# What's it like in Arlington, TX?



## apicius9 (Jan 31, 2012)

I have never been down there, not even close, but just sent a job application to that university. Is anybody in that area? What is it like to live there?

Stefan


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## sw2geeks (Jan 31, 2012)

It's great, they have both the Texas Ranger, and the Dallas cowboys in Arlington, the UTA campus is growing by leaps and bounds. It is in between Fort Worth and Dallas so you have both metroplexes just a short drive away.


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## DeepCSweede (Jan 31, 2012)

It's a heck of a lot hotter in the summer than you are used to and a heck of a lot colder in the winter than you are used too. LOL. I really like the greater Dallas Ft. Worth area. I have a lot of family scattered around there and teach a class down there every other year. If you are a baseball / football fan - you are set. I really like some of the suburbs just north of there - Colleyville especially.


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## DeepCSweede (Jan 31, 2012)

I believe that Eamon is just northwest of Arlington - could get some pointers from him I'm sure.


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## Kyle (Jan 31, 2012)

The timing on this thread is pretty good. I was offered a job in Lewisville (somewhere outside Dallas). I'll be out there in 2 weeks to check out the area and talk about the details of the job.


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## JohnnyChance (Jan 31, 2012)

Your carbon knives and pans won't rust so easily, much less humid than where you are at now. That goes in the "Pro" column, right?


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## ThEoRy (Jan 31, 2012)

Wood dries faster I assume....


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## Johnny.B.Good (Jan 31, 2012)

Aren't most things (food for example) pretty expensive in Hawaii? The cost of living in Arlington has got to be significantly lower than Honolulu. Of course, Arlington is not routinely referred to as "paradise" like the Hawaiian islands...


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## ecchef (Jan 31, 2012)

The surfing sucks.


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## Pabloz (Jan 31, 2012)

ecchef said:


> The surfing sucks.


 Yea BUT you've got fast cars, monster trucks, Texas Int. Raceway, THE PLAYBOY CLUB, HHHOOOTTT women, grass fed beef, THE STOCKYARDS, Gilleys, Willie and Waylon, real Texas Chili, the war on the border, http://www.guns.com/texas-highway-patrol-gun-boats-armed-to-the-teeth-video.html, etc., etc, etc, OOHHH GOD how I miss home.


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## Mint427 (Jan 31, 2012)

You also have Babe's fried chicken and chicken fried steak which is to die for!


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## Dave Martell (Jan 31, 2012)

Stefan I'm trying to picture you in a cowboy hat?


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## Eamon Burke (Jan 31, 2012)

I lived in Arlington for years. Come on down, Stefan!

Here's the deal: Arlington is not a great place to live, unless you live south of I-20 or North of I-30. It's very hot and dry in the summer, and the winters are either super mild(like this one) or crazy(two years ago we had a blizzard).

I grew up in Texas, have never lived elsewhere, and when I moved to DFW, I felt like I moved to the Texas on television--women in boots and skirts, men in hats and string ties, huge cars, bbq and steak houses on every street, strip clubs scattered about, "beer and a shot" bars, mega churches, etc.

Arlington is the largest city in America with absolutely no means of public transportation.

It's also home to the most advanced, impressive sporting arena in the world.

As far as food goes, it's got a pretty strong Vietnamese showing, so there's some good hole-in-the-wall places, but again, you'll want to venture out of Arlington proper for recreation. I live in in a noisy, ghetto-ass apartment in North Richland Hills and am moving this month to a really safe, nice, quaint neighborhood in Hurst--2 miles away.

I live here! We can hang out. I need a drinking buddy...err fellow craftsman...


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## apicius9 (Jan 31, 2012)

Cool, thanks. Definitely different to Hawaii, but then everything is... I can easily see myself with a cowboy hat except while driving my convertible . The two things that worry me a bit is that I am a damn liberal who may stand out in Texas and that I am trying to lose weight which based on the food examples may be impossible  Definitely better for my carbon steel items, though. We will see. I also sent one out to Cleveland, OH, today. I found out yesterday that I did not get the job I had hoped for in Hawaii. So, now I either have to leave Hawaii if I want to stay in academia or leave academia to stay in Hawaii. Decisions, decisions...

