Dallas, Texas

Couldn't quote from that: back in the library.
But of course the proofreader can quote by heart .... :wink:

Not yet, really. I guess what I'm looking for is something that's reasonably pedestrian-friendly, reasonably close to downtown, and reasonably artsy, diverse, and free of Stepford-wife-types. I don' know if there's a Dallas neighborhood that has all of those. But after a brief Google search, I have tentatively set my eyes on Deep Ellum, Midtown, and Greenville. Downtown might be a possibility too, but the rents look pretty high there, and I'm not sure they're worth it.

Yes, there's a lot of German influence in parts of Texas.

Unfortunately, saying you spent time in, let's say, San Antonio, or another city, won't prepare you for what it's like in another part of the state.

Texas is just so damn big. The immediate difference I saw when I moved to Texas was that you would be in a city of hundreds of thousands of people, but to drive to another city, you can drive through hundreds of miles of sparsely populated area, if you heading West, or if you're going North, South or East, you'll drive through (or by) dozens of small towns, with quite a few miles in between.

soz, funny you should say you thought there's a big Hispanic influence. I guess that depends where you're coming from. I live an hour-ish from San Antonio and Austin has a large Mexican population, so I see Dallas has very non-hispanic, in general.

At one point, the area my region at work covered included all three cities, and when I would look at payroll records and surnames, the difference was obvious.

Thomas, from my experience, not particulary about Dallas, but Texas, is that if you live/work downtown you will find yourself communicating with more transplants, people that where born elsewhere in the U.S. The farther away from the city center you get, you meet people who where born and raised there. That's were you'll find the people who have what others consider a Texas accent.

Geographically...It's flatter than other parts of Texas, hot, HOT in the summer, cold in the winter.

Let me see if I can talk to someone who lives there.

There's currently excitement in Ft. Worth (new grandbaby/ nephew/ cousin scheduled to arrive today!) so I won't be asking right away, but I will in a week or so.

I think my bro-in-law (dad-to-be) will probably know more, but he's going to unavailable for longer, probably (unless he's looking for distractions).

Although I was born in Ft. Worth and lived in Dallas briefly as a child I really only remember it from when my sister lived there for many years and I would spend a couple of weeks there every year. I always had a great time there -- there really is a lot to see and do.

I don't think it's as politically conservative as one might think. I found this on Wikipedia:



The thing that always hit me is how busy everyone is. When I would land at the airport I always got a laugh from the fact that every single person in the airport was on their cell phone. Every one of them. Busy, busy, busy.

There are a lot of pretty women there and they are always "done". Their hair is done, their makeup is done, they're dressed up. You don't see a lot of sloppy people there.

The people I met were always very friendly and most of them downright hilarious. Although they are cosmopolitan and well traveled, me being from "elsewhere" always seemed to puzzle them as they imagined, as a Texan, I could live in Texas if I wanted to and they couldn't really grasp that maybe somebody liked being elsewhere.

Texans are loyal to the brand Texas.

Actually I said there WASN'T as much of an Hispanic influence as I expected:

As to area -- my sister lived in a part of town known locally as "The M Blocks" because all of the street names started with M.

It was a great part of town. Mostly young professional types.

Oh no, I think I get what you said, I guess I didn't phrase it correctly. let me rephrase....You thought there would be a significant Hispanic influence, correct? I meant that if you had come further South, you would have found more and more, the further South you drove.

Thomas,
In my mind I was thinking of the old story, possibly biblical, about the two travelers who meet on a road.

Traveler A "How are the people in this city, I mean to live there ? "
Traveler B "How did you find the people in the city you left ? "
Traveler A "They were mean and jealous, and unfriendly."
Traveler B "In this city, you will also find the people mean, jealous, and unfriendly."

I vote for Deep Ellum , if you have to take residence in Dallas.

Luckenbach, Texas (Waylon Jennings): coincidentally, that was the hit C&W song while I was there and was played all the time on the various radio stations.

Most of the visitors in that city were looking to see Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, or Willie Nelson. According to Waylon's song, this group always got together in Luchenbach to have barbecues. This is absolutely true. Jennings, Cash, and Nelson were close friends of Guitch Koock, the grandson of the German who founded the town. Guitch Koock is also an actor who has appeared on American television and in a few movies (such as "American Ninja").

Well Thomas I am in a similar position as you. I found out recently my job is moving to that same area. I have always lived on the coast and love the ocean so I understand where you are coming from. I also recently visited the area. Like Sozobe though I visited more around the Fort Worth area, but got an entirely different impression. I really liked Fort Worth downtown. It had lots of shops and restaurants and very laid back.

I loved the people I met there - the locals. They are very friendly and outgoing. Every where I went I asked people what they liked and did not like about living there - the one don't like was the hot weather in summer. The most often spoken about likes was the people.

What I liked was that I could buy a newly built house double the size of mine for significantly less - I now live in a condo and we could have a new construction with a yard and eventually build a pool. My commute would be also cut - 10 minutes versus the 45 - hour commute I have now.

The public schools seem significantly better with so much for children. It seems they value kids a lot (almost to an extreme in my opinion) with all the activities and so forth - almost the overscheduling and overly competitive raising of kids.

Many people are also very dedicated to their churches - which depending on your beliefs can be a pro or con.

I did not visit Dallas, but know some people who had on the trip. Mixed bag depending on what you like - their responses very upscale and very dressy, etc. Fort Worth is the casual, I guess, and Dallas is the upscale.

There are so many communities in the area, that I suppose it depends on what you would be looking for as well. Supposedly this is a new and upcoming area - lots of companies are moving there and building - the growth seems incredible.

