TX - (Dallas, SA, Austin) - Need Help with Living Info [Archive]

LadyD088

11-01-2006, 04:11 PM

Hi…I am hoping you can help me gather information for a future move.

My Dh and I currently live in SoCal and know that we just can’t afford to raise a family here (comfortably). So I am researching 4 markets to move to. I can find most information on the internet but am looking for “locals” to help with information as well, since neither of us has ever lived outside of California.

We will make a decision sometime next year and then move forward as to where to move. Of course we will visit the states we are looking at, but only for about a weekend – not much you can find out that quickly but it will help some. We will rent for about 2 years while deciding where to build the house of our dreams.

*Education (and benefits of kids remaining in state for college?)
*What are the best Grade Schools, High Schools?
*Seasonal Info – does it rain a lot or snow? Is it hot or humid? Etc…
*What are the best Suburbs? Which are the worst – which should I completely avoid?
*What do YOU like best about where you live?
*Anything else you think I should know or concern myself with about your state?

Any information you can provide is GREATLY appreciated!!! I can’t tell you how much it would mean to me. Again, THANK YOU!!!

Debbie

Feel free to PM me or just post to this thread.

TriSigmaNC

11-02-2006, 09:35 AM

I'll comment on Dallas from my opinion. I don't currently live there, but did a few years ago.

Education
I can mostly only speak to colleges. The only benefit that I'm aware of staying in state would be the tuition costs. SMU is in Dallas and Texas Christian is in Ft. Worth. In Houston there's Sam Houston State, Texas in Austin and UTDallas outside of Dallas.

Seasonal Info
Hot yes, humid some parts of summer, but yes. Mild winters, but typically once per winter it just ices. No snow really, but stays 40ish during the coldest months.

Suburbs
Plano is great. Anywhere near there is wonderful too.

Like best?
I liked that is was a big city, but you could make it small. I loved the shopping and the restaurants. I LOVE the variety and the hispanic culture that surrounds the city is fantastic.

smurf

11-02-2006, 01:11 PM

I can speak to Dallas/Fort Worth and San Antonio.
I grew up and lived most of my life in SA. I always thought I would go back there when I finished college, but that ended up not being the case. Honestly, when I go back there to visit my family, I don't really like it anymore. It's a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't choose to raise our kids there.

We currently live in Fort Worth, and we love it. It's close enough to Dallas so we can enjoy what that city has to offer, but it has a much more relaxed atmosphere.
Let's see:
Education I don't have kids in school yet, so I don't know much about the grade schools around here. Like the pp said, the benefit to in-state schools is the tuition break.

Seasons
San Antonio has two seasons: hot and cool. It never really gets cold there, and summer starts in April. It probably averages 95 degrees in the summer and around 60 in the winter. In DFW, we usually get one snow a year and a few weeks of cold weather during the winter. Summers can be killer and seem to drag on forever. The humidity is much worse in SA, but it can get pretty humid here too.

Suburbs
Plano/Frisco are really booming suburbs of Dallas. Frisco is where a lot of the young professionals are moving. Lots and lots of new development. Copell and Flower Mound are also really nice areas. They're more centrally located in the Metroplex. Of course, I'm partial to Fort Worth. Southwest Fort Worth and North Fort Worth are probably the nicer parts of the city.

Like best?
The people are great in Fort Worth. It's got the feel of a smaller town, but there is still plenty to do. Downtown is great--lots of restaurants and night life. With the two cities so close to eachother, we can always find something to do. It's also possible to live in FW and work in Dallas (I did it for 4 years). There's a train that goes from one city to the other that makes commuting pretty easy.

LadyD088

11-03-2006, 03:05 PM

Thank You SO much Tracie & Smurf!!! I appreciate your opinions very much.

Looking for as much information I can get and hope more posters will throw in their opinions as well. Just want you to know I am reading this!!

Deb

kristin9903

11-04-2006, 08:16 AM

Another DFW girl here! Specifically, North Fort Worth.

Education The schools in Texas, in general, are probably not as good as they are in California. I have heard good things about most of the school districts in the suburbs of DFW. The trend here is to have master planned communities with schools built into actual subdivisions...so you have a good chance that your child's school could be within walking distance. In state tuition for colleges is a good benefit. You can also invest money into the Texas Tomorrow Fund and lock in today's tuition rates for your kids.

