MalibuRenter's summer in Dallas

So, here is the field report from Dallas. So far it's a very positive impression.



Some things are pretty much as advertised:



-Lower traffic, yes. Of course, that's true anywhere but NY, Cairo, Mexico City, or Tokyo. Average rushhour speeds on freeways are 50+ mph. Not quite screaming along with impunity, but pretty good.

-Parking, yes. Not many limitations. So far, I haven't seen any gratuitous "No parking third mondays, full moons, except with zone 14 permit" kind of signs.

-Friendly people, yes. As a native Southerner, I pretty much expected this.

-Attractive women, yes. It's kind of like being at UC Santa Barbara or USC, but on a bigger scale. FAR better than LA, moderately better than OC.

-Much lower housing prices, especially for nice places with big lots in good neighborhoods. However, inventory is building up and prices are dropping. Not an LA/OC/Riverside kind of collapse, but another 15-20% off wouldn't surprise me. In Dallas there is no jumbo conforming and it's hurting the high end. Still, a $700k property here would be $2.1 million in Irvine.

-Somewhat lower rents. Nice furnished place, short term lease, takes dogs, excellent neighborhood, 3 br 2 ba, 2000 sf, 1/2 acre lot. $2000/mo.

-No state income taxes. Just got my first TX paycheck, and yes, there is no state tax.



Some things aren't at all as advertised:

-Rednecks, very hard to find in Dallas. There are some poor people, but not sunburned alcoholic guys with shiny cutouts of women on their mudflaps.

-Heat and humidity, missing in action. Santa Barbara's summer weather appears to have been kidnapped and brought here. Very clear air, highs in the high 70's. This might change at a moment's notice.



Not advertised, but apparently true:

-Fewer tattoos.

-Much much less graffiti. I've found like 3 pieces of graffiti, and was able to read all of them.

-Almost no trash on the freeways. While this isn't much of a problem in OC, LA apparently never cleans the freeway emergency lanes. You could do your Christmas shopping there.



Further updates as I notice things. Feel free to ask questions.
 
As a former 16+ year DFW resident recently back in SoCal, there are many excellent qualities about TX. Weather is not one of them. You haven't seen anything yet. Wait until you have to run the AC 24hrs a day just to keep the inside @ 80....and then, when the $500 electric bill shows up.



The lack of state income tax is quite nice, as well as the lower living costs, lower gasoline prices, lower food costs. And damn good Tex-Mex. High utility costs due to the previously mentioned weather.



FWIW, we sold our home in Flower Mound, TX on 25 Feb 2009. TX does not see the huge RE increases like elsewhere, so don't expect a massive "crash" like other parts of the US.



Northern part of DFW (Richardson, Plano to the east, Lewisville, Carrollton, Flower Mound to the west), IMO, is nicer than the southern areas (Lancaster, Desoto, etc).



If you don't mind me asking, where in Dallas are you renting? If you have any questions, I'd be glad to answer them very honestly.
 
Did you move to Dallas permanently or is this a temporary situation. If permanently, what made you move to Dallas. Did you consider Austin, Houston, San Antonio?



Pasadena
 
[quote author="Adam Ginsberg" date=1242813228]As a former 16+ year DFW resident recently back in SoCal, there are many excellent qualities about TX. Weather is not one of them. You haven't seen anything yet. Wait until you have to run the AC 24hrs a day just to keep the inside @ 80....and then, when the $500 electric bill shows up.



The lack of state income tax is quite nice, as well as the lower living costs, lower gasoline prices, lower food costs. And damn good Tex-Mex. High utility costs due to the previously mentioned weather.



FWIW, we sold our home in Flower Mound, TX on 25 Feb 2009. TX does not see the huge RE increases like elsewhere, so don't expect a massive "crash" like other parts of the US.



Northern part of DFW (Richardson, Plano to the east, Lewisville, Carrollton, Flower Mound to the west), IMO, is nicer than the southern areas (Lancaster, Desoto, etc).