Stefan

P.S. Thanks Eamon, we were writing at the same time. I am wondering about the price level in Texas. Things can be pretty expensive out here, but once you find out where to go, you can get along fine. Just everything around housing is steep. Gotta find out how much money I need to make to live comfortably out there...


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## Eamon Burke (Jan 31, 2012)

Oh yeah, the most important thing is that it's in Texas. Which is, by far, the best Country on the continent.


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## ecchef (Jan 31, 2012)

Cleveland!? :bigeek:

The only thing I remember about Cleveland is Juicy Lucy's by the airport. :O :IMOK:


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## ecchef (Jan 31, 2012)

Dave Martell said:


> Stefan I'm trying to picture you in a cowboy hat?


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## apicius9 (Jan 31, 2012)

Just found a calculator to compare the cost of living between cities in the US on CNN:

If you move from Honolulu, HI to Arlington, TX....

Groceries will cost: 41%less
Housing will cost: 64% less
Utilities will cost: 25% less
Transportation will cost: 22% less
Healthcare will cost: 12% less


If you move from Honolulu, HI to Cleveland, OH....

Groceries will cost: 33% less
Housing will cost: 63% less
Utilities will cost: 26% less
Transportation will cost: 20% less
Healthcare will cost: 13% less


Mmmhh, that doesn't sound so bad. More money to buy wood...

Stefan


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## Eamon Burke (Jan 31, 2012)

See, Arlington is cheaper. Move here.


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## apicius9 (Jan 31, 2012)

BurkeCutlery said:


> See, Arlington is cheaper. Move here.



I just played around with that calculator - EVERY place in the US is cheaper than Honolulu, except NYC and a few other places where housing is as absurd as out here or more. Based on that calculator, maybe I should move to Fargo  They actually have a job opening there...

Stefan


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## Kyle (Jan 31, 2012)

apicius9 said:


> Just found a calculator to compare the cost of living between cities in the US on CNN:
> 
> If you move from Honolulu, HI to Arlington, TX....
> 
> ...



What site has this calculator?


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## apicius9 (Feb 1, 2012)

Here you go: http://cgi.money.cnn.com/tools/costofliving/costofliving.html


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## JohnnyChance (Feb 1, 2012)

BurkeCutlery said:


> Oh yeah, the most important thing is that it's in Texas. Which is, by far, the best Country on the continent.



Texas is a country now?


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## Kyle (Feb 1, 2012)

JohnnyChance said:


> Texas is a country now?



I guess it's a Texan joke. I've always heard, "I'm from Texas. What country are you from?"


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## Eamon Burke (Feb 1, 2012)

JohnnyChance said:


> Texas is a country now?



Always has been. Texas can't be owned.


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## Pabloz (Feb 1, 2012)

Yup...my fathers birth certificate had "Republic of Texas" on it.


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## JohnnyChance (Feb 1, 2012)

BurkeCutlery said:


> Always has been. Texas can't be owned.



Aww schucks.


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## ecchef (Feb 1, 2012)

apicius9 said:


> I just played around with that calculator - EVERY place in the US is cheaper than Honolulu, except NYC and a few other places where housing is as absurd as out here or more. Based on that calculator, maybe I should move to Fargo  They actually have a job opening there...
> 
> Stefan



I could think of worse places to live...


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## DeepCSweede (Feb 1, 2012)

I would avoid Fargo unless you plan on becoming a Duck / Pheasant hunter / Conservative. You think the surfing sucks in Arlington... All I will say about Fargo is that there is nothing to stop the wind from the time it leaves the rockies so it can be a bit breezy - not to mention cold for your standards.


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## mr drinky (Feb 1, 2012)

Hey, hey. Fargo isn't that bad. With three colleges in town and North Dakota having the best economy in the nation, they probably have things open. And if you want real cash go out west to the oil fields. Btw, most of my family is from there (2/3 of them are conservative and 1/3 are hunters). It is cold and windy, but no more so than where I live now. 

As for the Dallas area, from an outside perspective I think the traffic really sucks. Since Texas doesn't have a state income tax, it always seems like roads take 3x longer to fix and they are always one lane short of what they need. That interstate to Austin is a death trap.

k.