Seasons Hot summers..and they're fairly humid, too. Winters are generally mild. As pp said, we usually have one ice storm a year, and the whole city pretty much shuts down when that happens. We're experiencing a pretty big draught in DFW right now, so there are sometimes water restrictions during the summer months.

Suburbs I think where you live will all depend on where you work. We chose Ft. Worth because it was closest to DH's job. Now that he's working in Dallas, Ft. Worth is becoming far less convenient! I haven't heard of any to avoid, per se. I've heard nice things about Plano and Frisco in Dallas. Ft. Worth has several nice suburbs such as Keller, Southlake, Grapevine (which is kind of in between dallas and FW), Burleson, etc.

Like best? North Fort Worth's traffic is not *as* bad as other areas in the metroplex. Like smurf said, it has a small town feel. You can get good shopping, groceries, movies, and restaurants without having to drive very far. The only bad thing I can say is that there's a lot of growth in the area. Buying a house will be very cheap...but trying to sell a house here will be difficult.

Good luck!

lml41981

11-04-2006, 08:40 AM

I live east of Dallas in Forney. We moved out here after DD was born because we weren't fond of the idea of raising kids in Dallas (although there is rumor circulating that City of Dallas plans to annex our community *sigh*). The school system in Forney is pretty good. We live in a masterplanned community, so the elementary school is about 4 blocks away. It goes K-6. We aren't sure we'll use public school for DD afterall, but it is nice to have good schools for the option.

Another benefit to attending college in-state is that if your kids plan to remain in Texas, the good ol' boy network is pretty strong.

The Dallas area gets really hot in July and August. We have a drought almost every year, it seems. It does get cold in the winter, but it doesn't drop below zero or anything. I don't even remember it dropping into the teens. We don't get snow as much as we get ice and sleet.

amew

11-04-2006, 08:47 AM

I'm in Austin.

*Education (and benefits of kids remaining in state for college?)

Austin is a very education-focused city. It's a college town, and therefore home to lots of academics and a fairly educated population overall. Austin public schools are generally pretty darn good. DH and I both grew up going to private schools (neither of us grew up around here) and would go the private school route for our kids if we had concerns about the quality of the public schools. But we are very, very comfortable with our local public schools.

As far as college, UT-Austin is an excellent state school and very affordable. To compare to California schools, I believe it tends to be ranked similarly to many of the UC schools (Davis, Santa Barbara, UCLA), though not quite up there with Berkeley. Rice (in Houston) is an excellent private college, and a very good value as far as private colleges go. I suspect our kids will go out of state for college because we both did and strongly value the experience, but I like the fact that we have such a great state school in UT-Austin should they want to go that route. And there are obviously many other colleges in Texas, both public and private.

*What are the best Grade Schools, High Schools?

I believe that Eanes, Casis, Brykerwoods, and Barton Hills are fairly strong elementary schools. Westlake is a great high school, and Austin High is pretty solid. I know there are other good schools--I am just not familiar with all parts of town.

*Seasonal Info – does it rain a lot or snow? Is it hot or humid? Etc…

It doesn't really snow at all (maybe a tiny bit every few years), it doesn't rain a lot, it is very hot during the summer and somewhat humid (less so than Houston, more so than Dallas).

*What are the best Suburbs? Which are the worst – which should I completely avoid?

I am not the best person to answer this--I am never in the suburbs and don't know much about them. We're city people. But if you want suburbs, I think people like Pflugerville and Round Rock.

*What do YOU like best about where you live?

Everything. I honestly completely adore Austin. It's a great not-too-big, but not-too-small size, the people are fantastic, it's a very liberal and open-minded place, the mild winters are great, the public schools are strong, there's a lot of culture and plently to do (thanks largely to being a capitol city and the home of a large university), we have fabulous grocery stores, it's very outdoorsy (great parks, hike and bike trails, etc.), lots of live music and fun nightlife, fairly reasonable cost of living (on the high side for Texas, actually, but still such a bargain compared to life on either coast).

LadyD088

01-04-2007, 08:23 AM

Well, DH and I have made a decision and we will be moving to Texas...probably next year. We would like to do it this year when our lease is up but that's right before the holidays so I think we'll stick it out and plan for a Spring move (hoping for good travel weather).

