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Possibly Moving to a job in Irving Texas... How bad is it?
Disenchanter
Magnolia, DERegistered User regular
Magnolia, DERegistered User regular
So, company I work for is expanding their footprint in Irving, and the work I do is part of said expansion, so new opening and advancement opportunity.
My question is, before accepting a job that far away (I live in the NJ,PA,DE area), what is it like there? Cost of living?
I mean a good search tells you the stuff they want you to know, but do we have anyone local or close on here?
My question is, before accepting a job that far away (I live in the NJ,PA,DE area), what is it like there? Cost of living?
I mean a good search tells you the stuff they want you to know, but do we have anyone local or close on here?
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Housing prices are on the rise in DFW, but unless you want to live in an area similar to Bryn Mawr, you probably won't notice if you're just interested in a nice, clean area.
Do not engage the Watermelons.
Like others have said cost of living will be significantly lower.
But be prepared for the heat. We are getting ready to go to A-Kon, the biggest anime convention in Texas, next weekend, and planning for outdoor photoshoots is kind of hell. Everyone is warned to drink tons of water and try to stay in the shade as much as possible to avoid dehydration and heatstroke. It's already been in the 90s.
As mentioned above, the biggest adjustment will probably be the weather, specially the summers. Traffic can also suck, but it's way better than a lot of similar size cities, and nowhere near as bad as Houston or Austin.
Cost of living is relatively low I believe.
There is TONS of stuff to do. I run a local meetup group so I gotten the chance to know the city really well, so ask away if you're wondering about anything.
No crap ass biting winters. Instead crap ass sweltering summers. I'd say both suck in their own unique ways but that's me.
But the wind from the south for at least half the year really pushes the humidity up past all reason. Visiting here on vacation isn't the same as living through it.
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You are not prepared for the heat.
I miss it though.
Seconded. I also bought my house last year and every house I put a bid on (even at least one that was unofficially accepted) went to other people until I got one by going 10k over the asking price. I'm sure folks in other regions will scoff at how "low" that is, but for this area we're used to getting 5k or more less than asking price. I've also kept up a little on the market since I bought and houses are still showing "pending" within days of going up. If people ask for an unusually high price on their house, they do have to wait longer but they eventually get their asking price. For comparison to other areas (where housing might be more expensive) I bought a house built in the 90s for 140k. If I had approached a builder, I couldn't get a new house built for less than $180k.
Rental market is just as bad - places I used to could get for $900/mo are at $1200/mo and rising. That's part of the reason I bought instead of renting again, I was tired of the prices being jacked up every year. At least this way my money's going into equity.
As far as Irving proper goes, south of Los Colinas is probably one of the cheapest areas to rent or buy, but the corollary to that is that it's all older houses and apartments (we're talking built in the 1970s). If you go into Los Colinas and Valley Ranch, you're looking at some of the most expensive housing in the area. I personally work in Irving and live in Garland, and most of the people I work with have similarly long commutes (Arlington, Keller, even a few people in Forney).
Edit: I meant to add that general cost of living is low. Gas is currently at $1.91 if you can find the right gas station, grocery costs are also below average for the nation, IIRC.
But fuck you — no, fuck y'all, that's as blunt as it gets"
- Kendrick Lamar, "The Blacker the Berry"
That said, I'm generally benefiting from going opposite of rush hour traffic. But the sprawl of this mess makes me long for SoCal freeways. Signage, when it bothers to exist, is mostly useless. And it just plain surprises me how utterly brainless most drivers are here. If you're the type who likes mass transit or 'walkable' areas, you'll be disappointed.
It's not really horrible here, but I feel you have to be in a better place than I am to enjoy it.
But, yeah. The cost of living is generally low.
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Unfortunately this is not the case. Rain also causes people to forget how stoplights work.
K, well thats the bad. What's the good?
There is a TON to do. Dallas/FW are very separate cities, that have grown into a blob. They aren't super far from each other, and each has it's own quirks. The food is great. Like many other neighboring states in oil country, fuel prices are pretty cheap. I do not rent there, so I cannot speak at all on the housing situation. I'm originally from the upper midwest, and people from Texas/Oklahoma in general, seem much more friendly.
Lived in TX for 20 years and never got used to how loud, proud, and opinionated people were there.
Yeah, I am well aware that my heathen Democratic leaning ways may not fit as well, lol.
You will encounter more than enough people you disagree with. So, yeah.
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That said, people take a weird (to me) pride in the state of Texas that even after 20 years I found obnoxious and kind of unavoidable. It's not a deal breaker, I just always let new transplants know it's kind of a thing. :biggrin:
As someone who's lived in Texas all my life, I've always found it more than a little amusing that some "Texas pride" folks take the slogan "Don't Mess With Texas" as, like, lore from the ancients. When it was actually came from a series of commercials by the Texas department of transportation to reduce littering. I guess TxDOT really knows their audience.
Edit: True story about this, when I was growing up seeing more and more "don't mess with Texas" bumper stickers and the like, I used to think "wow, it's amazing how many people in Texas care about ending littering!" ha ha.
But fuck you — no, fuck y'all, that's as blunt as it gets"
- Kendrick Lamar, "The Blacker the Berry"
I used to have one of those insulated drinking cups from back in the days when they first started the program. Pretty sure I still had it up to about four years ago.
Everything is bigger in Texas. Mostly just egos, though.
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Another difference about Texas you might not have in the tri-state area are the blue laws. Beer and wine may be purchased at grocery stores seven days a week*, but hard liquor such as whiskey or vodka can only be purchased at designated liquor stores. But not on Sunday.
And I remember when I had visited the state when I was a kid they definitely had drive-thru liquor stores out in the boonies. So...yeah.
If you're the type that really wants to get liquored up on a Sunday, just stock up beforehand. God only frowns on buying it on Sunday.
*I presume this since I don't really drink and have never felt the urge to buy shitty beer on a Sunday.
Do not engage the Watermelons.
But fuck you — no, fuck y'all, that's as blunt as it gets"
- Kendrick Lamar, "The Blacker the Berry"
I believe the law is you can't purchase anything between 2am and 8am all week, no hard liquor before noon all week, and on Sundays only beer after noon.
Another great one is that a car dealership can be open Saturday or Sunday, but not both.
Yay, blue laws.
The Fraconia brewery is run by a german ex-pat named Dennis and he makes damn good beer.
I'll take your word for it, alkie!
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My wife and I moved to the DFW area from California about 2 years ago because I got a job here. Cost of living, while it has gotten higher in the last 2 years, is still lower than we were used to in California.
However, the lack of income tax gets made up by the property taxes if you own a home. Literally the only thing I really miss is the 1ish% property taxes (versus 2.5%+).
Overall though, neither of us regret the move.