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## DeepCSweede (Feb 1, 2012)

mr drinky said:


> Hey, hey. Fargo isn't that bad. With three colleges in town and North Dakota having the best economy in the nation, they probably have things open. And if you want real cash go out west to the oil fields. Btw, most of my family is from there (2/3 of them are conservative and 1/3 are hunters). It is cold and windy, but no more so than where I live now.
> 
> As for the Dallas area, from an outside perspective I think the traffic really sucks. Since Texas doesn't have a state income tax, it always seems like roads take 3x longer to fix and they are always one lane short of what they need. That interstate to Austin is a death trap.
> 
> k.



k.
You are correct - I have family that went to college there and a very good friend that is was a doctor at Sanford Fargo Medical Center for eight years and made several visits out there for my perspective. I am an avid hunter so I am in heaven when I am out there, unfortunately it is only every couple of years. I think from a ecological shock on the body perspective, Arlington, Cleveland, Fargo. Fargo is a strong education town and has good medical facilities.
Traffic does suck in DFW but I do a fair amount of work in Chicago, so I find that fairly comparative and don't really think about it too much. You definitely don't have traffic issues in ND. Cleveland is a lot like Milwaukee traffic wise - busy during rush hour but you can get anywhere you need to go within an hour.


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## bikehunter (Feb 1, 2012)

_*"I am a damn liberal who may stand out in Texas and that I am trying to lose weight" *_

Heh...good luck with that. ;-)


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## SpikeC (Feb 1, 2012)

Re: Fargo-Just watch out for chippers!


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## Eamon Burke (Feb 1, 2012)

mr drinky said:


> As for the Dallas area, from an outside perspective I think the traffic really sucks. Since Texas doesn't have a state income tax, it always seems like roads take 3x longer to fix and they are always one lane short of what they need. That interstate to Austin is a death trap.



I 35 in Austin is in the top 10 worst stretches of highway in America for traffic. And here in DFW, the traffic gets BRUTAL over toward Dallas. But if you live in Arlington, you will not likely ever go to Dallas for anything(I have been here for 4 years and have been in Dallas city limits maybe 6-8 times). I live in the mid cities, and I don't hit the highway unless I am going somewhere pretty far. If you live in Dallas, or Grapevine or Plano or Lewisville....well, just make sure you buy an automatic transmission. If I go to a place in Dallas at 2am, it takes like 30-40 minutes. During the day, maybe an hour and a half.


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## Eamon Burke (Feb 1, 2012)

SpikeC said:


> Re: Fargo-Just watch out for chippers!



Or motor-mouths with quiet buddies.


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## apicius9 (Feb 1, 2012)

BurkeCutlery said:


> Or motor-mouths with quiet buddies.



That's my only source of knowledge I have about Fargo 

Stefan


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## PierreRodrigue (Feb 1, 2012)

Didn't you see the movie? I drove through there once, stopped for lunch, and had a waitress recomend their cream of cheese soup! My misfortune with lunch, and the movie... oh my!  I was in DFW about 5 years ago in October for a few days, I liked the weather alot, more humid than I was used to, but quite nice.


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## Johnny.B.Good (Feb 1, 2012)

"I spent a year in that town one Sunday."

-George Burns


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## mr drinky (Feb 1, 2012)

Btw, I just stayed at the Hotel Donaldson in Fargo last weekend (very nice hotel btw) and Barry from Storage Wars was drinking in the bar. They also have a James Beard winning chef at the hotel restaurant. If you interview for a job, this is the place to stay.

k.


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## Lucretia (Feb 1, 2012)

ecchef said:


> Cleveland!? :bigeek:
> 
> The only thing I remember about Cleveland is Juicy Lucy's by the airport. :O :IMOK:



Is that still there? The one time I flew into Cleveland it made an incredible first impression...


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## Lucretia (Feb 1, 2012)

If I can be nosy, what is it you are looking for in a job in academia? Are there other potential locations?

We were moderates living in an ultra-conservative area for years, and it wasn't a lot of fun. Felt like we were wasting our time every election--no one we voted for ever won. At least where we are now our candidates win half the time.


Hubby just came in and asked what I was typing--when I told him a liberal was talking about moving to Texas, his response was "Oh, *H*LL*!"


