[beta_plus]

I am looking into moving from DC to the DFW Metro area for primarily financial but hopefully swooping reasons as well. I realize that there are better places to move for women but I have to consider financial reasons.

Obviously, I would like to swoop on my off time. From my previous visit and reading on the forum, it looks like I want to live either in or near Uptown Dallas or in or near Downtown Fort Worth, though the latter is a bit ambiguous.

The life style I would like to have is:

• 1 BR quiet, safe, and clean 20 minutes drunken stumbling distance from the bars. I don't want to live right next to the bars because I want to be able to sleep.
• Off street parking for the 1 BR, either included with rent or for a modest monthly fee.
  

That's about it as far as a pad is concerned. What kind of salary would I need to pull that off?

Commuting
Given the size of the DFW, what's the longest commute that I can
realistically do that won't leave me exhausted?

For example:

• could I commute from Uptown to Plano?
• is Fort Worth to Las Calinas realistic?
  

What's the maximum amount of miles one can risk between one's home and place of employment in the DFW?

[Cattle Rustler]

Shit, I would say about 30 minutes for the longest commute, 20 minutes for me was fun (Addison to Medical District) while 40 minutes against traffic and I started to fall asleep on the wheel (Addison to Mesquite....skeet skeet skeet!) I feel sorry for the niggas that work for Fidelity and commute from Uptown to Westlake or Plano to Downtown. I have some friends that commute McKinney to Downtown and they have a 1.5 hour commute each day, that's 15 hours in traffic per week.

Do you want a house? A loft? Apartment? Crackhouse?

Rent might run you from 1100-1800 a month for a 1 bedroom, utilities extra. With every other shitlord from out of state moving in, prices are only rising and fast brah. I recommend lower greenville or McKinney Avenue next to all the hot spots (Concrete Cowboy, Kung Fu, Standard Pour, Fat Rabbit), or along with Katy Trail where you can mack on bishes wearing workout clothing. To enjoy it I would say 70K+, if you're not getting health insurance I would say 60K+. Most places will include a garage with the rent.

You can commute Uptown to Plano, 30 minutes. One of my homies used to do it regularly, pretty easy since it is against traffic. Everyone is trying to go south. FTW to Las Colinas is more difficult because folks are going east to Downtown Dallas and need to pass Las Colinas.

Also, fuck Fort Worthless! That place is deserted during the week and weekend. You might get some Honky Tonk folks and TCU students. That's all I gotta say.

[Brosemite]

^ There's more going on in Dallas. Best to live there.

I think the most important question is in which neighborhoods would you be working?

From what I'm reading, you're fielding offers in Las Colinas & Plano?

If that's the case, Ft. Worth to Las Colinas is EFFING FAR. Traffic would be hell. Easily a 45 minute to one hour commute each way.

You might be better off living off of the A) Knox Street or B) Henderson area while ubering to nightlife areas in Dallas; Lyft is the other option.

Once you answer that, could give you more practical advice.

I think 60-70K annually would be good to live comfortably. It'd always be nice to be making more than that though, haha (couldn't we all...).

[Travel Museums]

I've spent time in DFW. Theres some
Great museums and cultural stuff. Never got into the nightlife so can't say. Stayed with friends and boondocked in an RV so never paid rent or dealt with rush hour traffic. It does get ridiculously hot in summer though. Like 3 months of near triple digit heat. I couldn't be there year round.

[Gustavus Adolphus]

If your work opportunities are in either Plano or Las Colinas, I would not even consider Ft Worth.

That said, it's ok when TCU is in session and I've had some fun on 7th, and you can work yourself in at a lot of cool dives- there is a couple off Magnolia in Fairmount neighborhood and also down off Bluebonnet Circle.

Dallas is better in almost every way for RVF lifestyle.

I would try to stay inside the 635 loop, unless you want older chicks you can get a place at the Shops at Legacy and hit on the retired uptown girls.

