Living in the Dallas-Forth Worth metropolitan area

Indianapolis wasn’t an option?

No R1 all the good companies are moving to DFW

Dallas is a very gay city. It has its own "Chelsea" section of town. Ft. Worth also has a few gay bars but no specific gay section of town.

Dallas has some of the largest (by square footage and amount of patrons) gay clubs in the country and they stay consistently packed pretty much most nights of the week. You have dance clubs, bars, and a wonderful assortment of "stripper bars" that offer free admission/cheap drinks/naked dancing studs all nights of the week. It has a very sizable gay population of all ages and as city - has almost anything that you could ever want - amazing food, nightlife, culture, beautiful and fun neighborhoods, etc. It is not "cheap", but also is not nearly as expensive as major cities like NYC, LA or SF. The job market is gangbusters there also, so a move to Dallas is a very secure long-term decision. I would highly recommend it.

Dallas has a little Santa Monica type strip in Oaklawn (the Gayborhood), sometimes referred to by the homophobic locals as "Chokelawn" (as in choking on cock). Fort Worth has absolutely NO gay scene (unless you're a Glass-Closeted Theatre/Museum/Estate Sale-type Queen) and the maybe two gay bars they have on the outskirts, you wouldn't want to be caught dead in and considering the neighborhoods those are located in, you might. As just cities, Dallas is the more liberal city and is somewhat like LA but with flat land and shitty extreme weather. Fort Worth is boringly safe and much more cliquey than Dallas, but it's got a cute feel and is getting more urban quickly. Also, as far as housing that really depends on your budget...

I spent the final two years of high school in Plano, which is where the lion share of growth in DFW is occurring, thanks to a recent spate of major corporate relocations.

Dallas is soulless, vapid concrete jungle much like Los Angeles, minus the stunning topography or ocean.

Yes, it has the countries largest-by-area designated arts district, major league sports teams, density and walkable in-town neighborhoods, and a world-class international airport, but it’s missing something intangible that makes it a true destination.

In spite of a record number of corporations relocating to the area, it still feels intangibly southern—religiosity reigns supreme, and there are a large populations of southern Baptists, Jews, and Hindus.

While DFW has over 15 billionaires, and is home to some of the wealthiest people in the country, there are so many fake ass, try-hards who go into extreme debt to keep up appearances. It is very pretentious.

The gay community is awful. There’s a very high HIV/STI rate, the “gay area”—which is a two block, decrepit strip of tired gay bars within Oak Lawn—is really shady and there have been numerous cases of gay bashings in the last several years.

The gay men for the most part are not very attractive, but act as though they are supermodels, what with their leased 3-series and designer clothes, while they live in a rented studio apartment. Of course, I’m generalizing, but it’s a very common thing in Dallas.

Obviously I don’t have a positive impression of Dallas, but I think for someone who wants to make money, and works in the right field, it isn’t an excellent place to build wealth. No state income tax. The cost of living, while rising, is still significantly less than other major metros like New York, Los Angeles, Boston, and even Seattle.

And I hope you’re a top. The city literally has 100 bottoms for every top.

R6 agreed the Dallas Gay Bar 10s are LA 7s and NYC 8s

I don't agree with all of what R6 wrote as I have a better impression of Dallas, but he is spot on with his description of the wanna-be designer suits and cars. Dallas IS very pretentious.

Google “Dallitude”

R7, I avoid Oak Lawn because the guys who go out there are just too gay. “Gurl this” and “gurl that”. I tend to like more masculine guys, and that you will definitely not find in S4.

The times I have gone out, looks wise, most guys were in the 4-6 range. Maybe an outlier 7, but if you’re looking for stunning gay men, Dallas is not the place.

Austin has far higher numbers of attractive men, who happen to largely be down to Earth.

"Dallitude" (somewhat less frequently spelled “Dallatude") is a “Dallas attitude.” It has been described as the display of snobbery and/or elitism of a resident from Dallas, TX.

It's believed the term “Dallitude” was first found on a gay newsgroup posting from 1999; the term possibly originated in Dallas' gay community.

Today, Dallitude is more likely to refer to anyone from the city of Dallas displaying a "superior" attitude.

Example A: Down-talking the way others are dressed in a Dallas nightclub. "Can you believe her shoes?" This is display of Dallitude.

Example B: Driving a leased BMW on a $30k/year salary. This could be considered display of Dallitude.

