Possible move to Dallas

[AKcobra]

Well the Terminator is away for the winter months, cold has set in, snow and ice are on the road. Welcome to Alaska! Then I receive a call and I have an interview on Nov.8 and the position would relocate me and my wife to Dallas. Its hard to say No to that this time of year. In attempt to not just pack and run I doing some homework. I lived in Corpus Christi and Ft. Worth as a kid, but havent been back in 15 years. My wife was bred, born, and raised in Alaska. We think we are ready for a change, but is Dallas right for us?

1. What do you like/dislike about Dallas/Metro/Ft.Worth area and /or Texas
2. Hows the economy. Everything I google points to things on a slight upturn. Is this reality?
3. Hows the car scene? Clubs/drag racing/shows and gatherings
4. Will my pups like it? Places to walk and run them?
5. Any community sports? I play mens league basketball (im not that good, but I have fun and its good exercise)
6. Communities to live in. I will be responsible for a territory so Im not entirely sure of the exact area I need to look in. Any preferences?

I know it gets HOT there. I know sometimes it feels like the heat can trap you indoors. I have lived with temps seein -30*F to -50*F in pure darkness for extended periods of time! That will trap you indoors praying!

Thanks for any input!

 

[JetmechF16]

Wow, it is definitely going to be a culture shock for you! I'll answer what I can, but I haven't lived in the DFW area for a looong time (I live in Houston).

1. I grew up in South Dallas, but we moved out to a ranch in East Texas in '94 due to crime and drug problems in our neighborhood. My parents own a house they rent out in Garland, which is east/northeast Dallas. It's an ok area, but there are alot nicer areas on the northside (Frisco, Denton, Colleyville, etc.). I love Texas!

2.) No idea.

3.) No idea, however I do drive all the way to HPP in Lewisville to get my car tuned.

4.) Your dogs will love it! If it's anything like Houston (although not nearly as good, haha) there will be dog parks all over the place.

5.) No idea.

6.) Been to long, sorry.

Hope this little bit helps!

 

[AKcobra]

I appreciate the response! I will be flying down soon to check out the area and the new position!

I visited Houston a couple of years ago and liked it! Been itching to move back to TX since. I think I finally found the right job to move for!

 

[SVT Lurch]

1. Arguably the strongest economy in the country, the pride everyone in Texas has (everyone else views it as arrogance, maybe it is, but it's sure nice to be a part of it), and the fact that people here still say hello to strangers and neighbors wave to each other, etc. (more so in smaller West Texas towns, but even in big cities to a degree).
2. Texas is good and a lot of large corporations have recently moved to D/FW. I'm in the mortgage business and most appraisals we get back now in this area are where we need them and some are even slightly higher while other parts of the country values are still going down.
3. There's a lot of nice cars here, but most of the old meets in D/FW are gone. However the monthly Cars and Coffee is supposed to be amazing (I have yet to wake up in time to go to one).
4. Depending on the part of town there's plenty. The further away from downtown the better (typically).
5. Softball is a big one down here (because we can be outside more than 1 month in the year ;-)), but there's leagues for anything. The other kicker is because the Metroplex is so large there's different leagues for different parts of it. No one wants to drive more than 20-30 minutes for anything.
6. Will you be going to the airport a lot? Do you have an office or will you work from home? Personally if it's all new I would let your commute dictate where you're going to live. There's nice pockets everywhere, but I'd pick the one with the shortest drive. Or if you like to drive, the further you get away from downtowns the more house you get for your money. For example, a $250,000 house in Flower Mound or Lewisville would cost $350,000 - $400,000 for a house of similarly size/amenties in Dallas or Plano.

The heat will be annoying the first year or two, but once you become acclimated you'll be fine. After living here my whole life I swear up and down it feels hotter outside when the temperature says 90 than when it's 105 all else being equal.

 

[LTHL VNM]

cosign Lurch's post!

 

[RedfireSVT]

dallas is an awesome place to live, the north side that is.

 

[AKcobra]

Thanks for the replies guys. My wife and I have decided that if everything goes good at the Nov 8 meeting I will be taking the position. I have to admit I'm excited!

The position will be territry based so I wont have an office persay. I will find out the exact territory boundaries on NOV. 8. Im looking at North Dallas and/or the Irving area. I wont settle on an exact place until I know the boundaries.

 

[RedfireSVT]

it's gonna be quite a change from alaska but i'd be surprised if you don't like the dfw area. the heat really isnt that bad, thats what a/c is for anyway or the lake for that matter.

 

[AKcobra]

Yeah Im not too worried about the heat, and I assured my wife she will get used to it! I think my car is excited too! Im installing my new 26 spline and RST with the firewall adjuster in the next couple of weeks. Then provided everything goes well Nov.8 we will be in there in Feb. I have to go through some training first. Then I can finally get my car on a dyno and get it tuned. No dynos or tuners in the AK!

 

[Mika]

1. What do you like/dislike about Dallas/Metro/Ft.Worth area and /or Texas
The people in Texas are pretty nice folks in general. The cost of living is very affordable compared to the rest of the country as far as big metro areas go
2. Hows the economy. Everything I google points to things on a slight upturn. Is this reality?The economy hasn't been hit too hard compared to the rest of the country. It slowed down a few years ago, just like the rest of the country, but not as extensively, if that makes sense.
3. Hows the car scene? Clubs/drag racing/shows and gatherings
Can't comment as I haven't gone to many.
4. Will my pups like it? Places to walk and run them?If you're looking at Plano or Irving, I'm pretty sure there's plenty of places to take your puppies to.
5. Any community sports? I play mens league basketball (im not that good, but I have fun and its good exercise)There's rec leagues for most sports. As mentioned previously, softball is big. If you play ice hockey, there's at least 5 rinks in the metro to get your skate jones taken care of. From I league to B league, you shouldn't have a problem finding ice time.
6. Communities to live in. I will be responsible for a territory so Im not entirely sure of the exact area I need to look in. Any preferences? I saw you mentioned Plano/North Dallas and Irving. If you had to, you're better off in North Dallas or Plano. Irving is a bit of a rough area, but there is a city just north of Irving called Las Colinas. It's a lot nicer than Irving, and it is centrally located in the metro. Mid-cities(halfway between Dallas and Fort Worth) is where I live, and I like it here personally. You can find a good house for $150k here(nice, used) and still be pretty close to just about everything. If you want a nicer house, Colleyville, Southlake and Grapevine are good choices, but you will be paying more(anywhere from $200k-$700k+).

I know it gets HOT there. I know sometimes it feels like the heat can trap you indoors. I have lived with temps seein -30*F to -50*F in pure darkness for extended periods of time! That will trap you indoors praying!

Thanks for any input!

Hope that helps.



Mika

 

[AKcobra]

Sure does! Thanks! Next Monday will be the determining factor of our relocation!

 

[AKcobra]

Got the job! Will be moving to Dallas, TX the beginning of March after some schooling for my new position. In search of a good rental agency if anyone knows of an agency any information would be appreciated!
Here's to another 2004 black cobra in Texas! (minus the red stripe I removed, which was installed by the previous owner?