Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

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Marseille07
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Re: Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

Post by Marseille07 »

mffl wrote: Sun Jun 20, 2021 1:16 pm Those are very localized events. You're highly unlikely to be affected. It makes for good news stories, but it's just not a substantial problem in practice. Everywhere gets some amount of natural disasters. That scary looking picture at the top of the article is in a river/floodplain area that is *expected* to flood, so there's no homes or permanent structures there. Creative framing of the picture makes it look like downtown Dallas is flooded, but that's not at all what happened.
Personally I really like Dallas, since I don't like the fall/winter/spring of PNW. These days though, I'm starting to appreciate PNW's summer, while Dallas seems really hot. I should spend 4 months in PNW and the rest in Dallas :D
MarkBarb
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Re: Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

Post by MarkBarb »

I don't have much experience with Charlotte, but I've lived in Texas for more than 40 years. Here are a few thoughts.

Beaches - If you live in Dallas, you live north of the city, so Galveston is a 4.5 hour drive. It's a fine beach if a beach means a place to go fishing offshore. It's an OK beach if a beach means a place to play/relax in the sand. It's not a very good beach if you want to play in the water. The waves are relatively small and the water is unattractively silty.

Violence - Texas has significantly more violent crime than NYC. I don't know how it compares to NYC. I don't know anyone that has been a victim of violent crime here in the last few decades, so I don't think it affects suburbia much, but the stats are what they are. Also, it will soon be legal for anyone to carry a handgun without needing a license.

Schools - Dallas has some great public schools. You have to be willing to live far from town in the suburbs and live in a relatively expensive neighborhood.

Travel - Someone mentioned that Dallas is a great city to fly from. Southwest has a hub that's good for domestic flights. American has a hub that's great for international flights. Driving is another story. It's a long drive to get anywhere. You'll burn a full day in the car each way if you want to go skiing.

Terrain - Dallas is plains country. Not a lot of trees. No real elevation.

Sports - Dallas has the Rangers, the Cowboys, and the Mavericks. It's a good sports town.

Colleges - Being in Dallas means relatively low in-state tuition to some excellent public universities like Texas A&M and the University of Texas Dallas.

Low cost labor - It's relatively cheap to higher a landscaper or a maid.

Dallas people have a reputation for being less friendly and more image conscious than people from other Texas cities, but in my person experience people are friendly. The exception to that is on the freeways.
mkc
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Re: Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

Post by mkc »

deltakappa wrote: Sat Jun 19, 2021 9:39 pm
Watty wrote: Sat Jun 19, 2021 9:36 am If you feel comfortable sharing it you might mention the general part of town that each of the offices are located in since that could make a big difference.
Yeah, it is north to central part of Dallas for Dallas, and southern side for Charlotte.
Might be worth monitoring Google Maps for your typical AM and PM commute to see where the congestion typically occurs. Drill down to the direction on major roads - which sides end up with lots of red, indicating a slow-up.

We lived on the west side of the Metroplex for 13 years. Traffic and property taxes are definitely a significant concern.

You mentioned being in NYC. We moved to Texas from the tri-state area. Things we missed the entire 25 years were fall, bakeries, real pizza, real NY-Italian food, real bread, real bagels, and more options for fresh seafood (unless you shop at Central Market and pay their prices, but it's still not like NY fish markets). I learned to make Italian bread, bagels, and pizza like we remembered.

Things we loved about Texas, food-wise, were Central Market/HEB (yes, you can love a grocery store), CenTex BBQ (the real thing - 407 BBQ in Argyle is by far the absolute best in DFW or go to Llano - Cooper's is our fave), TexMex (but not chain places like El Fenix and what Chuy's became when they turned into a chain), and panaderias - seriously good empanadas and Mexican pastries of all kinds.

Things we never got used to - summer heat (90+ at 10 PM), hail storms (3 roof replacements in 10 years), and the overwhelming emphasis on high school football (and pricey stadiums) over school facilities/teachers/supplies/programs that benefitted all students.
mffl
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Re: Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

Post by mffl »

Marseille07 wrote: Sun Jun 20, 2021 4:28 pm
mffl wrote: Sun Jun 20, 2021 1:16 pm Those are very localized events. You're highly unlikely to be affected. It makes for good news stories, but it's just not a substantial problem in practice. Everywhere gets some amount of natural disasters. That scary looking picture at the top of the article is in a river/floodplain area that is *expected* to flood, so there's no homes or permanent structures there. Creative framing of the picture makes it look like downtown Dallas is flooded, but that's not at all what happened.
Personally I really like Dallas, since I don't like the fall/winter/spring of PNW. These days though, I'm starting to appreciate PNW's summer, while Dallas seems really hot. I should spend 4 months in PNW and the rest in Dallas :D
Ha! Yes, that would be awesome.

Maybe you can find someone who wants to house swap with you on that schedule, maybe because they like 110 degree weather in the summer, but they prefer a dreary, wet, grey the rest of the time. :)
jello_nailer
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Re: Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

Post by jello_nailer »

stoptothink wrote: Sat Jun 19, 2021 7:58 am
deltakappa wrote: Sat Jun 19, 2021 12:57 amSo far, I know that Dallas areas has high property tax (2-3% total) but no state income tax, while Charlotte has fair property tax (1-1.2%), but there is the flat state income tax of 5.25%. I know that Charlotte seems better in climate - not too hot not too cold and all 4 seasons while Dallas has vibrant community of people (especially for immigrants). Also, Charlotte has more 'nature' than Dallas, in the sense you can go for a day trip to mountains and woods and also to beach which I believe Dallas does not have.
I love Texas (having lived in Houston and Austin), but the Dallas area is probably my least favorite metro area of the state. Only visited Charlotte, but it definitely appealed to me and I'd put it among the handful of places in the country that I would consider moving to. I'd definitely lean towards Charlotte, as it seems you are.
This is a perfect example of different strokes for different folks. I've lived in west and NW Houston for 35 years of my life and I would take N Dallas (McKinney, Plano) hands down over Houston, and I'd take Charlotte over both.

Spend some time in each if you can. Good luck.
Marseille07
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Re: Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

Post by Marseille07 »

mffl wrote: Sun Jun 20, 2021 9:39 pm Ha! Yes, that would be awesome.

Maybe you can find someone who wants to house swap with you on that schedule, maybe because they like 110 degree weather in the summer, but they prefer a dreary, wet, grey the rest of the time. :)
PWN is dreary, wet and grey, but I'm starting to think I can tolerate it because the winter wasn't freezing. I misplayed it last season as I just moved out of CA and was just so used to wearing t-shirts and shorts all year. But I think I can handle better if I dressed properly.

I am still looking at Dallas later this year, but as far as quickly calculating the COL adjustments, it doesn't look like moving makes sense. Basically the pay cut is too great to justify lower COL, and the tech job market isn't as great as PNW.
hudson
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Re: Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

Post by hudson »

deltakappa wrote: Sat Jun 19, 2021 12:57 am I got an offer of a job that gives me a flexibility to choose between relocating to Dallas area or Charlotte area, any of them. [/b

Is there any other perspective that I am missing? I would appreciate your two cents on this. Thank you.