Example C: A Dallas resident trash-talking other Texas cities while failing to acknowledge Dallas has just as many or more problems. Such as saying "Houston is polluted and crime-ridden!" In reality, Dallas ranks just a few places behind Houston on air pollution, and ranks higher than Houston on crime. This is Dallitude.

R6,R8 - YES, you are both spot-on. I have lived in Dallas, Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles and other cities. Dallas is BY FAR the most pretentious population that I have ever encountered. I like the city very much, but the showiness is unprecedented. We used to call them "$30,000 millionaires". The leased BMWs and maxed out credit cards and one tall tale after the other about parents owning mansions in Preston Hollow, etc. BTW, the "Dallas Handshake" consists of grabbing your acquaintance's collar, then pulling it backwards to read the designer label.

Good. Turn the state Blue.

It's awful, so many poz guys rolling around demanding bareback sex.

Yes but despite being gay many are fiscal conservatives and staunchly Republican. 🙄

Most people are on Prep so you might as well get it on it too, OP.

Dallas is very consumerist/materialistic with a lot of anti-intellectual people. It is a very American city in the bad stereotypes of America way.

Still, there are worse places to live, but I wouldn't want to live there.

There are way too many phone goats in Dallas.

I grew up in Fort Worth and so happy my parents are no longer alive being I now never have to go back. It is full of nasty Christians.

Whatever you do, do NOT move to the suburbs. You'll be surrounded by pretentious religi-fraus with dyed hair trying to outdo all the other religi-fraus seeing who can have the biggest, badly decorated McMansion and most expensive SUV.

As far as the local younger straights, it has a lot of 'Pottery Barn Hillbilly Alcoholic Christians': they struggle to try to hang on to Granny's simple country heritage, but balance it with their new commercial sinning citified ways. Think Guys with a David Yurman cross necklace under their designer suit with cowboy boots and a One Direction haircut driving a Range Rover.

It's an interesting sociological conflict to witness as the former bumpkin try to hold on to the family past.

You should also while tolerated, gays are not really accepted, especially in certain fields.

Case in point, a family friend arranged an interview for me with a commercial real estate developer in the Park Cities. We got a long famously, and had a great deal in common. Then the subject of homosexuality came up, and he said in no uncertain terms that he hates gay people.

I was shocked. This guy wasn’t even that old—early 50’s. How inappropriate to disclose that to someone you just met. But those types of mentalities are not uncommon, and it’s due to the rampant religiosity.

Then I remembered I had a former high school friend, who flat out told me he “disagreed” with homosexuality because it went against gods word. He’s 30.

Don’t underestimate the homophobia you will likely encounter, OP.

The suburbs are super generic for the most part. I lived downtown for a time, just 2 blocks from the train which was kind of nice. Lots of bars and restaurants. I liked being able to walk to the restaurants at Klyde Warren Park. It's nice to go to a game and have it just a couple of stops away by train.

Why don't you tell us where you're moving from so we can get an idea of how big of a change it will be.

There are a huge number of very loud, afro americans in Dallas who ARE homophobic and will make you feel unwanted. I had to move after three years there. It felt like going back in time, living there. I'm in New Jersey now and so much happier.

Dallas is a very livable city (yes, it does have all of the above problems and far more). Fort Worth would be a nightmare however - there is almost ZERO gay population, little to do, very evangelical, etc. While it is only 45 min or so from the hot spots in Dallas - I would avoid it. Cost of living varies greatly in Dallas. The city has incredibly expensive neighborhoods and some very scary ones as well (as any major city). The sketchier sections of Oak Lawn surely have cheap rents, but the desirable areas of the city are priced accordingly. Urban spots include Uptown, Oak Lawn, downtown, the design district, the M streets, etc. Dallas suburbs are VERY Republican, racist and Christian; I would avoid them. Also, the summers are brutally hot (I guess no worse than Florida - but I dislike that state altogether) and the city as a whole is overrun with huge American cockroaches; they call them "water bugs" in Texas or "palmetto bugs" in Florida - whichever you prefer. Those things are really gross (3" long, spiky legs, fast as Hell and they fly). For this reason, you really do not want to live in a rat trap if that is what you can afford. Oh, that reminds me - there are TONS of rats there as well and they tend to be very adept at invading homes and apartments. When I lived there - it was very common to have infestations in attics as well. Who knew?

Fort Worth is great.

