What's it like to live in Fort Worth / Dallas Texas? Fort Worth 101

This is my take on what's it like to move from Southern California to live in Fort Worth Texas. 

I grew up, most of my life, in Indio (Palm Springs) California. The winters there are awesome! 50-70* F, sunny skies... Golf Weather for 4-5 months straight! But the summers (which seem to last six months) are not so great. After a growing up with extremely dry 115-120* F days and 90* F nights May through October I had to get out.

So my wife and I moved to Santa Ana, California (Orange County). We were closer (but not close) to the beach. We had our annual pass for Disneyland, and we were there 2-3 times a week. Then again, we lived in a one bedroom, low income, roach infested, apartment.

Oh… and we had no car, couldn't afford it. I grew to enjoy the bus system, but it's a long trek with two small kids to the beach switching buses to get down there.

Then God called us to move to Fort Worth Texas. 

My wife, my kids and I moved to Fort Worth/Dallas Texas in July 2009. We didn't own a car, and most of our stuff wasn't worth paying to move. So we tossed and gave away most of it, and hopped the Amtrack - Texas Eagle with 15 duffel bags, four small boxes, and three big Bike Boxes (with bikes and "other" inside).

We departed from Los Angeles Union Station and headed east to San Antonio, then north to Fort Worth. It was a unique three days, and it was fun. Looking back, we should have paid extra for the sleeper cabin instead of sleeping in our seats in coach. But it was good.

Observations after arriving in Downtown Fort Worth

Air

The first thing I noticed when I stepped off the air conditioned train was the air outside. Most of Southern California has drier air. Fort Worth Texas has a mild humidity, which adds fullness to the air you breath. It's almost heavier, and it feels healthier. The same good feeling you can have when breathing a humidifier is the feeling I got stepping off the train.

Skies

There are no mountains. There are hills that some people call "mountains" like Eagle Mountain, but these are not mountains. These so called mountains are slight elevations from one area to another. As such, the skies go on and on. The clouds move in lower with nothing to block them. They roll and move and make shapes. The stars are visible beyond most of what you would see in Southern California unless you lived in the mountains or one of the few rural communities.

Storms

The Fort Worth area is roughly in the middle of the cold air coming down from the Minnesota and Canada regions, and the warm air coming up from the equator and Caribbean. Combined with the low cloud cover, Texas thunder storms are a sight to behold. They happen frequently throughout the year, but especially the spring and fall. Lightening and Thunder fill the sky like a dance and a song. It's amazing.

Tornadoes can and do happen, but they are not frequent here. Just north in Oklahoma they are more common. We are outside of "Tornado Alley", so it's not as big of a deal.

Friendly People

The people are hard to gauge; because, much (if not most) of the population of DFW is from another state. At least, that's how it feels. Almost everyone I meet moved here in the last ten years. I do feel like it's safer here, friendlier, at least in most neighborhoods. People are people everywhere you go, but Texas people seem to be more willing to lend an ear or a hand.

Stereo Types: Set The Record Straight

Texan Accents

When I was young, I lived in the Panhandle of Texas in a small town called Spearman, but I left when I was 9. Up in those parts the accents were thick and strong. So when I moved to Fort Worth I was expecting the same thing. I got off the train, and the first person I met (the baggage handler) was wearing a white T-Shirt with blue overalls, and had the thickest TV stereo-type-level accent you've ever heard.

I thought, OH MY I'm in Texas! 

…And I've never heard anyone talk like that since. As I said, most of the people are from other states, there aren't many "Texas Accents" left in DFW. Even those who were born here, typically don't sound like that unless they are from a small town.

Is there a lot of Racism in Texas?

I'm not sure where this comes from? I mean I guess Texas is part of the Old South, barely. I know racism still exists (at least people keep trying to make it come back). Even my Black mother-in-law warned us that we shouldn't get gas in the small towns, since we're a mixed couple.

