Everyone’s curious about why I want Dallas, Texas specifically.
1. The food was tasty when we were there. It would have been awful to never have found good grocery stores or areas to shop at, but we found them EVERYWHERE!
2. It’s a big hub for our area
3. Lots of corporations looking to hire us. I get a lot of headhunters trying to recruit me for the States.
4. It’s in a pleasant area that doesn’t have too much snow or ice.
5. Everyone was very VERY friendly there and family-oriented (or at least, that’s what it seemed compared to Montreal).
6. Texas is rich.
7. The cost of living is low.
8. They seem to be more laid back and less stressed out than Toronto. Everyone just takes it easy.
9. I’m really not that far from Canada – it’s just a short plane ride back to see my parents.
10. We’re just giving it a try. If we don’t like it there, we’ll move in another couple of years to another state, or another country or even continent. But I think we’ll be fine in Dallas, it seems to suit what we want in terms of our long-term goals.
Pretty anti-climatic huh? 🙂
Just a girl trying to find a balance between being a Shopaholic and a Saver.
I cleared $60,000 in 18 months earning $65,000 gross/year.
Now I am self-employed, and you can read more about 
Texas is a different world, but this is a complete bs about “the way they treat women, the way they practically worship their guns and trucks”. Perhaps, if you live in the woods in the “white trash” community (pardon), such claim could be applicable.
People are friendly here, but most of the time on a very shallow, fake level. I lived up North and absolutely loved it there. I do not like Texas, but it does have its good sides. As they say, to each its own. To me – it’s extremely boring as if the city has a brain but a soul is missing. It’s not as dynamic, hectic, progressive, if you will, as most Northern cities (Boston, NYC, etc.)
Tax system is not favorable here. Yes, we do not have a state income tax, but we do have extremely high property taxes (especially, if you plan to own a real estate in Dallas County).
You can always move elsewhere especially if work for a multinational company.
Good luck!
Whoo!! I love your first point: “they food was tasty when we were there.”
Congratulations and a bazillion “best wishes”, hon! It sounds fabulous and I can’t wait to hear all about it!
Having been born & raised in Dallas, I'd love to welcome you to my home! As all cities, Dallas has its pros and cons. I hope you'll find more of the pros here than the cons. Let us know how we can help you get settled!
I almost moved to Dallas but I decided against it. The one weakness was the traffic…it’s awful there!
wow!! if i eventually get my butt to the usa, can i visit you? 😛 good luck with moving and keep us updated with what you decided to pack!
I don’t think you have to worry about the “treating women badly” and “guns and trucks” worshiping. All of the most populated cities (including Dallas) are much more liberal than other parts of Texas and fit the redneck stereotype least.
I grew up in a suburb of Dallas called Garland and lived there almost my whole life until I moved to Tampa a few months ago.
Dallas is great. Don’t let the previous posters warnings “The way they treat women, the way they practically worship their guns and trucks” put you off. That is very stereo-typical. You will find a mixed bag of people in Texas, not civil war cast-offs.
It’s nice, affordable, and the winters are not too bad.
Just be prepared for the summers, which are HOT!
Do not rent anything that does not have central heat/air!
TRUST ME.
Dallas has great bus and light rail lines called DART. You can get a monthly pass which is cheap!
If you get a car and work downtown, be prepared to pay for parking daily. My MIL was a VP at Bank One for many years and was a regular bus rider from Garland to Downtown Dallas, so getting around without a vehicle is do-able.
Richardson is where many of the telecommunications and IT jobs can be found. And they are on the bus line!
There are plenty of frugal places to live in the ‘burbs of Dallas, and many are affordable AND nice!
Your options for affordable housing are wide open, especially with the bus and light rail line running through most of the towns.
Renting a house is just as affordable as renting an apartment.
And buying is equally cheap. You can get a brand new house for around $100,000 in the suburbs.
Shopping and restaurants are great.
You can find just about any kind of food anywhere. Even the gas station!
Check out Half Price Books Store. THE MOST AWESOME PLACE to find books, music, and software.
