Dallas has earned a place on many “top” and “best” city lists lately. This city offers an abundance of cultural and professional opportunities, a thriving economic center, affordable living, friendly folks, and a strong job market. Plus, on average, wages here are higher than the national average. If that is not enough, it is kid-friendly, offers year-round events, and just happens to have some of the best sports teams round.
Dallas offers all the perks of a big city, but it is not as heavily populated, so you are not constantly surrounded by chaos. Above everything, you can move here pretty cheap, and find plenty of things to do for free.
Compare Movers
One of the biggest expenses you will face when you plan your move to Dallas is with your movers. The first thing you need to ask yourself is “Do I need all my stuff?” If you are not attached, you may want to sell or get rid of all your furniture and buy everything new. There are fantastic shopping opportunities in this city. If you need to move everything, you will want to compare movers carefully and make sure there are no hidden charges. A service such as Unpakt can be a real lifesaver for this.
Recommended Neighborhoods
There is a nice mix of neighborhoods, and you can get a pretty decent place in a safe one on a small budget. Like any city, there are definitely places you want to avoid too. Make a point to stay away from Henry Hines, South Oak Cliff, and really just about anywhere in the south end of the city. The more north you go the nicer the neighborhoods get. Addison is decent if you need to be really close to the city, but if you have kids you might not want them going to the schools here. Richardson, Frisco, Plano, Highland Park, Grapevine, and Coppell are all nice and have better schools. If you do not mind being about 30 minutes from downtown, you can check out housing in Fort Worth too. Parts of Irving can be affordable, as well.
Entertainment
One of the great things about Dallas is that you do not have to spend a lot of money to have a good time. There are plenty of free and cheap things to do, plus you can find fantastic happy hour specials all over the city.
- Happy Hour – Just a few of the many happy hour hotspots that offer fantastic drink and food specials include The Grapevine Bar, The Elbow Room, The Quarter Bar, Kona Grill, Library Bar, and DISH Restaurant and Lounge.
- Free – If you have kids you will love that the Children’s Center in the Dallas Central Library is one of the largest in the country. There are several museums with free days, including Meadows Museum, African-American Museum, and Hall of States. There are free outdoor concerts all summer long. Plus, Dallas offers more than 20,000 park acres and 18 lakes at 17 sites.
- Farmer’s Market – You can save yourself a little money if you skip the grocery store and shop at the open-air farmer’s market on South Pearl Street, open seven days a week.
Public Transportation
If you will be relying on public transportation then you will want to get a monthly DART pass. It is considerably cheaper to pay for a month. The Dallas Area Rapid Transport system even offers mobile opportunities to help you locate a bus stop and your bus wherever you happen to be in the city.