If I was renting, I'd find a place with the best possible logistics even if it is a shoebox across the street from McKinney Ave or Knox/Henderson. You need to see the neighborhood, by the way. There are some sketchy areas within 2 miles of some of the high end neighborhoods. Get on street view. It's the same way in Fort Worth if you were trying to rent a house near the TCU campus.

I think you should budget $1300-1700 per month, not including utilities, for a place that is close to it all as you describe. I don't know what other expenses you have, or if you have savings goals, etc, but I think you need to be making at least $55-60k, $75k is better. $40k isn't enough.

You can also look at places on google maps and look at your route to and from work over a few days. That way you can see how the traffic flows during rush hour.

If you wanted to buy a place, I would look east of downtown but west of Rockwall.

[beta_plus]

Thanks for the advice guys.

By 1BR I meant an apartment. I can probably swing the rent but it would be tight once I factor in the cost of a car..

As for commutes, the Fort Worth to Las Colinas was just an example I grabbed from google maps (saw that Las Colinas was near the airport and heard Verizon had a facility there - figured there would be a lot of employers there).

Uptown to Plano might be end up happening. A lot of the employers for which I get recruiters contacting me are in Plano or Richardson.

Would it be worth living further north to save rent/commute time and just uber & lyft in when I want a night out?

I'm not expecting any ONS opportunities.

[Il Bersagliere]

Just like GA said, 7th street in Ft. Worth is legit. Been there a few times myself and had a blast. However, Dallas is heads and shoulders above Ft. Worth in terms of 'lifestyle' options.

[beta_plus]

(09-18-2016 09:43 PM)Gustavus Adolphus Wrote:  

...

I think you should budget $1300-1700 per month, not including utilities, for a place that is close to it all as you describe. I don't know what other expenses you have, or if you have savings goals, etc, but I think you need to be making at least $55-60k, $75k is better. $40k isn't enough.

...

I make a lot more than $40k, but just so that I have a point of reference, is there anywhere that $40k does cut it in the DFW?

[Off The Reservation]

beta salary plus $10,000

[Cattle Rustler]

East of Downtown but west of Rockwall? That's a first. The only good part would be Lakewood/WhiteRock but other than that, it's pretty rachet (Garland, East Dallas AZN/ESL boyz area, etc). Mesquite does have some good apartments for 700 bucks but not a lot of places to go to.

You can do 40K in West Dallas, Mesquite, South Dallas, and North Dallas. There are some apartments north of the galleria, by Bush/Tollway for 750-800 for a one bedroom in a nice area, but I guess the apartments are decent for the price. http://www.championsnorthdallas.com/ The area has a lot nice places to go to within 15 minutes, Village on the Parkway has a Glorias to go dancing and bars to pick up, as does the Shops at Legacy. It's about 20ish minutes from the Young Professional hotspots though, a $15 uber X ride and $50 Uber Black SUV ride. If you want cheaper but legit, try Addison or Carrollton....it's a close suburb close to everywhere, cheap but not ghetto. Some of the nicer complexes nearby have apartments going for 1K that are actually nice.

Are you planning on getting a car, continue making payments on a current one, or have a paid of car? I'd say get a job that's close to you and save on the car payment.

[beta_plus]

(09-18-2016 10:23 PM)Cattle Rustler Wrote:  

East of Downtown but west of Rockwall? That's a first. The only good part would be Lakewood/WhiteRock but other than that, it's pretty rachet (Garland, East Dallas AZN/ESL boyz area, etc). Mesquite does have some good apartments for 700 bucks but not a lot of places to go to.

You can do 40K in West Dallas, Mesquite, South Dallas, and North Dallas. There are some apartments north of the galleria, by Bush/Tollway for 750-800 for a one bedroom in a nice area, but I guess the apartments are decent for the price. http://www.championsnorthdallas.com/ The area has a lot nice places to go to within 15 minutes, Village on the Parkway has a Glorias to go dancing and bars to pick up, as does the Shops at Legacy. It's about 20ish minutes from the Young Professional hotspots though, a $15 uber X ride and $50 Uber Black SUV ride. If you want cheaper but legit, try Addison or Carrollton....it's a close suburb close to everywhere, cheap but not ghetto. Some of the nicer complexes nearby have apartments going for 1K that are actually nice.

