Help! I'm Moving to Texas

The bad news: I lost my Northwest Airlines job soon after 9-11 and have been seeking work since then. The good news: I was just hired by Boeing (Richardson, Texas, a northern suburb of Dallas) to manage the integration of explosive detection systems for 429 airports. The bad news: I have to relocate to Texas and I know very little about where to find housing (we're thinking of buying a house/patio home/townhouse vs renting an apartment/condo). Help!!!

For you Texans, please understand I have nothing against Texas, but I thought I'd be born and burried-in my beautiful home state of Minnesota. Never did I ever consider living elsewhere. But Boeing's offer is wonderful and I really want to contribute to making our airports/aircraft more safe so I've accepted the position and they want me down there this coming Wednesday! They'll provide living accomodations for me for 30 days, but then I have to find something more permanent.

I'm an architect so I like unique homes (small or large doesn't matter; in good move-in shape or even a fixer-upper), I'm a Minnesotan so I like trees, creeks and lakes. I'm a gardener so I need some personal space for gardening. I'll also be traveling so will need good access to Boeing as well as the DFW airport. My husband will remain in our home in Minnesota because he has a wonderful job here and we'll commute on the weekends.

This is a scary new chapter in our lives (we're in our 50's), but I think we'll make it work. I Could use some advice about Dallas from those who know it well.

I'm flying to Dallas at 3:30pm Tuesday (tomorrow afternoon) and I'm still trying to make arrangements for a laptop to take with me in order to get my emails, I may not see your posts immediately, but please, please feel free to give me some advice and I'll be up and running real soon to see your suggestions!! Thanks, you all!

Highland Park, Plano, are probably your best at what you are used to. There are many nice areas around Dallas and Richardson. You will find that it is a very landlocked area. My suggestion would be to check some of the area around Argyle, in Denton County accross Lake Lewisville.
Hope you have all the success in the world. Hey, if ya stay 8 years, we'll adopt ya!!!

"eyes"

Jardin, we moved from Wisconsin to Richardson, Texas in 1978. That was a BIG move: country to city, north to south, cold to hot, from our homeland where all of our families were to a brand-new place. It was HOT! But we loved it. We lived there for 5 1/2 years. It was a GREAT place.

Some major differences: 1) There are no basements there. 2) Gardening is VERY hard until you sufficiently amend your soil. 3) Everyone will invite you to church (which is a good thing, but it's astonishing at first.)

If you need a contact person, email me and I will line you up with a good friend who I keep in touch with regularly. She's in her 50's and originally from Pittsburgh, PA. In fact, we're going down to visit them next June - maybe we'll all have lunch together?~!

http://www.cor.net/
http://www.planotx.org/


"eyes"

Thank you "Eyes" and GrannyLois. I appreciate the input. I've been studying a map just to get to know the layout and how to get to work Wednesday morning (thank you Mapquest.com). Will be staying at the Bradford Homesuites Richardson for the next 5 days at least.

I've traveled a lot in my last work at Northwest Airlines, but I always came home to Minneapolis every day or so. This will be different and thus the reason I'm a little bit apprehensive. I hear Texans are real friendly so that will make all the difference in the world! Now all I need to do is find the nearest COSCO store and I'll be set. In the absence of COSCO, then it will be SAM's. Thanks again.

Nice links, Eyes.

Texans are very friendly, and very proud of their Texas. There are a lot of people who have moved there (to the Dallas area), so you will fit right in.

Hope it won't be long before DH gets down there.
Let us know what you think ....

You have email..you will love it here, I am from ND, moved here in '84...hope to hear from you.

Good luck to you! Change is always scary, but sometimes it can be the best thing that happens to us. I don't live in TX, but I know one thing..it is HOT there(just like us). So, pack cool clothes, say buh bye to over coats! Although, I think Dallas winters are a bit colder than mine. I think they snow on occasions. ;-)

We lived in Dallas for a little over a year. The winters are indeed cold (although not what you would call cold- from MN!). You will need sweaters and coats! The summers are very hot and dry, and there is no spring or fall to speak of :)

I loved Dallas, and I think that you will like it as well!

