sanj2010

I have a interview for a job in Fort Worth and would be grateful for any opinions of the place!

Any info on "lifestyle", property prices, schools and crime rate would be particularly welcome!

sanj2010

Bob

It's Texas...do a runner

Though I'm sure there's a few folks on here who could explain why

TouristTrap

The highlight of their day is having a cattle drive through downtown

sanj2010

Excellent, I need excitement in my life!

DaveC

Pah, the previous posters are a bunch of narrow minded sods that need to visit here before they cast judgement (you can stay at my house). Fort Worth is a great place to live!

Lifestyle: Very laid back, almost everyone is pleasant and friendly.

Schools: There are some pretty good public school districts and a whole bunch of private Montesorri style schools.

Property Prices: Depends on what you're looking for but in general it's fairly cheap. You can choose from McMansions in any of the suburbs, a house with some land out west or a downtown condo. Property tax isn't as high as say nearby Arlington.

Culture: The Modern Art Museum is pretty good, the Kimball has some interesting collections, the annual stock show and rodeo (currently showing) are some of the highlights. The Main Street Arts festival in April is a lot of fun. There is a month of symphony concerts (with fireworks!) in the botanic gardens every June. The Bass Hall is a great theatre for plays etc.

Crime Rate: No significant problems. A police officer was killed in the line of duty just before Christmas and judging by the media reaction it might as well have been the president. So it doesn't happen very often.

Traffic is pretty good, there aren't as many traffic jams as in a certain other large city on the east side of the DFW metroplex...

FW is particularly good if you have kids as there is lots for them to do: the zoo, science & history museum , plenty of parks. Mayfest in Trinity Park in, erm, May is excellent family entertainment.

There are usually 2 airshows a year, the NASCAR track is very close, and it's easy to get to the rest of attractions of the Metroplex.

Shopping is average, nothing too special to write home about.

The nightlife is above average, the downtown area has had a renaissance over the last few years. It's perhaps not as jumping as Dallas. There are many excellent places to eat.

In conclusion, I'd highly recommend it as a place to live. PM me if you have any specific questions and good luck with the interview!

Big D

Love it!

We live about 20 minutes north and i work in Dallas but the area is great. We are in suburbia which has its own advantages and disadvantages. Everyone is really friendly and laid back, weather is hot as hell in summer but dry not humid, and winter is just great!

Fort Worth has some cool bars and restaurants and as per the previous poster there is plenty going on in and around the metroplex. I was dubious of DFW before coming here but now love it. I'm sure its not everyones cup of tea but it suits me!

Leslie

Hi sanj2010,

I lived in Ft. Worth for 3 years and the overall Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex for 5 years. I currently live a couple of hours away and I still go down there to see friends at least once a month. I love Ft. Worth and I have since I first laid eyes on the place. It has fantastic restaurants and an amazing cultural district. It's close enough to Dallas to be convenient for visits, yet the traffic is not nearly as congested. The museums, parks, and gardens, are absolutely amazing. The summer heat in Texas is oppressive and I make no bones about it - IT GETS REALLY HOT IN THE SUMMER. However, wherever you go will be air conditioned and swimming pools are the norm at any apartment/condo complexes. Yes, there still is a strong cattle/ranch/oil influence, but it certainly doesn't have any effect on most peoples day-to-day life. Personally, I find the history of the place very charming. There is a huge immigrant population (don't know the stats for Brits) so you wouldn't be the only fish out of water.

As far as the crime rate, I would think it's about the norm for a city of its size. You can always do a google search on crime rates and other statistics. Like anywhere in America, get into a good area and you'll be fine. If need be, I have people I can contact to help you with that.

It's still a buyers market at far as real estate goes so you might be very pleased with what you are able to buy.

Whatever your politics, there is a group for you.... you just have to find them. My friends are liberal Democrats and very active in local politics. It just depends how interested you are in all that stuff.

If you end up moving to the area send me a PM and I'll do my best to help you get acclimated.


Good luck. A positive attitude and sense of adventure is all it takes.

Leslie

Leslie

In the past week I've talked to 8 girls from Maine. None of them live there anymore.

gruffbrown

They've all met Bob?

Leslie

One of them lives with a guy named Bob!! Hmmmm.... that's curious.

sanj2010

Thank you for your replies so far! I must confess that I really wasn't sure about the place (especially after I looked at the crime stats) but there seems to be some good, positive opinions of the place.

Keep them coming!

Big D

Wouldnt have said its worse than anywhere else - probably favourable. OF course there are bad areas but some great ones too - you can even live on a ranch in the middle of nowhere and be only an hour away!!

sanj2010

Big D

I was really just comparing it with where I live now (upstate NY, in a college town which effectively has 5 police forces), where nothing bad ever seems to happen.

Sanj2010

sanj2010

Leslie66 and DaveC

Could you give me an idea of which areas of town I should be looking at (and which I should avoid like the plague?)

sanj2010

DaveC

Sure: If it's schools you're looking for then the Eagle Mountain - Saginaw ISD is pretty good. That's basically the area of North West Fort Worth between I-35 and Hwy 199.

We like the West side of town and feel pretty safe driving around there.

Closer to downtown, there are neighborhoods along Camp Bowie Blvd that are quite nice. It's also close to I-30 for commuting. You can find smaller, older homes in established neighborhoods around Camp Bowie. Como is an area to avoid. The area between HWY 287 and I-35 is also quite dodgy.

Anywhere around TCU is quite nice, although pricey. Between University and Hulen is fine.

There are apartments and condos to be had downtown but they are in high demand.

Further west of Fort Worth you can buy a house with a decent chunk of property, and still be close enough to I-20/I-30 to commute downtown.

Hope this helps. Where's your prospective new company located?