If you don't mind me asking, where in Dallas are you renting? If you have any questions, I'd be glad to answer them very honestly.</blockquote>


Renting in Preston Hollow. Things nearby range from almost free to absurd within about a mile of our house. About 3 blocks south are some of the absurdly large homes, but we've met the owners of some of them. Nice people. They let the neighbors dogs play in their streams and fountains, often invite you in.



Both the wife and I were raised in hot climates. We usually set the thermostat around 84 degrees in summer. The dog has a bed that helps keep him cool (CoolBed III). Wish we had remembered to bring the PetMister.



One question for you. What about the "mosquito misters"? Is this just something the realtors list, or are they actually useful? When I last lived in the south, people were entertained by bug zappers. Are they now gauche?
 
[quote author="Pasadena to Irvine" date=1242814277]Did you move to Dallas permanently or is this a temporary situation. If permanently, what made you move to Dallas. Did you consider Austin, Houston, San Antonio?



Pasadena</blockquote>


Dallas is where the job/assignment is. The company prefers permanent, but they have about 20 offices in the US, including Santa Monica. I could move to any of the other TX cities too. I have been to all of them for meetings, but not extended stays.



While we are here, Mrs MalibuRenter and I are checking out a lot of other places, including Ft Worth, San Antonio. My assorted visits to Houston make me pretty sure I don't want to live there. It's like Dallas, with more humidity, more traffic, and more budget problems.
 
Two other observations come to mind.



1. TX is pretty dogfriendly, like LA. My Lab went to Lowes with us yesterday. We went on a nice long jog on the Katy Trail today. Former railroad easement, now inhabited by fitness people and their dogs. Lots of big dogs with pools at home. Must be great to be a pool maintenance company around here. What does all that fur do to filtration systems?



Salt water pools seem to be popular. Doesn't turn all dogs into blonde/slightly green furry critters.



2. Dallas is much more family oriented. A number of our neighbors have 2, 3, or 4 kids. As best I can tell, they are planned, wanted, loved, and properly cared for.
 
It is good to see you are settling in.



I hope you enjoy the nice weather while it lasts. I lived in College Station, Texas for 3 summers, and I can tell you that Texas gets very hot and very humid. In fact, East Texas feels hotter and more humid than Florida. Dallas is probably similar to College Station in that occasionally the Gulf moisture is pushed to the east and it isn't unbearably humid. Houston is always too humid.



How do you like the neon building art? Some people think it is really cool, and others think it is really tacky.



I always remember driving the freeways through Dallas, and you are at treetop level. I don't know what that does for air and noise pollution, but it is a non-earthquake zone solution to traffic problems. San Antonio has many elevated freeways too.



Have you had any encounters with the local bugs? They have fire ants in Texas, and other creepy crawlies we don't have in California.
 
I am glad for this thread and all the info provided by MalibuRenter, Adam, and IR. Once upon a time, my husband was offered a job in Dallas and we thought of looking for a home in Frisco or another nearby suburb like Plano, and whatever else - can't remember. We did a lot of research but never actually went to visit so I've always wondered what it would have been like. (We decided to stay in SoCal, obviously.) The homes look absolutely beautiful as though each one is a Shady Canyon transplant for 1/3 the price on a much bigger lot. I can't handle humidity or bugs, though. My husband did go to Dallas on business in the summer and thought the humidity was heavy. His job offer still stands so we think about it sometimes. Keep us posted, Malibu. Are you in the process of deciding if you'll stay?
 
The following post from a month ago recommended Woodland, TX. I checked it out. The homes were beauitful.



<em>I really like master planned communities aesthetically. Therefore, when looking at possible places to live, my preference is for MPCs over other settings. However, I don?t like MPCs that are too small in population to be able to attract and support significant business and cultural infrastructure. I view them as merely suburbs to major metros rather than centers of activity in their own right. Irvine for most of its history has been planned differently, able to be a significant hub in its own right with a population base of over 200,000 presently, and not merely being a feeder city to LA or other OC cities.



