I may be moving to Dallas and need suggestions!

[Zirotti]

I may be taking a job in Dallas. I would be moving from Michigan. The upside (outside of the job) would be the warm weather. Outside of that, the few times I've been to Dallas, I never really was out and about so I don't know much about the city.

Anyone have any pros or cons about Dallas? I am in my mid-twenties, single and would like suggestions on where to live in Dallas. I'd prefer city-dwelling, but not sure how the city is layed out.

ANY feedback is appreciated.

[gmh1013]

I lived in Richardson in the early 90's and Plano for a few years when I was a Programmer for Fina Oil and Chem....I lived off Greenvile and W. spring valley rd in North East Dallas and had a bad drive into Fina with traffic...Im sure its worse now.
I was in My Mid 30's back then and except to eat out and shopping malls I could not find that much to do in Dallas....I had the same problem in Houston
The weather is way to Humid for me.
If you like clubs,drinking,eating out and shopping you will love it.
The women over there are all beautiful...
It is very very Republican there....if you are a GOPer you will fit right in....if not... you wont find many O lovers in Dallas county

[lavaman]

Lakewood or close to it. Try area S of Mockingbird, east of 75/Central. Also try Knox/Henderson area. Lakewood is close to Lower Greenville Ave (small club scene, but its neighborly; everyone knows everyone, big block party kinda thing) and borders White Rock Lake (sailing, biking, birding, 5/10k runs every weekend, etc). Mockingbird Station is major stop for lite rail line to go to downtown.

Knox/Henderson area is apartments, eating, all on top of each other, so you can leave the car at home alot.

Be aware that Dallas (my hometown) is BIG, so driving is a MUST. Other neat area for someone your age is Addison, just W of the Tollway. Lots of new condos, huge resteraunt scene on E side of Tollway and Belt Line.

Go to "D magazine" website for their newcomer's guide.

City is layed out in a rectangle, with downtown and Trinity River at the bottom, along with Love Field. Since SW and American are based here, flights out of Dallas are no problem. Traffic is so-so; will drive you mad but city is growing and has been for some time; lots of construction and it's better than it has been in past. Basically it's a grid pattern and not too hard to navigate.

Pros? Nice, clean, people are friendly, pleasant climate until the summertime. Good sports town (Mavs, Stars, Rangers, and I think they have a football team too). Oh, and it's close to Austin!
And yes, the women are gorgeous.

Cons? Not much to do outdoorsy (white rock is exception), but that is not Dallas' fault since it is sitting in the middle of a prairre. Politically pretty conservative if that is not your thing, otherwise, welcome aboard. Also Dallas economy is still, imho, not as diversified as it could be (oil/banking/real estate/medicine and education are huge). Big hair, big churches, big Mercedes in every driveway, take that or leave it.

[Zirotti]

Thanks guys. Really appreciate the feedback. It's either Chicago or Dallas. I know Chicago like the back of my hand and love the city, but I'd really like to try someplace different.

I will be the road everyday for work, so dealing with traffic is something I am used too.

Moving some place new, where you have no friends or family is a pretty tough situation. I just hope the city is full of friendly, young women;)

[vh_bu98]

Dallas is a city where you really have to have money to truly enjoy it since the biggest things to do are going out, eating out and shopping. It is one of the wealthiest cities in the US and it shows with how many luxury cars you see on the road and it's not uncommon to see exotics on the highways. The best way to describe Dallas is that it's a small urban city surrounded by large suburbs. Everything is spread out so be prepared to drive a lot.

If you're an outdoor person, you may not enjoy it as much. There are not really any distinct seasons and the summers get hot. There are a few lakes, but I don't find them appealing since they are not clear. There's no mountains and the trees are not that significant. It's very flat and fill with asphalt and concrete.

If you're a sports fan, we have a team for football (Cowboys), basketball (Mavericks), hockey (Stars), baseball (Rangers) and even soccer (FC Dallas).

For someone in their 20's and singles, the places to live would be downtown Dallas, uptown Dallas and far north Dallas around the Addison area. Those three areas tend to be where the night-life is. There are a lot of young attractive women around. If you're gay, then Oak Lawn is the place you will want to hang out.

I've lived in Dallas for 20 years and I keep thinking about moving out of Texas. The cost of living is cheap which is one big reason why I haven't and no state income tax helps. I spend my time going out, eating out, shopping and hanging out with friends.

I would suggest Chicago since there's more culture there unless you really don't like the cold. If the salary is the same, Dallas is more bang for the buck.

If you plan to visit, let me know and I can help you out. If you're into cars, I can introduce you to the DFW auto club. It really depends on your personality to see if you will like Dallas or not. Do you know which part of Dallas that you would be working? I would recommend finding a place close since rush hour traffic is a pain.

Another pro is that there are a lot of Rolex ADs.

[gigabyte]

Hey Zirotti, i moved out to Dallas around a couple of months ago and to be honest i really like it. It's true that you need a few extra bucks to spend to really live the life you want here, but thats not a necessity to have fun. The people are super friendly and everyones is really helpful for people that just moved in. I used a company at this Dallas Movers website to move my things from the east coast. They might be able to give you a good deal to move your stuff interstate. Hope i can help!