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Contemplating moving to Texas
Hello All,
Looking for advice: I was born and raised in Chicago and after 30 years I am contemplating moving to Texas. My family is moving to San Antonio within the year. Prior to this I never contemplated moving anywhere. I have employment opportunities in Dallas or San Antonio. I plan to travel to Texas next month but wanted to get any feedback from anyone who currently resides or has made a similar move. Thanks! |
Chicago411,
I moved to Dallas from San Antonio about seven years ago and love it here. The two cities are completely different from each other, San Antonio is more of a military blue color town where Dallas is more upscale. It just depends on what you are looking for. Good luck if you choose to come down here. |
I moved to the Dallas/Fort Worth area and lasted less than a year. I just missed trees and hills.
We went to the Hill Country every weekend we could. I'd take Austin/ Fredricksburg area in a heartbeat. |
I was raised in Minnesota and moved to San Antonio where I lived for 16 years. I now live in Minnesota again. San Antonio is beautiful, hot, humid, conservative, and a city of two tales. The north side is affluent and the south side is poor. The humidity is increadible from April through September. San Antonio is also a party town, a tourist town, and a military town. Home prices are far below the US average. Freeways are well built. People are friendly, especially to new people. Huge hispanic population. Good police department. Great winters. Bad drivers. Fantastic downtown. Tons of beautiful apartment complexes.
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One difference between Dallas and San Antonio is population. SA has about 2 million people in its metro, and metro Dallas currently has about 6 million. Dallas is the 5th largest metro in the USA, whereas San Antonio is the 29th. Those numbers make a big difference in what the two metro areas can support.
These numbers are in the Census Bureau at http://www.census.gov/population/cen...t29/tab01a.csv Dallas' metro population is about the same size as Miami, Washington DC or Philadelphia. San Antonio's metro is comparable to Columbus, Ohio, Sacramento, California or Kansas City. Essentially, Dallas will look like a smaller, emerging Chicago, whereas SA will compare to a Cincinatti or a Cleveland. Dallas has much more of an employment base than SA. This means that after you get the first job, you have many more employment options in Dallas, in case the first job is not to your (or their) liking. The Dallas job also is in a more competitive marketplace for employees, and has more incentive to keep you happy in the job. The area called Uptown Dallas has several square miles of densely populated, pedestrian oriented residential, many mid-to-high rise residential buildings, shopping on the ground, virtually everything in walking distance. Dallas has several times as much cultural life, performance art, theater, museum life as SA, simply because of the difference in metro population. You would have less need of a car if you lived there, especially since Dallas has a good light rail and commuter rail system. SA has only buses, and has rejected any sort of fixed route transit. On the other hand, some people prefer smaller cities (metros) to larger ones. And you may want to live close to your family. On the other hand, you may want to be close enough to visit occasionally, but not TOO close. Good luck on your move. |
Xbt gave a great insight ont he differences between Dallas and San Antonio. Let me add a little more...
San Antonio is the largest Hispanic-majority city in the US. 55% of the population is Hispanic, so the Hispanic culture really dominates the area. If you like good Mexican food, this is great! But it can be a bit of a culture shock for someone who is not prepared for it. There is also a very strong military presence in SA, so that is something else to keep in mind. You're used to a lot of pro sports in Chicago, and San Antonio only has the Spurs in the NBA and a half-decent horse track. Dallas has all of the pro sports (NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB and MLS) and a first-class horse track. Personally, I couldn't imagine living in Dallas without a vehicle (since I am a happy suburbanite), but it is possible. If you're not into the urban lifestyle, there are a lot of great suburbs to choose from. And if you miss trees, you'll find a lot more in the suburbs than in town! Dallas has the DFW airport, and it is easy to get to anywhere in the world with just 2 connections. San Antonio has basically a regional airport. Just a little more fuel for the fire... |
ChristieP, San Antonio International Airport is Not a regional airport. My town in Minnesota has a Regional airport.
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SAT has a grand total of <b>one</b> non-stop flight to the New York metropolitan area per day (CO's 737 to EWR), and <b>two<b> non-stops to the LA metropolitan area per day (one Southwest and one UA regional jet to LAX).