I am SO excited that we've agreed on this. Now its just WHERE to move. So I just wanted to say...

KEEP POSTING YOUR INFO on the Dallas/Fort Worth, Austin and San Antonio Areas!!!!

I am looking forward to joining the Lone Star State!!

LadyD088

01-04-2007, 08:34 AM

I did want to say THANK YOU to Kristin9903, lml41981, & amew for your information!!! Really every little bit helps!!

Deb

BlackMagicRose

01-04-2007, 08:52 AM

I am so glad some one posted this! I have questions to. My husband and I are considering moving there.

My main question is...Is there a lot of flooding and or Tornados in any of these areas???

lml41981

01-04-2007, 09:48 AM

My main question is...Is there a lot of flooding and or Tornados in any of these areas???

Nah... If you live near the Trinity River or a low-lying area, then you might have some flooding after a heavy rain that follows drought, but most areas of Dallas are ok. You can always check the 100-year flood plain.

I've been in the DFW area almost my whole life and have never heard of a tornado in Dallas. There have been tornadoes in the southwest suburbs and a northern suburb, but I don't recall any in Dallas. I'm 25, FWIW.

lauren f s

01-04-2007, 09:51 AM

I grew up in East Texas (near Tyler) and DH and I just bought a house in Coppell.

*Education (and benefits of kids remaining in state for college?) - ditto to what everyone else has said so far

*What are the best Grade Schools, High Schools? DD is only 3, but from the little bit we've looked most cities have good websites with lots of info about their publice schools, including statewide scores, percentages of students to teachers, ethnicity, class size, etc. Makes it very easy, IMO, to find out all you'd need to know.

*Seasonal Info – personally, I hate it here in the summer. July and August are just nasty. Hot and humid, almost no rain and it's just not pleasant. Although this does make it an ideal time for vacations ;). I love spring and fall, though, and winter is usually pretty mild, which I find very nice.

*What are the best Suburbs? Which are the worst – which should I completely avoid? We've lived in apartments in Garland, Las Colinas, and now our house in Coppell. We didn't care for Garland. Some parts of it are pretty nice now that we've left, but overall I did not like it and the schools don't seem very good. My IL's all went there and complained about every single aspect of the schools. Las Colinas was very nice and I loved living there. You just have to be careful which part of Las Colinas you pick because it's part of Irving and I've found certain areas of Irving to be slighty ghetto/trashy. I'm new to Coppell, so I'm probably biased and will have a better opinion in a year, but right now I love it! The schools are wonderful, the town is gorgeous, it's close to Dallas and Fort Worth but still has a smaller town feel that I like.

*What do YOU like best about where you live? Lots! Again, the public schools in Coppell are wonderful. We live in the Town Center and it's so close to beautiful parks, a water park/center, grocery stores, restaurants, etc. I also like that our area hasn't been invaded by lots of chain restaurants. There are cute little mom & pop pizza places and nicer, non-chain restaurants instead of a Chili's on every other corner. We're also very close to the library and Farmer's Market and our neighborhood is so beautiful, well kept, and perfect for kids to run and play. It also seems very safe. When we were in Las Colinas we'd never see young kids walking around to the grocery store or down busy streets. Here we've seen kids (12-13 maybe) walking to school, the store, and little restaurants. I like that sense of security.

My main question is...Is there a lot of flooding and or Tornados in any of these areas???
I'm 24 and have grown up in Texas and never once seen a tornado. We have them, but personally it's not something I think or worry about.

sarahburns

01-04-2007, 02:15 PM

*Education (and benefits of kids remaining in state for college?) -I'm in Dallas proper but grew up in Grapevine/Southlake. The public schools in the 'burbs are really great. If you lived in Dallas, you'd have to send your kids to private. As far as college - a benefit is if you are in the Top 10% of your class, you automatically gain entrance into all pub. colleges.

*What are the best Grade Schools, High Schools? I would send my kids to priv. Cath. schools in Dallas and in the 'burbs - I would go back to Gvine/Southlake.

*Seasonal Info – does it rain a lot or snow? Is it hot or humid? - I'm sure you've already figured this one out, since you've decided to come

*What are the best Suburbs? Which are the worst – which should I completely avoid? - Avoid: Irving, Richardson, HEB, I personally wouldn't live in FW.
*What do YOU like best about where you live? the Charm and real community

*Anything else you think I should know or concern myself with about your state? - Texans ROCK!

