Been in the Metroplex for 3 years now, and....
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8/11/2013
I'm writing this review based on my experience living in the Dallas area just over 3 years now. In the past, I've lived in New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, D.C., Delaware, Philadelphia, Arizona, Houston.
Dallas is a good place to "be", especially for the benefits of economics. Pretty strong and diverse job market due to several companies/industries, both large and small, who choose to have a hub here due to Dallas' geographic location in the U.S. As a result, there's many people moving in, pretty much to save a buck compared to more expensive cities/towns with a less than favorable job market. No state income tax so you get a few bucks in your wallet.
Its a great place to raise a family because you can obtain a fairly large home for less $, pretty good schools around the metro area/Collin County, and you may even have some extra cash to get that Lexus, Mercedes, BMW, Maserati (Not all, but many folks like to drive these here) Though the home prices are lower+no state income tax, but you'll recycle that "extra" cash back into your property tax which is a bit higher than the average, about $17-$18 per $1k of your homes value, so be prepared to add about $300+ to your mortgage payment.
SOCIAL: There are lots of transplants from lots of states/countries and many nice people throughout the area, however I'd consider this Metroplex to be a bit segregated both economically and racially. Many places around the country are this way however, it didn't take long to notice this as my career requires me to travel extensively throughout the entire Metroplex. In all fairness, there's a handful of towns/cities in between which have a good melting pot of ethnicities/economic statuses, but not too many. Collin County is nice and "sanitized" if you will, offering fairly lower crime, good schools, nice homes, and a bunch of chain restaurants.
NOTE: After you've visited the zoo's, museums, state fair, and other attractions once, you've pretty much done it. After that, "SHOPPING AND EATING OUT" seems to be the thing to do here unless you hop a flight out of here. A vast majority of outings with friends involve eating something at some new restaurant somewhere; wash, rinse and repeat...
OUTDOORS/WEATHER: There's a lot of parks throughout the area for walking/cycling/trails but unless you enjoy HEAT, you'll only be outside from the end of October until May. May/June to September/October is COOKIN' outside, and don't let folks here tell you about "dry heat". Its like a 4 month pelting of sun spit. After living in the desert, Dallas is not a dry heat, but also no where as bad as the high dew point heat index of Houston. In Houston, you begin to sweat within 30 seconds that you walk out of the A/C, whereas in Dallas, you'll start sweating about 3-5 minutes after walking out of the A/C. Some people love the hot and high dew point moisture, but I find it irritating because I physically active, and enjoy outdoor activities year round EXCEPT during the long, long summers.
Many, but not all people here tend to focus on acquiring "things", that is, the huge house, the fancy car, etc... It kind of gets annoying when folks here talk to me often about what they have or plan to get. Don't get me wrong, we all like our toys and goodies, however the frequency here is higher than average or what you'd expect in other places. Sometimes I feel like the motto is "Look at what I've got!". I guess already been humbled by this stage/chapter of life when you've realized that there's other things that are much more important in life.
Again, this is only my experience of living in the Dallas area, and overall, its just a good place to be to weather economic challenges that may ripple through other cities. No real topography and/or natural beauty and a bit boring at times. Its full of everything you need, but doesn't offer much of the things you may really want.
Phil | Fort Worth, TX