Are you planning on getting a car, continue making payments on a current one, or have a paid of car? I'd say get a job that's close to you and save on the car payment.

Is it possible to operate without a car in the DFW? The geography gave me the impression that just wasn't realistic anywhere.

My plan is to have a car. It will probably be a used beater as long as I can find a safe and reliable one.

I will definitely take a look at the places you described (That Champions place would work well for the places in Plano that have contacted me - thank you for pointing it out).

I'd rather have a short commute if I end up working in Plano or Richardson and just accept hefty Uber/Lyft rides to Uptown as the cost of doing business.

[Gustavus Adolphus]

CR, I guess I should say north east of downtown. Have you been over in the Lake Highlands area recently? It's coming along really well, lots of people fixing old houses. And I think that area and Garland are excellent investment opportunities. I don't want to live in Aubrey or Prosper way north, so east is going to be best for me.

I mentioned that area because you could also utilize George bush or 635 express to get west into pretty much all the major corporate business hubs and suburbs, but your uber logistics wouldn't be that bad to get into the uptown area. Basically 20 min or less, like he said in the OP.

I'm not saying this the best for everyone, but living in an apartment in the mid-cities or up in Lewisville (that's worth a damn) isn't even cheap anymore. Especially the condo style places I liked that have an attached garage went from 1100 to 1400 over the last few years.

Also, with regards to where to live on $40k, I did it in Irving, but that was like 7 years ago. It was exactly like it's portrayed in Office Space.

[Cattle Rustler]

You could go carless if you were to live in Uptown, the rest of the DFW is not really worth seeing if you're in the center of it. I figure eating at Chillis in Cedar Hill or Coppell won't be in your list. There are some nice spots in Bishop arts or kick ass Asian food in Richardson.

Check out zip car, it's car that you can rent per use anytime and just pay for the miles you use. At least you don't have to worry about maintenance. http://www.zipcar.com/

These are down the street, but much nicer. http://www.berkshirecommunities.com/apar...loor-plans I did hear about some break ins nearby tho. Toyota HQ just moved to Frisco so check out for Jobs there and State Farm opened up their HQ in Richardson. McKesson is huge in Las Colinas.

[Cattle Rustler]

(09-18-2016 10:57 PM)Gustavus Adolphus Wrote:  

CR, I guess I should say north east of downtown. Have you been over in the Lake Highlands area recently? It's coming along really well, lots of people fixing old houses. And I think that area and Garland are excellent investment opportunities. I don't want to live in Aubrey or Prosper way north, so east is going to be best for me.

I mentioned that area because you could also utilize George bush or 635 express to get west into pretty much all the major corporate business hubs and suburbs, but your uber logistics wouldn't be that bad to get into the uptown area. Basically 20 min or less, like he said in the OP.

I'm not saying this the best for everyone, but living in an apartment in the mid-cities or up in Lewisville (that's worth a damn) isn't even cheap anymore. Especially the condo style places I liked that have an attached garage went from 1100 to 1400 over the last few years.

Also, with regards to where to live on $40k, I did it in Irving, but that was like 7 years ago. It was exactly like it's portrayed in Office Space.

Gotcha! Yeah man, I know which area you're talking about. Not to mention that prices are going up in that area a lot, especially Casa Linda and Lakewood area. Hit up the Balcony Club when you get a chance, dope place to take hoes for Blues and Jazz. Aubrey and Prosper as expensive as fuck, a lot of sport stars have a "country" home there.....cheap homes go for 300K. Most importantly, it's BFE far as fuck. Plano is aight. Either way, Garland has some weird streets, the ones that go down diagonally. It has some dope taco and asian food spots. Mesquite is cheap, apartments near town east for 800 a month and all bills paid.