As for groceries, don’t expect to find a whole lot of mom-and-pop stores. You’ll find that grocery shopping is mostly limited to big name stores. There are, however, a plethora of Asian supermarkets.
For good, fresh, affordable produce check out the Asian and Mexican grocery stores.
And there is plenty of nightlife and pubs. There is an almost unending choice of where to go to drink, listen to music, hang out, etc..
Most cities now are “wet”, meaning you can buy beer and wine, and sometimes liquor at the grocery stores.
All in all, it’s not a bad place to live!
Sounds fantastic! Good reasons all! Personally though I’m not a texas person myself, but it is a cheap place to live!
My mom is from texas so I’ve visited a few times and I really liked it. If you like mexican food… it’s AWESOME there. yummm
As a Texan at heart displaced in Minnesota, I must say you will LOVE Dallas. Texas is a fabulous place full of fabulous people, and along with that, it is becoming more of a major player in American cities and is getting more attention every day as another Chicago like Midwest city! If I get my way, I’m going to be there in a few years!
TEXAS!!! i’m from about 2 hours away from dallas. fun fun, can’t wait to move back!
Three things I didn’t like about Texas when I lived there: flash floods, mosquitoes (lots of humidity), and cowboy hats. 😉 But otherwise I enjoyed life there (in my 10 year old way).
it gets realllllllllllllllllly hot in texas so bring your swimsuit!:)
I haven’t been to Dallas, but I love Texas — especially San Antonio. While I’d hate to have to move, Texas is certainly a place I’d consider. With the way things are going, perhaps we’ll end out there, too.
Any tips on getting someone’s info in front of some of those headhunters? My husband is an uber-genius in more than one IT field (and I don’t say that lightly because I’ve always known a lot of smart computer nerds).
Hey FB! I just *had* to delurk to make sure you know how MIND BLOWINGLY HOT it gets there. You probably already now this but seriously, I had to check. Like, brain-melting hot…
I didn’t know you were moving to Dallas specifically! Wow I can’t imagine the summers though. Eeeeek the heat would scare me off. Air conditioning is all I have to say…
It sounds like you’ve done some good research.
I wonder about the heat, I hear it’s absolutely sweltering there.
You don’t have to explain yourself to me! Just don’t live in one of the ‘burbs in the middle of nowhere, if you can avoid it. I grew up in Allen and went to high school/college in Denton (which is AWESOME), but if I were moving back there I would try to live downtown or in University Park. Richardson isn’t my favorite, but one of my friends lives there and bike commutes. Drivers are surprisingly nice to cyclists.
One of the things I really miss about TX is that the state is required by the constitution to operate a balanced budget- it’s one of the reasons the legislative session always runs over. Still, they have very little debt and that’s going to be important right now.
“According to Moody’s Investors Service, Texas’ net tax-supported debt per capita is $415, ranking 41st among states. The national average was $1,101.”
http://www.brb.state.tx.us/bfo/summaries/07/state2007sum.aspx
I also like how the tax structure affords you so many options. Since there’s no state income tax, all of the taxes are excise/sales/property. With the exception of the first, you totally can choose what you’re going to pay in taxes.
You’ll love Central Market. Trust me.
Most importantly, Texas is bee-yoo-tiful! The moment I step out of the airport in Austin there’s just a smell, a somewhat limestoney, mesquitey smell that makes me quiver and even BF (a northerner) notices. West Texas is perhaps one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. Summer nights are warm and calm, and winters in Dallas are crisp but rarely icy. It doesn’t snow, it ices, and the city pretty much shuts down when it does.
If you are from Canada, you will HATE Texas. I’m from the northern part of the United States, and Texas is like a whole different world. The way they treat women, the way they practically worship their guns and trucks. It’s disgusting. It makes me wish the south had won the Civil War so that that whole area of the country would not belong to/be associated with the U.S.
Seeing that I too am Canadian who has lived in the states for awhile I can definitely say that you’ll enjoy Dallas. it’s a lot warmer climate and VERY welcoming people. And you’re right….large IT hub. Good luck!