Dallas Life + Social Scene
Couldn’t find much from the past few years on this so figured I’d toss out a question. I am moving to Dallas soon for work. I only know a few people down there. Could anyone who knows the city tell me about what it’s like to live in Dallas. Would be great to know where is good to go out and what people do outside of work as well. I ’m 30 and think my clubbing days are behind me. Thinking of living near uptown.
Also if anyone mentions equities in Dallas, jokes already been made (30+times).
BobTheBaker
I started my career in Dallas (grew up in the Chicago area) and worked there for one year before changing cities. I lived there 2011-12 but I have several friends and a business partner there, so I'm there about once a year. I also just turned 30, so I know what you mean about your clubbing days being behind you.
Uptown is still the main scene as far as I know, and can be a fit whether you're single or married. People will mention other scenes (Lower Greenville, Deep Elem, etc.) but Uptown is still king. TBH, I've lived in NYC for 3.5 years and visited nearly every city in the U.S. and I still haven't found an area I prefer to Uptown Dallas. DFW is probably the metro area I will "settle down" in if I end up leaving NYC. Friendly people, beautiful weather, cheap COL, strong and diverse economy, and DFW is a major international airport. The traffic sucks and the area is spread out, but that's really the only negative of the DFW area.
Uptown itself is exceptionally walkable, like NYC style, except clean and sunny instead of filthy and crowded. Nice apartments, a lot of exotic cars around, women are gorgeous (no matter what you like), and a great bar scene. McKinney Avenue is the main strip with a dozen or so bars within a couple blocks, but then there are a dozen other bars in the area as well as many places that are many more restaurants that serve drinks, etc. There are a couple good high-end steakhouses, Nick & Sam's and Del Frisco's. It's a scene, bro.
Check out the apartment buildings owned by Gables or Post as a starting point. I live in the Gables Katy Trail which was awesome because it was older (read: cheaper) but still owned by a major name and held to a certain standard. It had a private entrance to the Katy Trail walking/bike path. If you're somebody who enjoys running, walking, bike riding, etc. Katy Trail is a path that runs for about five miles straight with no cars. They built it around/over all the streets. It starts downtown near the American Airlines Center (Dallas Mavericks/Stars arena) and goes through Uptown and ends somewhere near SMU I think. There are bars and restaurants on the trail as well. Check out the Katy Trail Ice House, great indoor/outdoor sports bar with an Austin vibe.
Also, there are free street trollies that go back and forth between Uptown and Downtown all day and into the evening. I used to commute on these daily. It was awesome. If you're working in Downtown or Uptown, figure out whether your office is walking distance from where a trolly stops. I was in the D Magazine building at the corner of Ross & St. Paul and it was perfect because I could walk a block from my apartment, catch the trolly, and pull up literally across the street from my office.
As far as things to do, DFW has a lot. All four major pro sports (Cowboys, Rangers, Mavericks, Stars), plenty of live music venus and frequent concerts, bars, a fair amount of outdoor activity. Six Flags amusement park. It's flat country though so if you're into mountain climbing or something you're out of luck. I wasn't into museums yet when I lived there, but I know they have some. They have a few lakes, which I think are man-made, but you can't tell the difference; they're populated with fish.
Frankly, if I landed a hedge fund job in Dallas I'd leave NYC tomorrow and never look back. As someone who grew up in the North and split 3.5 amazing years between Dallas and Houston, I have to say it's the promised land, especially if you're looking for a hot wife with a good attitude and mean kitchen game.
I hope that helps. Feel free to PM with any specific questions. Welcome to Texas.
You're making me want to pick up and move this afternoon. Great post.
Been in LA / SoCal more or less the last 16 years and looking to get out. Dallas is on my short list. This is great info.
Uptown is boring after a few weeks. If you can stand the cold weather and COL, NYC is much better.
The heat in Dallas is unbearable in June-August. 100 degree weather on multiple days....
From what I know, Dallas is a decent city but don’t expect much as far as culture goes. The areas you’d want to be in are almost uniformly white. People will point to statistics but the truth is, the city is pretty segregated. There are bars that only white people go to and bars that blacks only go to. Deep Ellum, Uptown, Lower Greenville are pretty much uniformly white kids that went to the same schools if that’s your thing. (UT/SMU/TCU). You’ll find yourself going to the same couple of bars every week. Dallas is a very snobby city and things are very spread out.
Also, while the trolley is free, it’s EXTREMELY slow. Good luck getting downtown in a decent time if you aren’t right next to a trolley. And even then, youre better off driving or paying for the bus/train. (5-7 min drive downtown from Uptown vs. 20 min on the trolley).
I think Dallas is OK. Don’t expect anything world class though. It is still the South.
Texan here. You are 100% correct. Dallas isn’t in same class as NYC, Chicago or LA.