I know nothing about Dallas except that it is much further south.
If I was moving to Charlotte, it would be outside of the I-485 loop. If you have to drive into Charlotte, I'd research traffic patterns....but you already knew that.
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BrandonBogle
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Re: Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

Post by BrandonBogle »

hudson wrote: Mon Jun 21, 2021 7:18 am
deltakappa wrote: Sat Jun 19, 2021 12:57 am I got an offer of a job that gives me a flexibility to choose between relocating to Dallas area or Charlotte area, any of them.

Is there any other perspective that I am missing? I would appreciate your two cents on this. Thank you.
I know nothing about Dallas except that it is much further south.
If I was moving to Charlotte, it would be outside of the I-485 loop. If you have to drive into Charlotte, I'd research traffic patterns....but you already knew that.
Any particular reason to be outside the 485 loop vs inside? Essentially you wouldn’t be in the city limits outside the loop.
ExTx
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Re: Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

Post by ExTx »

I'm a retired Dallas Cop. Lived in the Dallas area for 30 years. Have been to Charlotte, but not enough to form an opinion on it. First, you won't live in Dallas unless you send your kids to a private school. All cops with kids live outside the Dallas suburbs, which mean north Collin county, or very far south to Waxahachie. You won't go to Galveston for your beach trip, more likely, drive the 6 hours to South Padre Island, or make a week in the Florida Panhandle. Summer, is of course brutal, especially as you get older, hence, why we live elsewhere. Winter is annoyingly cold, with usually 2-3 ice storms that shut everything down. If you want mountains, head to Big Bend National Park. Thats 8 hours if you take your time, but you can drive as fast as you want once you get past Ft Worth. BTW, is Ft Worth an option? Way less crime, a downtown where people don't flee after work, closer to baseball and the Cowboys if thats your thing. I think you said something about being a New Yorker? Well, Plano would be your place. Good schools, has everything you need, restaurants, Trader Joes, Whole Foods. Just my two cents. For me, if you live in Texas, San Antonio is the place. In a nutshell, plan on paying for a couple week vacations to Mexico or Florida, or Colorado. There are no "staycations" in Dallas. Oh, yea, property taxes. I live in a state income tax state now, I pay less taxes than I did in Texas.
fulliautomatix
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Re: Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

Post by fulliautomatix »

I have lived in both NC and TX. I am currently in the Dallas area.

Charlotte has better weather and nature and weekend escapes and beaches and mountains. We did them all and it is great to have that choice especially when kids are younger. Your overall expenses in Charlotte will be lower.

In Dallas, the nice/touristy places to visit will be either FL or CA, nothing nearby worth the drive in my opinion.

You will find good high schools and family friendly neighborhoods in both places. Both are in the bible belt. You will run into religion everywhere in both places but Charlotte more so and has a more southern feel to it.

Dallas has terribly hot weather, property taxes are high and we had to look for a house for two years before we could find a nice one amid bidding wars. And this was before COVID. Now house hunting is a nightmare. We had two houses sell in our neighborhood recently. One had 10 offers and the other had 32. Both went for $70K+ over list price. Hailstorms mean frequent roof replacements and insurance rates are very high with very high deductibles. Many companies wont offer deductibles less than 1%, so $6,000 on a $600K house. My insurance premium is $3,400. Auto insurance is also high (crazy pickup drivers?). Commutes can be very long and, while DFW has excellent connections, just getting to the airport is a nightmare. Also be ready to pay tolls everywhere. A 25 year old 4 BR home in Plano will cost you $550K+. A newer equivalent in Frisco will cost you $725K+. Both are quite a bit north of Dallas, with Frisco being north of Plano. Coppell is more centrally situated and near DFW with good schools but homes are either more expensive or more older. Lack of inventory is very real in Plano and Coppell as they are built out. Frisco and McKinney still have new developments and lots of them but also very North for commuting towards Dallas. Gridlock everywhere.

I still pick Dallas but because of my situation - see how much would apply to you. My kids are in teens and have outgrown the beaches and mountains. I work remote in my current job so commutes and tolls are a non-factor. I can play tennis in January and this is a fairly important part of my life outside of work. I dont mind the summer heat - you will find me mowing my lawn in the middle of the day at 100 degrees in the middle of summer. Public facilities and parks are excellent. In my neighborhood, tennis courts and swimming pool are a few steps away. We have nice mature trees. I pay a lot for property taxes but my kids go to excellent and very competitive public schools which feed into very nice public universities that dont break the bank. Just these more than make up for the cost of living difference between C & D. One kid is off to college this fall and the second one in a few years. After that, I may consider moving for job related reasons. IT jobs are in plenty (not necessarily Tech jobs - those are in Austin) but I am not in IT or Tech. Dallas has a higher energy level to the place and more cosmopolitan than Charlotte IMO.

Different pros and cons. Do come back and tell us what you picked and why.
hudson
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Re: Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

Post by hudson »

BrandonBogle wrote: Mon Jun 21, 2021 10:41 am
hudson wrote: Mon Jun 21, 2021 7:18 am
deltakappa wrote: Sat Jun 19, 2021 12:57 am I got an offer of a job that gives me a flexibility to choose between relocating to Dallas area or Charlotte area, any of them.

Is there any other perspective that I am missing? I would appreciate your two cents on this. Thank you.
I know nothing about Dallas except that it is much further south.
If I was moving to Charlotte, it would be outside of the I-485 loop. If you have to drive into Charlotte, I'd research traffic patterns....but you already knew that.
Any particular reason to be outside the 485 loop vs inside? Essentially you wouldn’t be in the city limits outside the loop.
I prefer living outside of the built up areas as possible. The OP may want to look at Metrolina rather than Charlotte. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte ... litan_area

It really depends what the OP prefers. I like living in the boonies; but I also like living close to where I work. Traffic gives me heartburn.
xtracrispy1031
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Re: Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

Post by xtracrispy1031 »

Moved to Charlotte from the Northeast 7 years ago... Bought a house, got married, raising young kids in a good school district. Wife (from NY) and I both love it here. Summers are hot, but winters are very mild and enjoyable, and spring and fall are amazing. Lots of restaurants & independent breweries, real family friendly stuff. Already seen a number of friends/acquaintances from the Northeast follow suit and relocate this way. Highly recommend.
FD234
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Re: Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

Post by FD234 »

OP, what did you end up doing? I am facing the same situation but I will be moving from SoCal.
chazas
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Re: Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

Post by chazas »

Both extra meh.
Jerry1976
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Re: Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

Post by Jerry1976 »