BlackMagicRose

01-05-2007, 02:55 AM

LadyD088

01-06-2007, 01:56 PM

Just want to keep thanking EVERYONE for their insight!!

Looks like (if we don't get a BFP this month) we might be moving sooner than we thought...possibly in Sept/Oct. Looking forward to this BIG Change!!

Keep the bringing in ANY info on Texas!!!

Good Luck Christy on getting some info on colleges - wish I could help.

kristin9903

01-06-2007, 02:30 PM

BlackMagicRose I can think of a couple that would meet your needs. I don't know anything about the english departments, but I'm sure you can contact them. All of these are state universities.

There's Texas Woman's University (www.twu.edu). It's in Denton, which is north of DFW. I went there for about a year. It's a really pretty campus and I liked the classes I took there. Despite the name, they are co-ed, too.

I now go to the University of Texas at Arlington (www.uta.edu). Arlington is in between Dallas and Fort Worth. I love it there! I've enjoyed every class I've taken there. I'm in the sciences, so that might not mean much to you, though.

There's also the University of North Texas (www.unt.edu). It's also in Denton. I've never been there, but one of DH's friends goes there and likes it a lot.

From their websites, you should be able to find the english departments and contact them for specific program information. Hope it helps!

Kristin

BlackMagicRose

01-10-2007, 03:15 AM

Kristin Thanks so much!!!

Annette

01-16-2007, 06:48 AM

LadyD - Thats great you have decided to move to Texas. We've been living in Austin for 3 years now (moved from NJ) and we love it!

*Education (and benefits of kids remaining in state for college?)
I don't have too much info on this, but many of my coworkers (we're all engineers) went to UT or A&M.

*What are the best Grade Schools, High Schools? Not sure since I don't have kids yet. My neighbors seem to like the schools.

*Seasonal Info – does it rain a lot or snow? Is it hot or humid? Etc…
We're having an ice storm right now and the city is practically shut down. June through Sept can be really hot, but there are so many outdoor and water activities to keep you cool. Spring and fall are beautiful and winter can have its nice moments and chilly ones. It's in the 20s today, and I don't think it has been this cold since I've lived here. I already miss the summer.

*What are the best Suburbs? Which are the worst – which should I completely avoid?
*What do YOU like best about where you live?
Love all the outdoor activities, like biking, hiking, rock climbing and kayaking and the fact that you can do most of these year round.
I like that Austin is fairly liberal, laid back and casual. You don't need to dress up to eat at a nice restaurant. Lots of high tech companies to work for. Most ppl I've met are from out of state so its fairly diverse in that respect. Everyone's friendly. Lower cost of living.

*Anything else you think I should know or concern myself with about your state?
Toll roads, traffic is getting heavier, urban sprawl, but I think that happens pretty much everywhere.

I think thats it. Good luck with your move.

What type of jobs are you and DH looking for?

LadyD088

01-20-2007, 09:52 PM

Thanks for the continued advice and information!!!

Annette - I will probably be working from home, if my company continues to allow me to (different state so we'll see). If not, I have a lot of contacts all around the state and I am 99% sure I can get a job with one of them.

As for DH, who knows. He works retail now but wants to get out of it. He's a great manager so something with some "normal" hours where he could manage "something". I know, pretty vague. He doesn't have a college degree and I'm thinking he could work on that in the evenings when we move.

Any ideas for DH in terms of a job?

OH due to our PG, we will probably now move Spring of 2008. I can't wait!! It will NOT come soon enough.

PrincessCJ81

01-22-2007, 11:19 AM

My 2 cents: I lived in oklahoma my wholie life and moved to Dallas 7 months ago. We lived in an apt in Coppell while we looked for a house and I really liked the Coppell area. We ended up buying a house in Flower Mound, which is NW of Dallas. I absolutley love the area that we live in.

Schools: You will have to do your research b/c some schools are great and some aren't so great. I personally like the Flower Mound, Coppell, Southlake(Carroll) schools best, but there are some other good schools as well.

Colleges: TX has several great colleges that range greatly in tuition. I would say there is something for every budget here.