You say you're a Texan, but have you lived in Dallas? Because if you've only ever lived in Houston and then went to UT and your only real Dallas experience is OU weekend (which if it is, you're either not with the right crowd or insane if that's not typically a top 5 weekend a year), then your opinion isn't too valuable here.
You're right bro its in a class of its own.
Another Texan here, and I also agree newschool is 100% correct. Not sure why he got so much ms. Probably for dropping truth-bombs on snowflakes.
Same question to you, see my response to Auto
Although there are truth nuggets in here; I wouldn't agree with this guy. Dallas is freaking great, definitely one of the best city's to live in.
Dallas has its pros, these are just the cons. Yet as someone who grew up here, I don’t recommend it. Especially if you’re not white. I’m far from being an SJW, but the Dallas scene is most certainly dominated by the rich fratty types, Oil & Gas, family money, highland park type, etc.
Just watch “Real Housewives of Dallas” to get a sense for what I mean. Most people in Dallas are definitely not trashy like that but it will give you a sense of the mindset that many people have around here ... i mean idk, maybe that’s you 😬 then kudos to you, will fit right in
that being said the suburbs are actually great for raising a family. And Dallas life does have a ton of fun stuff to do and good food especially if you’re downtown.
Dallas is great. Like any city though, there are some pros and cons.
One of the cons is that it just seems harder to plug into the finance scene there. I don't mean in terms of jobs, which are actually pretty good, but socially. The CFA Society does events every now and then, but it's not like some cities where everyone knows each other and people hang out after work. There are some "young professionals" type events in the city with varying levels of how organized they are, and as is the case sometimes is with them, half of them are insurance and real estate agents trying to sell you stuff. I'm really not a big golfer, so maybe the golf course is where people are hiding out. You definitely can meet people, but you may need to be a bit more proactive than you would in another city where those kinds of social and networking opportunities are advertised in broad daylight.
Some people say Dallas is pretentious or a "30k millionaire" city but that's seriously any big city's nightlife and social scene so don't know how Dallas got stuck with that. You don't really hear people talk about how down to earth New Yorkers or LA people are, lol. There's a little bit for everyone in Dallas, and you can also make the drive down to Austin for something different.
On the upside, it's the land of opportunity right now. Lots of firms in general are moving southward.
Dallas is awesome (Originally Posted: 08/31/2009)
Spent the weekend in Dallas. Great city. the girls there were amazing, better than anything I've seen in NYC. The hottest women at a NYC club or bar, are just average in Dallas.
They know how to grow them in Texas. Seriously.
i agree. lot of hot blondes with banging bodies. very few of those types of girls in NYC.
Good story.
I'm going to Houston and Austin this week for the long weekend. Looking forward to it.
Yeah ... too bad most of them are desperate to be married by 21 ...
This guy seems to be obsessed with trying to prove that NY chicks are unattractive
the equities division is pretty good
I swear on my life you are a fucking virgin... Stop trolling the boards every few weeks with shit like this.
LOCKED
Uptown is overrated and overpriced. I lived in Dallas for three years in my mid-20's. I would live in/around the Arts District (urban core), Knox/Henderson (just north of Uptown), or Design District.
Pros - Food scene is outstanding without breaking the bank - my favorites are Gemma, Malai, Mesero, and Americano. Great cultural/entertainment attractions including the Dallas MFA, Winspear Opera House, Klyde Warren Park, NorthPark Mall, and Trinity Groves. Ample apartment supply so plenty of options to rent. Cost of living is relatively affordable but rising quickly. Love Field is arguably the most efficient airport in the US with a massive amount of affordable flights.
Cons - Nature is pretty much non-existent. Traffic is better than Austin and Houston but quickly getting worse. Social life can be hard to break into if centered around the Highland Park crowd. Home prices are out of control especially if you need to be in a good school district. Crime is getting worse each year.
I've lived in Uptown, Dallas for the past 4 years.
I think it is very hard to beat the "quality of life" that you can attain in Uptown, Dallas. From a city perspective you have four seasons of weather with mild winters, no state tax in an absolutely booming economy, southern social customs that make all virtually all interactions pleasant (even if superficial) and all the dining / entertainment options that you could possibly want.
I don't think I'd ever live anywhere else in Dallas other than Uptown. This microcosm of the metroplex is immaculately manicured year-round. Everyone who is out and about is dressed to the 9's because or "in uniform" because, well, it's Uptown. If you work at MBB or anywhere downtown, you'd be able to walk to work in less than 25 minutes. The Katy Trail is an old railroad turned gorgeous 7-mile pedestrian walk / running / biking trail that cuts through Uptown, lined with foliage and occupied by healthy, happy people. All the entertain you need is walk-able with museums (e.g. Perot Museum of Nature & Science, Dallas Museum of Art), the American Airlines Center that hosts the Dallas Mavericks, the Dallas Stars and big name performers, and the A&T Performing Arts Center for distinguished arts. If you're a business professional who does a lot of domestic travel or loved ones are geographically dispersed, it's a 15 minute / $15 Uber to Southwest Airlines Hub -- Dallas Love Field. The issue of traffic does not apply to those who also work in Downtown / Uptown area.
