Texas

[FlyingJ]

I'm looking for a little advice and guidance from anyone who lives or knows anything about Texas. I'm transferring to Arlington to work at the General Motors Assembly plant. I'm gathering as much information as I can before I head down to look for a place to live. I will be just renting for a while until I get to know the area. I'm heading down Saturday the 18th to scout the places I think I might want to stay before I start work on June 17th. I'm going to look at a few places around Arlington but I'm not a city person and I know its a pretty congested area. I would like to keep my commute under 40 miles, in a small clean safe town that welcomes yanks.

I'm a little nervous about the move but I am looking forward to the new adventure. I can't wait to start to explore all the new riding ground. I've heard a lot of good things about the area and my wife has a couple of girl friends from high school that live there and are happy.

Any good advice will be much appreciated and can't wait to make some new friends.

Thanks, Jason

 

[Bounce]

Arlington and Mansfield have good schools and most areas away from the different pro sports areas are good neighborhhods. The pro sport venues are not "bad"; simply deluged with traffic. Anything outside the 820 loop on the Ft. Worth side is good with the Mid-Cities area as well as Keller. On the Dallas side, it's outside the 635 loop where you want to look. But friends don't let friends "do Dallas". You could be pretty much east of dallas to west of ft. worth and hit that 40 mile distance but that could also put you commuting through the metroplex and that's a PITA the closer to Dallas you get.

HEB, Collyville, NRH, Grapevine, Keller, Arlington, Pantego, Kennedale, Mansfield, Trophy Club, Saginaw, Crowley, Rendon, Etc.. Some areas of Burleson are older while some areas a pretty new. Depends on your budget and what your housing costs expectations are.

 

[Bustanut joker]

Fuker...

 

[Bounce]

And there are many places in the area that know smoked meats. Just out of the smoker @5am today.

 

[jmdaniel]

Welcome. You won't miss the snow.

 

[gixxerjasen]

I'd live further South if I were moving to Arlington. No point in driving/riding across the metromess if you don't have to.

One thing...check out www.twtex.com and be certain to check out the pie runs!

https://www.twtex.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=31

Nothing like 80-100 motorcyclists converging in groups from all around the state for good food, conversation and pie!

We had a pie run recently that I camped for and woke up to a dead battery. After spending an eternity finding someone with jumper cables I finally got started but would have arrived late for lunch and didn't trust the battery so I went straight home. I was informed that this was the first pie run in the history of pie runs where there wasn't an FJR present.

So, with your bike you'll fit right in.

 

[FlyingJ]

Arlington and Mansfield have good schools and most areas away from the different pro sports areas are good neighborhhods. The pro sport venues are not "bad"; simply deluged with traffic. Anything outside the 820 loop on the Ft. Worth side is good with the Mid-Cities area as well as Keller. On the Dallas side, it's outside the 635 loop where you want to look. But friends don't let friends "do Dallas". You could be pretty much east of dallas to west of ft. worth and hit that 40 mile distance but that could also put you commuting through the metroplex and that's a PITA the closer to Dallas you get.
HEB, Collyville, NRH, Grapevine, Keller, Arlington, Pantego, Kennedale, Mansfield, Trophy Club, Saginaw, Crowley, Rendon, Etc.. Some areas of Burleson are older while some areas a pretty new. Depends on your budget and what your housing costs expectations are.

Thanks Bounce, Mansfield is one of the places on my list to check out and I've herd good things about the east side of Dallas. I've only been though Texas once and that was about 15 years ago across 10 and I stayed in Houston at a pretty shaddy truck stop (not a good experience).

I'll look into some of the places you suggested and appreciate the help. Also I've heard a lot of good things about the food and can't wait to start taking some of that in.

 

[gixxerjasen]

Oh yea, and for someone from Mi, you are arriving just as the best time of year is about to begin, weather wise.

Don't be fooled by the crappy cold weather we are having while you are here shopping for a place to live. It'll be nice and warm and comfortable before you know it!

 

[FlyingJ]

I'd live further South if I were moving to Arlington. No point in driving/riding across the metromess if you don't have to.
One thing...check out www.twtex.com and be certain to check out the pie runs!

https://www.twtex.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=31

Nothing like 80-100 motorcyclists converging in groups from all around the state for good food, conversation and pie!