Weather: It is hot and humid, but you get used to it really quickly. I'm from OK so I'm used to tornadoes. I don't think they are too much of a concern here. Flooding hasn't been much of a concern either, in fact we were several inches below normal rainfall last year.

Jobs: Frisco, which is north of dallas, is really booming right now and there are tons of jobs available (retail, mngmnt, sales, etc). I don't think getting a job here would be too difficult if DH has experience.

Congrats on the baby!!! Good luck with everything!

lauren f s

01-22-2007, 11:30 AM

PrincessCJ81: We just bought a house in Coppell last month! We love the area!

ihearttx

01-22-2007, 11:56 AM

Can anyone help me out? I am looking for a good English degree in a college around the Dallas area. I cannot seem to find a college with one. I prefer a non private college (i.e. no religious institutions ect.) I cannot seem to find a good college in the area :( Any advice??

I am really loving the Dallas/Ft. Worth area right now and it seems to be a great place to live for many reasons. I just need a reason to go!! I would love to go back to school for an English degree...

I have my degree in Literary Studies from UTD. I only went there for the last 20 hours of my degree as I transferred from a different college, but it was a great experience.

imagirliegirl

01-22-2007, 07:58 PM

Can anyone help me out? I am looking for a good English degree in a college around the Dallas area. I cannot seem to find a college with one. I prefer a non private college (i.e. no religious institutions ect.) I cannot seem to find a good college in the area :( Any advice??

I am really loving the Dallas/Ft. Worth area right now and it seems to be a great place to live for many reasons. I just need a reason to go!! I would love to go back to school for an English degree...

I went to North Texas in Denton and loved it.

I grew up in SA and really dislike it. I would never want to raise kids here. As soon as I finish my degree we are out of here. It's just not a nice place to live.

AHammer

01-27-2007, 06:45 AM

I have my degree in Literary Studies from UTD. I only went there for the last 20 hours of my degree as I transferred from a different college, but it was a great experience.

Plus, UTD is about as convenient as can be, and the area is fabulous. I live about 5 minutes from campus.

*What are the best Suburbs? Which are the worst – which should I completely avoid? - Avoid: Irving, Richardson, HEB, I personally wouldn't live in FW.

I have to disagree w/ the "avoid richardson" claim -- I live very near Richardson and teach there, and while there are a few areas to avoid, there are lots of nice sections and the schools are quite good (especially pearce).

Niobe

02-16-2007, 05:51 PM

I was born in East Texas, raised in Houston, lived in various town in east Texas, Waco, San Antonio, and Austin, and am living now in Houston again. Much of my family is in the DFW area, so I'm well acquainted with this state. :p

I am so glad some one posted this! I have questions to. My husband and I are considering moving there.

My main question is...Is there a lot of flooding and or Tornados in any of these areas???

Large tornadoes aren't very common. There was one occasion of small tornadoes when I was in Waco, but they didn't do much damage. I remember one instance of tornadoes in Dallas while I was in college, but there aren't like, Wizard of Oz-style tornadoes. Flooding, well, down here in Houston it's a fairly common occurrence but I don't know that anyone was looking at this area. If so, oh yes we flood. DFW and the Hill Country (where Austin and San Antonio are) aren't so flood-prone.

Originally Posted by BlackMagicRose
Can anyone help me out? I am looking for a good English degree in a college around the Dallas area. I cannot seem to find a college with one. I prefer a non private college (i.e. no religious institutions ect.) I cannot seem to find a good college in the area Any advice??

My cousin raves about his years at University of North Texas in Denton (bit north of Dallas). He really loved both the school and the town. It was the third college he went to as an undergrad, so he'd had some experience with different schools by then. ;) I've visited the campus and I got a really good vibe from the place too.

I don't know much about public schools in the DFW area, but my friends with kids in Austin are really happy with their schools. FH grew up in San Antonio and he's pretty scornful of his school experience. He says several of his high school teachers were still working on their bachelor's degrees. Honestly, I really hated living in San Antonio; of all the places I've lived, it was easily my least favorite.

I haven't actually lived in DFW, but my family up there all loves it. My aunt and uncle really like the town of Rockwall, northwest of Dallas. It's a pretty area.

