Dallas pros and cons
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6/5/2007
I am not from Dallas, but lived just north of Dallas for 7 years. I am in Dallas every day.
I will follow the short "pros" vs. "cons" approach.
Pros:
- Low population density for a big city
- Good weather from Sept. to June (even in July and Aug., not humid, windy)
- Nice people, not too friendly (nosey), not too unfriendly
- Very decent nightlife, if you don't mind second-hand cigarette smoke
- Very, very many restaurants
- Close to major airport which is easy to reach
- Some nice lakes to bike, etc.
- Services are excellent, car repair places don't try to rip you off
- Pro sports teams (NFL, baseball, basketball, hockey)
- Easy to fly to both coasts within 3-4 hours
- Infrastructure is generally good (many new highway overpasses, etc.)
- Suburbs north of Dallas are very clean and friendly (reminds me of Utah, actually: religious right, friendly people, good services, and clean streets).
Cons:
- High crime rate, VERY high property crime rate
- Lots of petty hassles in downtown Dallas (panhandling, homeless, etc.)
- Downtown has not been developed like most big U.S. cities. Basically neglected since 1980.
- Very high population of illegal aliens
- Some neighborhoods are rundown and are basically ignoring the law (see comment directly above this one about illegals).
- Very, very hot summers (July-August)
- Drivers are aggressive and change lanes often without signalling, highways can be very, very aggressive. Dallas regularly gets a C- for driving habits, on a scale of A to F.
- Outdoor sports in general are not valued by Dallas-ites, who seem more interested in going out to eat, or being in the office. Thus, general lack of outdoor running, biking trails, etc.
- Suburbs are basically Religious Right, Baptist
- More highways, more overpasses, more congested roads.
John | Addison, TX