R22 for the win. Though kudos r6 for good detail Dallas is the worst city in Texas - though better than suburbs or small towns of Texas. More religious, more Oklahoma hick, more consumer based pretentious with a weird, usually false premise in “my family is/owns...” like they are the Ewing’s (99% lies as the few who are don’t bring it up within 5 minutes of meeting)

Respect need for job tho. But would def do Austin, Houston even San Antonio first (at least SA is less pretentious, more Hispanic, historical and less Bible Belt)

R27 Explicate

Fuck Fort Worth. Fuck those nasty Christians.

I live in Austin and although I hate hipsters I’d never live anywhere else in Texas.

We used to have a descriptor here for a certain type of basic-bitch wannabe A-gay: the "lip gloss and Prada queen from Dallas." The old Logo show [italic]The A-List: Dallas[/italic] captured the lifestyle pretty well.

Please, R25. Homophobia is no more prevalent in the black communities of Dallas than it is in the white areas. The two homophobic men I describe in R23 were both white.

R33 difference is the Whites are mostly a more "I'm not hiring you" kind of thing and the Blacks are more "Bash the Fag!"

R34, that is complete bullshit. Then again, I’m surprised... the Dallas gay scene is virulently racist against black men.

It’s the only major city I’ve been to where it’s routine to constantly see “no black guys” in dating profiles—and no one gets called out on it.

I’m in Dallas frequently for business and you couldn’t pay me enough money to live there! The “Dallitude” mentioned in previous posts is a real thing and the traffic is horrible! Austin is the only city in Texas that is even borderline acceptable to live in, as far as I’m concerned.

R35 in your experience & opinion.

I think your Grindr No Blks claim is bullshit

R36, I like Austin but their traffic is even worse than it is in Dallas.

The gay scene in Texas is very segregated. It's not just Dallas. In fact, Austin is even more segregated than Dallas and Houston. You might see one or two black guys at an A/B-list party in Dallas, but they have to be successful and charismatic to get that invite.

R34 and R35 are BOTH correct. The racism in Dallas goes both ways and homophobia is definitely a thing throughout all social and racial groups in the city. The general rule there is that if you live in urban areas of the city - you are likely going to be just fine. If you head into the suburbs, into the really fancy high dollar areas, into the lower-end black and Hispanic areas - brace yourself for the possibility of trouble with homophobia. This is common in many cities of course - but is a very real thing in Dallas.

Sounds deadly in a number of ways.

Just remember, if you're from a Northern state you are automatically superior to anyone you meet in Dallas. None of them read books.

Yes it’s a very trashy kind of elitism in Dallas. The whole city is just weird.

[quote]I’d never live anywhere else in Texas.

Houston isn't bad, I liked it a lot better than Dallas.

I live in Fort Worth. It's definitely more conservative over here than in Dallas - more so in the outer neighborhoods/suburbs than in the central city. But it's also more laid back and less pretentious than Dallas. I grew up in the Dallas suburbs, but I'm much more comfortable in Fort Worth than I ever was in Dallas. It feels less judgy over here. Housing is also more affordable over here. You can get the same level of house in Fort Worth for about 3/4 of what you would pay in Dallas or the northern suburbs. Fort Worth has a charm that Dallas lacks. It's less flashy and understated. It values it's history and works to preserve it's historic buildings and neighborhoods, unlike Dallas. Fort Worth's drawbacks are the overwhelming conservatism and general boringness in regards to "gay life". But I'm in my 50s and have been partnered for 25 years, so I'm not interested in that scene. If I were young and single, I might be less inclined to live here.

OP, I'm in Houston and I find it more diverse, liberal and cosmopolitan than Dallas. Lots of ex-pats from all over the world live and work here. The moneyed elite here are a bit more sedate than the Dallas types. More old money-ish style rather than the Dallas flash and materialism.

Lots of very unhealthy, overweight people thanks to the “good-ole boy”-approved, protein-heavy diet high in saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium. Not a city that collectively values health or staying in shape.

Austinites need to stop acting like Austin is some kind of liberal utopia, because it hasn't been since 2005. With all rich white people moving there, it's more conservative and segregated than ever.

R39, ditto about the segregated gay social scene in Dallas. In 2006, I was doing a race experiment on Manhunt, and had created 5 fake profiles—two white, one black, one Asian, and one Latino to assess reply rates.

There was some sort of gay party being held at a venue in Plano, and not unsurprisingly the two white profiles received message invites while the black, Asian, and Latino profiles did not.

When I contacted Manhunt about this blatant display of racism, they initially denied any wrongdoing but later said the selective invitations were based on a glitch. Yeah, right.

For good measure I created yet another fake white and black profile, and sure enough, only the white profile received an invite.