I don't know anything about Charlotte, but my husband and I have lived in Frisco, TX (north of Dallas) for over 15 years, and we've raised our children here. I would say for the first 7 years I felt like we'd hit the jackpot!! We relocated from the Northeast, where we couldn't afford a rundown house in a sketchy area. But in Frisco? We bought a brand new, spacious house for under $300K with tons of upgrades in a pristine, safe neighborhood. The public schools were fantastic, and we had wonderful neighbors from all over the country/world. But then things started to slowly change, and definitely not for the better. Students at Frisco high schools don't take midterms or finals, they can retake any test for a higher grade, and the latest change - homework can be handed in late (even weeks late) and not get any points deducted because "homework shouldn't be punitive." It's a joke. Yes, some FISD students are star students, but it's not because of the high standards set by the schools. The primary reason is because at least 25% of Frisco's population is Asian (mostly Indian), and these parents make sure to supplement their children's education by paying for additional tutors and/or classes outside the schools. Frisco ISD does offer a lot of advanced and interesting classes, but their standards for grading have lowered tremendously. If you move to Frisco, you REALLY need to consider hiring tutors for your kids if they go to public school, or you can send them to private or charter schools. I'm sure the same can be said for public schools in other DFW suburbs. I will also add that one of the things we loved when we first got here is how respectful tweens and teens were to adults...not anymore! It's not unusual for them to tell a parent to "@#@ off!" if you tell them to stop swearing and saying inappropriate things in front of really young kids. This might be a generational thing, I don't know, but it's jaw-dropping. Some of the kids have absolutely no respect for parents, teachers, or any authority figures. Of course, there are still some great kids around, but it's not unusual to encounter foul-mouthed, nasty and entitled students who never suffer consequences for their actions. Sorry to blab on & on about the schools, but as a parent, I just want to warn you because you will only hear about how great the schools are here, but they're not nearly what you would expect.

On another note, crime has gone up in Frisco. This past weekend we had groups of people enter several large retailers (one of them Ulta) in the middle of the day on a Sunday and just clear shelves. They just walked in groups of 6-7 people per store with bags, and they took thousands of dollars of merchandise while customers just watched in shock. Then they sauntered out without being apprehended. But maybe this is the norm around our country now? I don't know. Things have gotten much worse in the last 5 years, but especially during the pandemic. Frisco has been inundated with people relocating from mostly blue states. This has caused property prices to skyrocket unlike anything I've ever witnessed. Before the pandemic, our 16-year-old house was valued at around $550,000. But people are putting offers of $50k - $100k over asking now, even for 20-year-old homes. Our neighbor put his house up for sale last week for $815,000, which I thought was high. He was offered $900,000 cash within two days! His house was built the same time as ours by the same builder and is about the same size. Good luck if you're looking for anything affordable in Frisco! I also found out that Grand Homes, which isn't known as a high-end builder, is opening up a new community about 2 miles from us. Starting price? $1.2 million (for a home about 1500 Sq Ft smaller than ours) to $2.5 million for a home about 1,500 Sq Ft larger than ours. And yards are ridiculously small (like laughably small now!) It's insane!! Frisco is so congested now, with cars drag racing everywhere. It used to be quiet when we moved here, but all I hear at night now is cars racing and lots of police and ambulance sirens. I'm not even that close to a major road either, which is kind of weird.

There are lots of family-friendly activities. Frisco used to be called the "baby farms" because children outnumbered adults here for a while (they probably still do.) Lake Lewisville is close by, and you can go boating or go swimming (though I wouldn't recommend the latter...Lake Lewisville is kind of grimy to swim in.) Frisco is definitely family focused and has A LOT of things to do with kids. However, it's not a great place if you want to do a lot of nature activities. The things we have here are mostly expensive, indoor activities. Frisco was once named the "best place to raise an athlete" by some magazine. It does offer tons of opportunities if your child is interested in sports. That's a big plus. We have the National Soccer Museum here as well as a professional soccer team. Frisco has a baseball team for the TX Rangers minor league team. The PGA is opening up its headquarters here too. It's a great sports city!

I'm assuming Frisco is like a lot of other DFW suburbs, like Allen, Plano, Prosper, etc. I really did love Frisco at one point, but now I desperately want to leave. My husband keeps telling me the whole country has increased crime, increased congestion, and significantly lower standards in public schools when it comes to both behavior and academics. I know property prices have increased around the country as well. My husband thinks this is as good as it gets, and part of me thinks he's right. Our neighborhood is diverse and has lots of kids all around the same age. Most of the families near us have been in their homes for over a decade, and we lucked out in having kids all close in age. There are no set play dates...the kids just run back & forth to each other's houses and, since we don't have family nearby, our neighbors are like family. We're planning on holding off on a move until our youngest child, now 11, graduates high school. Thankfully, we found a wonderful charter school, and our son finally got a spot after 3 years on the waitlist. All this to say, if you like Charlotte and it's not congested and overpriced, go there!
young danny
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Re: Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

Post by young danny »

I love this topic! First off you cannot go wrong with either. I’ve lived and have family all over Texas, and now, we live in The Woodlands (Houston Suburb).

My parents moved us to Plano in 1996 (I left for college in 2004) and they moved to Frisco in 2014. I’m speaking from 25 years of living in it, seeing it change, and from my parents. IMO there’s no better place that has mixture of affordability (even where it’s at today), business / career opportunity (sooooo many mega corps across soooo many different industries have relocated to DFW and in particular to Allen / Frisco / McKinney, Plano, etc) and quality of public schools is unheard of exceptional for the population size. I went thru it and my mother retired from Plano schools three years ago. I’m writing this to you from Frisco as we’re passing thru and staying with my family before heading back to The Woodlands.

The DFW area is the fourth biggest metropolitan area in the US (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropo ... tical_area) with a lot of expansion still occurring, so, it has anything you want in a town if you want to live with acreage, small town, established, etc. School competition is just what was said and isn’t for everyone. The most recent college Jeopardy winner was from Plano https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2022/02 ... utType=amp

So as others have said it depends what y’all (the Texan in me) want.
Marseille07
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Re: Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

Post by Marseille07 »

ExTx wrote: Mon Jun 21, 2021 12:00 pm Well, Plano would be your place. Good schools, has everything you need, restaurants, Trader Joes, Whole Foods. Just my two cents. For me, if you live in Texas, San Antonio is the place. In a nutshell, plan on paying for a couple week vacations to Mexico or Florida, or Colorado. There are no "staycations" in Dallas. Oh, yea, property taxes. I live in a state income tax state now, I pay less taxes than I did in Texas.
Which schools in Plano are good? I'm interested in the Plano area myself but quickly looking at the US News Report, they didn't look too impressive: https://www.usnews.com/education/best-h ... ict-102814
young danny
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Re: Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

Post by young danny »

Yay! I am a Plano ISD graduate in 2004 and can get real technical. Generally, anything west of Independence and north of Park is more affluent. I went to Mathew’s Elementary, Schimpelpfenig Middle School, Jasper High School, and Plano Senior High School.

There is an independent website called School Digger that my wife and I used to select exactly where we wanted to move to in the Houston area. The elementary school we are zoned to, Creekside Forrest Elementary, is the number 2 ranked Texas Elementary School according to them. Based off of various criteria, it ranks each school (elementary, middle, high school) against each other for all of Texas. Here is what is has for Plano. For each school it shows the ranking, how many teachers, ethnic make up, passing rates in various tests, etc.