Trish

Yeah, Trish, winter is that cool spell where you wait for next summer, isn't it? LOLOL! I don't know much about Dallas except don't get caught on the mixmaster ~ that horribly big assemblage of overpasses. ;)

But I do want to welcome you to Texas, Jardin! I'll bet you will like it here. I hear that Dallas is the most cosmopolitan of all the Texas cities, so there should be plenty to do.

As far as trees go, I never really thought there were that many until I spent a week up there with Mom and stepDad when he was in the hospital. I would sit in that big waiting room, five stories up, and look out across the western side of city. I was amazed at how many trees I saw! They were everywhere!

Good luck on your move!

Good luck to you in your move, and choosing a place to live.

A word about the weather. In Dallas, if memory serves, the frost comes in early November and lasts until last March or early April. The winters do get very cold (zone 7a or 7b) and end very quickly.

There are exceptions, of course. I remember wearing shorts and being barefoot, walking outside at midnight around the neighborhood, in January, and being quite comfortable.

When Winter ends, Summer dives right in. It seems to go from quite chilly to 100 degrees in a timespan of a week. As GrannyLois said above, gardening is very difficult. I didn't have much luck with anything other than the usual xeriscaping plants.

Dave

Be sure to keep in touch! We Texas gardeners can send you seeds to get your gardens off to a jumpstart with pretty natives needing minimum care. And there are quite a few people around here who came from Minnesota with 3M, so I wouldn't be surprised if they are also in the Dallas area. You will hate the traffic, and I'm afraid Texans mostly drive like they are still on the ranch, compared to people who grew up with heavy traffic. But a smile and common courtesy can go a long way when you are in the wrong lane and need an opening across six lanes. Of course, in Dallas proper, there is no such thing as making the block to correct a mistake, you will end up in the next county. The maps are printed for entertainment, since there is no way to commit that mess to the printed page for practical use. Almost anyone will try to help you, except in the rush hour traffic, and then your best bet is to park at the nearest watering hole and wait a bit. It's a good excuse to check out the many free happy hour buffets. GrannyLois is right about the church invites, and I had to laugh when I read that. Settling in a small town when I first moved from Louisiana, I felt like "fresh meat in a shark tank" until I had settled on one church and could respond to the inevitable question "what church do you go to" with a real answer. I have noticed that Minnesotans are usually really friendly, warm people, so you will fit in beautifully. If you get to the Austin area, I will treat you to a taco or three.

Hey...you can go to the TX ROUND-UP!!! Jo

Dear Friends,

Thanks for the wonderful advice. I started work the day after I arrived. Boeing is staffing-up significantly for this project (deploying baggage explosive detection systems at 429 US airports) therefore I'm amongst many new hires from all over the country.

My husband flew down on Friday to help with the house hunting and to basically get to know the areas. As some pointed-out, it's hot, but not too bad w/ all the AC in offices, car and at the hotel. What stands out the most is the fast pace of the drivers. I've driven very comfortably on European highways at speeds to 110mph, but find the intensity of the Texan driver to be a bit unnerving. I'm getting somewhat used to it, but it has been my biggest adjustment thus far.

We're viewing some houses on Sunday so that will give us an idea of the real estate market and what the $ can buy.

Thanks again for your input it's very much appreciated. Dallas was scarry at first, but now that I know the lay of the land, I think I'll do quite nicely here. Anyway, I found the wonderful H.E.B. Central Market today and know that will be a regular grocery stop from now on!!!! Jean

Well said about the intensity of the Texas driver.

There's a really nice Farmer's Market in downtown Dallas you will have to explore sometime, too.

So good to hear that you are off to a great start!

Jardin.........as Jo said we would love to welcome you to Texas at the Texas Round Up, next month!! Yee Hawwwwwww!!
And in defense of the Texas driver, it's like this....move it or lose it...cause nobody slows down fer nothin'!!

"eyes"

Oh, good, you found Central Market already! I have to drive to Austin and through some of the worst traffic to get to one, but it's worth it. It happens to be right across the street, in a way, from my treatment center and doctor's office, so I always treat myself to a trip after medical procedures. If your has a cafe, look for the pecan crusted trout on the menu.