Manhunt credited my account with $20, but that is just one example of how racist the gay community in Dallas can be.

The black and white Cristian communities are enormously homophobic. The heat in Dallas is way worse than it is in Florida because there's no beaches or sea nearby to cool off in and no sea breezes. The place just festers and stinks.

It was fun in the mid 80s.

As an aside, what's so awesome about Austin over Dallas. I've been to both and while Austin had a slightly more "liberal" gloss, they both weren't much as cities.

The thunderstorms may be enjoyable, but the rest of it is a vast and ugly wasteland of trashy people.

No thanks.

Thanks for the feedback— im told that this is the las colinas area of Dallas

Austin isn’t perfect by any stretch and lacks many of the big city amenities that you would expect it to have.

However, the guys really are fucking hot. The only other place I’ve been to that can compete with Austin for hot men is Phoenix.

Also, Austin feels less culturally Southern than the rest of Texas, is far Moreno secular/non-religious, and has a booming economy. It has a “cool” factor that attracts many millennials.

Dallas may have a conservative and religious veneer, but it's all for show. There's a reason why you literally find a church and a liquor store on every corner in the city. Tons of extramarital affairs, open relationships, alcoholism, drug use. The Trumps would fit in nicely.

Dallas sounds an awful lot like Atlanta, with fewer trees. I never cared for it when I visited for work. AUstin is more interesting but from talking to locals, its heyday was probably about 30 years ago.

R55, that's UT students you're talking about. Unless you're in your 20's, forget about it.

Haha R32, I’m 32 and still somehow manage to hookup with early-to-mid 20’s guys. Hoping my vegan diet keeps me youthful and fuckable as long as possible!

Whoops R58 rather

R49, interesting experiment. You should start a new thread on that topic if its true. But you need to supply more details. Was this a Manhunt sponsored party? Were the pictures of the profiles you posted all the same hotness level?

R61, it was a gay social event hosted by a Dallas gay association, which I cannot remember.

Yes the photos were all of fit men in their 20’s.

I live in Addison. Great town, easy access to Dallas. I love Dallas, but that is because I have a lot of friends here, and I met my husband here. Dallas is very liberal for Texas. I would rather live here than Austin, which has grown faster than the infrastructure to support the population has. Dallas feels like a big city, which it is. I’ve lived in Atlanta, LA, DC, and Tampa, and by far, Dallas is my favorite.

Summers in Texas can be miserable,, but we have four seasons, and the fall is wonderful...

The Marmac Guide to Dallas once quoted a statistic that only 10% of locals say that Dallas is their favorite city. And yet all these Negative Nancies are all living together bitching at each other.

Well, anyone who has lived in southern California will never list any city in Texas as their favorite place to be. That is ridiculousness - we all know that. I do like Dallas however, and it is a mixed bag like most big cities that qualify as fly-overs. The fall/winter/early springs in Dallas are lovely. Houston has its good points but is far worse than Dallas for those that are not - primarily the horrid weather, humidity and sprawl. That is for another thread however. Vapid - YES, but Dallas is still a very cosmopolitan city with a lot to offer (and it really has everything that pretty much any city can boast..). The burbs are painfully plastic, racist, homophobic and breeder-central - but living in the urban areas is not a bad living situation at all. I like the city although I will never move back. California is just too perfect - high cost of living or not.

I just love my Paul Rudolph house in Fort Worth! Although I only spend a few weeks a year there anymore, despite fighting bitterly to get it from Sid during the divorce.

Dallas has had floods, but nothing like Houston.

"The Dallas Handshake". Holy Fucking Shit

I have lived here since 2008.........Dallas is quite likely the biggest shithole in the entire Northern hemisphere of this planet...........

I fucked lots of guys from Dallas - bottom central. Many Okie gays flee to Dallas. Dallas is the only place I've seen men wearing fur coats. Oaklawn is full of trannies.

R68, I do not lie! Crazy as fuck.

I like Houston better!

every cute boy i met was on coke or meth

too wild 4 me.

Coke is a big deal in Dallas - it is good quality and plentiful due to proximity.

"And that spells Dallas.

I say it with no malice:

But the rest of Texas is a mess.

When you're from big D, my oh yes..."

The Mexican coke dealers in Dallas flood the market and it is very easy to find and quite affordable. God bless.

i love houston more cause of the old timey Montrose area, old homes, antique shops, kool bars n clubs...and those overlapping oak trees over the streets, something very good old days bout houston... i love the sprawl, like several differnet towns connnected. galveston/water ! beach boys! is near.....

tons of newly out gay lads in college..