Private message if you want to know more details about the area.

https://www.schooldigger.com/go/TX/dist ... earch.aspx
AquaBliss
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Re: Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

Post by AquaBliss »

After reading this thread I started looking at Charlotte and would like to take a trip there and evaluate a relocation as well.

Can someone recommend a couple good Charlotte suburbs for young families (2 kids ages 9 and 11). House budget would be $900k - $1.2M. I found all sorts of different answers online but would like to hear from some locals please. Thanks!
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Re: Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

Post by jabberwockOG »

Goldwater85 wrote: Sat Jun 19, 2021 3:59 pm Having lived in Dallas, I’d heartily recommend Charlotte.

Dallas is a great compromise city. Find a good living (huge market), eat at great restaurants and bars, friendly people, reasonable cost of living, low taxes, sports and events, good schools (outside of Dallas proper), good infrastructure (ERCOT wind farms are hit or miss, granted), direct flights to anywhere in the US and many places internationally.

Also, no natural beauty within a 3-6 hour drive, and no real reason to ever visit unless you have people there.

You don’t need to compromise. Go Charlotte.
100% agree. Charlotte is a good choice for the Southeast. Lived in Dallas area for a few years before retirement. Weather there mostly too hot or too cold. Environmental and natural beauty of outdoors = close to zero. Nearby beaches - ughhh. There is a good reason that millions of Texas travel to Florida beaches for vacation. If shopping at fancy strip malls in Southlake is your thing Dallas area is nirvana. Got out of there just as soon as we could.
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Re: Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

Post by ChrisC »

AquaBliss wrote: Sat Mar 19, 2022 2:30 am After reading this thread I started looking at Charlotte and would like to take a trip there and evaluate a relocation as well.

Can someone recommend a couple good Charlotte suburbs for young families (2 kids ages 9 and 11). House budget would be $900k - $1.2M. I found all sorts of different answers online but would like to hear from some locals please. Thanks!
We're retired and re-located to the Charlotte area in 2014. My neice just decided to relocate with her family to this area from Chicago and will be moving here in the summer (they purchased a house in South Charlotte, closer to Mint Hill and Matthews). My wife and I live in the Marvin/Waxhaw area of Union County which is 2-4 miles south of the Charlotte city limits (Ballantyne area) and 2 miles east of the South Carolina line (Indian Land in Lancaster SC). Our daughter and her family moved to Indian Land SC in 2017 from California. And we have a cousin with 2 small children from NYC who moved here last year in Weddington, Union County

I'm clueless about the northern suburbs of Charlotte, like Mooresville. or those west of Charlotte, like Lake Norman or Lake Wylie.But down here in Union County (which in general tilts decisively red on the political spectrum perhaps excepting the Marvin Township or Weddington) the schools are very good, the living is easy, and the fish are jumpin. I think the public schools here in the Marvin, Wedddington and Waxhaw are perhaps the best in the region. Your house budget would be in line with houses in those areas.
stoptothink
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Re: Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

Post by stoptothink »

Jerry1976 wrote: Thu Mar 17, 2022 11:54 pm I don't know anything about Charlotte, but my husband and I have lived in Frisco, TX (north of Dallas) for over 15 years, and we've raised our children here. I would say for the first 7 years I felt like we'd hit the jackpot!! We relocated from the Northeast, where we couldn't afford a rundown house in a sketchy area. But in Frisco? We bought a brand new, spacious house for under $300K with tons of upgrades in a pristine, safe neighborhood. The public schools were fantastic, and we had wonderful neighbors from all over the country/world. But then things started to slowly change, and definitely not for the better. Students at Frisco high schools don't take midterms or finals, they can retake any test for a higher grade, and the latest change - homework can be handed in late (even weeks late) and not get any points deducted because "homework shouldn't be punitive." It's a joke. Yes, some FISD students are star students, but it's not because of the high standards set by the schools. The primary reason is because at least 25% of Frisco's population is Asian (mostly Indian), and these parents make sure to supplement their children's education by paying for additional tutors and/or classes outside the schools. Frisco ISD does offer a lot of advanced and interesting classes, but their standards for grading have lowered tremendously. If you move to Frisco, you REALLY need to consider hiring tutors for your kids if they go to public school, or you can send them to private or charter schools. I'm sure the same can be said for public schools in other DFW suburbs. I will also add that one of the things we loved when we first got here is how respectful tweens and teens were to adults...not anymore! It's not unusual for them to tell a parent to "@#@ off!" if you tell them to stop swearing and saying inappropriate things in front of really young kids. This might be a generational thing, I don't know, but it's jaw-dropping. Some of the kids have absolutely no respect for parents, teachers, or any authority figures. Of course, there are still some great kids around, but it's not unusual to encounter foul-mouthed, nasty and entitled students who never suffer consequences for their actions. Sorry to blab on & on about the schools, but as a parent, I just want to warn you because you will only hear about how great the schools are here, but they're not nearly what you would expect.
I don't really have any opinion on this topic, not even sure why I opened the thread, but this post caught my attention. As someone with family members who are currently public school teachers in 4 different states (none of them Texas or NC), this is the case EVERYWHERE. These are concerns for parents no matter where in the country you live.
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Re: Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

Post by beyou »

Native NYer here, who has lived in the south (New Orleans) and New England (Boston).
My employer moved our company to 2 southern cities, Charlotte and another (not Dallas).
I turned them down and left the firm rather than leave NY.

We have some of the best schools and healthcare in the country in the NYC area, and I prefer the weather in NYC and eastern suburbs (near ocean). I know you didn't ask for this but seems you are taking it for granted that C and D are better places to raise a family. I would dispute that is the case. Now if you have a much higher paying job there, then it may be worth it to leave financially, but you are giving some things that NYers take for granted IMO. Yes you can likely buy a bigger house, but that is not all there is. Our house is only 3 BR but it was big enough.
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Re: Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

Post by stoptothink »

beyou wrote: Sat Mar 19, 2022 12:20 pm Native NYer here, who has lived in the south (New Orleans) and New England (Boston).
My employer moved our company to 2 southern cities, Charlotte and another (not Dallas).
I turned them down and left the firm rather than leave NY.

We have some of the best schools and healthcare in the country in the NYC area, and I prefer the weather in NYC and eastern suburbs (near ocean). I know you didn't ask for this but seems you are taking it for granted that C and D are better places to raise a family. I would dispute that is the case. Now if you have a much higher paying job there, then it may be worth it to leave financially, but you are giving some things that NYers take for granted IMO. Yes you can likely buy a bigger house, but that is not all there is. Our house is only 3 BR but it was big enough.
:confused everybody's opinions aside, I think the OP makes it pretty clear that they have no interest in staying in NYC.
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Re: Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

Post by Marseille07 »

beyou wrote: Sat Mar 19, 2022 12:20 pm Native NYer here, who has lived in the south (New Orleans) and New England (Boston).
My employer moved our company to 2 southern cities, Charlotte and another (not Dallas).
I turned them down and left the firm rather than leave NY.

