Sell Me On Texas

[Yeagermeister]

Stay away from Roanoke unless you are a NASCAR fan and want to be near Texas Motor Speedway. There is nothing out there. Except for the two apartment communities the company I work for owns.

 

[dougonthebench]

I am 21 years old and have lived in NY all my life and not sure if it's the place for me. My company has its main HQ in Texas and I'm a diehard Cowboy fan to boot. Please sell me on Texas.

The main things I hate about NY are:

Insane traffic (I spend 3 hours a day commuting)
Population density
Insane gun laws
Insanely high prices (decent house in a nice neighborhood is running you a minimum of 800K)
Car insurance
Giants fans
Crime

What I Like:

Everything is at your finger tips


Tell me everything good or bad about Texas.

How much are season tickets? It costs me 500+ for 2 decent seats just to watch the boys play at Giants Stadium.


LETS HEAR IT!

you'll love it here in Texas!

 

[NYCowboy22]

I'm a superintendent for a large contracting/construction management firm. I will be reporting to job sites rather than the main HQ, so my location will change on a yearly basis. However I would like to be located near the main office in case I decide to stare at a computer all day

They have a HQ in Dallas at

Dallas, TX 75202*
2001 North Lamar

and one in Houston which I wouldn't be interested in.

I have looked at the real estate in Plano and am very impressed. I like having actual space between houses as I value a little privacy (you are packed in like sardines in NY, except for some parts of Long Island) I currently live at home and wouldn't move there until I had enough cash to put a down payment on a house (My GF is in school for 3 more years and I don't plan on leaving her behind anyway )

The Van Wyck Expressway and the Long Island Expressway in NY are absolute murder at rush hour. There are people at my company who leave work at 7PM just so they don't have to sit in rush hour traffic. These people would rather work 12 hour days than sit in traffic, just to give you an indication of how bad it is. I can deal with traffic, and even long drives, but there is something about being completely stopped on an "expressway" that makes my blood boil.

I'm a pretty low key guy and have come upon a realization that NY may not be for me. A lot of people here are very high maintenance with attitudes. The nightlife won't be a problem since by the time I make the move, I will probably be past that phase in my life.

When I say everything is at your fingertips in NY, I mean there is an endless amount of things to do in a condensed area. However, this is not that important to me... I don't mind having to travel a little.

Are there any other neighborhoods similar to Plano in the proximity of the location of the Dallas office?

I'm starting to think the only thing I'm going to miss is my family and the Met's. :

 

[Crown Royal]

The part of dallass to which you are referring is not near any suburban neighborhoods.

I would suggest north Dallas for you, considering your age. The village is a nice area, you are only a couple of years younger than I.

Sounds like you have a good job, and as far as proximity, compared to NY, you just won't have the same as far as entertainment. But north Dallas would be a good comprimise for you.

Go visit sometime, take your girl on a weekend journey, just to get an idea of what it's like.

 

[joseephuss]

I hear the area near SMU is pretty nice as well as a little bit further east near White Rock lake. The marathon goes through this area and I remember thinking it was a pretty nice neighborhood. It may be a little more pricey than Plano, but nothing compared to NYC. It is not that far from your office, which is close to downtown and around American Airlines Arena. That is almost the extent of my Dallas knowledge since I only visit friends in Plano ocasionally.

 

[Rack]

Couple of facts about Texas...


Texas is the only state that can fly their flag lvl with the US flag.


Texas is the only state that can "Legally" leave the US.


Texas is the greatest country on the planet.




If you end up in South Texas, be prepared for the hottest weather you've ever experienced. The Dallas area is hot, but it's nice compared to South Texas. Trickblue is right though, the winters in Texas are nice. I don't know about North Texas, but here in South Texas we get what people call "Winter Texans", people that live here only for the winter. This year, as far as I know, we didn't have a single day of 32 or below temperature here in Laredo.

 

[Signals]

If you don't mind me asking... what is the name of the Co. you work for?

 

[peplaw06]

Did you have a helicopter?

Maybe I should clarify... this is in optimal conditions with no major traffic hangups. I made it in just over an hour from Calabasas to Anaheim... about 1:10 IIRC... it was early on a Saturday morning. Then we made it one time in around 1:30 with a stop off at LAX on the way, around the same time of day on a Sunday. I actually like driving in the big city, if that tells you anything about how I drive

I've taken trips from North Dallas/Plano area to North Ft Worth that took 45 min.