I cannot recommend Austin enough though. I'll recommend Austin over just about anywhere, it's a wonderful town. Not too big, not too small. Incredibly beautiful surrounding hills and lakes. Lots of outdoors activities. There's a big water park, Schlitterbahn, that's 30 minutes away, and you can float down the Rio Grande in the summer. There's a state park for camping (and you can camp about 9 months out of the year down here), natural swimming ponds, just tons of stuff to go do. There's movies in the park, free concerts on 6th street, countless bands playing every night. Oh, and South by Southwest, a massive week long independent music and film festival every spring. It's a college town with a large tech industry, so it's a young and liberal town, even being the capitol of Texas (we're not exactly a blue state). Houses in town, especially in the center, are pretty pricey (though nowhere near CA prices), but the suburbs are very reasonable. If you do want to live in town, north Austin is really nice, the northwest area is growing rapidly, but I prefer South Austin, the Travis Heights area. East Austin is mostly to be avoided. As for suburbs, Pflugerville is less expensive than Round Rock (even though it's closer to town), but RR is nicer and has better schools. I don't know about Bee Caves schools, but you'd have a breathtaking drive home living out there. Never in my life have I been an outdoorsy person, but Austin manages to bring some previously hidden bit out in me. It's just so pretty. :)

Really, the only bad things about Austin are the miserable hot summers (but that's true of the entire state) and the traffic is starting to get pretty bad. There's just been huge amounts of growth in the area over the last decade or two. Oh, and driving anywhere near the college on a game night is hell. Drunken students in burnt orange running amock. :rolleyes:

lml41981

02-16-2007, 06:28 PM

I was born in East Texas
So was I. :)

LadyD088

02-18-2007, 05:21 PM

Just wanted to say THANKS to those that keep posting. I am still looking to move to TX, if I can ever get my DH to admit we need to!! LOL

So just bumping this thread up.

Niobe - Your description of Austin sounds SO perfect for what I'm looking for. Ability to live outside of a major city but still have all those wonderful amenities. I Love the idea of camping near by and all the other fun stuff you described. SO wish I could move right now!!!

Deb

fats

02-26-2007, 10:01 AM

I'm so glad I found this thread. DH and I have been thinking about moving to Austin for the past few months. We live in NY (an hour north of the city but we both work in the city) and I actually LOVE it here but it's just too expensive to have a really good family life. I work part time so it's not so bad for me, but with the commute, my husband can never get home early enough to spend time with our son and that's really the major reason we want to move.

I've got the same questions and concerns as the original poster so I'm enjoying reading all the responses, but more info on Austin!!! If anyone has more to say about Austin and what the lifestyle is like there, I'd love to hear it.

fats

02-26-2007, 10:20 AM

forgot to subscribe.

BlackMagicRose

03-19-2007, 01:49 PM

Anyone here work in social work that would have connections in the Dallas/Fort Worth area? I have a degree in Human Development and Family Studies and have three years experience with children in a day care setting. My husband is a Computer Graphic designer (not print, he does animation, modeling). Any one have any connections in that industry?

We just need a head start...

We LOVE what we are hearing and see about Fort Worth so much.

lilo

04-16-2007, 06:02 AM

subscribing! :)

strwbrygirl

06-18-2007, 09:05 PM

Anyone familiar with Lubbock? I'm in the process of moving there for work, and I'd love any input on good/bad areas, etc.

Rose

06-18-2007, 09:48 PM

(although there is rumor circulating that City of Dallas plans to annex our community *sigh*).

This is way late but what do you mean by this Lindsey?

thedoorchick

06-28-2007, 03:28 PM

Anyone familiar with Lubbock? I'm in the process of moving there for work, and I'd love any input on good/bad areas, etc.

Well, I'm about 10 days late to this post. :o but I used to live in Lubbock. What are you wanting to know?

The better areas to live are southwest of town, as I remember it. You don't want to be just east of the university or in general very near it; those aren't necessarily bad areas, just very cheap and filled with students.

I loved Lubbock; I'd move back in a heartbeat, if I had a job there (and DH would go for it, which he likely wouldn't). Nice weather, low cost of living, low crime...And of course, close access to my alma mater. ;)

AHammer

07-01-2007, 06:45 AM

This is way late but what do you mean by this Lindsey?