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## PierreRodrigue (Feb 1, 2012)

LOL!! Politics! If you win you end up loosing, if you loose, well you still loose! As far as that goes, I have yet to find anyone worth voting for, let alone determining where I would move to!  Weather and oppertunity get my vote. Now that being said, I haven't found many people here take as much interest, and put as much effort into deciding leadership, as for example leadership races, and presidential votes. Us politics is fun to watch from a distance. Quite a bit more interesting than ours. IMO


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## Lucretia (Feb 2, 2012)

A lot depends on the area--if you're surrounded by people whose views are loudly expressed, and they're in violent opposition to your views, it can be uncomfortable. There were stores, restaurants, etc., where we used to live that we've felt like we didn't want to patronize because there was so much background noise--radio, political discussions, etc. And at work, you couldn't get away from political discussions going on around your cube. And "discussions" is a misnomer--they were unbalanced rants and and chest-beatings since the political environment was so one-sided. 

Arlington may not be that like that, but just saying it can be awkward--you just can't get away from it.


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## apicius9 (Feb 2, 2012)

I was just thinking about where I have lived so far, and not only were the towns and countries more on the liberal side in general, most universities provide a climate that is often more balanced than in the general population. I am currently an associate professor for public health, and in areas that focus on issues like inequality, diversity, and service for underprivileged groups, you are more likely to work with liberals of all shades. I am a health psycholgist by training, so I can work in a few related areas, but there are only ever a few jobs on that level available nationally. I searched the usual channels where they get announced, and if I only count the ones where I could say with a good conscience that I can match all the requirements, there may be about a dozen open jobs in the US and Europe right now. And I will compete against several hundred of my colleages. I have no problems with hard work, but in situations lile this, so much depends on luck or very small details that it can be a very frustrating process. 

So, my main decision right now is whether I risk moving out of academia to have more choices of places to work and live. It's a risk in the sense that once you are out, it is extremely unlikely to get back in and I generally really like what I do. Ah, decisions, decisions...

Stefan


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## Lucretia (Feb 2, 2012)

apicius9 said:


> there may be about a dozen open jobs in the US and Europe right now. And I will compete against several hundred of my colleages.



Well, THAT makes it tough! And you might just love Texas. The people who live there certainly seem crazy about it. 

The place we lived (in a different state) was pretty extreme--as in book-burning extreme. And now we live in a place with some extreme liberal activity. And we can tell we're moderates because they drive us crazy, too! :laugh:


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## Cipcich (Feb 2, 2012)

Moving to Texas from Hawaii sounds like a recipe for culture/environment shock to me, i.e.:
Do you really like sport for profit (professional sports)?
Cooking out of the back of a pickup truck?
What do you do on Sunday mornings? (When I was six, circa 1955, my father asked me what I would rather do, go to church, or stay home eating waffles, and reading the comics? That settled the religion issue for me . . )
Do you think a passing score on an IQ test would be a reasonable prerequisite for holding elective office?
Do you like your environment green or brown?
Do you have a big hat?


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## Cipcich (Feb 2, 2012)

Besides, Fargo sounds kind of exotic . . .


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## Eamon Burke (Feb 2, 2012)

Nah, Texas as a whole looks like that, but Arlington is pretty standard city--very diverse, little history to speak of. Move out to Granbury or Weatherford though, it's a different story.


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## sw2geeks (Feb 2, 2012)

Cipcich said:


> Moving to Texas from Hawaii sounds like a recipe for culture/environment shock to me, i.e.:
> Do you really like sport for profit (professional sports)?
> Cooking out of the back of a pickup truck?
> What do you do on Sunday mornings? (When I was six, circa 1955, my father asked me what I would rather do, go to church, or stay home eating waffles, and reading the comics? That settled the religion issue for me . . )
> ...



Wow...


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## sw2geeks (Feb 2, 2012)

We had a story the other day in the paper the other day on hot condos here in the area.

http://www.dfw.com/2012/01/25/567778/hot-places-to-live-in-dfw-condos.html


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## Cipcich (Feb 3, 2012)

Forget the big hat, but you'll be wanting a big gun . . .


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## mr drinky (Feb 3, 2012)

When transferring through airports (from my experience), DFW and Denver have the best looking women  And if an airport is a good proxy for the general population, then you might find the women appealing in Dallas -- if that's what you're into.

k.

Edit: Just wait until the 5th or 6th date to bring up knives though. Knives tend to scare women off -- I know, it's crazy but true.


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