 

[CF74]

3,200 SQ FT home in a nice suburb like Grapevine only costs $300,000 and it's close to a nice big lake where the honey's sport it

 

[Crown Royal]

Maybe I should clarify... this is in optimal conditions with no major traffic hangups. I made it in just over an hour from Calabasas to Anaheim... about 1:10 IIRC... it was early on a Saturday morning. Then we made it one time in around 1:30 with a stop off at LAX on the way, around the same time of day on a Sunday. I actually like driving in the big city, if that tells you anything about how I drive

I've taken trips from North Dallas/Plano area to North Ft Worth that took 45 min.

The Dallas thing is easy.

But I was in LA for 4 months, and, yeah - thanks for the clarification. M-F, no way do you make that time.

 

[Juke99]

But you can't get pizza like you do here in NY....

Or bagels...

or...uh...uhm...

I pay $13,000 per year in real estate taxes for pizza and bagels. :bang2:

 

[CF74]

I pay $13,000 per year in real estate taxes for pizza and bagels. :bang2:

Socialism..

 

[theebs]

But you can't get pizza like you do here in NY....

Or bagels...

or...uh...uhm...

I pay $13,000 per year in real estate taxes for pizza and bagels. :bang2:

man I miss fresh bagels. I had this great place up the street from me called the bagel grove. They made them fresh every morning. My dad and I used to go and get everything bagels every sunday.

 

[NYCowboy22]

Juke that is crazy. The taxes are just insane, especially if you don't have kids and aren't utilizing the school systems etc...

I am seriously considering the move in the future, but defiently have to visit first. I may even try to get on a project in the Dallas area just to see how I like it. The only real forseeable drawback is that my family wouldn't be making the move with me.

It is truly amazing what $1 Mil buys you in Dallas as far as houses go... 6000+ square ft beautifully designed with great features and finishes. Compare that to what you get in the nicer parts of LI, Queens and Brooklyn and it's really depressing. AND THE TAXES, MY GOD THE TAXES .

I make pretty good money for someone my age and once my girlfriend graduates, she will be making just as much, if not more. I currently live at home and live a pretty simple lifestyle. In 5 years, me and my girlfriend can defiently manage to come up with a down payment on a house... Only our money will go a lot further in the Dallas area. It really does look like a beautiful place to live... I never knew backyards existed where you could take more than 20 steps in one direction :laugh2:

I will miss the Pizza and the fresh baked bread though (nothing like New York water.)

I've heard from a few people that texans usually look down upon people who come from a big city... Is there any truth to that? Also I don's suppose there are many Italians in the Dallas area Is there anything in particular I should know about? It gets pretty heated in some parts of NY with all the discrimination etc... You would be able to pick me out in a heart beat with my accent.

 

[Rack]

Juke that is crazy. The taxes are just insane, especially if you don't have kids and aren't utilizing the school systems etc...

I am seriously considering the move in the future, but defiently have to visit first. I may even try to get on a project in the Dallas area just to see how I like it. The only real forseeable drawback is that my family wouldn't be making the move with me.

It is truly amazing what $1 Mil buys you in Dallas as far as houses go... 6000+ square ft beautifully designed with great features and finishes. Compare that to what you get in the nicer parts of LI, Queens and Brooklyn and it's really depressing. AND THE TAXES, MY GOD THE TAXES .

I make pretty good money for someone my age and once my girlfriend graduates, she will be making just as much, if not more. I currently live at home and live a pretty simple lifestyle. In 5 years, me and my girlfriend can defiently manage to come up with a down payment on a house... Only our money will go a lot further in the Dallas area. It really does look like a beautiful place to live... I never knew backyards existed where you could take more than 20 steps in one direction :laugh2:

I will miss the Pizza and the fresh baked bread though (nothing like New York water.)

I've heard from a few people that texans usually look down upon people who come from a big city... Is there any truth to that? Also I don's suppose there are many Italians in the Dallas area Is there anything in particular I should know about? It gets pretty heated in some parts of NY with all the discrimination etc... You would be able to pick me out in a heart beat with my accent.

