mean to send the first one. Sorry Bump, maybe you were unaware of 288 South, which is what I meant. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2003, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-dallas-like/179306/53 "2003-06-08T23:19:38Z")
It sounds like a great place. So much variety, particularly when you understand that as huge as Alaska is, we’re very isolated, and with the tiny population, there just isn’t a whole lot to do. It’s great if you’re Grizzly Adams (a lot of guys here are), and are addicted to hunting/fishing/snowmachining, but otherwise? It’s a huge snore. One nice thing about Alaska though, that I’m a bit nervous about the lower 48. The median age of success here is about 38, compared to 52 in the lower 48 I think. In other words, the money you make the position you can obtain, the success one enjoys are had at a much younger age here. How old are those of you living in San Antonio/Austin/Dallas, what do you do, where are you success wise? (I mean comfort etc ability to pay bills, have some fun, I’m not looking to be a 30,000 millionaire :D). ---
**Author:** ![Blonde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Blonde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blonde)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2003, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-dallas-like/179306/54 "2003-06-08T23:49:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tangent \* > \*\* > There is a commuter train that goes back and forth between Fort Worth and Dallas. I’ve ridden it when going to Dallas to see hockey games, but I don’t know how well it serves the daily business commuter. > > It does seem like most of the growth (businesses, jobs, housing, etc.) is spreading out northward from Dallas and Fort Worth. \*\* **Tangent** : forgive me for carving out only a couple of your acute observations! The train is the DART rail, and it is quite impressive. It runs from where I live (in Richardson) down to South Dallas past the Dallas Zoo. I’ve only been on it to take my kiddos to the zoo, but from what I read in the newspaper, it’s a success story for workers who need to commute south. The growth is to the North. I’ve lived here all my life, and it’s always been the case. Sad, because there are parts of South Dallas (Oak Cliff) that are absolutely beautiful. There’s some interesting studies out there addressing this phenomenon in U.S. cities. South Dallas is still - sorry to say- a place you wouldn’t want to find yourself in after darkness falls. **CanvasShoes** : thanks for starting this thread. As to your question about where we are success-wise: I’m a 39-year old CPA/Controller, married to a Dallas firefigher. Life is pretty good. But, it rained AGAIN this morning, temperatures in the 80’s. Mother Nature is setting us up for a wicked summer… ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2003, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-dallas-like/179306/55 "2003-06-09T02:22:34Z")
Mmmmmmmmmmmmm, Firefighter, rrrrrrrlllllllgggggggghhh 😃 Oh, and I don’t mind rain at all. After all, I was born in Washington state, and have lived in Alaska for 33 years. My usual MO is “rain? what rain? that’s just a light mist”. ---
**Author:** ![thatDDperson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9de0a6/32.png) [@thatDDperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thatDDperson)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2003, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-dallas-like/179306/56 "2003-06-09T05:49:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Blonde \* > That’s the HOUSTON women. Us Dallas women are really low-maintenance. \*\* Um, you have that backwards. That being said, it depends- on where in Houston versus where in Dallas. I just couldn’t do Dallas, as I can’t see spending all that time on hair and makeup, and it seems to be a requirement. Dallas women dress for a quick run to the grocery store as if they were going to Neimans. Houston women dress for a quick run to the grocery store as if they were going to the grocery store. Hose, heels and makeup not required. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2003, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-dallas-like/179306/57 "2003-06-09T15:56:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by CanvasShoes \* > Oh, and I don’t mind rain at all. After all, I was born in Washington state, and have lived in Alaska for 33 years. My usual MO is “rain? what rain? that’s just a light mist”. You said it. I’m from Louisiana, and I’ve been heard to say to some of the natives here, “Storm? What storm? I thought it was just foggy!” Don’t worry too much about your city-legs. I moved here from a town of about 2500 people…and every other town within 40 miles was smaller. I adjusted just fine. The claustrophobic twitching stopped after just a couple of years.😃 ---
**Author:** ![Blonde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Blonde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blonde)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2003, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-dallas-like/179306/58 "2003-06-10T01:30:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by thatDDperson \* > \*\*Um, you have that backwards. > > That being said, it depends- on where in Houston versus where in Dallas. > > I just couldn’t do Dallas, as I can’t see spending all that time on hair and makeup, and it seems to be a requirement. Dallas women dress for a quick run to the grocery store as if they were going to Neimans. > > Houston women dress for a quick run to the grocery store as if they were going to the grocery store. Hose, heels and makeup not required. \*\* I think it’s a DRAW!! I read a few years back that Houston was the plastic surgery capital of the U.S.A. – but have more recently seen other stories suggesting Dallas may have captured the crown. I sure hope the competition brings the prices down. 😃 Hey - **thatDDperson** : by hose, do you mean pantyhose?! Good God, no. It’s only cool enough to wear those things for about 2 months out of the year in Dallas. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2003, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-dallas-like/179306/59 "2003-06-10T02:34:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by CanvasShoes \* > \*\*How old are those of you living in San Antonio/Austin/Dallas, what do you do, where are you success wise? (I mean comfort etc ability to pay bills, have some fun, I’m not looking to be a 30,000 millionaire :D). \*\* I’m an unmarried 30 year old male, and at the moment, I’m in graduate school studying for an MBA at the University of Texas at Dallas. Prior to quitting my job and going back to school, I was a business analyst/ERP programmer and made in the low 50K range, which was enough for me to not worry about money, and save up enough to pay for my first semester of school outright, and only get a loan for 1/2 of the second semester. Dallas is relatively cheap when compared to other big cities.(Houston may have a slight edge, but I’m not sure) ---
**Author:** ![thatDDperson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9de0a6/32.png) [@thatDDperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thatDDperson)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2003, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-dallas-like/179306/60 "2003-06-10T04:33:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Blonde \* > [Hey - **thatDDperson** : by hose, do you mean pantyhose?! Good God, no. It’s only cool enough to wear those things for about 2 months out of the year in Dallas. \*\* Well, it has been about 12 years since I was there and going shopping with the woman who wanted to be my Mother-in-Law. I came out of the guest suite in a denim dress and Birks and she just lost it. I had to go back and put on “appropriate clothes to go to the market”. I ended up in a khaki twill dress with red trim and buttons and red loafers with knee-high socks before I was appropriately attired for the day. I think she was holding out better, but I wouldn’t budge. Oh, and it was October, and I had not brought pantyhose with me. (Mid-calf skirts and thigh high stockings are cooler.) This, to go buy groceries and go to Wal-Mart (although we DID go out of their neighborhood completely to go to Wal-Mart, then took things out of the Wal-Mart bags to take them in the house.) It didn’t take her long to change her mind about wanting me for a DIL…about the time that I refused her fur to wear to the opera. Ex-BF was just glad that I didn’t decide to tell her stories about my ancestors…the carpetbaggers and cattle theives!! (5th & 6th generation Texan here) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-dallas-like/179306.md?page=2)