But yeah dude, DFW is getting expensive as fuck as a result of all the out of towners coming in and taking our land away. Some ghetto apartments in Farmers Branch with roaches infested in the structure go for 900 when a decade ago they were 500. It's almost as expensive to live in the burbs than the city center. Never seen Office Space but I'll check it out.

Irving around Rochelle and 183 or Bush would be cheap as well. South of Las Colinas but north of the Crooked Isle mall.

[stefpdt]

Uptown Dallas is best for logistics. Rent a spot at Turtle Creek or one of the 'Post' properties if you can swing it.

[Brosemite]

^^ Turtle Creek is hands down the most baller part of the Knox/Oak Lawn/Uptown corridor.

If you can't afford Turtle Creek, you could maybe stay around the edge of Oak Lawn/Dallas North Tollway.

"Uptown" these days is a mixed back and no guarantee. It's not what it used to be. Every "party neighborhood" is going to have it's: A)good spots and B) shit spots.

Uber & Lyft are your friend as they will take you around 1) Uptown, 2) Knox Street, 3) Henderson, 4) Lower Greenville, 5) Deep Ellum, 6) Sylvan/30, 7) Dallas Design District, and 8) Victory Park.

Recent transplants that insist on just sticking around Uptown end up quite depressed here in Dallas

[StackGsMan]

I'm from Texas, but more accurately from Houston. I, like most other Texans, have been to all the major cities in he state and know a bit about them (Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio).

Why are you moving to Dallas specifically? Is there no way you can change that? I honestly believe that the only two cities worth living in in Texas are Houston and Austin. Houston because it is a very big and diverse city relative to the others, and Austin because there is a lot going on despite its size.

I'm not just saying this to hate on Dallas, but it is one of the most boring major cities I have been to in the U.S., and Fort Worth is like a graveyard it's so dead.

I have no idea why you're moving or what your options are, but if you are going to be in the South you should do your best to move to Miami, and if you have to be in Texas then stick with H-town or ATX (Houston and Austin).

[Brosemite]

^ Sounds like he got job offer(s) in Dallas area

[Cattle Rustler]

(09-19-2016 07:07 PM)StackGsMan Wrote:  

I'm from Texas, but more accurately from Houston. I, like most other Texans, have been to all the major cities in he state and know a bit about them (Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio).

Why are you moving to Dallas specifically? Is there no way you can change that? I honestly believe that the only two cities worth living in in Texas are Houston and Austin. Houston because it is a very big and diverse city relative to the others, and Austin because there is a lot going on despite its size.

I'm not just saying this to hate on Dallas, but it is one of the most boring major cities I have been to in the U.S., and Fort Worth is like a graveyard it's so dead.

I have no idea why you're moving or what your options are, but if you are going to be in the South you should do your best to move to Miami, and if you have to be in Texas then stick with H-town or ATX (Houston and Austin).

Where are the good paying jobs in HTX?

All the unemployed oil workers have flooded the job market and depressed wages, hard to find something that pays 50K+. The healthcare industry here wants a bunch of certifications for low paying gigs (billing, practice admin). In Dallas I would get calls out of my ass. Most jobs here pay 32-35K and with experience it's 40-42K....48-50K but you have to be on call at all times.

[beta_plus]

Thank you so much for all of the great information guys.

One question has entered my mind though: What's the minimum salary for 7th St Ft Worth? I realize that it is not as good as Dallas, but would I save money by focusing on it? While less likely, I might end up getting an offer in and around Ft. Worth instead.

[Brosemite]

(09-19-2016 07:07 PM)StackGsMan Wrote:  

I have no idea why you're moving or what your options are, but if you are going to be in the South you should do your best to move to Miami, and if you have to be in Texas then stick with H-town or ATX (Houston and Austin).

Doesn't really matter what side of the coin you're on; I wouldn't necessarily say Austin, Houston, or even Dallas could potentially be much better than each other if I wanted to do individual city comparisons. Apples & oranges to me honestly.