We had a pie run recently that I camped for and woke up to a dead battery. After spending an eternity finding someone with jumper cables I finally got started but would have arrived late for lunch and didn't trust the battery so I went straight home. I was informed that this was the first pie run in the history of pie runs where there wasn't an FJR present.

So, with your bike you'll fit right in.

I've been looking south, it looks like the easiest commute to the plant and it seems to be somewhat a rural area.

Thanks for the link, it sounds like a great way to get to know state and the people to make new friends. Nothing brings people together like pie!

 

[FlyingJ]

Oh yea, and for someone from Mi, you are arriving just as the best time of year is about to begin, weather wise.

Don't be fooled by the crappy cold weather we are having while you are here shopping for a place to live. It'll be nice and warm and comfortable before you know it!

I am looking forward to the change of climate..can't lie. But it is starting to get nice here and you really can't beat a Michigan summer, they just don't last very long.

 

[gixxerjasen]

Yep, I had two Cleveland springs, one summer, one fall and one winter. The springs and summer didn't make up for shoveling that white crap in the winter.

One thing to get used to. Wrenching months aren't December and January, those are riding months. Wrenching months are July and August.

The first two weeks of September are cursing weeks. That's when you are watching the weather and yelling at the TV "It's freaking September, how the hell is it still over a hundred???" But right at mid September the temps come down into the nineties and you actually feel a little chill when riding at 92F with mesh gear. Then you'll laugh at the folks back home that think they are gonna die when it hits 87F.

 

[jcyuhn]

Welcome from another displaced Michigander. I've been here a little longer; about 25 years now. I think you'll like it here, there's a feeling of opportunity, growth, and progress that hasn't been seen in Michigan for a long time. Do be aware you're showing up just in time for the most challenging months of the year - July and August.

I live more in the northeast corner of the metro area, so don't know the mid cities as well as many here and defer to their experience. That said, I think if you want to live more in the country than the suburbs, south-ish is the only realistic option. Commuting through Dallas from the east is a non-starter, you simply cannot predict how long it will take to get through the city on I-30. Coming in from the west is probably less risky in terms of traffic.

Are school systems important? Generally the suburbs have the best, big cities the weakest. Let us know what's important to you.

 

[FlyingJ]

I've been hearing a lot about the temps in July and August. I'm ok with the heat, I lived in Florida a couple of years and worked outside year around and didn't mind it at all.

Are kids are all out of school except for one and he has just one year left and is going to finish that here. So we don't have to worry about the school systems.

To start I"m just looking for a decent place to rent in a good neighborhood, It's just going to be me for the first six months or so and then my wife will moving down. In that time I plan to just to get to know the area and determine where we might want to buy a home. Hoping to find something with some space with a barn or workshop, or just a really big garage. Gotta have room to tinker.

 

[David Foley]

Welcome to Texas!

I'm in Frisco - far North Dallas suburb. I can be in the "country" in five minutes but the roads are marginal. My vote would be, like you say, south of I-20 in the Mansfield area. Best roads semi-close to the Metroplex seem to be west to southwest of Ft Worth.

 

[gixxerjasen]

Florida is less hot but more humid. If you are from Florida then you'll laugh when the Dallasites complain about the humidity. After living here for fifteen years I can finally actually feel when it's a bad day for humidity but it really still isn't bad.

 

[Bustanut joker]

Damn sounds like a dun deal...Oh well, I still have one friend left in Michigan..

 

[jcyuhn]

Your plan sounds like a good way to go about relocating. FYI the real estate market is surprisingly hot right now. One of my brothers was just down for a week (from Michigan, of course) looking into relocating to the metromess. On a Friday afternoon at 5PM he picked 4 houses to walk through the following Monday. By 5PM Monday all four were sold. That said, real estate prices are reasonable compared to Michigan.

 

[Bounce]

As for east Dallas, only if you work even farther east. Otherwise you'd be traversing Dallas rush "time" traffic (last from about 6am to 11am and 1pm to 8pm). You will hate your choices if you do that.

If you have a morning/evening commute live east of where you work. The sun will be to your back. If you have a evening/morning commute reverse it.

 

[wheatonFJR]

Damn sounds like a dun deal...Oh well, I still have one friend left in Michigan..

You sure?

Congrats to the OP on the new opportunity.