Along with more trees than expected - lots of lakes.

A couple of my colleagues have recently been in Dallas for business.

Feedback's much like Linkat's. Dallas is the more upscale part of the zone. I'll see if anyone can give me anything more specific.

Fifty free things to do in Dallas

Housing prices in Texas, in general, are cheap in comparison to many American cities. I suppose it's because there is so much buildable land and the cities sprawl on forever.

One of my sisiters just sold her house (in Austin) -- huge, on the golf course, brand new for just a little more than my house is "worth". My house would have fit in her living room. Her house, if it had been here, would have been worth about 3 times what it sold for there.

I have no idea how it compares to housing prices in Germany.

Moana tells me it's an ugly ugly city. Nothing to do.
Lots of construction. All the time.

But Fort Worth isn't far away, and the women dress well.

I don't know Dallas at all. Oh, well, I've spent some time at the airport.
Hey, there's a good point, the airport is a hub...

I too love the coasts, and one of the things I find hard to get used to about Albuquerque is the lack of ocean nearby - though of course it has much other beauty.

This from Boomer would be a stopper for me, but, I'm not you -
"There are a lot of pretty women there and they are always "done". Their hair is done, their makeup is done, they're dressed up. You don't see a lot of sloppy people there."
"Done" style, all the time, makes me jittery.

Jobs and moving are problematic - if one looks at it as moving to a place forever, one might make the choice on that basis if the place didn't attract you much. On the other hand, maybe it's a transitional step to be savored for the experience, and of course the job, and you would end up really liking it.

One thing I noticed- that Texans (and Americans in general, too) have an idiosyncratic way of pronouncing the name Houston.

interesting comments.

Was thinking a little more...

Being so far North, I think Dallas is a lot more like Oklahoma than let's say San Antonio. For me, personally I think of Waco as being the frontier of things starting to be significantly different from South and Central Tx.

Being "done up"....yeah, you're going to see a lot more Big Hair than in other places. The difference being one doesn't feel uncomfortable around these women, like they are trying to "out style" you. It's just the way a certain breed of women are...big hearts, wide open arms, and big hair. Personally, I have a soft spot in my heart for BHW (Big Hair Women) Think toned down version of Dolly Parton (or maybe not so toned down sometimes). They are fully aware they are going over the top. In order to be over the top and still be respected, they also have smarts. In a word, they're sassy and confident. I've found there's more to them than meets the eye.

Religion....mmmmm..well, honestly, I've just learned not to go there. It isn't like on a forum like A2K, where something can be discussed, and where you can walk away and come back. Here, if someone says something you feel is way fundementalist and in your opinion, ridiculous, you can try to address it, and even though you won't get too far, you can walk away at any time.

Not so when it could be your neighbor, co-worker, boss. I'm lucky I live in a neighborhood where, frankly I don't see any evidence of religious fevor. I've had as my neighbors liberal gay and lesbian couples, a Wiccan, someone who practiced Thelema, someone who went to church once in a while but never mentioned it, practicing and non-practicing Jews, and others who I have no idea what they believe....however, at work, my boss is a died in the wool Southern Baptist....Thomas, seriously, just....don't....engage....them in a discussion about their religion. I know you love a debate, but there is absolutley no way to break their shell. They believe the bible said something, and THAT...IS...IT!!!! There will be no discussion, just a blank stare.

As far as living near the coasts, if you think you can have just as much fun on the lakes, you'll be ok. I grew up on the Atlantic Ocean, lived within a mile of it for about 28 years. Actually, I love living in the middle of all this land. I find it, you might find it strange, comforting to my spirit. I love hearing thunder and knowing it's rolling over land for miles and miles. Then again, I was probably a mountain sprite in a former life, not a sea nympth.

Culture? Don't know about Dallas. I would imagine there's plenty of good things to do. I'm sure they have ballet, opera, plays. I know they have good museums and libraries.

I wonder how far Eva lives from Dallas?

Lots of interesting information! I knew you wouldn't let me down. Thank you so much!

Sozobe: No problem with the timeframe. It'll take another two weeks until I have the "yes" or "no" from my employer. Meanwhile, good luck for your brother and nephew in law.

Francis: I'll remember not to make any jokes about the compound explosives I hide in my deodorant and my shampoo.

Chai: That's interesting about downtown vs. suburbs, and about the attitudes and customs of people. I'll be careful not to bring up religion, and instead focus the conversation on political subjects like gay marriage and legalizing prostitution. Lakes work fine for me as substitutes for seashores. I was born near Germany's biggest lake, and Munich has about five very beautiful lakes in its south to relax at and swim in. It's good to see Dallas/Fort Worth have a couple around them.

Boomerang: Thanks for your description. I'm interested to check out those "M-Blocks". Do you remember where they are on the map of Dallas?

LionTamerX: What makes you prefer Deep Ellum? Do you know it, or people who know it?

Linkat: If your description of the Fort Worthers are any indication, I'm increasingly encouraged about the local people's mentality. And it's nice to know someone in the same situation. Have you decided if you'll move to Dallas with your job, or get a new job wherever you are now?

ehBeth: I bookmarked your link. Along with things to do, it mentions several interesting neighborhoods I'll want to check out.

Ossobucco -- I haven't decided how much time I'll stay at my next job and the next place. So if I make a bad choice, the repercussions shouldn't be too grave.

Wow. I wouldn't have thought this morning that I'd have a so much better picture of Dallas in the evening. You rock! (As do Google, Wikipedia -- and even rent.com, despite their screwed-up privacy policy.)