I looked online and couldn't find any truth to this. It didn't make sense to me because there's a big city called Mesquite in between dallas & forney.

what I could find is that mesquite wanted to annex an area that included forney back in 2006. I don't know what came of that proposal.

I know you were probably asking about her opinion, but just thought I'd post a bit more information about that rumor. If there truly was a proposal for Dallas to annex them, I couldn't find it.

Rose

07-03-2007, 03:27 PM

Thanks Amy. I was just curious because my sister lives in the same town as LML.

lml41981

07-03-2007, 04:38 PM

Actually, I've heard the rumor twice. First from random neighbors at a safety meeting. The second time the rumor came straight from the Kaufman County Sheriff's Officers who spoke with my community a few months ago during our annual HOA meeting. Not all of this town is slated for annex, but the rumor is that my neighborhood is. I don't know all the logistics...Mesquite and Sunnyvale are both in between, but Dallas is apparently right across the lake from us at one point...and supposedly they plan to just sorta jump the lake and take us...I don't know how police enforcement or emergency services would work out...

I do know that when our neighborhood wanted to post school zone signs and speed limit signs, it was discovered that we couldn't do it under the authority of Kaufman County SO because City of Dallas has the right to determine speed limits in our neighborhood. As a result, we have the school zone marked, but we still don't have speed limit signs anywhere. We aren't currently in city limits anywhere. Though our address says "Forney," we don't live in City of Forney and we don't get Forney Police Department patrols. We do fall under the territory for Forney Fire Department, though.

eta: My neighborhood is expected to be 6000-7500 families large with a taxable value of 1.5-2 billion. The land deal was not expected to go through because nobody knew how to get utilities out here. Our developer convinced City of Dallas to do its very first MUD, so I can see where rumors that Dallas plans to annex us could come from. I don't think, however, that there are plans to annex the whole town.

Mandos*Bella

09-11-2007, 08:36 PM

Bumping and subscribing as DH and I have decided to try Texas again (he is from Dallas), after our DS is born and gets a bit older.

We're looking at Flower Mound and plan to go explore the area next time we go visit.

To the OP: Are you still considering moving?

MrsT

09-11-2007, 09:07 PM

Mandos Just wanted to say that we really liked Flower Mound. We lived there for almost three years before moving last year (built a new house in a town that's still close to FM). Let me know if you have any questions about the area!

Mandos*Bella

09-13-2007, 07:49 AM

Thanks MrsT, I will probably be PMing you soon so as not to take over this thread with all my questions ;)

lauren f s

09-13-2007, 08:01 AM

We live in Coppell, which is fairly close to Flower Mound, and love the area.

WestieMomma

10-07-2007, 07:30 PM

mando's bella Did you ever come and look? We live in Flower Mound-just moved here a few months ago from Ft.Worth and I love it! Let me know if you have any questions.

strwbrygirl

10-10-2007, 09:16 AM

maniach

10-12-2007, 06:50 PM

I actually have gotten a bite on my resume from a company with an office in Plano and wondered about that area.

My two biggest concerns are:

(1) DH was stationed in SA in the Air Force and HATED it. Said the ants are RIDICULOUS. Is the DFW area anything like SA?

(2) I know that TX is a RED state, and I'm a purple kinda gal (lol). How much does that come into play. For example, I'm a bit of an advocate for gun control (not OUTLAWING them, just controlling them!) and I don't believe in the death penalty in most cases. Will that really even matter?

Just curious!

lml41981

10-12-2007, 07:20 PM

Dizzy

10-14-2007, 04:21 PM

strwbrygrl: I don't think I'd attempt to fly in to Love and out of DFW the same day (or vice versa). Cabs are expensive so I think if you add up the headache, stress, and cab, it might be equal to the extra money you'd spend to stay at the same airport. Altho, there might be a way to use buses and the DART....

thedoorchick

10-14-2007, 08:40 PM

Dallas ladies (and others who might have tried this)-- I'm wondering how hard it is to get from the Love Field airport (DAL) to DFW? I'm thinking about booking a flight through DFW for Christmas, and I've got a really good deal from Lubbock to DAL on Southwest which saves me several hundred dollars. Is it a real PITA do get from DAL to DFW during the day? Is there an easy way to do it (like a shuttle) or should I plan to get a cab, or should I not even attempt this?

ETA: the deal is on Southwest from LBB-DAL, and then I would have to change airlines at DFW.