We have some of the best schools and healthcare in the country in the NYC area, and I prefer the weather in NYC and eastern suburbs (near ocean). I know you didn't ask for this but seems you are taking it for granted that C and D are better places to raise a family. I would dispute that is the case. Now if you have a much higher paying job there, then it may be worth it to leave financially, but you are giving some things that NYers take for granted IMO. Yes you can likely buy a bigger house, but that is not all there is. Our house is only 3 BR but it was big enough.
Problem is, C and D aren't really cheap, especially when you consider the school district. Plano was mentioned upthread but if we're talking about a 3br house there, we're talking about 700K+ today. This might not be NYC's pricing, but no longer cheap, especially with Texas' high property tax rate.
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beyou
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Re: Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

Post by beyou »

stoptothink wrote: Sat Mar 19, 2022 12:26 pm
beyou wrote: Sat Mar 19, 2022 12:20 pm Native NYer here, who has lived in the south (New Orleans) and New England (Boston).
My employer moved our company to 2 southern cities, Charlotte and another (not Dallas).
I turned them down and left the firm rather than leave NY.

We have some of the best schools and healthcare in the country in the NYC area, and I prefer the weather in NYC and eastern suburbs (near ocean). I know you didn't ask for this but seems you are taking it for granted that C and D are better places to raise a family. I would dispute that is the case. Now if you have a much higher paying job there, then it may be worth it to leave financially, but you are giving some things that NYers take for granted IMO. Yes you can likely buy a bigger house, but that is not all there is. Our house is only 3 BR but it was big enough.
:confused everybody's opinions aside, I think the OP makes it pretty clear that they have no interest in staying in NYC.
OP said " I know that any of these two places should be better than NYC for raising family "
I would dispute that assumption. It is a not a fact. I know lots of people who left NY because of high property taxes,
and then spent even more on private schools for their kids. You get what you pay for.
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Re: Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

Post by adamthesmythe »

I'd pay money to not live in Texas. I hear some like it however.
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Re: Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

Post by WildBill »

Marseille07 wrote: Sat Jun 19, 2021 9:29 am I'm not sure if you can say Charlotte has the beaches. Driving out to Charleston / WIlmington / Kitty Hawk takes 3 hours. It's not that different than the Dallas residents driving out to Houston / Galveston.
Howdy

I live in Texas. Houston does not have beaches, but there are many scenic stretches of asphalt and concrete.

NC has beautiful beaches. Galveston is basically a mud flat.

Oysters in Galveston are tasty.

W B
"Through chances various, through all vicissitudes, we make our way." Virgil, The Aeneid
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Re: Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

Post by 8foot7 »

AquaBliss wrote: Sat Mar 19, 2022 2:30 am After reading this thread I started looking at Charlotte and would like to take a trip there and evaluate a relocation as well.

Can someone recommend a couple good Charlotte suburbs for young families (2 kids ages 9 and 11). House budget would be $900k - $1.2M. I found all sorts of different answers online but would like to hear from some locals please. Thanks!
Consider Weddington/Marvin. I live in Weddington. Just in the next county; great schools, considerably lower taxes. PM me if you wish. I am one of the few Charlotteans that grew up in Charlotte; I’ve been here since 1987 and seen a lot. Let me know if I can help.
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Re: Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

Post by ChrisC »

8foot7 wrote: Sat Mar 19, 2022 1:14 pm
AquaBliss wrote: Sat Mar 19, 2022 2:30 am After reading this thread I started looking at Charlotte and would like to take a trip there and evaluate a relocation as well.

Can someone recommend a couple good Charlotte suburbs for young families (2 kids ages 9 and 11). House budget would be $900k - $1.2M. I found all sorts of different answers online but would like to hear from some locals please. Thanks!
Consider Weddington/Marvin. I live in Weddington. Just in the next county; great schools, considerably lower taxes. PM me if you wish. I am one of the few Charlotteans that grew up in Charlotte; I’ve been here since 1987 and seen a lot. Let me know if I can help.
AquaBliss,

I'm in Waxhaw/Marvin (literally half of our subdivision is in Waxhaw, the other half in Marvin). Union County does have good public schools (coming from Northern Virginia my yardstick for "great" public schools is a bit different from others) in some places like Marvin/Waxhaw and Weddington; then again, in other places of the County, the schools aren't so good, like in the not so suburban areas of Marshville, Mineral Springs, Mint Hill, Wingate, Monroe. Indian Trail is an emerging area in the County, which the schools are probably transitioning from mediocre to good. My assessment comes from my work during 2019-20 as a U.S. Census Bureau field operator in Union and Mecklenburg Counties, where I visited a number of local organizations, including senior citizen centers and public schools.

You may also PM for more detail about Union County. BTW, if you're into swimming as your name might suggest, the area has very strong club swimming programs. Cullen Jones, an olympic swimming gold medialist moved into the Ballantyne area a few years ago, and does a lot of local community work. https://www.ballantynemagazine.com/arti ... _fall_2020. We took our grandson for swimming lessons at this club: https://msaswim.com/
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Re: Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

Post by Random Musings »

I would move to Charlotte vs Dallas. Been to both places many times (Charlotte far more). Charlotte, IMHO, is a better hub with respect to traveling via auto to better beaches as well as the mountains. Temperatures are also less extreme when compared to Dallas.

RM
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Re: Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

Post by sc9182 »

Jerry1976 wrote: Thu Mar 17, 2022 11:54 pm I don't know anything about Charlotte, but my husband and I have lived in Frisco, TX (north of Dallas) for over 15 years, and we've raised our children here. I would say for the first 7 years I felt like we'd hit the jackpot!! We relocated from the Northeast, where we couldn't afford a rundown house in a sketchy area. But in Frisco? We bought a brand new, spacious house for under $300K with tons of upgrades in a pristine, safe neighborhood. The public schools were fantastic, and we had wonderful neighbors from all over the country/world. But then things started to slowly change, and definitely not for the better. Students at Frisco high schools don't take midterms or finals, they can retake any test for a higher grade, and the latest change - homework can be handed in late (even weeks late) and not get any points deducted because "homework shouldn't be punitive." It's a joke. Yes, some FISD students are star students, but it's not because of the high standards set by the schools. The primary reason is because at least 25% of Frisco's population is Asian (mostly Indian), and these parents make sure to supplement their children's education by paying for additional tutors and/or classes outside the schools. Frisco ISD does offer a lot of advanced and interesting classes, but their standards for grading have lowered tremendously. If you move to Frisco, you REALLY need to consider hiring tutors for your kids if they go to public school, or you can send them to private or charter schools. I'm sure the same can be said for public schools in other DFW suburbs. I will also add that one of the things we loved when we first got here is how respectful tweens and teens were to adults...not anymore! It's not unusual for them to tell a parent to "@#@ off!" if you tell them to stop swearing and saying inappropriate things in front of really young kids. This might be a generational thing, I don't know, but it's jaw-dropping. Some of the kids have absolutely no respect for parents, teachers, or any authority figures. Of course, there are still some great kids around, but it's not unusual to encounter foul-mouthed, nasty and entitled students who never suffer consequences for their actions. Sorry to blab on & on about the schools, but as a parent, I just want to warn you because you will only hear about how great the schools are here, but they're not nearly what you would expect.

