Moving to Dallas or Los Angeles after college??

I grew up in Dallas and work in CRE here, so I can tell you about Dallas —but I’ve never been to California. I’ve really enjoyed living in Dallas, and there are a lot of people in real estate.

People in Dallas CRE are either much more laid-back than those in NYC or total hardos trying to act like NYC folks. For what it’s worth, we’re primarily a NYC-based company, and people there work long hours, but their production is probably about the same as in Dallas. That said, we also have people in Dallas who reference NYC while having analysts hurry up and wait for a week over something unimportant. I cannot comment on how they compare to LA, as we do not have an office there. 

Dallas is flashy, but I feel like most people don’t care about that stuff. It’s overblown unless you’re in Highland Park or go to SMU. It really depends on the person, but in my experience, people in professional jobs with money tend to be much more humble than those with money who have bad jobs. In general, people here are friendly. There’s a surprising number of people with family money here (not massive trust funds, but people who have Rolexes, parents paying their rent, or drive nice cars right out of undergrad, parents pay for exotic vacations, etc). Overall, though, the average young person wears normal clothes. TikTok makes Dallas seem way more excessive than it really is.

TONS of places for food and drink in Dallas. Going out is a lot of fun and you will find crowded places on weeknights. In my experience, many people stick to their college or high school friend groups, but overall, it’s very easy to meet people and find friends to hang out with. I have a college friend group (3.5 years out of college, and it is still close) and plenty of out-of-state friends I met in Dallas. Lately, I’ve noticed that Dallas can feel like a transient spot—people live here for a few years and then move away.

Dating is mid but lots of attractive girls. The Katy Trail is a hot spot. 

Mavs and Stars games are super fun, and both teams are doing well. During the playoffs, it feels like no one works past 4:30 p.m. so they can hit the bars for the games. There’s no beach or mountains, and the nearby lakes are pretty gross.

I don't see myself leaving Dallas unless I get a crazy job offer somewhere. People are super friendly, the weather is great, and there is always something going on. It is also pretty affordable to have a nice apartment. 

Having lived in both LA and Texas (and spent a lot of time in Dallas):

- LA will be extremely hit or miss depending on the group of friends you make which can be just as much luck as it is effort. If you fall into the right group, it's amazing, but if you don't it can really be tough. Texas is easier to make friends as an outsider, but if you get lucky and fall into something in LA it can be more fun

- Dating is tough in LA due to how spread out it is and the difficulty of getting places so you end up meeting women that live on the other side of town and just don't feel like meeting up. LA has some great women when you can find them, but genuinely think your chances of dating well are much better in Dallas if you live in the trendy parts of the city unless you make it into a really good friend group in LA

- Sports are big in both cities

- LA has the best weather / climate in the world and unparalleled access to all landscapes (beach, mountains, etc.) but the city is so dirty almost regardless of where you are, traffic is terrible and it's difficult to do things because of sprawl and traffic

- You pay a BIG price for the above. Really ask yourself how much you'll take advantage of it. Some people do but others like me think they will but after a few years they end up spending 99% of their time just doing the same old things you could be doing in Dallas (working, going to the gym, going out to eat, shopping, hanging at home), so might as well be in Dallas and just go on vacations

- Lots of people move to Dallas / Texas after spending their early-mid 20's in LA or California

- Both are flashy but in different ways. Difficult to describe. Dallas flashy is more white yuppie BMW flashy and having the nicest renovated kitchen in the suburbs while LA can be more name dropping, trying to fit into the industry, big ego's. That said, there are great normal people in both. Actually believe the vast majority of people in both are just normal people, the flashy ones just catch your attention

- In LA you will either live with roommates until you're 30 or be dropping a big chunk of your salary on a low quality place in the neighborhoods you want to be. In Dallas, if you work in CRE you can pretty much afford a brand new apartment by yourself with amenities right off the bat, and 2-3 years in can be living in a more high rise luxury product if you want. I loved living with roommates in my 20s and would not trade that experience for living by myself in a nice apartment when I was 24, but man am I happy I moved to Texas by time the roommate enjoyment phase was over

- If you choose LA and don't like it, you can always move to Dallas after (though always better to just go there directly if that's where you want to be so you don't have to rebuild a network). If you choose Dallas and don't like it, it's pretty easy to move to Austin or Houston which are somewhat different vibes while retaining much of the same CRE scene and contacts

Lakerzzzzzzzzz

Born & raised in LA and now live in Dallas after graduating from SMU. Biggest difference I've noticed (and ultimately this is a major reason why I'm looking to move back home) is the lack of things to do with your free time outside of drinking. There is legitimately zero nature here, so if you're the kind of person who likes outdoor activities that don't exclusively revolve around alcohol and watching sports, you'll probably hate it here after about a year. That said - it's a great place to start your career, particularly if you have some semblance of a pre-existing network here.  

For starting career, CA over TX all day and its not even close. You'll have plenty of time to stack cash and get a ranch or something when you settle down later

I did an internship in Dallas last summer and thought it was a fantastic place. A previous poster mentioned endless great places for food and drink, I couldn't agree more. Same goes for Katy Trail being a hot spot. In terms of dating/women, I am a college student so I spent most of my time going to the SMU bars in the Lower Greenville area and there was no shortage of attractive women, and given that was over the summer, I imagine its even more so during the school year. But I guess it depends on what you're looking for when you say "dating," as I never really caught the vibe that anybody there was looking to settle down. I also thought traffic was great, but I bought the toll pass, by every measure seemed worth it to me. I commuted from the Highland Park area to Uptown twice a day, 5-6 days a week for 4 months and was never ONCE stuck in traffic or even going below the speed limit for that matter. No joke.   

Also, pretty great that you're within about an hour drive of professional football, basketball, baseball, and hockey. I come from Alabama (we have zero legitimate pro sports teams), so I thought this was great too . Overall, I think I'd go with Dallas. I've never been to LA, but I dont ever hear anything super positive either. 

I’m so glad I came across this thread. I am about to make your life way better. For context, I have spent significant time in both Dallas and LA, and am originally from Austin.

I pray that you choose LA. This is the easiest decision of your life. I know the political connotation of LA and I say this as a native Texan and Trump voter. LA is just fuckin awesome and Dallas flat out isn’t.

Some people clearly love it, but I found Dallas to be depressing. All there is to do in Dallas is drink, shop, and eat at restaurants. Downtown is grimy as hell (LA too), it is very sketchy, and there is literally no nice nature anywhere. Here is how I look at it… in some cities, the cityscape exists in conjunction with the nature. Like in LA, it’s a massive city, but then you have amazing areas close by like Malibu, Griffith Observatory area, etc. In Dallas, it is shitty boring suburbs everywhere. It is a boring city with zero beauty. This is a very easy decision imo.

Who cares if LA is slightly more expensive. Place a bet on yourself… you don’t need to penny pinch for rent at the expense of your youth. Meet a girl, take her up in the hills to Laurel Canyon, watch the sunset over the city, and tell me you would rather be in fuckin Richardson, Plano, Uptown, or any other depressing area in Dallas.

Trust me dude. I really hope you take this advice. You will be so glad you did. City of angels vs city of endless sprawling suburbs and concrete. Easy choice. Happy to answer any other questions in dm