Where to live in Uptown, Dallas? -- St. Thomas and don't look back.
Cons?: You're going to have to work harder to make friends get plugged-in to Dallas. The summers do hit 100's. "Culture" is watered down. Diversity is lacking.
I've thought long and hard about Dallas vs. New York / Chicago and I think I've figured it out for myself. New York / Chicago have truly "world-class" experiences, where I wouldn't say that Dallas does... but how much of a premium is that worth to you? I've come to terms that I'm a relatively simple human that does a lot of the same on a day-to-day basis, so those "world-class" experiences don't add up to me if I only do them 3 - 4 times a month. There are people who truly value going out multiple times on the weekdays, exploring their cities, constantly meeting new people, and I think that's where the premium makes total sense.
As a final note, If I ever decide to go all in on "changing the world", I will have to move to New York, Chicago, San Francisco or Boston to find those people, that energy and that ecosystem. That is just simply, not Dallas.
Lol @ the MS.
Dallas is great if you’re young and white, which fits the profile of most people here. No if deal. You will have almost NO cultural activities. Yes, please tell me about the amazing Mexican food that most people won’t go South/West for..
Most young people will live in Deep Ellum, Uptown, Lower Greenville, and Downtown. You’re not getting a ton of exposure to “culture” there. Uptown is where you’ll have the best overall experience, but do not expect anything that’s world-class. Dallasites say it is “walkable”, but it’s literally one major street that’s walkable and it is only walkable in clusters. Good luck walking in 100 degree weather. Dallasites love their cars, which is fine. Dallas is clustered into a few cool neighborhoods that are pretty spread out. Each neighborhood has a different vibe but you’ll absolutely need a car to get to each one.
Yes, you have museums and pro sports teams just like every other big city. You’ll go to the DMA once and will likely see no reason to go back. Klyde Warren Park (the park that people rave about) is literally a tiny stretch that covers about 5 acres. The park will have maybe 5 different food trucks parked there on a Saturday afternoon. Cool. The Katy Trail is not 7 miles long — it is 3.5-4 miles long. It’s great, but the summers are brutal.
If you value diversity, Dallas is not for you. Although the city is diverse on paper, clusters of people are segregated into different neighborhoods. Most blacks live South of Dallas. Most Mexicans live South and West of Dallas. People will tell you about “Oak Cliff” but they’re most likely referring to North Oak Cliff which is mostly white. Again, no big deal but don’t expect diversity.
Want authentic Jamaican food? You’ll have to go South where most people NEVER go unless it’s for the state fair. Want authentic Mexican food? You’ll find a few places that are in areas that most people consider sketchy.
Dallas is a solid city to have a family in, but you’re in denial if you think it’s better than Austin/Chicago/NYC/SF if you’re a single guy in your 20’s. By no means am I saying that Dallas is a bad city.
For the record, didn't MS you.
I agree with you that diversity is lacking and that Dallas culture is generally watered down.
Mexican food? Who cares. Look hard enough anywhere and you'll find something serviceable.
I'd call Uptown walkable. Don't want to walk? Use the bike-share or drive your car. I walk to work, I walk to grab dinner if I'm too lazy to cook, I walk to my local watering holes, I walk to my exercise.
The DMA refreshes it's art pieces just like every other art museum... what's the beef? Klyde Warren is what it is. And you're right about Katy Trail. I was thinking the 7M loop from start to finish. It now connects to White Rock Lake via an expansion so you could hit the Lakewood area with a 10M run.
Speaking as a young black male that will likely be moving out of Dallas soon and that hates all Dallas sports teams.
1.) What major city isn't segregated to a certain extent? You telling me West Village/ Chelsea is just teeming with black people? 2.) Define cultural activities? If you mean festivals and such then you can find those, it's your prerogative to do so. 3.) The food culture isn't as good as it is in Houston but you should have no trouble finding authentic carribean/ mexican etc. simply writing it off as "you won't go there" is ridiculous. Most cities with authentic spots are in pretty "sketchy" locations. If you are a foodie this shouldn't stop you. If you're not then you likely wouldn't traverse authentic restaurants so it is a moot point (for example, one of the basics next to me is eating subway for lunch when an oustanding empanada spot just had a lunch pop-up in the building). 4.) Klyde Warren is an enjoyable park to hang out and chill, I don't get your whine there 5.) It's fuckin hot in the summer, but while NY has been shoveling snow for months on end I was wearing shorts outside as of the beginning of march (and at times throughout the winter). To harp on Dallas' heat then rave about NY as if the winters aren't total shit (especially Chicago winters) is biased. 6.) there are plenty of extremely attractive women in Dallas, up to you as an individual to get some if you have "game", will say it is easier if you are white, but is that much different from other cities? 7.) Your statement on only whites traversing Deep Ellum/ Uptown at night is garbage. Completely false. Especially when it comes to Deep Ellum.