There's not an easy way to do this, but a cab should cost you around $40 plus tip. To save hundreds on airfare, and assuming your layover is long enough, I wouldn't rule it out, though it will be a bit of a pain. If you call Super Shuttle or a similar service, they might do it for less than taxis.

(1) DH was stationed in SA in the Air Force and HATED it. Said the ants are RIDICULOUS. Is the DFW area anything like SA?

(2) I know that TX is a RED state, and I'm a purple kinda gal (lol). How much does that come into play. For example, I'm a bit of an advocate for gun control (not OUTLAWING them, just controlling them!) and I don't believe in the death penalty in most cases. Will that really even matter?

Well, it may just be my city, but I've never noticed "ridiculous" levels of ants. I wouldn't consider that a factor in moving here. DFW isn't really much like SA. I don't know that your politics should matter. We see all kinds here. ;) It's a big state.

maniach

10-15-2007, 09:43 AM

It wasn't that there were a LOT of ants, it was that they are HUGE. He said they were like 3" long with 5 ft tall anthills, and he wasn't feeling it. Roaches, eh, we have those here. Nasty, but with a good exterminator you can deal.

Dizzy

10-15-2007, 09:46 AM

maniach: I don't remember getting ants that size. Is he thinking fire ants? Fire ants are a b*tch for sure, but you just keep exterminating! Dallas is a GREAT place to live, so don't let some ants stop you :)

lauren f s

10-15-2007, 09:51 AM

I've lived in the Dallas area all my life and have never seen ants that big or anthills that tall. We do have fire ants and they are a PITA, but not that large!

strwbrygirl

10-21-2007, 12:45 AM

Thanks to those who weighed in about my proposed DAL->DFW switch-- I'm sorry that I didn't come back to update more quickly. Anyway, I decided that it wasn't worth the hassle-- I found a deal that was close to the same price as the other one (through AUS instead) and didn't require the headache of changing airports.

Now, another question, because I'll be in Austin for a conference in a few weeks. Does anyone here have experience with taking the Capital Metro bus from the airport to the capitol/UT area? I'm wondering whether it's a hassle or not; if it's a problem, I'm thinking that I may take a Super Shuttle instead. (I'd really prefer to avoid renting a car since I'll be at the conference for most of the days anyway, and the hotel charges for parking.) Also, I keep reading about using the 'Dillos around downtown-- is it fairly user-friendly? I just moved to TX from Boston, and I'm used to walking and taking public transportation, if that helps.

Niobe

10-21-2007, 02:00 AM

Capitol Metro is great - the bus from the airport is a straight shot to the college, via downtown (which is like, a mile down the road). It's dirt cheap and really simple, Austin just isn't big enough for the bus system to be much of a hassle. I had a car when I lived there and I never drove it. :)

strwbrygirl

10-21-2007, 02:16 PM

Great to hear! Thanks, Niobe!

Tanya

10-21-2007, 03:12 PM

Any Austinites have a good tailor/alterations person to recommend, preferably close to the city? I just need someone to do basic alterations, and I suspect my biggest problem will be finding someone reasonably priced, after the dry cleaning costs I've experienced here;) (a rec in this area would be great, too). Thanks!

Dizzy

10-21-2007, 04:20 PM

strwbrygirl: Glad you found a way around the DFW to Love hassle. Taking the bus from Austin's airport to UT should be super easy! Have you tried Google Transit (http://www.google.com/transit)? I've used it a few times where I live now; you might be able to easily plan your trip with it.

bluberry

10-21-2007, 10:12 PM

Tanya: Hey there, I have some recommendations for you. I'm fairly short so I need to get all my pants hemmed. I'd been taking them to Reid's Cleaners. While they always do a good job, they also charge $10-15/pair. I would still recommend Reid's as my favorite dry cleaner though.

As for a highly recommended tailor, I would recommend Gassane Tailors. The Banana Republic at the Domain sends all their alterations there and the owner used to be President Bush's personal tailor (somewhat random). He altered my SO's suit jacket and it turned out really well. Here's a link to the tailor's website: http://www.gassanetailors.com/

strwbrygirl

10-22-2007, 06:57 AM

Dizzy-- thanks for the link. I'll check it out!

Tanya

10-22-2007, 09:54 AM