Did you get tp talk to my son, Mike? I called him last week and told him you were coming down,

Max

Max,

I called (believe it was last Thursday) (972) 569-6987 and left a voice message with my hotel number (972) 705-6867 and my cell (612) 386-7112, but have not received a return call from him. It's possible I misdialed his number and got someone elses voice mail. If such is the case, they're probably wondering who this woman is that's looking for Max's son!!!! Do I have the correct number? For cell I have (214) 502-2014.

I've been so busy just getting set-up at Boeing that I haven't had the chance to try and call him again. I just got my office phone last Friday so will try to reach him on Tuesday (tomorrow).

I'm enjoying the house hunting task and am amazed that so many houses are so large. It's tough to find a smaller house. The charming small ones are in the University/Highland Park area yet their prices range from $500,000 - $1,000,000...too rich for me since this will be considered our second home and the one we're keeping in Minneapolis will always be our primary home (anyway my husband has to have a place to live in Minneapolis when we're not commuting back and forth to Texas).

I'll keep trying to reach Mike, but if I have the incorrect numbers, please let me know. Thanks, Jean

"Eyes"

I guess I've been so busy that I haven't kept-up on the Texas Roundup. Where and when is it? I would certainly like to attend if Boeing doesn't have me flying around the country on business.

GrannyLois,

The Farmer's Market is on my "to do" list. Minneapolis has a lively farmer's market that we frequent weekly so we'll want to experience the Texan market as well.

Aimee,

I'll look for the pecan crusted trout...we had a ball at H.E.B.'s Central Market. It's such an active place, very dynamic with all the people milling about. For those who haven't gone to this store, I highly recomment it.

Jardin, the Texas Roundup is Oct. 19-20 at Lake Texoma, which is North of Denton. See our threads under the Round Up Forum. Arptiger and his son and DIL are planning on coming, too!

"eyes"

The trout is in the ones with a restaurant, one of the types where you order at a counter and then take a signal device to your table to wait for your order to be prepared. I don't know if you thought I meant in the grocery part. Not all stores have restaurants.

Aimee,

The Dallas (Richardson) Central Market has a wonderful deli counter and a counter where you can order food for take-out. They have tables set-up outside under a canopy. It's possible they have the fish..I'll need to check.

"Eyes"

Thanks for the Roundup info I'll start to read it all.

Jardin,

For a smaller house, if you don't mind older, go into Richardson, Allen, and Garland. When we lived there, they were also building nice 3 BR new houses in McKinney.

A warning tho...in Dallas, new is good- old is not-so-good. Sadley, the older homes are in worse neighborhoods- so choose wisely. I don't know what your budget is, but a good home can be found for about 100-120,000.

Good luck!!

Trish

Jean, Mike lives in McKenney The # I geve you is in McKenney He built his home there and moved from Dallas to McKenney about 2 yrs ago. He builds some really nice Homes stop by and see him and Jacice some Evening at 2706 Sylvan Way There in McKenny


Max

McKinney........sorry Max, just wanted to get the spelling right for Jean.

"eyes"

Thanks, "eyes". That spelling was hurting my eyes! :~)

Thanks a lot "eyes" I just just fired my spell checker
You give them a day off and you see what happens. Now Smockette give me a break it is bad enough to put up with "eyes "

hehehe I have to restrain myself fr correcting spelling. I must be becoming my mother! :~) She always did it when we were growing up to teach us. She pronounced words correctly for us also, even with our accents.

Trish asked about my budget. I'm looking for houses in the $150,000-$225,000 range. Does anyone know about the neighborhoods south of Hwy 635 (LBJ) and the Midway exit? There's a private school (believe it's called Hockaby (sp?)) in the area and the houses are a nice mix, some older, smaller ones and others rather significant in size and value. I'm concentrating on a 10 mile radius from my new office which is located just a few blocks east of Hwy 75 and the Arapaho exit.

Others have said McKinney is a very nice community, but I'm concerned that it's too far north of the office and puts me even farther from the airports. Maybe I just need to drive there to check it out anyway. Thanks.

Jardin, go west on Arapaho until you get to Mimosa Drive, then turn right. Between Mimosa Drive and Coit Road (further west) is a nice community called 'the Indian reservation' because most of the streets are named after Indian tribes (Navaho, Seminole, etc.) Be sure to check it out. That's where we lived when we were there.