You will need a car in Dallas, if you can't accept that then you should probably not live anywhere in TX.
Oh right, because if 5% of the crowd is black (and will most likely be coming from the southern burbs) means the crowd is diverse.
If you live in one of the neighborhoods I mentioned let me know how many POC you see. Not many.
How critical is having Jamaican food a few blocks from where you live? I haven't had fucking Jerk Chicken in three years and I'm doing alright. Plenty of serviceable Mexican food in Dallas... people like to argue Austin vs Dallas Mexican food (more specifically, taco) scene, but who gives a shit? I've got a spot that I like, the lady at the front knows my name and sometimes hooks me up with new menu items to try. I'm not losing sleep over who winning the taco war. Frankly, I think it's a lame, cliche, table-topic conversation that pseudo-interesting people have when they're getting to know each other.
Austin's more spread out than Downtown / Uptown / Deep Ellum and tries really hard to be the Brooklyn of Texas. Chicago / New York have 3 - 5 months of good weather. Dallas has 8 guaranteed. NYC and SF you're paying a premium.
lol, they both lose. Houston shits on both Dallas & Austin as far as mexican food goes, tacos included.
Is the Mexican joint E Bar by chance?
newschool332 For the record, I also did not MS you. Considering multiple perspectives is critical to making good decisions. Indeed, Dallas is hot as hell in the summertime, I just hadn't thought to mention that because I strongly prefer hot weather so it never bothered me. I don't agree with much of what you said, but I save the MS for situations where people are being total jerks or presenting objectively incorrect ideas as factual assertions.
I love Austin, but after spending more time there recently, it is still very much a smaller city. A destination city for sure with SXSW and similar, but it's a small city nonetheless. That has its own set of pros and cons, one of those cons being that finance on an institutional level just isn't really a thing in Austin. You got Austin Ventures, Dimensional Funds, Frost Bank...and that's about it.
That all said, Austin nightlife is second only to Las Vegas in my book, and I go to Vegas often.
I'm moving to Dallas in July for a F50 FDLP. Unfortunately, our office is in Plano/Legacy so I signed a lease in Frisco. Just not trying to commute 45 minutes every morning/afternoon while paying tolls.
On the positive side of things, I'm moving into a brand new apartment for $1300/month across the street from a golf course and close to lots of restaurants and bars (even if the crowd is on the older side). So life could be worse.
I feel for you man, all these corps moving to Plano/ Legacy/ Addison is tragic. Definitely wouldn't want to live in Frisco as a 20-something year old male.
You don't realize how lucky you are. Find a good pro in the area and work on sharpening your golf game. You will thank me years later. Golf is life.
Also, let’s be real...virtually no one is going to walk 25 minutes to the office here. Especially in July. If you’re close to a DART line and you work downtown you’re golden. If you work at the Crescent in Uptown (where most of the high finance jobs are) you’ll either drive to work or walk if you live close enough.
DART is just a no. Super sketchy.
DART isn't bad during work hours traveling with all the other 9-5ers... if you can't handle that I feel for you, you must have grown up very sheltered
On the outdoors activities side:
While I have mostly good things to say about Dallas in general, living in Uptown has some neighborhood specific drawbacks. My car was broken into multiple times and there were countless incidents involving fights, assaults and at one point a few years ago, homicide. I would just take extra precaution to have secure parking and stay alert when walking around at night.
Dallas is very fun and rarely do I encounter people that bemoan living there. I get some people prefer the people's republic of Austin but the city has a ton going on. Admittedly I'm a native and therefore biased, but I am of the opinion that if you have some money to spend there are tons of ways to entertain and enjoy yourself.
Awesome handle haha
Most people around your age don't go out / go "clubbing" in Dallas; most everyone's married with kids our locked down w/ a SO. The social scene in Dallas is pretty cliquey, everyone's fairly entrenched in their circles from UT, SMU, TCU, etc. Moreover, Dallas does have a reputation as being fairly "image obsessed" and you'll encounter a lot highland park types driving around in brand new range rovers and the like. There are however, lots of ways to meet new people. Dallas has a ton of charity and social groups you can get involved with, just takes a little digging and asking around.
Even though you're not looking for a big party scene, I'd still recommend living in uptown. Lot's of restaurants and bars close by as well as the Airlines Center. The Knox Henderson neighborhood is a good area also. Overall it's a great city and I think you'll like it.
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