Even thought the film isn’t all that great, I’ve always liked “Dr. T & the Women”. It captures Dallas suburban living quite well.

there used to be these sleazy fun bars with strippers

they still there?

I must say I disagree with the notion that Dallas suburbs are “racist”. Republican, most definitely. But at a recent trip to Stone Briar mall in Frisco it felt like I was in another country. There were tons of Arabs, south and east Asians, Hispanics, and blacks... hardly any white people in sight.

Most Dallas suburbanites are from other parts of the US. It’s actually rare to meet someone from Texas.

The true old guard, racist elites can be found in the Park Cities, Preston Hollow, and North Dallas south of 635.

Collin County, where most of DFW growth is happening, has really become very, very diverse in the last 15 or so years, since I graduated from high school. West Plano, on the other hand, is still heavily white and very affluent.

I grew up in Dallas. I have to agree with most of the negative responses on here. The pretentiousness is suffocating, and the Christian culture is exhausting.

I worked as a professional makeup artist in Dallas for a few years and met some of the most insane drama queens / drug addicts / alcoholics / criminals you could imagine. Thank GOD I got out of that profession and went to college.

I found Dallas to be extremely boring, but i'm not really someone who enjoys bars/clubs. I'd rather go hiking or go to a musical festival. Austin is my favorite city in TX, although the traffic and the hipsters get really old after a while.

R80 You shop at stonebrair? You poor thing. That mall is a dump, I should know, I worked there for 2 years when I was a teenager.

I live in Plano, and a lot of the information being given sounds pretty dated to me. With the huge influx of corporate headquarters and related industries, the population mix is changing rapidly, particularly in Plano and Frisco, where most of the growth is occurring. Yes, suburban life if suburban, but Collin county (where Plano and Frisco, etc. are) are deeply purple, if not full blue now. I also don't see this "Dallatude" all that much up here, although there is certainly wealth being used as status markers. Point me somewhere it isn't.

Regarding the Oak Lawn gayborhood, it's not as vital as it was back in the late 1990's when I first moved here. Gays have integrated into broader society, and tend to live much more scattered. The clubs are busy on weekends, but they have an anachronistic feel. This is hardly unique to Dallas.

Is downtown Dallas still a ghost town? They have tried many times to revitalize it but remember not much happening there after 5 o’clock.

For a while, the West End was happening, with clubs, restaurants, shopping, the aquarium, theaters, House of Blues, etc. There were outdoor concerts in the summers, and a generally good vibe. Not sure what happened, maybe it gained a reputation as being unsafe. Most of the activity moved north to Uptown and Knox/Henderson and around the American Airlines center. There's still a lot of more urban grunge/art/food activity in Deep Ellum which is on the west side of downtown.

ah yes, malls, i miss them.

NOT

we have none i know of in San Francisco,.....ahem.

not like those behemouths in texas.

stoneridge or stone sumthing???

ghastly. they must all have shut down by now surely....

JESUS....you're all a bunch of drama queens. Dallas is like every other goddamn metropolitan city. There are people that are hot and some that aren't. There's crime. The gay bars are fucking gay bars. The rich people are assholes and the very poor are criminals. The middle class is...middle class. It's the Bible belt, so...surprise there are Jesus freaks! There are snobby queens that have no reasons to be snobby--much like the majority of this thread--but that's gays in general, so it's pointless to even bring that up. I mean...it is what it is.

Collin County went for Trump by well over half. Nothing remotely blue about it, but nice try. Dallas Country was the only county in North Texas that went for Clinton, and it did in a big way

Concrete, concrete everywhere, very little green space, so as noted upthread, it's prone to flood since there's nowhere for the water to go.

I've only been there for work and the locals WILL try to evangelize to you. Even at the airport.

[quote] I live in Fort Worth

How's the new Neiman-Marcus at Clearfork? The old one at Ridgemar was awful.

if you're an aviation buff, the C.R. Smith Museum is a fun place to visit

I haven't made it to Clearfork yet - only driven past it on the Chisholm Trail Parkway. So I don't know about the new Neiman-Marcus, but it looks beautiful architecturally.

I have to respectfully disagree about Angelo's. I've only been once and was sorely disappointed. I didn't get all the hype - seemed like they were skating by on their historical reputation. But I'm not BBQ aficionado.

