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Ft Worth, Texas

post #1 of 42
10/30/09 at 1:34pm
Thread Starter 
All, anyone here know much about Ft Worth, Texas? I have a job offer there and as part of the due diligence am going there next weekend to check out the real estate market firsthand, trying to assess what one can get in the 300-450k range. It seems like one option would be a nice downtown Ft Worth Condo/townhome, while another would be a nice house in the surrounding area (e.g., SW Arlington?), although I wouldn't want a commute more than 15-20 minutes so that narrows it down considerably. Would be nice to live close to Dallas I suppose but I hate to drive. Thoughts? Also, suggestions for what to do while I'm in town? Based on some quick internet searches it seems like many people are preferential to FW over Dallas. Thanks!
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post #2 of 42
10/30/09 at 1:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveDr89 View Post
All,
anyone here know much about Ft Worth, Texas? I have a job offer there and as part of the due diligence am going there next weekend to check out the real estate market firsthand, trying to assess what one can get in the 300-450k range. It seems like one option would be a nice downtown Ft Worth Condo/townhome, while another would be a nice house in the surrounding area (e.g., SW Arlington?), although I wouldn't want a commute more than 15-20 minutes so that narrows it down considerably. Would be nice to live close to Dallas I suppose but I hate to drive. Thoughts? Also, suggestions for what to do while I'm in town? Based on some quick internet searches it seems like many people are preferential to FW over Dallas.
Thanks!

I lived in Ft. Worth about 20 years ago, so my information is dated. I can tell you that although Dallas and Ft. Worth are generally close to one another, they are very separate worlds. I love Ft. Worth, but rarely get over there and someone that lives in Ft. Worth probably doesn't spend a lot of time in Dallas.

$300-$450K should buy you a lot of house in the suburbs of Ft. Worth. Ft. Worth is a big enough city to provide lots of entertainment options (Sundance Square, Bass Performance Hall, The Stockyards, Kimball Art Museum, etc.) but without the city congestion and traffic issues of Dallas. Dallas will have more and higher end choices, but Ft. Worth has a nice laid-back lifestyle that I really enjoyed when I was there.

If you live in the mid-cities (Arlington, etc.) your options for enjoying both Dallas and Ft. Worth increase. I understand that there are some very nice parts of Arlington, but I'm not that familar with the area anymore.

Not sure what part of the country you're from, but this area will not impress you with its physical beauty (flat and ugly). But the lifestyle here is great and with DFW airport, you are within 3 hours of either coast.

Good luck.
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post #3 of 42
10/30/09 at 1:49pm
North Richland Hills is a very nice suburb of Ft Worth.

Coppell is a nice place to live between both cities but it is very North of both city centers.

Stay away from: White Settlement and Mansfield.
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post #4 of 42
10/30/09 at 1:51pm
Thread Starter 
thanks for the info. that sort of agrees with my initial impressions of what I've read so far. RE Dallas, I stayed there during the interview ands wasn't that impressed with the downtown area, so perhaps living further away isn't that big a deal, and I don't see myself as a happy camper driving too much for work, etc.
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post #5 of 42
10/30/09 at 1:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveDr89 View Post
thanks for the info. that sort of agrees with my initial impressions of what I've read so far. RE Dallas, I stayed there during the interview ands wasn't that impressed with the downtown area, so perhaps living further away isn't that big a deal, and I don't see myself as a happy camper driving too much for work, etc.

What is a long drive time for you and is your job in downtown Ft Worth?
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post #6 of 42
10/30/09 at 1:56pm
Thread Starter 
wouldn't want to commute more than 15-20 minutes. job is south of downtown, near intersection of I-35 and I-20.
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post #7 of 42
10/30/09 at 2:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveDr89 View Post
thanks for the info. that sort of agrees with my initial impressions of what I've read so far. RE Dallas, I stayed there during the interview ands wasn't that impressed with the downtown area, so perhaps living further away isn't that big a deal, and I don't see myself as a happy camper driving too much for work, etc.

