Looking to move to Dallas from Chicago with my 7 year old son.?

Question

I have read that Dallas is uppity...I am not sure what that means. Other than the heat can anyone tell me what to expect. Are the neighborhoods segregated or diverse, what can you suggest. I work in IT just as an FYI.

Answer 1

I lived in Chicago as a child, and have gone back over the years to visit family. Don't expect Dallas to be anything like Chicago. I don't think people in Dallas are uppity, but maybe I'm in denial. Uppity means attitude, conceited, better than others, special. They are actually very friendly and welcoming. If you have a child you probably won't want to actually live in Dallas, unless you are considering private school.  The Dallas schools aren't good.  Most of the suburbs have good to great schools. Some suburbs are quite segregated while others are quite diverse.  Since I don't know what you're looking for I'll just tell you what I know about some of them.  The more upscale suburbs are to the north of Dallas.  

Plano, Frisco, Flower Mound and McKinney have great schools, nice neighborhoods, are pricey & are 71% - 90% white.

The following suburbs are middle class, with good schools & neighborhoods.

Mesquite  B-15%   W- 65%   H- 15%

Garland  B- 11%   W- 53%   H-25%

Irving  B- 10%   W- 48%   H- 31%

Cedar Hill  B-33%   W- 50%   H- 11%

DeSoto  B- 45%   W- 44%   H- 7%

Grand Prairie  B- 31%   W- 47%   H- 14%

(Grand Prairie was recently named one of the best 100 small cities in the US to live in)

Duncanville  B- 25%   W- 56%   H- 15%

(Duncanville schools aren't too good)

The Metroplex economy is one of the best in the country. Houses are much cheaper than in Chicago.  Texas has no state income tax.

Like I said it's not Chicago, but we do have pro football, baseball, basketball, & hockey teams, as well as NASCAR & horse racing.  Our aquarium doesn't begin to compare with Chicago's. We have several lakes for water sports, camping & fishing and although much smaller than Lake Michigan they are much warmer, and we're only a few hours from the beaches of Galveston, Padre Island and Corpus Christi.

If there's anything else you'd like to know just email me.

Answer 2

I lived in Highland Park (Illinois) when I was younger, and then moved to Southern California.  We just moved to a north Dallas suburb about 1-1/2 years ago.  No one here seems to be concerned about impressing their neighbors, and don't have the huge egos (like in So. Cal).  I think everyone is EXTREMELY FRIENDLY!   The neighborhoods are diverse, and there's no racial tension whatsoever (McKinney-Allen-Fairview-Lucas area);  wonderful school district (Lovejoy ISD);  great value on beautiful homes; lots of shopping & restaurants;  many city & neighborhood family nights and activities.  And, the weather is no hotter than California; and I remember those humid summer days north of Chicago too!  The smell of summer to me is the melting blacktop on the streets:)

Answer 3

I would stay away from Plano, there schools are nice, but people can be snobs, and my good black friend has experienced racism. I live in Plano, and it is a safe neighborhood, but people aren't always so nice.