I'm in love and he's in Dallas

Dallas is lovely! I'm a New Yorker who grew up in Plano my whole life, until I graduated from college (in Denton) in the 80's. I'll always love Dallas, even as I've watched it change over the decades (like all cities). If you lived in NYC or LA for a long period of time (I've lived in NYC for 25 years), then the Dallas "attitude" will seem quaint and charming to you, and hardly intimidating. *snicker* Though, to be honest its something I hear people complain about more than I think actually really exists. But if hardcore Christians and conservatives are a new species to you, you may find that a strange obstacle at times. Good and bad, I've always found southern charm tends to be the law of the land in places like Dallas.

Wasn't the inspiration for the movie “Heathers” from that mid 80s suicide copycat blitz tragedy in Plano?

You should take a look at the north oak cliff area. It is quite liberal and very diverse with a hipster vibe. Historic sections and tons of new construction going up daily. Restaurants, galleries, bars and actual communities. The Gayborhood is the cedar springs area and may also work for you but if you want options north oak cliff (Bishop Arts) area may be what you are looking for. Do not move to the suburbs!

Big D, little A, double L, A - S

Deep Ellum is east of downtown.

Has anyone gone to Hippie Hollow, famous as the only clothing-optional park in Texas?

Many times R97 - but that park is in Austin, not Dallas. It's a blast. I have only been on Memorial or Labor Day - thousands of people in boats and floating between them (also all over the rocks and cliffs that surround the lake. Wonderful time; gorgeous guys.

Yes r95, and of course......

Homos is LA an NYC always say homos in any other city with a large gay population are "pretentious". They just can't stand the fact that so many of the gays in their cities are fleeing for more livable cities.

New York City and Los Angeles are both growing in population r100.

I'm pretty sure people there would prefer if more people left.

Dallas really is pretentious though, by any arbitrary standard. Just like Atlanta, West LA, and Miami.

They may be growing in the general population. But more and more gays are fleeing every month. They're finally discovering that neither place is all it was cracked up to be.

R103 - they are likely fleeing the high cost of living in both cities. On a 150K per year salary (which is nothing to sneeze at), you can barely purchase a pathetic hovel in either city. Not these days...

Come on, OP! Plenty of room for you. R82 is right on. I live south of downtown, but was born here, moved away, and have moved back. While Dallas was built on trade and commerce, Ft. Worth really has its roots in cows and oil. Dallas is glitzy and on the search for the next big thing; Ft. Worth is laid back and steadier with some old money, too.

Oaklawn is evaporating. As churches, families, friends, corporations and suburban areas become more open and friendly the need for a gay ghetto is diminishing. Anchor bars are still there and hopping for sure on weekends. Gentrification is literally changing the landscape and pricing residents and businesses out of the area. But popping up are new hot spots that are mixed, aware, fun and a great counterpoint to all the Evangelicals. As noted above, most cities are experiencing this.

Dallas used to have some of the best-looking gays and young men; now the gaylings look wrinkled and under-groomed like most everyone else. Blah. But you'll find a lot of orgs in which to meet guys, couples and families outside of bars. There is a LOT to do, and a short flight or a drive will get you to the coast, New Orleans or the Hill Country. Eureka Springs in AK is a fun retreat, too.

Toodle on up to Oklahoma if you want to fuck goats.

Food...OP the FOOD in this city is great--everything from CFS in a dive on up to fine dining. BBQ at a few spots down I35 are heaven. Asian, Mediterranean, Mexican, health-aware--it's all here. As in other cities, summer Farmers Markets are finding success and the Farmers Market downtown is great year-round. There is always a new taste concept popping up some where, and the tired old chain staples hang on here, too.

Traffic is a nightmare, but you'll adapt. DART rail transportation and the new bullet train to Houston give me hope for a better future. Downtown and immediate surrounding areas, also going through renovation, are attracting young people who are driving the demand for green space. There is even talk of burying a major highway just east of Downtown to open it up to to the neighborhood--read that as "the real estate values at ground level will be high enough to offset the cost to bury the highway." Then, they are about to begin making a large portion of the Trinity River corridor green space. As noted above, it floods easily here, so it will be an engineering feat to design that runoff. Trinity Forest, just Southeast of Downtown has gorgeous views of the city and I'd live there in a heartbeat. But flooding won't allow much development.

I could use a mountain or two, for sure. Oak Cliff and Cedar Hill aren't much of either. But the people here are great. You'll find your tribe and be happy. There is also a LOT of money and corporations helping move and buoy the economy. Fort Worth relishes its history; Dallas mows its down to renovate. P.S. You'll love Texas highways, although city streets suck.