Another large MPC is The Woodlands, Texas, which was established in 1974 a few years behind Irvine?s founding. While its residents are on par with Irvine when it comes to household wealth and educational attainment, its low cost of living has made it a significant draw from those working in nearby Houston and those looking to flee the high costs and high taxes of the West Coast and Northeast states. As a result The Woodlands has seen its population grow from 29,000 in 1990 to 55,00 in 2000 and over 84,000 today. Though most of its professional workforce commutes to Houston, major corporations like Chevron Phillips and Anadarko Petroleum have made The Woodlands their corporate headquarters.



What do you think of The Woodlands as competitor to those who like myself are drawn to MPCs but hate the high cost of living of Irvine?



[ Edited: 14 April 2009 12:42 AM by garfangle ]</em>



<img src="http://www.sitetraffic.com/thewoodlandshome/images/index.jpg" alt="" />



<img src="http://www.woodlandsonline.com/images/rl/5626/Front.jpg" alt="" />



<img src="http://www.woodlandsonline.com/images/rl/5781/ELE1.jpg" alt="" />



<img src="http://www.woodlandsonline.com/images/rl/5781/gallery/REAR_ELE2.jpg" alt="" />



<img src="http://www.woodlandsonline.com/images/rl/4950/IMG_0765.JPG" alt="" />
 
and oh the test scores. Irvine can't even compete.

Scale: % meeting or exceeding standards at Woodland High





Grade 9



Reading

97% (2008)

98% (2007)

97% (2006)

Data not available for this school (2005)

The state average for Reading was 84% in 2008.



Math

89% (2008)

89% (2007)

89% (2006)

Data not available for this school (2005)

The state average for Math was 60% in 2008.



Source: TX Education Agency, 2007-2008





Grade 10



Social Studies

97% (2008)

97% (2007)

The state average for Social Studies was 88% in 2008.



Science

86% (2008)

86% (2007)

87% (2006)

The state average for Science was 64% in 2008.



English Language Arts

94% (2008)

94% (2007)

94% (2006)

Data not available for this school (2005)

The state average for English Language Arts was 86% in 2008.



Math

85% (2008)

83% (2007)

81% (2006)

Data not available for this school (2005)

The state average for Math was 63% in 2008.



Source: TX Education Agency, 2007-2008





Grade 11



Social Studies

99% (2008)

99% (2007)

The state average for Social Studies was 95% in 2008.



Science

95% (2008)

95% (2007)

93% (2006)

The state average for Science was 80% in 2008.



English Language Arts

97% (2008)

97% (2007)

93% (2006)

95% (2005)

The state average for English Language Arts was 90% in 2008.



Math

94% (2008)

95% (2007)

93% (2006)

93% (2005)

The state average for Math was 79% in 2008.



Source: TX Education Agency, 2007-2008
 
Ah....so you're neighbors with Bush Jr. ;)



Preston Hollow is a very nice, upscale area.



Never heard them called "mosquito misters". We had 2 bug zappers (front and back yards), as well as a water mister in the back by our pool to help cool everyone off.



TX is very family friendly - we raised our 3 boys there (now 27, 18 and 15), and don't regret ANY of the time we spent in TX. The schools are very good, however, very conservative. In our school district, boys could not have an earring, but girls could have nearly as many as they wanted. No band T-shirts (at all!), no colored hair. Although our kids got a very good education (our youngest is 15, and will be finishing HS at Ventura High), there were many times I was very frustrated at how they made "a mountain out of a molehill" over minor things.



As IrvineRenter mentioned, there's lots of fire ants in TX. If you find a mound, don't wait - get rid of it. Those bastards hurt when they bite, and leave a puss-filled welt afterwards that can take a week or two to disappear.



Houston and Austin are very nice areas - Austin being the "hill country". Some excellent universities in TX. Houston has serious traffic problems (although LA is tops in that regard). A few friends live in The Woodlands, and it is indeed a very nice area.



Newer homes (built within the past ~10-15 years) are sized very well, bright, open floor plans, and priced well within range of many residents.