Now, sure it's an international airport, but even Mexico City is only 2 Mexicana and one CO regional jet a day; or 2 turboprops to Monterrey. Forget about non-stops to Asia or Europe, or even South America.</b></b> |
San Antonio airport has NO hubs for any airline. As rkkwan said, it barely has any long-haul nonstop flights. In my book (speaking as someone who frequently travels from DFW), that is a regional airport.
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I used to live in the Dallas area, but live in San Antonio now. San Antonio has more of a relaxed, casual feel about it. The northside is mostly anglo, professional, and affluent, while the south and east sides are predominately poorer, blue-collar, and Hispanic. The area in the middle, just north of downtown, has a mix of everything with many residents interested in diversity and the arts. Dallas, to me, is quite a bit faster-paced and also more focused on outward appearances, with more emphasis on luxury cars, huge "McMansions," designer clothes, lots of makeup, etc. Dallas does have its upsides, with lots more arts, sports, and shopping opportunities.
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Gee wiz already. I guess that makes my Regional Airport a model airplane park. BTW There are more internationl flights out of SA than from Dallas. You forgot about the three Air Force Bases. Kelly, Lackland, and Randolph.
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Well, of course there are more if you include those! But most folks can't get on military flights...so it's a moot point.
You can get just about anywhere in the world from DFW with 2 connecting flights. That's not the case with San Antonio. |
Military families don't count? Their are at least 75,000 (military personnel and their families) who can and do travel non stop overseas from SA.
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As a San Antonio resident for many years, I have to concur with Christie. If I want to go to London, Hong Kong, Buenos Aires, etc., I will HAVE to fly through another U.S. city to get there. Even my military friends usually do not fly military flights (for fun), as it is on a last-minute, inconvenient "space-available" basis.
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Even flights within the U.S. usually require flying through another city's hub.
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My sister moved from Long Beach to Dallas many years ago. She used to complain about the place, but now she love it. Enjoy the adventure.
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As Starrsville alluded to, San Antonio is in the hill country. It is a more attractive area of the state than Dallas. You will likely earn a higher salary in Dallas, but also have a higher cost of living. Traffic is not as bad in SA, but it is getting worse.
In regards to the argument about international travel, if you have to travel weekly, this might be a concern, but otherwise you can always take a Southwest flight to Dallas or Houston. It's not like San Antonio is a remote village. |
San Antonio is not IN the Hill Country, but it is near it. Of course Dallas is also near some nice scenery, in the Cedar Hills area, and also in the Lake Texoma area... two of my favorite places to camp out.
In the Cedar Hills, you have almost a 300 foot drop in elevation from the top of the peaks to the surface of Joe Pool lake. The hills are lovely, with many hiking trails, and are heavily wooded. Part of the area is actually in the Dallas city limits. Texoma is a wonderful place as well. The lake is vast, almost an inland sea, and the shoreline is rugged and picturesque, huge boulders on the shore, high cliffs before the waterline in many places... looks something like the California coast. Another place with some restful scenery is the east side of Ray Roberts lake. Look for some hills and scenic outlooks near te lake, with some very pleasant "Gentleman" farms farther to the east... actlally quarter-horse raising small ranches. The areas around Dallas are considerably wetter, greener and more lush than the terrain around San Antonio, and the landscape can change dramatically, from grass-covered prairies, to heavily wooded streams, to entire belts of thick forest. |
Oh my goodness, xbt! You need to alert San Antonio and let them know they aren't in the hill country. I'm sure they will be very glad to know because many are confused and think they are. Here are a few to start with -
Hyatt - The Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa in San Antonio would be glad to know they named their property incorrectly. Hill Country Greyhound Adoption - serving San Antonio & surrounding areas are equally confused. Magazine - The Hill Country Sun magazine covering "interesting people, places and events in the scenic Central Texas Hill Country..from Austin to San Antonio, and just about every place in between" needs to know as well One last one one from my google search - Be sure to let www.sanantoniocvb.com know. I hate it when a city's CONVENTION AND VISITOR'S BUREAU gets confused about where they are located! WHAT are you talking about!!! The Dallas you described is not the Dallas I lived in. I imagine there's been a climatic and geologic change since I lived there. Probably about the time San Antonio was moved out of the hill country. |
Thank you, starrsville--the San Antonio he and some of the other posters describe is not the San Antonio I live in either...I must consult a map, perhaps there is another San Antonio, Texas! ;-)
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