Dallas
 

Hi,

Our family have just had a quick visit to Dallas as my wife's company have a position they would like her to take out there later in the year. We only had a few days so took in as much as possible but was wondering if anyone lived there and could pass on their thoughts about Dallas as a place to live. It would be me, wife and 8 year old daughter.

Thanks

PK

Re: Dallas
 

we have been NE of Dallas (McKinney) for about 2.5 years having previously been in Ohio for about 6 years. I didnt want to come to Dallas at all (i was very happy in Ohio) but Im very happy now that im here.

When we first moved we were in a corporate apartment in Addison. That is a lively cosmopolitan area of town with lots of food options and entertainment. The schools in that area were Dallas ISD and we did NOT like them at all. Kids were so relieved when we got to our current school district as its much like the one we left in Ohio. (my kiddos are 7 -9 and 11 now)

The weather is hot - been 93 all week here - and strangely enough its a lot more rainy than you would imagine (which as a brit doesn't bother me at all). There are a fair few severe thunderstorms that pass through and flood warnings and tornado warnings. But on the upside very few snow days :rofl: (unlike Ohio and other northern states).


People are staunchly Republican - so very pro gun, pro hunting type of thing. Lots of Mega churches and religion around (not pushed in your face but its common to hear people asking for prayers or 'blessing' others. Lots of latinos and mexicans here so lots of great mexican food available everywhere.

Schools districts vary but places like Frisco, McKinney , Allen, etc all have great schools (that are just enormous - ie high schools with 3000 kids in them).

Traffic is pretty bad - but much like the UK (unlike Ohio where we loved the low traffic levels).

anything else you specifically wanted to know? What area would the company your connected to be based in?

Re: Dallas
 

That's great to hear. It's hard to get a read on a flying visit and it's somewhere that doesn't seem to have a huge amount of expats compared to LA etc.

We really liked McKinney. It looks like it's from a Back to the Future film set! Frisco was great too but seemed to lack a little character in comparison. My favourite place was the D streets as you have the park and downtown close by. My daughter who is 8 and my wife preferred the suburbs though and there will only be one winner!

My wife's company are organising the move and she would be mainly working from home with weekly visits to her client in Frisco. I work in the creative field so would be moving my business (which just involves me) over at the same time. I would need to be downtown a lot and hopefully close to the airport.

Are the schools very religious? We would be hoping to find one where we felt it wasn't a very big a part of the curriculum.

Really glad to hear you're enjoying it. My daughter is just incredibly excited and it looks like everything has now been agreed. The visas are the only potential banana skin but my wife's company are a large organisation and very helpful.

The heat was incredible while we were there and people kept saying 'wait until it gets hot'. Scary!

Re: Dallas
 

public schools are not religious - in fact i think the teachers are not allowed to do anything religious (which p1sses the religious nuts off lol).

Im very happy in Mckinney. I love the school district and love the schools so far. If you need a realtor and want the one we used let me know - i would def use them again.

We also get a decent curry in mckinney - something we have struggled with in other places in america.

The housing market is very hot here right now - things under 350k are flying out the door, so depends on what level you are after. Property taxes are high in texas but we dont have state income tax so that helps a bit.

If you like to watch soccer then Dallas FC are in Frisco and its a nice clean stadium. The lower level baskeball team are also in Frisco (ie NOT the Maverics). LOTS of sports opportunities for kiddos up in this neck of the woods. There is a facebook group for brits in DFW - i can send that your way if you are FB inclined.

My youngest is 7 and a girl - so if you want to get them together on your next visit let me know.

Re: Dallas
 

That's definitely reassuring to hear about the public schools. If you could pass on the Facebook page too that would be great.

We have involved my daughter in the whole process and she's just been ridiculously excited about the possible move. Things are pretty much confirmed now (subject to visas of course) and for the first time she's looks a little nervous. Still six months to go but the prospect of having someone to get together with for a play when she gets there would be great!
Thanks a lot.

Re: Dallas
 

re schools.

be aware that public schools work on a catchment area. If you live in a specific area you WILL go to a specific school. This makes it a little difficult for expats who typically want to rent for a year or two to find their feet, decided on an area before purchase etc, because it means that its fairly likely the next home would be in a different elementary catchment and thus a change of school. That said - your daughter would likely be in 2nd or 3rd grade now, and would move into 6th grade (ie middle school) in a couple of years and their catchment is larger and pulls from multiple elems and she would likely know someone from both the elems.