Dallas is more open minded than you think. It has had two female Jewish mayors and almost had the first openly gay mayor in 2007 (he lost in a runoff).

The actual city of Dallas is pretty liberal (the elitist kind, not the laid back kind in Austin) but once you leave the little bubble of the city, you're in fundie central.

I live in Colorado Springs now, which is slightly more conservative compared to the rest of CO but it is nothing compared to the suburbs of Dallas. At least here they allow medical Marijuana.

A few years ago, the residents of McKinney (A Dallas suburb) had a collective nervous breakdown because someone opened a hookah shop. The residents protested because they said the shop promoted drug use, and the shop did get shut down. You can't argue with that kind of stupidity.

Also, Dallas, especially the suburbs, has an increasing Hindu and Muslim population. That's not necessarily a bad thing, just an observation. The neighborhood I grew up in is now pretty much exclusively Hindu.

Hindus are vegetarian, so that must mean vegetarian eateries are there now.

I don't find the city of Dallas to be that religious, to be honest. You only find the crazy evangelicals in the far out suburbs. The Park Cities churches are full of mostly polite country club Christians.

Dallas has the largest gay church in the world, but I've heard that it's starting to die out. They had some controversy a few years ago and many members left. Younger gays aren't that interested in organized religion anymore, so I wonder if the church will still be open in 10 years?

A word from the wise - AVOID LIVING IN DALLAS SUBURBS, PERIOD. The city is fun, urban and has everything that your heart desires (outside of hills and ocean - you need pricey LA for that). The crazies (and the area is filled with them) are virulently homophobic, absurdly racist, hate faggots and love baby Jesus (they just missed the memo on being Christ-like). AVOID DALLAS SUBURBS.

That is true with every Texas city. Dallas, Austin, Houston are fine when you are in the city. Once you go outside of that you will QUICKLY be reminded you are in Texas.

Very true R111.

A word of warning about the drivers in DFW. They are insanely aggressive, more so than any drivers I've encountered elsewhere including Los Angeles. If you adhere to the speed limit you end up infuriating other drivers, who will proceed to tailgate you. If you use your turn indicator people will actually increase their speed to cut you off... that sort of thing. Drive as defensively as you can, esp. on the tollways and expressways.

So they can get home 4 seconds sooner?

Big D , little A, double L ,A S

^^^ and every home's a palace!

True about the driving. People generally drive like shit in Texas. They drive super fast and get aggravated if they have to apply their brakes. The stupid access roads are ridiculous.

I can attest to the driving in Texas as I'm a native born and bred Houstonian. Very aggressive and even suburban dads in suits driving huge, jacked up pick up trucks with jesus stickers will run you off the road. Some parts of the highways have a speed limit of 85 mph, which can be a problem as I don't want to drive 85.

Yeah especially on toll roads. I’m sorry but I’m not driving 80-100 miles an hour. Texas is a dangerous place to drive, esp when it’s bad weather because people don’t slow down or drive with caution.

I was in the left lane on the Pierce elevated one morning in a line of slow moving traffic when a pick up went racing by on the left shoulder to jump ahead of traffic. Fucking insane.

I live in Austin and it’s the same, if not worse. It’s entitlement mixed with that I’m Texan so I do what I want bravado. Whenever people say Texans are known for their friendliness I laugh.

Friendly Texas driver. This kind of shit happens almost weekly now.

Everything’s bigger in TX including the assholes

God, Hindus aren't all vegetarian. Maybe half of them are. I'm married to one in a Dallas suburb.

OP, did you say the job transfer is in Las Colinas? I lived in Las Colinas. It's located between Dallas and DFW airport. Tony Romo and several Cowboys players lived in the area before the headquarters moved up north to Frisco. Glenn Beck's (yes, that Glenn Beck) TheBlaze studios is based there. Exxon Mobil is based in Las Colinas, among other tech companies, which is why there is a heavy population of Indian H-1 workers. Don't worry, they live mostly in adjacent, less expensive Valley Ranch. I suggest you stay in the area the first year before deciding if you want to move closer to Dallas. Whole Foods recently opened a store. Williams Square neighborhood is littered with new mid-rise luxury apartments; you can walk to the Irving Convention Center shipping and entertainment complex. There is a DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit) station that takes you to DFW airport in 20 minutes. The gayborhood and downtown Dallas is a mere 15 minute drive.

Thanks R 125. Yes, it is Las Colinas.

Who would've guessed there were so many wimps complaining about driving here. Don't want to go 80? Really, grandma?

