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Culture Shock Moving To Dallas

Culture Shock Moving To Dallas
January 16, 2020

Dallas has a reputation.

Even if you’ve never set foot in the state of Texas before, odds are good you’ve heard of Dallas and its reputation for being grand, a large and diverse metropolis that somehow blends the rustic Texas cowboy culture to the streamlined 21st century business and artistic culture.

Every major American city claims to be many things to many people. Dallas manages to deliver on that claim with style.

Living in Dallas
Just as there is no city or town referred to as Tampa Bay, there is no such thing as Dallas-Fort Worth. Dallas-Fort Worth does not represent a single city; Dallas sits further east, with neighboring Fort Worth to the west. The city has the geographical advantage of being close to the borders of Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana, which can be encouraging for anyone looking to take a trip out of Dallas shortly after arriving in Dallas.

Also, long-weekend trips always feel better when you’ve got multiple options.

As with most cosmopolitan cities, traffic and transportation can be a real headache. Factor in that Dallas traffic also includes overflow from Fort Worth, and you’ll truly appreciate the value of changing the car’s oil every 3,000 miles. But the traffic also means that anyone relocating to Dallas has to take location under special consideration.

If the old real estate maxim of “Location, Location, Location,” truly matters the most when picking home, new Dallas residents should include “Traffic Flow” when they start home shopping. The morning and afternoon commute can seem especially heinous when you’ve chosen a suburb outside the city that involves daily gridlock frustrations.

Working in Dallas
The Census ACS 1-year survey reported the median household income for the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington Texas metro area was $67,382 in 2017. Dallas median household income is $8,176 higher than the median Texas household income and $7,046 greater than the U.S. median household income.

Given the name-brand recognition Dallas commands, those data points shouldn’t be too surprising. The estimated median home price stands around $365,000 with median rent estimated to cost about $1,140 annually.

And it’s still growing. The Texas Tribune reported in April 2019 the city’s population had grown by 131,767 residents between 2017 and 2018. The article added the new estimates showed Texas dominated in population growth thanks to both growing families and migration to the state.

Dallas also has the reputation of being a company town. Specifically, there are a lot of recognizable companies that have home offices in the city, including Bank of America, AT&T, and Lockheed Martin. In addition to sharing the state’s demand for engineers, instructors, and energy experts, Dallas is a heavy restaurant and bar city, so anyone looking for work in the hospitality industry won’t have to look hard for employment. But that growth and popularity also means traffic might be a problem, so keep in mind work and living destinations when looking to relocate to Dallas.

Dallas Weather
Dallas sports a humid-subtropical climate characteristic of the Southern Plains of the United States. The city gets all four seasons, although the winters tend to be mild while the summers get really hot.

The good news? The high heat tends to lack high humidity, which can be of relief to anyone relocating from locations geographically lower than the Lone Star State. The city averages about 234 days of sunshine annually and doesn’t get much snowfall (we said mild winters, not non-existent).

There are a few weather hurdles that will have to be cleared every year, specifically hailstorms, flooding, and tornadoes. All three can be combated by finding a tall parking garage with a cover. But if that’s not an option, consider the safety precautions of a garage or covered parking space, sandbags, and a cellar. As dangerous as these weather events can be, they can also be incredible things to watch. Just please do so from a position of safety.

Things To Do in Dallas
Ready to have your mind blown? The Dallas Cowboys, storied NFL franchise and one of the state’s defining features, does not play their home games in Dallas. AT&T Stadium (Home of the Cowboys and a retractable roof) is in Arlington, the halfway point between Dallas and Fort Worth. So if you’re basing a move to the Dallas suburbs solely on the notion of being within spitting distance of where the Cowboys play, keep that geographical tidbit in mind.

Sports geography aside, Dallas offers a wide variety of distractions including the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas World Aquarium, and even a museum dedicated to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

There’s also the State Fair of Texas, the Dallas Zoo, Six Flags Over Texas, and heaven knows how many bars and restaurants to frequent.

Dallas Culture
As previously mentioned, the city of Dallas does a superb job of blending the romance of rustic Texas with the modern gleam of 21st-century living. So while it may be tempting to stop at the border and purchase jeans, boots, and a hat before entering the Lone Star State, do yourself a favor and hang on to your formal wear.

Why? Because Dallas residents love to get dressed up.

Social networking can play an important role in Dallas living, and we don’t just mean on Facebook and Twitter. Despite being such an impressive city, the social networks and cultural niceties seem more in tune with a small town where everybody knows everybody’s business. Depending on who you get to know, your formal evening attire may get pressed into heavy service when you get here.

Also, because of Dallas’ location in regard to three separate states, the cultural diversity extends beyond the people working and living in the city. Louisiana cuisine might be on display, and Oklahoma cowboy culture fits nicely with Dallas.

Everything Is Bigger In Dallas
Dallas sound like your kind of place? Ready to move there and start rolling your eyes whenever tourists call it Dallas-Fort Worth? Just call a Colonial Van Lines professional and find out how simple getting there can be. Colonial Van Lines has the staff, the expertise, and the desire to make your moving experience enjoyable.

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