Thinking about moving to Dallas? That’s a great idea: Dallas is a vibrant city, booming economically and providing plenty of job opportunities. If you ask Dallasites about life in the city, they’ll probably tell you that people are incredibly friendly, the food is amazing, and the music, sport and arts scenes are thrilling.

Here are the essential things you need to know if Dallas is your next destination.

Housing and Business Options

Dallas is in a very bright spot economically right now. The Dallas-Fort Worth metro gained 131,800 new residents between 2017 and 2018, based on US Census estimates. Whether the influx of population creates growth, or the growth attracts new people is a “chicken and egg” debate. Either way, Dallas keeps growing, building more homes and creating new jobs.

The Dallas-Fort Worth metro area tops the list of U.S. metros by projected new apartments, with 22,196 units to be delivered this year alone, says RENTCafé. That gives plenty of options to the city’s renters all the while keeping prices in check.

The job market is also standing on solid ground with the unemployment rate resting at 3.5% as of July 31, 2019, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

A CareerBuilder research study estimates that the occupations that will add the most jobs in Dallas-Fort Worth by 2023 are food preparation and serving workers (almost 58,000 new jobs), personal care aids (around 45,000 new jobs) and home health aides (more than 23,000 new jobs). Other occupations that will be in high demand in Dallas in the next five years are software developers, medical assistants, market research analysts, and marketing specialists.

Moreover, the Dallas-Fort Worth area is home to more than 10 corporate headquarters, making it the largest concentration of HQs in the US. Some of the most important corporations that call Dallas home are Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Southwest Airlines, and Texas Instruments. So if you are relocating for you career, Dallas offers amzing opportunities.

Cost of Living

Dallas provides plenty of job and housing opportunities, that much is clear so far. What about the cost of living? According to data from RENTCafé, the average rent in the Dallas metro for the first half of 2019 was $1,229, significantly below the national average of $1,465. If you need extra space, you can easily rent a storage unit in Dallas for about $94 per month.

As to other costs, Numbeo puts the monthly utilities bill for a 2-bedroom apartment at $153. A three-course meal for two people at a mid-range restaurant will set you back $50, and a monthly pass for public transportation is $80.

Diverse Neighborhoods for All Lifestyles

Dallas is teeming with young professionals and there are many hip, cool and diverse neighborhoods to choose from. Not yet sure where in Dallas you’d like to live? We’ve hand-picked some of the most appealing Dallas neighborhoods, each with its own character, but all of them equally interesting.

• Lakewood is a laid-back community, ideal for young families with children. It provides gorgeous scenery and is surrounded by hiking trails, nature spots, and other outdoorsy/sporty attractions, including a botanical garden.
• Trinity Groves is perfect for foodies with a penchant for the arts. The neighborhood offers dozens of restaurants featuring pretty much every type of cuisine you could imagine. The same neighborhood is also a base camp for up-and-coming artists and home to many contemporary art galleries.
• Preston Hollow, an upscale neighborhood located in northern Dallas, is popular with entrepreneurs, lawyers, doctors and other professionals. In the same area you’ll find many local government agencies.
• Deep Ellum is for the young at heart, creative party-people. It’s basically the entertainment spot of Dallas and you’ll encounter pubs, bars, clubs, mural art and live music at every step.

Entertainment and Sports

You won’t be lacking entertainment while in Dallas. Besides its plethora of bars, restaurants, and clubs that you can enjoy every night, Dallas also hosts spectacular, large-scale fairs and festivals.

The annual State Fair of Texas, located near downtown Dallas, starts on the last Friday of September and lasts for 24 days. It features many events, from live music, rides, exhibits and all kinds of food to a famous auto exhibit and the traditional Red River Rivalry, a college football game between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns.

The Mesquite Rodeo runs from April to September, a period known as the “rodeo season” in Dallas. It started in 1946 and is the top televised rodeo in the country. Dallas Cowboys, Dallas Mavericks and Texas Rangers are the best-known and loved sports teams in the city and you’ll get the chance to watch them live if you move to Dallas.

Climate

Dallas is the place to be if you hate the cold. The city enjoys a humid subtropical climate and experiences four seasons, with hot summers and mild winters. The average high in January is a comfortable 57 °F, while the average low is a not so chilling 37 °F. Summer months can be quite hot, with a July average high of 96 °F and an average low of 77 °F.

Pros and Cons of Moving to Dallas

There are plenty of pros when it comes to moving to Dallas, from taxes to great food and pleasant weather (for the most part, anyway):

• Texas collects no state income tax, which means your paycheck will be a little more generous;
• The delicious Tex-Mex cuisine is omnipresent;
• The Dallas Arts District is the nation’s largest urban arts district, and consists of 19 blocks of museums and galleries;
• The weather allows for fun outdoor activities year-round;
• There are multiple lakes around Dallas where you can practice water sports;
• Dallas is home to great colleges, such as Texas A&M University, University of Texas, and University of North Texas.

There aren’t a lot of cons, but you definitely need to know about them before deciding whether to move here or not:

• Traffic can get pretty bad in Dallas. In fact, according to the research company INRIX’s study on traffic, drivers in Dallas lose up to 76 hours per year in traffic;
• Weather is an incentive for many people moving to Dallas, but it’s not always rainbows and sunshine. Tropical storms and even hurricanes can occasionally hit Dallas, and summer heat can be brutal, especially for people who grew up in other climates.
• As we said before, the food scene is great in Dallas, but it’s also quite meat-centric, so, if you’re a vegetarian, eating out might be a challenge.

Hopefully our guide gave you a head start for moving to Dallas and enjoying all its attractions!

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