On another note, crime has gone up in Frisco. This past weekend we had groups of people enter several large retailers (one of them Ulta) in the middle of the day on a Sunday and just clear shelves. They just walked in groups of 6-7 people per store with bags, and they took thousands of dollars of merchandise while customers just watched in shock. Then they sauntered out without being apprehended. But maybe this is the norm around our country now? I don't know. Things have gotten much worse in the last 5 years, but especially during the pandemic. Frisco has been inundated with people relocating from mostly blue states. This has caused property prices to skyrocket unlike anything I've ever witnessed. Before the pandemic, our 16-year-old house was valued at around $550,000. But people are putting offers of $50k - $100k over asking now, even for 20-year-old homes. Our neighbor put his house up for sale last week for $815,000, which I thought was high. He was offered $900,000 cash within two days! His house was built the same time as ours by the same builder and is about the same size. Good luck if you're looking for anything affordable in Frisco! I also found out that Grand Homes, which isn't known as a high-end builder, is opening up a new community about 2 miles from us. Starting price? $1.2 million (for a home about 1500 Sq Ft smaller than ours) to $2.5 million for a home about 1,500 Sq Ft larger than ours. And yards are ridiculously small (like laughably small now!) It's insane!! Frisco is so congested now, with cars drag racing everywhere. It used to be quiet when we moved here, but all I hear at night now is cars racing and lots of police and ambulance sirens. I'm not even that close to a major road either, which is kind of weird.

There are lots of family-friendly activities. Frisco used to be called the "baby farms" because children outnumbered adults here for a while (they probably still do.) Lake Lewisville is close by, and you can go boating or go swimming (though I wouldn't recommend the latter...Lake Lewisville is kind of grimy to swim in.) Frisco is definitely family focused and has A LOT of things to do with kids. However, it's not a great place if you want to do a lot of nature activities. The things we have here are mostly expensive, indoor activities. Frisco was once named the "best place to raise an athlete" by some magazine. It does offer tons of opportunities if your child is interested in sports. That's a big plus. We have the National Soccer Museum here as well as a professional soccer team. Frisco has a baseball team for the TX Rangers minor league team. The PGA is opening up its headquarters here too. It's a great sports city!

I'm assuming Frisco is like a lot of other DFW suburbs, like Allen, Plano, Prosper, etc. I really did love Frisco at one point, but now I desperately want to leave. My husband keeps telling me the whole country has increased crime, increased congestion, and significantly lower standards in public schools when it comes to both behavior and academics. I know property prices have increased around the country as well. My husband thinks this is as good as it gets, and part of me thinks he's right. Our neighborhood is diverse and has lots of kids all around the same age. Most of the families near us have been in their homes for over a decade, and we lucked out in having kids all close in age. There are no set play dates...the kids just run back & forth to each other's houses and, since we don't have family nearby, our neighbors are like family. We're planning on holding off on a move until our youngest child, now 11, graduates high school. Thankfully, we found a wonderful charter school, and our son finally got a spot after 3 years on the waitlist. All this to say, if you like Charlotte and it's not congested and overpriced, go there!
Luckily - the girl driver and other folks surrendered not long after this incident.

https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/3-arr ... 18944/?amp

Unfortunately Cops can’t catch/stop things in real-time - only happens in some of those Batman/Super-person movies.
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Re: Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

Post by momvesting »

If in-state college is a priority, this is where Texas shines, much more than many people realize. I know your kid is very young, so you are not anywhere near looking for colleges with specific programs, but the Texas system has a very broad assortment of STEM majors (and other majors, I would assume). We don't live in either state, but two years ago we were on the college hunt. My kid had a very specific major that was not offered in North Carolina, while it was available at two different state schools in Texas. If your child(ren) do end up knowing what they want to major in and having it narrowed down significantly, there is a much greater chance it is available to you in the Texas system. This goes for a variety of engineering, CS, and medical fields, and probably others that I'm not aware of. There are many good options in NC, but far more in Texas.
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Re: Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

Post by hudson »

WildBill wrote: Sat Mar 19, 2022 1:13 pm
Marseille07 wrote: Sat Jun 19, 2021 9:29 am I'm not sure if you can say Charlotte has the beaches. Driving out to Charleston / WIlmington / Kitty Hawk takes 3 hours. It's not that different than the Dallas residents driving out to Houston / Galveston.
Howdy

I live in Texas. Houston does not have beaches, but there are many scenic stretches of asphalt and concrete.

NC has beautiful beaches. Galveston is basically a mud flat.

Oysters in Galveston are tasty.

W B
Good oysters are a plus!
What's the mountain situation in Dallas/Houston?
If the OP wanted to do a 1000 foot elevation change hike or mountain bike would that be possible?
How far are the big mountains for more serious activity?

Charlotte has the 1000 foot elevation opportunities nearby with 6000 foot mountains two plus hours away.
Last edited by hudson on Mon Mar 21, 2022 7:43 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

Post by gatorking »

Freakonomics Radio did a couple of episodes on Dallas area:
Episode 1: https://freakonomics.com/podcast/why-is ... to-dallas/
Episode 2: https://freakonomics.com/podcast/how-di ... st-cities/
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Re: Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

Post by sleepwell »

I've lived in a small town near Charlotte for 30 years. Raised 3 kids here, all went to public schools and in-state colleges. I don't know much about Dallas, but Charlotte has a lot to offer, much of which has already been mentioned. To those things I will add that Mecklenburg County also offers charter schools, if that would be of interest to you. However, beware of buying a home because it is in a particular school district, as the school board tends to re-zone the boundaries every couple of years, and the school which you thought your child would attend suddenly is out of your zone. I have seen this happen several times over the years to younger co-workers; it was especially painful to those who had moved specifically for their children to attend a certain school.

You might consider locating to Fort Mill, Rock Hill, or York, S.C., which are to the south of Charlotte. I know all those areas are growing rapidly, but you might have a better chance of finding a house with a larger lot there than in Charlotte itself. I know nothing about the schools in those towns, but I have friends in all three places. Unfortunately, you might have a challenging commute up I-77 if you need to work in the city itself.

Good luck with your decision!
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Re: Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

Post by Marseille07 »

Does the DFW Metroplex get lots of lightning? Someone mentioned this elsewhere and I'm concerned now. Did a quick search and found this map as well: https://ecle.biz/lightning-risk-map/
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Re: Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

Post by fulliautomatix »

Yes. A lot.

It's not lightning. It's a four hour light show. DFW shuts down.

That's one reason homeowner insurance is so high here. Plus 1% minimum deductible. Plan to put a new roof every 5 years or so.

In reference to the poster from Frisco.....we considered Frisco (& Allen) when we moved here. The houses there were newer but we didn't like the grading and testing system at the schools there. This was the # 1 reason we chose Plano. Much better schools, more rigor, no freebies on homework. My kids stay challenged and their evenings are occupied.

