Moving to DFW area this summer

[jmdaniel]

MUD stands for Municipal Utility District, and if you will live in one, you will pay MUD taxes. The area just has not been annexed by the largest city close to it yet, basically, so the MUD fees pay down the infrastructure costs. Different MUDs have different MUD rates, (per $100 valuation), so it can be a factor when you are looking for a place to live.

(and all of this useful info from a former Minnesotan, a Damn Yankee, if you will!! whoda thunk?)

 

[FuzzyRider]

Get an apartment for 3-6 months and then go out on the weekends looking for the area that's perfect for you. Not only is the exploration aspect fun, it's a good excuse to ride.

That's my two cents...and worth what you paid for it!

 

[jcyuhn]

Chik - Nothing personal intended; I'd just never heard of a MUD district before. That's all. Everything else is my 2 cents worth. I wouldn't want to get by without a car either. Whether or not the OP can likely depends on the length of his commute, the roads/traffic he'll contend with, whether he has any time flexibility (to wait out the passing thunderstorm...) and whether he needs to look presentable at the far end.

That's a good point about the variability of weather. Some years it storms every night, some years it doesn't rain for months. The first winter I spent in DFW was the year we set the lowest temperature ever recorded here -5F. I almost moved back to California.

- JimY

 

[fjrchik]

Chik - Nothing personal intended; I'd just never heard of a MUD district before. That's all. Everything else is my 2 cents worth. I wouldn't want to get by without a car either. Whether or not the OP can likely depends on the length of his commute, the roads/traffic he'll contend with, whether he has any time flexibility (to wait out the passing thunderstorm...) and whether he needs to look presentable at the far end.
That's a good point about the variability of weather. Some years it storms every night, some years it doesn't rain for months. The first winter I spent in DFW was the year we set the lowest temperature ever recorded here -5F. I almost moved back to California.

- JimY

very cool Jim, i just didn't know where i lost ya!

thanks to jmdaniel for the clarification - another minnesotan can always read my mind!

 

[vandy]

i see where there is all kinds of cold weather gear for feet legs hands and neck that should make this bike allmost comfortable down into the double digits but i dont really see that much to help for summer in the tripple digits

there used to be a electrical ac helmet that was good for those temps.. then the wind or vents wouldnt matter but i havent seen one listed anywhere for 10 years

and i see cooling vests that outwordly dont look the best but probabally work great.. but are there cooling jackets that really work in that kind of weather.

 

[madmike2]

i see cooling vests that outwordly dont look the best but probabally work great.. but are there cooling jackets that really work in that kind of weather.

Yes! I figure that when its 100+ and the evaporative vest can drop my core temperature and cool my neck by 10-15 degrees....its working. ANd with the mods I've made to my bike so I get fresh air blowing on my chest area, my Cycleport mesh kevlar allows my cooling vest to work quite well. With the zip in liner and my Gerbings heated jacket and gloves, I do quite well below 40 degrees.

You might Google cooling vests. Or look here. Personally, I like my MiraCool. YMMV.

 

[Bounce]

School..... UTA. They are one of four decent Emergency Nurse Practitioner programs in the country. My application is pending but we may move anyway. The job prospects for a Spanish/ESL teacher and nurse family seem pretty solid in the DFW area.
As far as where to live... I'm not sure. I have heard from locals who left Texas that Arlington isn't the best town to raise a family in. My wife has her application in for a faculty position at DCCCD's Mountain View campus. Hopefully that pans out. We have family in McKinney (who used to live in Plano) and they can't say much positive about Arlington. Are they wrong?

Arlington's not bad. Mid-Cities can also be okay. if you're going to UTA you might be able to figure out a way to take advantage of the limited coverage that different Mass Trans offers in the area. Most locations, as elsewhere, depend on your budget and what part of each town you're looking at. Far south Arlington while the norther Mid-Cities area can be nice too (read high zoot housing costs if you're not careful). Anywhere you choose, stay outside the different "loops" (820 in the ft. worth area and 20/635 loop in dallas).

personally, i've seen some nice places in southlake, coppell, and carrollton but would avoid irving, grand prairie, and north arlington (near the different "attractions"). mansfield and burleson have some nice places but can be quite a drive from the rest of the metromess for average commuting. my kids just bought in a new area of saginaw that is nice and the taxes are amazingly low while access is no more difficult that anything in N. Richland Hills, Haltom City, or Watauga/Keller would be (while being somewhat nicer and not as packed like sardines as that group of cities is).

IMHO stay out of Dallas and Ft. Worth proper. Their different politics have ruined their school systems and their home owner/tax structures (see keeping outside the 2 major loops). Even without kids, the school districts have such an adverse impact on your quality of life that they waft majorly bad mojo on you.

Based on where UTA campus is, something n of 183 or s of 20 would be where i'd start looking. - ramble much, do i?

 

[jcyuhn]

Hmmm. Isn't the city of Arlington (TX) notorious as the largest city in the U.S. that does not have public transporation? A quick Google search confirms - there is no scheduled bus, light rail, steetcar, or anything else in Arlington. Don't know if this is a plus or a minus. :blink: Just FYI.

- JimY

 

[worldbound4now]

UTA.... No bus on a college campus of that size. Hmmm, quite surprised.

Thank you everyone for the input. I like the idea of moving into a rental unit for 3-6 months then buying a home, but I HATE packing/moving. Maybe I'll have to hit some of you up for some labor help/get to know you free beer meeting

In general, it looks like our income will drop considerably but the cost of living is quite a bit less. I almost crapped when I saw how inexpensive homes are related to Las Vegas... approximately 40% less per square feet is what I see averaging out. We'll see what kind of salary change we run into.

