Quote:
Originally Posted by RedefinedDiva
It's hard to believe that I started this thread over a year ago!!  My, how time flew by in my last year of law school!!!
Anyway, I'm bak with the same question, but this time, it's a little more tailored. I have narrowed down my cities for relocation and would appreciate it if anyone would throw some info my way if they happen to live ther. I know that the Houston folks have been DEEP in the thread!! Feel free to renew your "push" to get people to move there.
Here's my list (in no particular order):
1. Dallas, TX
2. Houston, TX
3. Charlotte, NC
4. Atlanta, GA
5. Washington, DC
6. Chicago, IL
I just did a search of the top (10) cities for African-Americans and 5/6 of my cities were on the list, with the exception of Chicago. Therefore, I think that they all are great choices! 
The front runner at the moment is Dallas because I thought it was really nice when I went there a few months back for a trial competition. Houston is running a very close second because I know a few folks there, including Soror D (and I can finally get to meet Rita!) and it's not that long of a drive back to N.O. Both are good cities and I'm sure I'd have better luck finding a job than I am here. Texas seems to be the "safest" place for my first attempt at relocation, but my options are DEFINITELY open to all possibilites. At best, I'm looking to move my January/February '09.
So, hit me with all the info you have. Everything is up for discussion: Economy, weather, job market, standard of living, availability of housing, hot spots, crime, etc. If you don't feel like typing, just direct me to a helpful website.
Thanks for your help! |
I've been to all of those places and lived in 2 (Dallas and DC) -- I think they're all great places for AAs to live.
I'll speak on Dallas, though, since I'm living here "grown"
I'm not sure if you want to live in Dallas proper or one of the surrounding cities. If you want to live in Dallas, it can get pretty expensive. When I was looking for an apartment (maybe 2 years ago?), the cheapest place that I found was Deep Ellum (they're trying to revitalize the downtown area). If you're wanting to live around the area, check out Irving, Arlington, Fort Worth, Addison, or Grand Prairie. They'll keep you close to everything, but far enough away to chill out.
You're also going to need a car. Downtown Dallas and Fort Worth have mass transit, but some of the midcities don't. The only mass transit that goes to and from both cities is the train. And because everyone has a car, traffic is horrendous. There seems to be permanent construction on the highways, and now with the new Cowboys stadium being built in Arlington, I-30 (major highway) has lane closures.
DFW Airport is right in the middle of the metroplex, so getting into and out of the region is very easy (there are also several smaller airports that can get you directly into Dallas or Fort Worth if you don't want to go to the main airport).
Economy: I read somewhere that North Texas is "recession proof" because of the types of jobs available up here. There's a lot of drilling going on with the Barnett Shale, and that's expected to pump some money into the economy.
Weather: "If you don't like the weather in Texas, wait 5 minutes and it'll change." Very true. Texas weather is odd and takes some getting used to. There are really no "seasons" -- just hot and cold. People from out of state are also concerned about the tornadoes. They come pretty frequently at the end of spring, but once you've been here for a while, you can kind of gauge when they're serious. Summer = very hot. This summer we had something like 20 days of 100+ degree heat.
Job Market: There are several Fortune 500 companies in the area. AT+T is also moving here from San Antonio in the near future. It shouldn't be too difficult to find something.
Standard of Living: The majority of the region is pretty normal. You have a pretty good mix of people with different incomes. Dallas (and Addison, for that matter) is known, though, for "$30,000 millionaires" -- people who front like they have money but are really not making that much and are racking up debt. There is a lot of money in the region (aside from the $30K people) so there are several sections that reflect that (Highland Park, University Park, Preston Hollow, etc).
Housing: Cost of living and housing is pretty low. Like I said earlier, downtown Dallas is trying to revitalize so it isn't THAT expensive. The midcities are reasonably priced as well. The very expensive sections are near Uptown, Turtle Creek, Park Cities, and Preston. If you check out rent.com or something, you can quickly find something that fits your budget.
Hot Spots: I'm not sure how old you are, but there are a few "party" areas depending on what you're into. Lower Greenville -- mostly 20-somethings and SMU students. It's situated near a neighborhood, though, so parking is TERRIBLE. Deep Ellum -- 18/19 year olds and artsy types frequent DE. About 5 or 6 years ago, there was a lot going on in the area. Crime increase and it's kind of slowed down, but there are several groups trying to revitalize the area. Uptown/Knox Henderson -- The "trendy" area with ultra lounges and private clubs. Stockyards (Fort Worth) -- More country/western (if you're into that), but there are some places that play top 40/dance. Addison -- Another trendy area. I usually run into people trying to impress everyone by throwing money around.
If you're into sports, you have the Cowboys, Mavericks, Rangers, and Stars all playing in the area. There's also UTA, SMU, TCU, UTD, and UNT athletics. Several of the cities have minor league teams as well. If you're into museums/art, there are several galleries to visit.
Crime: It's pretty comparable to other large cities. Don't find yourself in the wrong part of Oak Cliff (south Dallas) or Stop Six (Fort Worth) unless you know where you're going.
I've lived here (Arlington) for about 6 years and have enjoyed it. I've lived in several big cities, so I like the pace of the area. It's the 4th largest metropolitan area in the US, so there's really ALWAYS something going on.
Check out these pages:
http://wikitravel.org/en/Dallas
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dallas%...orth_Metroplex
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dallas,_Texas
http://wikitravel.org/en/Fort_Worth
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Worth,_Texas
And sorry, I didn't mean for this to turn into a novel