No one is impressed with downtown Dallas. I mean they're working on it, but it was neglected for so many years that it will be a shithole for many years to come. There are nice parts of Dallas, but downtown isn't one of them. The Victory area (around the AAC in north west part of downtown) isn't bad and the uptown area to the north of downtown is nice. Turtle Creek and Highland Park areas are very nice residential areas (you wouldn't find much in your price range there).
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post #8 of 42
10/30/09 at 2:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveDr89 View Post
wouldn't want to commute more than 15-20 minutes. job is south of downtown, near intersection of I-35 and I-20.

The homes by Lake Arlington seems your best bet for drive time, Im not sure what prices are like. As Mark said the urban centers are really not nice DFW is a suburban area. Having a 15-20 minute drive time is a blessing for most folks.
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post #9 of 42
10/30/09 at 3:20pm
Thread Starter 
supposedly the downtown Ft Worth area has some walkable areas with bars/restaurants (Sundance Square) and there are condos/town homes near there, but after some initial research it seems that they have not been selling recently that much. are there any nice residential areas real close to downtown ft worth where one could find a nice house in my price range?
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post #10 of 42
10/30/09 at 4:16pm
I'm pretty sure Ornette Coleman is from Ft Worth....Attachment 31939
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post #11 of 42
10/30/09 at 4:36pm
I live on lake Arlington and I'm 10 minutes from I-20 and I-35. Anywhere in SW Arlington would be an easy commute. I agree with the sentiments already expressed compaing Dallas with Fort Worth. There are many neighborhoods in Fort Worth where I would be proud to live. Even though I was born there, I wouldn't live in Dallas under any circumstances. JMHO. There are a number of new condos on the bluffs overlooking the proposed town lake and within walking distance from Sundance. 400k buys a lot of shelter in Fort Worth. Good luck.
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post #12 of 42
10/30/09 at 4:53pm
I'm curious about all this pro-FW, anti-Dallas sentiment. I have not been particularly impressed the couple times I've been to Sundance Square. I will admit that they have some nice museums and performance halls (thanks largely to the Bass family), but what else does FW have that's worthwhile? And what's the source of the Dallas hate? It certainly has lots of snotty yuppies, but so do lots of other cities.
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post #13 of 42
10/30/09 at 4:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bhowie View Post
Stay away from: White Settlement and Mansfield.

That's news to me. My wife has family that lives in Mansfield & I thought it was OK. Of course we're only there for 2- 4 days at a time.

I've heard plenty of people say Ft. Worth is a lot better then Dallas & I'm sure $400K will buy you a nice home.
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post #14 of 42
10/30/09 at 5:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by BP348 View Post
I've heard plenty of people say Ft. Worth is a lot better then Dallas ...

I think a lot of Ft. Worth people will tell you that Ft. Worth is better than Dallas.

It all depends on what you are looking for. The quality of everything in Dallas is a notch to five notches higher than in Ft. Worth. That includes the symphony, the museums...and the traffic. Ft. Worth is nice because it provides a lifestyle mix that many people find pleasing. On the other hand, if you are looking for the top end (better restaurants, bars, museums, concerts, whatever...) Dallas always has that over Ft. Worth. You just pay for it with additional congestion and more panhandlers.
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post #15 of 42
10/30/09 at 5:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark from Plano View Post
I think a lot of Ft. Worth people will tell you that Ft. Worth is better than Dallas.

It all depends on what you are looking for. The quality of everything in Dallas is a notch to five notches higher than in Ft. Worth. That includes the symphony, the museums...and the traffic. Ft. Worth is nice because it provides a lifestyle mix that many people find pleasing. On the other hand, if you are looking for the top end (better restaurants, bars, museums, concerts, whatever...) Dallas always has that over Ft. Worth. You just pay for it with additional congestion and more panhandlers.
This is a perfect example of the Dallas mentality and exactly why I would never live there. As a group the Fort Worth museums are far, far more impressive. I'll admit to a smaller selection of restaurants in Fort Worth, but then Fort Worth is a much smaller place. Fort Worth is Sean Connery, Dallas is Johnny Depp.
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