It depends what part of Texas you move to. You won't have that problem in Dallas IMO. Nor in San Antonio. At one point SA was called "the melting pot of america". A very diverse (is that the right word?) city. Not much discrimination at all there. And a very nice city too. Austin is another very nice city where you won't have that problem.

 

[Juke99]

Socialism..

Nah...insanity.

 

[Juke99]

man I miss fresh bagels. I had this great place up the street from me called the bagel grove. They made them fresh every morning. My dad and I used to go and get everything bagels every sunday.

Get someone to Fedex fresh ones to ya....you'll have to pop them in the microwave the next day...or toast them...but hey, it's the next best option

 

[Juke99]

Juke that is crazy. The taxes are just insane, especially if you don't have kids and aren't utilizing the school systems etc...

I am seriously considering the move in the future, but defiently have to visit first. I may even try to get on a project in the Dallas area just to see how I like it. The only real forseeable drawback is that my family wouldn't be making the move with me.

It is truly amazing what $1 Mil buys you in Dallas as far as houses go... 6000+ square ft beautifully designed with great features and finishes. Compare that to what you get in the nicer parts of LI, Queens and Brooklyn and it's really depressing. AND THE TAXES, MY GOD THE TAXES .

I make pretty good money for someone my age and once my girlfriend graduates, she will be making just as much, if not more. I currently live at home and live a pretty simple lifestyle. In 5 years, me and my girlfriend can defiently manage to come up with a down payment on a house... Only our money will go a lot further in the Dallas area. It really does look like a beautiful place to live... I never knew backyards existed where you could take more than 20 steps in one direction :laugh2:

I will miss the Pizza and the fresh baked bread though (nothing like New York water.)

I've heard from a few people that texans usually look down upon people who come from a big city... Is there any truth to that? Also I don's suppose there are many Italians in the Dallas area Is there anything in particular I should know about? It gets pretty heated in some parts of NY with all the discrimination etc... You would be able to pick me out in a heart beat with my accent.

Not many Italians are nicknamed "Tex"

I started looking in North Carolina because this NY stuff is nutz.

Funny thing about the pizza...I dated someone from Washington who asked me to fedex her a Sicilian pizza....so I order one...ran home with it...popped it in the freezer and then later that day, took it to FedEx..she said when she got it the next morning it was still cold.

So...you might do the same.

As far as real estate, my home is worth $750,000....2400 sq feet. It's nice...Hos has seen it when he visited NY....but it ain't worth $3/4 million.

I've seen what that kind of money can buy out of state...it's mind boggling.

 

[trickblue]

Not many Italians are nicknamed "Tex"

I started looking in North Carolina because this NY stuff is nutz.

Funny thing about the pizza...I dated someone from Washington who asked me to fedex her a Sicilian pizza....so I order one...ran home with it...popped it in the freezer and then later that day, took it to FedEx..she said when she got it the next morning it was still cold.

So...you might do the same.

As far as real estate, my home is worth $750,000....2400 sq feet. It's nice...Hos has seen it when he visited NY....but it ain't worth $3/4 million.

I've seen what that kind of money can buy out of state...it's mind boggling.

I used to travel the country on business for 8 years and it WAS mind boggling to see property values and taxes around the country...

Texas is extremely reasonable in comparison. I just recently built a new home in a restricted neighborhood on 4 acres for less than $200,000...

 

[Crown Royal]

I've heard from a few people that texans usually look down upon people who come from a big city... Is there any truth to that? Also I don's suppose there are many Italians in the Dallas area Is there anything in particular I should know about? It gets pretty heated in some parts of NY with all the discrimination etc... You would be able to pick me out in a heart beat with my accent.

No, no & no.

1) Dallas is not NY, but it isn't a small city either.
2) Maybe if you go out into Farmer Jim Bob's ranch and start talking politics you'll get that 'Big City' thing, but not in Dallas or Austin or Houston or San Antonio. That's just silly.
3) There are Italians, but I don't think a lot of them go by Vinny, or speak Sicilian to do business, etc. Not NY Italian at least. But there is every nationality/race in Dallas.
4) I have had the experience to travel nationwide over the last 1.5 years. The shocking thing about the travels isn't how different everyone is - it's how much everyone is more the same than they would care to admit.