With regards to what Cattle Rustler said, the low gas prices are affecting every private sector entity in Houston because they rely heavily on oil.

1) Marketing
2) Public Relations
3) Manufacturing
4) Exploration
5) Supply/Chain
6) Alternative Energy Solutions (Less demand for it when oil prices are low)
7) Oil equipment sales/manufacturing
8) Accounting
9) Finance

^^ Jobs in these industries above rely heavily on oil as my Houston friends are getting the axe from their positions....

[beta_plus]

(09-19-2016 08:07 PM)Brosemite Wrote:  

(09-19-2016 07:07 PM)StackGsMan Wrote:  

I have no idea why you're moving or what your options are, but if you are going to be in the South you should do your best to move to Miami, and if you have to be in Texas then stick with H-town or ATX (Houston and Austin).

Doesn't really matter what side of the coin you're on; I wouldn't necessarily say Austin, Houston, or even Dallas could potentially be much better than each other if I wanted to do individual city comparisons. Apples & oranges to me honestly.

With regards to what Cattle Rustler said, the low gas prices are affecting every private sector entity in Houston because they rely heavily on oil.

1) Marketing
2) Public Relations
3) Manufacturing
4) Exploration
5) Supply/Chain
6) Alternative Energy Solutions (Less demand for it when oil prices are low)
7) Oil equipment sales/manufacturing
8) Accounting
9) Finance

^^ Jobs in these industries above rely heavily on oil as my Houston friends are getting the axe from their positions....

Thanks for confirming a suspicion of mine that Houston is, despite making admirably massive efforts to stop chasing the dragon, hopelessly hooked on oil and gas.

[Brosemite]

Once I finish some tests and work commitments, will develop a more comprehensive Dallas data sheet (I've been saying this for some time I know....)

The shittiest change that went into full effect around Mid-2014 was the change in transplants. Many people (especially girls) would move into Dallas without any pre-existing social circles; they were therefore more open to make new friends & bang. The city overall was likely more pretentious in the past as well.

Nowadays, the city as a whole is less pretentious as the 30K millionaire has withered away. There's supposedly more things to do "for everyone" in the "down to earth" sense, but that's made more women less feminine as a higher percentage are now wearing flats instead of heels. Because of the overall economy in DFW, many more people are now moving into Dallas into packs of their pre-existing college social circles trying to relive their undergraduate days opposed to looking for new hookups outside of their cliques.

Dallas overall I'd say is A) less pretentious, but B) more cliquish now. Are there ways around the cliquish stuff?

Yes. It typically involves drinking at expensive restaurants, high end non-profit events, online, and day game as well. So this involves getting ready to spend more money at higher end situations though moderating your budget. It's funny because I was always able to ball & pull on a budget in the "pretentious" Dallas days though spending less in lower end circumstances; low/medium end nightlife venues in Dallas just have much lesser ROIs than they used to offer.

^Btw..notice I said "restaurants" because the bitch shields are lesser but talent levels are higher there...(same as hotel bars too).

If you move to Dallas, keep your pad fucking clean & always always always have solid liquor & mixers. Places close at 2AM & not having good shit to drink at home ruins your chance to invite girls over. That added time to entertain & escalate at your pad is likely way more rewarding than just getting a bullshit phone number, which has little chance of yielding responses.

[Cattle Rustler]

(09-19-2016 08:20 PM)beta_plus Wrote:  

(09-19-2016 08:07 PM)Brosemite Wrote:  

(09-19-2016 07:07 PM)StackGsMan Wrote:  

I have no idea why you're moving or what your options are, but if you are going to be in the South you should do your best to move to Miami, and if you have to be in Texas then stick with H-town or ATX (Houston and Austin).

Doesn't really matter what side of the coin you're on; I wouldn't necessarily say Austin, Houston, or even Dallas could potentially be much better than each other if I wanted to do individual city comparisons. Apples & oranges to me honestly.

With regards to what Cattle Rustler said, the low gas prices are affecting every private sector entity in Houston because they rely heavily on oil.