Truth is, dumb people are everywhere. I'm sure any small town is going to be full of backward people, lost in decades past. But I haven't seen any evidence of true racism in the DFW area, unless it's the kind people make up in their own minds.

I'm not saying it's not here, as I said dumb people are everywhere. I'm saying that my experience, and the experience of those I've talked with does not provide me any evidence that it's a wide spread systemic thing like people seem to think it is here… not anymore than it is in Orange County CA.

Do Texans Ride Horses and wear Cowboy hats? 

Yes and No. Generally no. Mostly, driving in certain parts of DFW remind of the Orange County CA. But there is a lot more land out here. You can go to down town Fort Worth and see the police riding horses in the streets (but I think that's for tourists).

Look kids… COWS!

In fact, you are more likely to see cattle than horses. There is a lot of land here, and farms. Many people will put cows on the larger pieces of property to keep the growth down, cows or goats. In some cases I've seen sheep, and a few have Buffalo. It's hard to drive 10 miles without seeing a cow. They are better than lawn mowers! But I've gone months without seeing a horse.

Stats and Styles: What is the Fort Worth area like?

Jobs and Growth

Due to a variety of factors, the Fort Worth/Dallas (DFW) area is one of the fastest growing regions of the country. So much so, that they are nearly constantly doing construction on one freeway or another.

Jobs are on the rise here, and jobs of every kind. The DFW airport is one of the largest hubs in the country, people fly in and out at all hours of the day and night. As a result, companies that need to ship out can do so easily. Business travel to and from is easy. Corporate and Personal taxes are lower here. In fact, there is no State Income tax. Property tax can be a little higher to make up for it, but it's still lower overall.

Wiki has a list of the largest private-sector employers, including American Airlines, Lockheed Martin, Baylor Health, and many more. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dallas–Fort_Worth_metroplex#Largest_area_private-sector_employers

The single largest concentration of office jobs is in a part of Irving, Texas called Las Colinas. Do a job search, and narrow it down to Irving and you are likely for find HUNDREDS of open positions.

Housing

OK…. Housing is CHEAP compared to Southern California. When I moved to Roanoke, TX (a quaint little town north of Fort Worth, and the Unique Dining Capitol) I was able to replace my So Cal $1,100/month, roach infested, low income,  one bedroom apartment, with a Roanoke Texas brand new 2 Bedroom Apartment for $950. I've heard of apartment prices for much, much less. $600 or less even, depending on what you require. The prices closer to the big cities will be cheaper than the Suburbs.

I bought my house a year later (thanks  to God and the USDA). It  is 4 bedroom, 2 bath, 1,300 square feet, on a large property. We paid $119,000 for that house @ $950 a month. Try getting that in Orange County CA.

Houses

The soil here has a lot of clay, and that can cause foundation problems for the houses as water shifts the soil. It's important that you check the foundation often and keep it wet to avoid shifting. A good soaker hose can take care of that.

Most city ordinances require brick on the outside of the houses and buildings. I believe it has something to do with the storms. Periodic hail and wind damage is less likely with brick sides? Other masonry, such as stone, can be used as well.

Government

Everything is bigger in Texas... except the government. Government here is a hodge podge of different ideas, decision makers, and municipalities. It's hard to tell where the State, County, and City separate from each other... or who does what.

Most things are decided at the County Level, and there are more Counties in a 30 miles radius than I can count or remember. The processes to get anything done (drivers license, car registration, property taxes, voter registration, figuring out how to vote, and when and where to vote...) are confusing AT BEST! There are these wierd off cycle elections happening all the time. Why can't they just wait for the 2 year cycle? Forget absentee voting, you have to actually show up at the polls unless you have a good excuse not to.

It can also be very backward from a Southern Californian's perspective. If you get a ticket, you are often dealing with some city attorney, not a judge, if you try to fight it. It's difficult to accomplish anything from a government level.

The good news is that this means you are generally left alone. No Big Brother looking over your shoulder unless you cause trouble or get pulled over. This is no Nanny State, the Texas way is "Take care of yourself so we don't have to".