Check into the Addison area, Jean! I think you will be very pleased with that area, and also Carrollton. There are some beautiful older homes (20 yrs) and some really nice new construction. Good luck!!

"eyes"

Jardin
My mother-in-law has just put her house on the market in Allen within a couple of miles of Hwy 75 with very easy acess off and on to 75. I think the house is probably about 10-12 years old; I have no clue as to asking price, etc. She has done quite a bit of work to the yard, etc including St Augustine sod a couple of years ago. If you think you might be interested, drop me a e-mail directly or let me know thru this thread and I will give you a way to get in touch with her. Good luck on your house hunting!!!

We have a meeting w/ a realtor tomorrow and on Sunday. Believe he has some homes by Mimosa Drive to show us. I've found the Addison area on my trusty map and will investigate that area this weekend.

I love my new jBoeing job and the people are really nice. It's a very busy place because of the looming deadlines for integrating explosive detection systems at US airports. I'm working for the Continuous Improvement department and responsible for monitoring the architectural and engineering activities relative to how satisfied the customer feels during and after the whole process.

Airport Authorities and Airlines have resisted this equipment for some time now, but there's no ducking the issue at this junction. Unfortunately their feelings oftem impacts justgetting this work done. It's my job to help identify the sore points and recommend solutions so their aprehensions are reduced. At least my hectic schedule keeps me out of trouble.

Awesome responsibility! This is sure to be a touchy area for some time to come. First, the installation, then the breaking in of passengers as well as operators. The right equipment going in and working properly must be critical.

Termite advice anyone?

Well, we've been out looking at houses for the past 2 days straight, thought we had come upon one (in Garland) that was just the right size, had a nice layout, but in reading the owners comments, it appears they had a termite problem and had the soil treated this July. We don't really run into termites back up in Minnesota therefore, are quite concerned about this statement. The Garland house has some brick on the exterior, but it's siding is predominatly rough cut wood. How common are termites in houses?

The Texans may have a different answer than this one, but if memory serves, termites are really common there.

As long as the place has been treated and the termite contract comes with it, you should be okay. You will have to pay an annual fee (and probably have an annual inspection) to keep the contract up.

Another bad problem to watch for (ask your realtor to watch) is foundation problems. So many houses have cracked foundations - either the slab or the walls. People who live in Texas have to regularly (in the hot months) water the foundation of their home - where the outside walls meet the lawn. Transplants don't know about this, because it's unique to the southwest, as far as I know.

Ok, Texans correct me - I only lived there from '78 to '83 and my memory is not the best.

Oh, and jardin, you should start watching 'King of the Hill' on TV if you can find it. Reruns are on Fox here at 6:30 and 7:30 every night. David says it's based on life in Garland, Texas.

King of the Hill????? I think not! Most Texans are NOT redneck, bigoted souls!! It's suppose to be funny, but in reality it is very derogatory. Termites are in Texas, like they are everywhere else. Luckily we do not have any of the Formosa Termites...(nasty little buggars). A good termite contract is invaluable, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! It's as invaluable as a good insurance policy for Hail treatment, which you are more probable of having. It could be a brand new construction, and 2 years later you might find evidence of termites.. This is one little beast that cannot be detected until you set something over their colony (ie a house). They can't tell the difference between a dead tree, and the 2 x 4's in your walls. Just ask where they had the termites and have a good appraisal agent check it out for you. Remember, nature is something you have no control over, insects we spray and swat.

"eyes"

Oops - seems I hit a nerve there. There is at least one bigot on that show, but most of the characters are not bigoted souls.

Hank Hill is a great man with a huge heart just like your average Texan. He is not a bigot any more than the average American, I'll tell you what.

The way Boomhauer talks - I have a senior at the high school [here in Tennessee] who talks exactly like that - can only understand a word here and there. I think it's so funny to see someone (albeit a cartoon) on TV like that.

Oh well, sorry if I think it's funny. I also think Garrison Keillor is funny when he talks about (exaggerates) Minnesotans. I like the diversity of the human race.