The school districts are a strong factor in our move but not mandatory. My oldest daughter is only 2, so we have a few years before we have any school-aged children. If it means driving an additional 15 minutes to move to a safer neighborhood, then I'm game. I will even tolerate an hour commute if needed to get back and forth to school since I'd only be doing it for a couple of years.

MM.... I already have an evaporative cooling vest. A must have in the desert southwest if you plan on not turning into a passed out prune on the side of the road on a long daytime summer ride. I ride with my 'stitch year round here but may have to invest in a Cycleport suit for better breathability in the humid texas summer.

So, a MUD sounds like the local master planned communities where you're stuck paying LID's, HOA fees, and other fees to live in the specific neighborhood (many places this is up at $100-150/month). I live in the home that I am in because I dislike the idea of some crazy ***** in the neighborhood governing how long I can park my car in front of my house, what days of the week I can mow my lawn, or whether I need to have the garage door shut when performing vehicle maintenance.

Again, thanks for the input everyone.

 

[jcyuhn]

Cost of living in DFW is generally reasonable. There is a wide price range for housing. Generally the gentrifying areas within a 10 minute drive of downtown business centers are expensive. Still, there a safe, convenient suburban areas with good schools in which a reasonable home can be purchased for ~$85/sqft. In this context "reasonable" means it's a livable house, but you have to put in the granite countertops and travertine floors yourself.

Don't forget, no income tax in Texas. Still, sales tax runs 8.25% in most areas, for most things you purchase. And property taxes are very high relative to market values, in comparison to most areas of the country. Texas overall tax burden per capita ranks somewhere between 35th and last (lowest) among all states, depending on how it's measured. However, unlike most other states, you have almost total control over your tax burden, depending upon the ratio between income and property taxes which you choose to assume.

- JimY

 

[fjrchik]

So, a MUD sounds like the local master planned communities where you're stuck paying LID's, HOA fees, and other fees to live in the specific neighborhood (many places this is up at $100-150/month). I live in the home that I am in because I dislike the idea of some crazy ***** in the neighborhood governing how long I can park my car in front of my house, what days of the week I can mow my lawn, or whether I need to have the garage door shut when performing vehicle maintenance.
Again, thanks for the input everyone.

Well... be prepared for alot of HOAs down here. Everything I looked at when I moved here had one. I bought a brand new home in an almost 2 year old neighborhood that still had about 80% of its building to do. Our HOA has gone through hell and back and now we (the residents) run our HOA. Its taking alot of work to get people to pay dues who have slacked off for years because our previous management company didn't do crap about enforcing things. Lots of leins now. You may have to go to an older home to avoid an HOA.

 

[worldbound4now]

So, in conclusion to the info so far...

Buy a newer home and suck up to the fees... but shop around for a reasonable neighborhood. Should be easy. I love to remodel up to the point of making structural changes (all drywall, hard surface flooring, basic electrical, etc...).

Ride the FJR, but maybe look into more mods to increase visibility.

Don't live in Arlington or inside the loops/beltways.

Dallas mass transportation is a concept, not a practice.

Buy an old, rural texas style car with at least four tires and all windows intact and keep a battery tender on it to use on violent storm/ice days.

 

[jcyuhn]

So, in conclusion to the info so far...
Buy a newer home and suck up to the fees... but shop around for a reasonable neighborhood. Should be easy. I love to remodel up to the point of making structural changes (all drywall, hard surface flooring, basic electrical, etc...).

Ride the FJR, but maybe look into more mods to increase visibility.

Don't live in Arlington or inside the loops/beltways.

Dallas mass transportation is a concept, not a practice.

Buy an old, rural texas style car with at least four tires and all windows intact and keep a battery tender on it to use on violent storm/ice days.

That nicely sums it up. Based on the omission, I assume you already own a gun. :bigeyedsmiley:

 

[jmdaniel]

So, a MUD sounds like the local master planned communities where you're stuck paying LID's, HOA fees, and other fees to live in the specific neighborhood (many places this is up at $100-150/month). I live in the home that I am in because I dislike the idea of some crazy ***** in the neighborhood governing how long I can park my car in front of my house, what days of the week I can mow my lawn, or whether I need to have the garage door shut when performing vehicle maintenance.

MUD taxes are fees to live in a certain place, but have nothing to do with HOAs. When an area is being developed, funds are needed to run water, power, etc. Bonds are sold to fund these things, MUD taxes repay the bonds. HOAs are set up to cover the fact that not all people are made alike, specifically to manage the strife that arises from this. I happen to like a pretty tight HOA, because I keep my property in good shape, and don't want to look at my neighbor's boat sitting in the driveway year 'round. I'm sure that opinion isn't shared by everyone, but that's why there are different types of 'hoods and HOAs.

 

[fjrchik]

start practicing saying "y'all" and "fixin" and you'll be ready when you get here.

on second thought, skip the "fixin". its just bad english. i don't even use it unless somethin is broke. but you can start droppin the "g" off all words endin in "ing". like i just did for ya there. then you'll sound texan.

 

[odot]

Practicing some yodeling won't hurt, either.

 

[FuzzyRider]

Wow, I can't believe I didn't think of this before! I just found the perfect place for you to live - less than 40 miles to UTA and almost all of that on freeways, outside of city loops, and close to one of the best attractions for an FJR owner. I am, of course, talking about Cresson, TX. It's the home of Motorsports Ranch.

I hope this helps.