Plano: Better schools, bigger yards, mature trees, older homes, very established services (& the reverse for Frisco/Allen).
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Re: Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

Post by Marseille07 »

fulliautomatix wrote: Thu Apr 21, 2022 5:02 pm Yes. A lot.

It's not lightning. It's a four hour light show. DFW shuts down.

That's one reason homeowner insurance is so high here. Plus 1% minimum deductible. Plan to put a new roof every 5 years or so.

In reference to the poster from Frisco.....we considered Frisco (& Allen) when we moved here. The houses there were newer but we didn't like the grading and testing system at the schools there. This was the # 1 reason we chose Plano. Much better schools, more rigor, no freebies on homework. My kids stay challenged and their evenings are occupied.

Plano: Better schools, bigger yards, mature trees, older homes, very established services (& the reverse for Frisco/Allen).
Thank you. That's...kind of concerning. I was thinking Plano / McKinney but might have to reconsider.
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Re: Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

Post by fulliautomatix »

Marseille07 wrote: Thu Apr 21, 2022 5:04 pm
fulliautomatix wrote: Thu Apr 21, 2022 5:02 pm Yes. A lot.

It's not lightning. It's a four hour light show. DFW shuts down.

That's one reason homeowner insurance is so high here. Plus 1% minimum deductible. Plan to put a new roof every 5 years or so.

In reference to the poster from Frisco.....we considered Frisco (& Allen) when we moved here. The houses there were newer but we didn't like the grading and testing system at the schools there. This was the # 1 reason we chose Plano. Much better schools, more rigor, no freebies on homework. My kids stay challenged and their evenings are occupied.

Plano: Better schools, bigger yards, mature trees, older homes, very established services (& the reverse for Frisco/Allen).
Thank you. That's...kind of concerning. I was thinking Plano / McKinney but might have to reconsider.
No, don't be discouraged. There are still a lot of positives here. Make sure to visit both places with family and see some neighborhoods before you decide. They offer different things. McKinney is newer and I don't know how it compares to Plano school-wise. I am biased towards Plano :D

(Edited to add: BTW, North Carolina also gets some serious thunderstorms and lightning)
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Re: Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

Post by srt7 »

deltakappa wrote: Sat Jun 19, 2021 9:44 pm
JBTX wrote: Sat Jun 19, 2021 2:45 pm As a general rule affluent neighborhoods have good schools, otherwise not as much. A big part of your home price is buying into a school district.
...
I'd take a property tax over an income tax any day. But our house is not overly expensive either.
Do you have some specific regions/districts in mind to suggest for good schools there. The office would be in a bit north of downtown Dallas.

At the present market, it seems it will cost >600K for house with good schools, that will run the property tax between 12K to 18K a year, and isn't that worse than paying 5.25% state income tax?
Hey OP - it's been a while and wondering where you moved to and how you're liking it.
Taking care of tomorrow while enjoying today.
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Re: Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

Post by Marseille07 »

fulliautomatix wrote: Thu Apr 21, 2022 5:08 pm No, don't be discouraged. There are still a lot of positives here. Make sure to visit both places with family and see some neighborhoods before you decide. They offer different things. McKinney is newer and I don't know how it compares to Plano school-wise. I am biased towards Plano :D

(Edited to add: BTW, North Carolina also gets some serious thunderstorms and lightning)
I'm also hearing that the hailstorms are crazy (golfball sized), also flooding. I think Plano > McKinney, but they're more expensive as well.

Maybe Austin & San Antonio get fewer thunderstorms & hailstorms?
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Re: Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

Post by ExTx »

I'm a retired Dallas Cop, and no longer live in the Dallas area. I've only stayed overnight in Charlotte.
#1. If you like the ocean or the outdoors, Dallas isn't your place. The Hill Country outside of Austin is 3 hours away. Big Bend, real wilderness, 6-8 hours away. Galveston, nasty, 4 hours. South Padre Island, might as well go to the Florida Panhandle in terms of driving.
#2. You will make money in Dallas, lots of corporate stuff there.
#3. There is crime, a lot. But I assume with a company transferring you, there will be no need to live or visit anywhere near those areas.
#4. Dallas has all 4 sports, well 2, the Cowboys and Rangers play in Arlington.
#5. For raising kids, head north to Plano, where we lived for 30 years, or farther to McKinney and beyond. Plenty of northern transplants there. Good schools, good place to raise kids.
#6. HEAT. HUMIDITY. And annoyingly cold winters with ice. I don't live in Texas because of the HEAT. Get a house with a pool. Every house in Plano has one. Ours was 40,000 gallons.
#7. Plano and the northern suburbs have everything Dallas has. No need to go to Dallas, unless you work there. BTW, nothing to do in Dallas.
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Re: Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

Post by poker27 »

Interesting topic. SO and I (no kids, mid/late 30s) just took a trip to Charlotte last week, to consider a move from Chicago. She is very anti southern states, but also hates winters. We both left very impressed. The city felt big enough (it’s no NYC or Chicago), but it was clean, and had enough to do. The trees and landscaping were absolutely beautiful. Driving through some neighborhoods my jaw dropped. I can’t afford these neighborhoods, but the greenery was truly impressive. Biggest appeal to us was the ability to drive a few hours to ‘stuff’. We stopped in Asheville on the way home which is fun, but the ability to rent a cabin in the mountains for a weekend, or go to the beach, is what we’re after.

Ever since we got back I’ve been looking at houses and jobs ;)
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Re: Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

Post by FrugalConservative »

beyou wrote: Sat Mar 19, 2022 12:20 pm Native NYer here, who has lived in the south (New Orleans) and New England (Boston).
My employer moved our company to 2 southern cities, Charlotte and another (not Dallas).
I turned them down and left the firm rather than leave NY.

We have some of the best schools and healthcare in the country in the NYC area, and I prefer the weather in NYC and eastern suburbs (near ocean). I know you didn't ask for this but seems you are taking it for granted that C and D are better places to raise a family. I would dispute that is the case. Now if you have a much higher paying job there, then it may be worth it to leave financially, but you are giving some things that NYers take for granted IMO. Yes you can likely buy a bigger house, but that is not all there is. Our house is only 3 BR but it was big enough.
Schools and healthcare. This seems to be the go to when NYers try to substatiante why NY is better, even though most states discussed in this thread offer the same level of both.

I grew up in NY. My kinds and myself went to a highly rated school , talking top schools in the state. I lived 15 minutes from the beach and 30 minutes from the city, and guess what, I moved my entire family to NC. Why did we move, well in terms on NY: Standard of living was in the gutter, Highly over crowded, insulting taxes, aging infrastructure, everything is ...OLD. There is a reason why NY , particularly Long island, is dying a slow death and Charlotte is leaping and healthy with growth. After we moved, three other families followed us. We have two other families that are trying to move here from NY. They fall in love with where we live very quickly. No one falls in love with Long Island and most parts of NY , its more a fact that they HAVE to live there.