1) Marketing
2) Public Relations
3) Manufacturing
4) Exploration
5) Supply/Chain
6) Alternative Energy Solutions (Less demand for it when oil prices are low)
7) Oil equipment sales/manufacturing
8) Accounting
9) Finance

^^ Jobs in these industries above rely heavily on oil as my Houston friends are getting the axe from their positions....

Thanks for confirming a suspicion of mine that Houston is, despite making admirably massive efforts to stop chasing the dragon, hopelessly hooked on oil and gas.

A lot people will hamster it out and say "well, it's not like the 80s where it was a ghost town. Now it's diversified". Nah nigga, it's not the 80s but Htown is still heavily hooked on oil. The other industries are not big enough to absorb the shock. You can get a nice condo in the Museum District for 180K and a 1/1 in Montrose for 1100, homes that were renting for 3K are now 2200 and dropping. Finding a home in Montrose last year was hard as fuck, you had to go to interviews to see if you were a good fit, send emails to the home owners, be nice and send them shit.....and the home went 10-20% over market and sold within days. Now the homes are staying out longer and multiple homes per block, and some freebies.

For the HTX folks that say their town is diversified....look at Dallas, one industry takes a hit and the city doesn't bat an eye, it just keeps moving. BP/Chevron are subleasing their spaces at good prices, and HTX does have a nice healthcare tech, biotech, energy tech start up scene.

HTX is cooler than Dallas, but you better have a job lined up here if you're planning to move.

Edit: You will need the same budget for 7th street as Uptown, hot places in any 2nd tier city will run you 1200+.

Brosemite, if I could get a dime for every time you said you would finish your Dallas datasheet...hah! Just kidding nigga, we need to troll the city and end up at XTC throwing dollars at strippers.

Brosemite is right though, circles are now much university based than 30K millionaires like the past decade. Now you have your Uni of Michican clique, Wisconsin, Montana, UT, Tech, Faggies krew, SMU, TCU cliques and they all attend their football games at some bar. I like Katy Trail ice house although that nigga says it sucks. Go to the Truckyard!

[beta_plus]

(09-19-2016 08:45 PM)Brosemite Wrote:  

Once I finish some tests and work commitments, will develop a more comprehensive Dallas data sheet (I've been saying this for some time I know....)

The shittiest change that went into full effect around Mid-2014 was the change in transplants. Many people (especially girls) would move into Dallas without any pre-existing social circles; they were therefore more open to make new friends & bang. The city overall was likely more pretentious in the past as well.

Nowadays, the city as a whole is less pretentious as the 30K millionaire has withered away. There's supposedly more things to do "for everyone" in the "down to earth" sense, but that's made more women less feminine as a higher percentage are now wearing flats instead of heels. Because of the overall economy in DFW, many more people are now moving into Dallas into packs of their pre-existing college social circles trying to relive their undergraduate days opposed to looking for new hookups outside of their cliques.

Dallas overall I'd say is A) less pretentious, but B) more cliquish now. Are there ways around the cliquish stuff?

Yes. It typically involves drinking at expensive restaurants, high end non-profit events, online, and day game as well. So this involves getting ready to spend more money at higher end situations though moderating your budget. It's funny because I was always able to ball & pull on a budget in the "pretentious" Dallas days though spending less in lower end circumstances; low/medium end nightlife venues in Dallas just have much lesser ROIs than they used to offer.

^Btw..notice I said "restaurants" because the bitch shields are lesser but talent levels are higher there...(same as hotel bars too).

If you move to Dallas, keep your pad fucking clean & always always always have solid liquor & mixers. Places close at 2AM & not having good shit to drink at home ruins your chance to invite girls over. That added time to entertain & escalate at your pad is likely way more rewarding than just getting a bullshit phone number, which has little chance of yielding responses.

I'll work on the pad being clean.

Already covered on drinks - went to bar tending school. No it won't get you a job in the industry (never mention that you went to restaurant guys, they HATE that), but it does make you the god of every house party.