^ He’s right, Dallas traffic isn’t that bad. It’s nothing like LA, for example.

Austin traffic is bad during commute hours and festivals, but it’s still manageable compared to other cities. It’s like when Austin folks say that East Austin is the ghetto. Compared to other cities it’s low income at best.

R127/r128 - AMEN. Any individual who thinks that Dallas traffic is terribly bad, really needs to visit other large cities. Dallas is a cake walk.

Houston has the worst traffic in Texas and among the worst traffic in America. It really is bad.

Austin has surprisingly bad traffic considering it isn't that big of a city.

[quote] It’s like when Austin folks say that East Austin is the ghetto.

It is.

[quote]Austin has surprisingly bad traffic considering it isn't that big of a city.

I think that’s why, because it’s a medium-sized town but population is growing so quickly the highways can’t keep up.

I lived in Texas for 10 years but only went to Austin once; came down from the Metroplex for a conference. I hit Round Rock around rush hour on a Friday and I’m still traumatized.

R89 I’ve been to the new Neiman Marcus store in Fort Worth. It’s really nice and gorgeously modern inside. MUCH better than the old location, but both times I’ve been in it it’s been empty.

R93 I hadn’t ever heard that Heathers was inspired by the all the teen suicides that happened in Richardson and Plano in the 80s/early 90s, but they certainly did happen and the timing seems plausible. There was a time that Plano’s only claim to fame was a mass of teen heroin overdoses.

How is Richardson?

Jesus Christ Niall is ugly and fat these days.

R135 - Richardson would never be considered a nice part of Dallas. It is a so-so north east suburb. There are worse areas and certainly far nicer ones.

Richardson is a nice, middle-class suburb, though the Canyon Creek area is pretty upscale. The city is mostly desirable because of its schools.

Prairie Creek is technically a nicer area than Canyon Creek in Richardson, but other than that R138 nailed it. Good schools, shorter drive to Dallas than most of the other suburbs.

On a related topic, I went to El Paso this weekend and that, my friends, is a total shithole

Austin traffic is much worse than Dallas. I've had to drive thru Austin during Friday rush hour twice in the past year, and it took me almost an hour to drive from Austin to Round Rock. It's a literal parking lot. When I was a UT student many years ago, the traffic was 1/3 what it is today.

I think Dallas and Houston are better cities today than they were 10 years ago, but Austin has gotten worse due to the population growth and the rise in the cost of living.

Austin really cannot be compared to Dallas/Houston because it’s metro population 3.5/3 times smaller than each city, respectively. And moreover, Austin is a much, much smaller city geographically than either Dallas or Houston.

What constitutes as downtown Austin is extremely tiny, and could fit in the entirety of the Uptown neighborhood in Dallas.

Austin has gotten much better in even just the last five years. Downtown, which had historically been a ghost town, is now booming, with a litany of new luxury hotels, office high rises, and multi-family residences.

Downtown Austin also just got a brand new, state-of-the art library. No, Austin does not have many of the museums, varied night life scenes, diversity, or “cosmopolitan” vibe of DFW or Houston, but it more than makes up for it in hot ass, fit guys!

Austin has been growing for nearly 30 years. It's ridiculous that they haven't addressed the horrendous traffic problem.

Do it!

You can go shopping and get your hair done EVERY WEEK!

Bump

Is escorting tolerated there?

Honestly, I've always found Dallas perfectly fine, even good, as a gay man. Granted, I was only visiting, but, I've done so many times and have friends who live there. So, I guess it's the idea of living in Texas and all that represents (even though there are other gay-friendly cities) that made me feel negative towards Dallas before I ever went there. But, then again, there's multiple decent cities or gays that exist in red states. And the areas outside of the major cities in blue states aren't always that great.

Richardson also has a ton of excellent Asian restaurants.

R148 Sushi Sake is one of, if not THE best, sushi restaurant in Dallas. And all things considered it’s relatively low priced.

In Texas, whats the difference between Catholics & Baptists?

The Catholics will say hello to you as they leave the liquor store.

NYers: hard on the outside, soft on the inside. Texans: soft on the outside, hard on the inside.

Texans, like many southerners, still harbor resentment against "Yankees" on account of The War of Northern Aggeession.

If you think Southern Baptists are fundie assholes, wait til you meet their cousins, from the Church of Christ.

Do the straight guys in Dallas do anal?

Also, how easy or hard is it for gays to have sex with "straight" guys in Dallas?

hot cheap country boy bi whores who need some money.

their asses are tasty and unwashed!