I do NOT miss NY, at all. I wish I moved to Charlotte years earlier. It is better, in almost every way.
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Re: Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

Post by fulliautomatix »

Marseille07 wrote: Thu Apr 21, 2022 5:35 pm
fulliautomatix wrote: Thu Apr 21, 2022 5:08 pm No, don't be discouraged. There are still a lot of positives here. Make sure to visit both places with family and see some neighborhoods before you decide. They offer different things. McKinney is newer and I don't know how it compares to Plano school-wise. I am biased towards Plano :D

(Edited to add: BTW, North Carolina also gets some serious thunderstorms and lightning)
I'm also hearing that the hailstorms are crazy (golfball sized), also flooding. I think Plano > McKinney, but they're more expensive as well.

Maybe Austin & San Antonio get fewer thunderstorms & hailstorms?
Austin is better weather-wise.It has slightly more moderate temperatures on the warm and cold sides. It is more a lot more expensive than Dallas though for equivalent neighborhoods in, say, the Round Rock area (about 40% higher). Austin also has some hilly neighborhoods; Dallas is flat.

No flooding that I know of in the Dallas area. That would be Houston which gets the brunt of the hurricane effects. The hurricanes turn into some welcome rain by the time they reach Dallas.

San Antonio was nice when I visited but I have no idea what it's like to live there, nor can I comment about the schools.

750K will get you a late 90s, 3500 sq ft, 4 Br/4Ba home in Plano with some good updates, possibly with a pool if you want that maintenance. That will be $1.2M or more in Austin.
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Re: Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

Post by beyou »

FrugalConservative wrote: Fri Apr 22, 2022 11:29 am
beyou wrote: Sat Mar 19, 2022 12:20 pm Native NYer here, who has lived in the south (New Orleans) and New England (Boston).
My employer moved our company to 2 southern cities, Charlotte and another (not Dallas).
I turned them down and left the firm rather than leave NY.

We have some of the best schools and healthcare in the country in the NYC area, and I prefer the weather in NYC and eastern suburbs (near ocean). I know you didn't ask for this but seems you are taking it for granted that C and D are better places to raise a family. I would dispute that is the case. Now if you have a much higher paying job there, then it may be worth it to leave financially, but you are giving some things that NYers take for granted IMO. Yes you can likely buy a bigger house, but that is not all there is. Our house is only 3 BR but it was big enough.
Schools and healthcare. This seems to be the go to when NYers try to substatiante why NY is better, even though most states discussed in this thread offer the same level of both.

I grew up in NY. My kinds and myself went to a highly rated school , talking top schools in the state. I lived 15 minutes from the beach and 30 minutes from the city, and guess what, I moved my entire family to NC. Why did we move, well in terms on NY: Standard of living was in the gutter, Highly over crowded, insulting taxes, aging infrastructure, everything is ...OLD. There is a reason why NY , particularly Long island, is dying a slow death and Charlotte is leaping and healthy with growth. After we moved, three other families followed us. We have two other families that are trying to move here from NY. They fall in love with where we live very quickly. No one falls in love with Long Island and most parts of NY , its more a fact that they HAVE to live there.

I do NOT miss NY, at all. I wish I moved to Charlotte years earlier. It is better, in almost every way.
Matter of opinion, sometimes you get what you pay for.
I am very happy here and did not enjoy visiting nor living in any southeastern states. I spent a year in New Orleans long ago, hated the crime and humidity, transferred to a different college/city (Boston) and was much happier. Moved back to NYC area, but I have lots of friends and relatives in NC, FL, GA and none of my many visits made me want to move, not even for a second. Would go back to New England maybe, but planning to stay put for the foreseeable future. To each his own.

As far as schools, when I went to college in NO, I was shocked at the relatively poor high school education of classmates not from NY, Boston, Chicago suburbs. It wasn’t even close.
Marseille07
Posts: 16054
Joined: Fri Nov 06, 2020 12:41 pm

Re: Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

Post by Marseille07 »

fulliautomatix wrote: Fri Apr 22, 2022 11:45 am Austin is better weather-wise.It has slightly more moderate temperatures on the warm and cold sides. It is more a lot more expensive than Dallas though for equivalent neighborhoods in, say, the Round Rock area (about 40% higher). Austin also has some hilly neighborhoods; Dallas is flat.

No flooding that I know of in the Dallas area. That would be Houston which gets the brunt of the hurricane effects. The hurricanes turn into some welcome rain by the time they reach Dallas.

San Antonio was nice when I visited but I have no idea what it's like to live there, nor can I comment about the schools.

750K will get you a late 90s, 3500 sq ft, 4 Br/4Ba home in Plano with some good updates, possibly with a pool if you want that maintenance. That will be $1.2M or more in Austin.
Indeed, I really like Plano but 750K is a bit much imo; especially when I'd have to buy all cash. It's doable but too big of a hit on my portfolio. If I could do 500K in Plano / McKinney or even Celina then I'm game (it doesn't have to be 3500 sqft).
jkhayc
Posts: 38
Joined: Sat Jul 11, 2020 10:56 am

Re: Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

Post by jkhayc »

beyou wrote: Fri Apr 22, 2022 11:52 am
Matter of opinion, sometimes you get what you pay for.
I am very happy here and did not enjoy visiting nor living in any southeastern states. I spent a year in New Orleans long ago, hated the crime and humidity, transferred to a different college/city (Boston) and was much happier. Moved back to NYC area, but I have lots of friends and relatives in NC, FL, GA and none of my many visits made me want to move, not even for a second. Would go back to New England maybe, but planning to stay put for the foreseeable future. To each his own.

As far as schools, when I went to college in NO, I was shocked at the relatively poor high school education of classmates not from NY, Boston, Chicago suburbs. It wasn’t even close.
Did you go to Tulane? I'm from a few blocks off Tulane's campus (parents still live there). I assume you were in college pre Katrina as well? A lot has changed.

Charlotte's a great city; lived there from 2007-2016. Still work there, technically, but live in Nashville.
young danny
Posts: 118
Joined: Sun Nov 27, 2016 4:44 am
Location: Houston, TX Area

Re: Charlotte Area vs Dallas Area (C vs D)

Post by young danny »

1) Thank you for the two Freakonomics shows. I’ll listen to both this weekend and make my wife listen too.

2) As I spent middle school and high school in Plano (late 90’s to 2004) and my parents still live in the area (they moved from Plano to Frisco in 2014) I consider myself more experienced than most here on the similarities and differences of the school districts and economic environments of both.

My 2004 graduating class from Plano Senior High was 1,200 kiddos. It’s increased that much more since with graduating classes in the 1,500 plus range in all three senior high schools. Plano separates 9th and 10th grades into high schools (six in total) and then 11th-12th grades into senior high schools (three in total). Frisco on the other hand keeps class sizes smaller and has built many more high schools (11 total) that are 9th-12th grades. Both cities attract the same educated work force and families and have the same business friendly environment. Plano is a slightly older city that is fully developed out whereas Frisco is still growing and has another 10-15 years before it is built out. Quality of schools are just as strong in both cities, with, the best ones in both cities being in the top 1-5% in rankings in Texas according to school digger https://www.schooldigger.com/
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