A few gratuitous pics of the home we just sold (and really miss):



<img src="http://www.shrackracing.com/for-sale/632/632-front.jpg" alt="" />



<img src="http://www.shrackracing.com/for-sale/632/632-kitchen1.jpg" alt="" />



<img src="http://www.shrackracing.com/for-sale/632/632-kitchen3.jpg" alt="" />



<img src="http://www.shrackracing.com/for-sale/632/632-pool1.jpg" alt="" />



Living in Ventura, close to the beach, however, has been great - we've so missed the weather. Plus, we're close to family again (my dad lives only a few miles away, and our oldest is even closer), and that was a major deciding factor in coming back to SoCal.....warts and all. ;)
 
I had heard lousy things about Texas for years, and we visited a couple of years ago while on a two month RV trip accross the US. We liked Texas, especially Austin and the hill country. I like no state income tax, but the property taxes are outrageous.
 
awgee - property taxes in TX are hardly outrageous, especially when compared to CA. Typically, property tax is between 2-3% of value. The county reassesses value every year as opposed to how it's done in CA (based on purchase price).



Sure, CA is 1.25%, but that's on ~$500k ($6250). Our last tax bill in TX was ~$4000, IIRC.
 
No mention of the BBQ? That's the #1 draw for me!



My brother lives in Mesquite. I liked it out there when we went to visit. It's very quick to get out of the suburbs and very quick to get in to downtown. Heat would kill me though.
 
Those 'education' scores are a croc. Texas manipulates its own test.



Show us the figures for a national test, then I'll believe.
 
[quote author="MalibuRenter" date=1242817719]Two other observations come to mind.



1. TX is pretty dogfriendly, like LA. My Lab went to Lowes with us yesterday. We went on a nice long jog on the Katy Trail today. Former railroad easement, now inhabited by fitness people and their dogs. Lots of big dogs with pools at home. Must be great to be a pool maintenance company around here. What does all that fur do to filtration systems?



Salt water pools seem to be popular. Doesn't turn all dogs into blonde/slightly green furry critters.



2. Dallas is much more family oriented. A number of our neighbors have 2, 3, or 4 kids. As best I can tell, they are planned, wanted, loved, and properly cared for.</blockquote>


Have you been out to the new indoor bark park? I heard a story about it on NPR last month and thought what a fun day that must be for the dogs.
 
[quote author="freedomCM" date=1242882990]Those 'education' scores are a croc. Texas manipulates its own test.



Show us the figures for a national test, then I'll believe.</blockquote>


The scores I posted came from Greatschool.net for Woodland High.

I'm not sure of the differences in TX & CA standardized testing. The National tests only show state wide results not individual schools. Texas did score higher in national testing.

4th grade math

CA 230

TX 242



4th grade reading

CA 209

TX 220
 
[quote author="IrvineRenter" date=1242818772]It is good to see you are settling in.



I hope you enjoy the nice weather while it lasts. I lived in College Station, Texas for 3 summers, and I can tell you that Texas gets very hot and very humid. In fact, East Texas feels hotter and more humid than Florida. Dallas is probably similar to College Station in that occasionally the Gulf moisture is pushed to the east and it isn't unbearably humid. Houston is always too humid.



How do you like the neon building art? Some people think it is really cool, and others think it is really tacky.



I always remember driving the freeways through Dallas, and you are at treetop level. I don't know what that does for air and noise pollution, but it is a non-earthquake zone solution to traffic problems. San Antonio has many elevated freeways too.



Have you had any encounters with the local bugs? They have fire ants in Texas, and other creepy crawlies we don't have in California.</blockquote>


I haven't noticed much neon yet. I will look for it though. I've only seen neon signs on churches.



Our dog found a cockroach yesterday. Don't they know this a good neighborhood?



I'm not sure exactly how to describe it, but the freeway entrances and exits are designed in a vastly superior way here. There is also a different way of doing U turns. Perhaps I should take a camera with me and post photos.
 
[quote author="awgee" date=1242859110]I had heard lousy things about Texas for years, and we visited a couple of years ago while on a two month RV trip accross the US. We liked Texas, especially Austin and the hill country. I like no state income tax, but the property taxes are outrageous.</blockquote>


The property taxes are typically a little over 2%, but on a lower base than LA/OC. Well at least until 2010-12, when houses will cheaper in California than TX.
 
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