Religion

This is part of the Bible Belt. Even with all of the newcomers, there's still churches on practically every corner. You can find churches of any denomination or style. The Fort Worth area also holds one of the largest churches in the USA Gateway Church, multiple campuses - one church.

What do you do? Is still a popular question here. What church do you go to? Is just as popular.

Colleges

There are a TON of great colleges and universities in the Dallas - Fort Worth area. Wiki has a list HERE, but just to name a few of the ones I hear about most often:

• Dallas Theological Seminary 
• Texas Christian University (TCU)
• The Kings University (TKU) 
• Texas A&M
• University of North Texas ( Denton )

Sports

For some reason Texans REALLY ENJOY sports. I mean… I guess we had sports teams in California. Dodgers, Padres, Raiders, etc... But here… even the 90 year old ladies have their favorite team and will smack talk the other teams.

Cowboys Football is huge here, but so are the college teams. You practically NEED to pick a college team, even if you don't care, just to have an answer to "who are you rooting for this season?"

I just tell them the Longhorns because I like the uniforms, I think they're unique. Or TCU, because a purple Football team rocks!

Major Teams:

• Dallas Cowboys
• Texas Rangers
• Mavericks
• Dallas Stars

College Teams:

• TCU Horned Frogs
• Longhorns
• Texas Tech
• North Texas
• More HERE.

Art & Culture

It's not all rough necks and sports. In fact, Fort Worth claims the title of Cowboys & Culture.

The Dallas - Fort Worth area has a host of museums & gallaries, arboretums, theater and more. The Main St Arts Festival takes place in the spring each year.

• http://www.fortworth.com/things-to-do/museums-and-galleries/
• http://www.mainstreetartsfest.org

There are some really high end shopping areas too. If you head to the right areas, like the Southlake Town Square, you can find your Apple Store and Michael Koors if that's what you are looking for too.

Climate

Cold & Wet, Hot & Wet… Wet is the keyword.

It rains a lot more here than Southern California. That's not to say it's always raining. But it was noticeably different than what I was used to. Of course, in the Palm Springs CA area it may only rain once every three years. But even Santa Ana, CA didn't get rain like we do here. It doesn't matter what time of year either. It does rain more in the spring and fall, but we'll get it during summer and winter too.

It's hot, yes. Summers can be 100+ degrees. But it's no where near as hot as Palm Springs CA summers. And the heat is more bearable with a slight amount of humidity. In Palm Springs, leaving the air conditioned indoors and walking into the summer heat feels like a blast furnace on your lungs. Here, the slightly wetter air is easier to breath in the heat.

The nights, during summer, get cool. Even if it was 110* F that day, you can usually open your windows at night for a cool breeze throughout the house. In Palm Springs CA, it was 95* F at the coolest part of night during the summers.

Winters here are quite a bit colder than So Cal. Temperatures drop to the 20's and 30's at times. On certain occasions there could be an Ice Storm or Snow Storm. It usually hits once, stays on the ground for 24-48 hours and is gone. It happens once or twice a winter (maybe not at all).

They say: "If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes." and that can be true here. 

It's likely to be raining and cold in the morning, only to be sunny and hot by the afternoon (or the other way around). One year, December, it was a sunny not too cold morning. I drove to work. By 3pm it snowed an inch outside. You just never know here. Typically most snow or ice, if it comes at all, will come in February. We iced out the Super Bowl one year!

Conclusion

I hope that helps give you a taste of the area before coming. Of course, if you can swing a few day visit before making the move, that could be a great idea. Do some research about where you want to live before you visit, and then hit up your top five areas. I wrote about how to do that research HERE.

• If you decide to call Fort Worth home, we're glad to have you. 

• If you live here (or used to) and want to add something I missed, comment below. 

• If you have a question, comment below and someone may give you the answer you need! 

Life In Fort Worth By Darrell Wolfe

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What is YOUR favorite thing about Texas? Comment Below!