We don't know where to move: FL, TX or LA?

[quentin955 4]

Hello everyone.

Our k1-visa got issued and I'll be moving to the US on November 12th.
My fiancee lives in Monroe, Louisiana.
We both want to move to a bigger city.
We are considering three different areas (but we are not close-minded and if you have another suggestion, go for it!)

Firstly, I'm French, and I have a Bachelor degree in 3D and 2D infography. I've worked in a paleontology museum as a 3D modeler, and I am interested in this kind of job, as well as an interior designer job. I also have nothing against working in the tourism field (it might be useful to know. I don't know)
My fiancée is currently studying and will get a bachelor degree in French in a year. She's experienced in many fields and she's currently working at a hotel. She could be interested in working in a library or as a teacher.

So, the areas we chose are:

Orlando, FL.
She went there a few years ago and she loved it. I, personnaly, have never been there.
The idea of having Walt Disney World near us is something we would both enjoy.
But after reading some comments about the area, I'm not sure it's something we would enjoy this much. I might be wrong though. I really don't know much about this area, so if you have some things to tell me about this, i'll take it!

Dallas-Fort Worth, TX
We spent some days here and we liked it. We only visited Dallas and Plano though. Apparently this area is economically very good. Life isn't expensive, as well as houses and apartments. There are apparently a lot of things to do and there is an aiport with daily direct flights to Paris. But the area is huge, and we don't really know if we will enjoy it or if we are going to have some regrets. Her family told us to go there, because it's what seems to be the best choice, to them, but we are not sure.

New Orleans, LA
We spent a week there, and we loved it. There is this culture that can not be found anywhere else.
There is a french consulate, a french association, and the codofil is promoting french in Louisiana. Apparently tourism is growing there, and I met a lot of people from France there, who came to visit.
Apparently the city is opening itself to Europe, with direct flights to the UK and maybe to France soon (the consulate talked about it on its facebook page)
But life is more expensive there than it is in TX, and let's be honest: this is not the safest city.

We will be visiting the DFW area when I get here, certainly more Arlington and Fort Worth, and we will spend a few days in NOLA in early December.
It's really hard to decide, and if some of you have lived there and can help us decide, that would be good. Once again, feel free to tell us about other cities too!!

Thank you!

Edited November 2, 2016 by quentin955

[Damilolly 1]

I'm following! Coincidentally, I got back from Paris yesterday after a 3 day city break. ):

I need to enjoy Europe a little more before I finally leave.

Edited November 2, 2016 by Damilolly

[TBoneTX 45,498]

Houston has a great many museums in the Museum District.

Texas has no state income tax; Florida might not, either.

Edited November 2, 2016 by TBoneTX

[quentin955 4]

@Damilolly I'm trying to enjoy Europe as well, at least the city I live in and my family! I won't see them for a while so it's important!
Do you know when you are going to move to the US?

@TBoneTX Thanks! I'll look it up! My fiancee's aunt lives in Houston, and we are going to see her in a few weeks. I will talk to her about this!
We are really considering Texas more and more. And the fact that there is no State income tax is something I learned a few days ago, and it's really a good thing!

[millefleur 5,047]

New Orleans is great. It has it's own culture and vibe, it's extremely diverse, lots of history and local color. Always something going on. Amazing local food. Open minded locals who are really friendly. It's a very artistic city with lots of galleries and art people, so if you're also an artsy person it would be a huge plus. and ummm, did I mention....FRENCH?!!? Yes, New Orleans TOTALLY has a French vibe going on!! The local bakeries feel exactly like in France, it's so awesome. They even have a real galette du roi! at one of the authentic French bakeries in town!! (Francophile here! ) Seriously, I think you guys would be slap happy there given the French and arts connection. It's my favorite city in the South by far. Ok, so it's not the safest place but it's so bustling with energy and life and a truly unique local vibe you won't find anywhere else. Even if you don't settle there, I'd say it's worth living there just for the experience of such a unique and awesome city.

I'm a native Floridian, I grew up there....I'm from the NE part and my dad lived in the Central area near Orlando. I honestly hate it there, lol....so I feel insanely biased and can't give an objective opinion. But let me say why I can't stand Florida: IT'S BORING. I think that's the biggest drawback, it's just so insanely lacking in history and culture. I mean, really, how many times are you actually planning to visit Disney World? Most native Floridians don't even go that often, it's mega expensive and crowded all the time. Florida is also becoming overrun with retirees from the North, aka grump old New Yorkers....so it's loosing it's local vibe. It just feels like the Old Folks Home of the East Coast now in many places. Yes, Florida is safer than New Orleans, but that comes at a cost: you're living around a bunch of grandmas and soccer moms. Maybe if you're looking for a place to raise kids in a nice little bubble like the one I grew up in, it'll be fine. Floridians love gated communities with country clubs and golf courses! Blarg. But you'll probably RARELY meet another French speaker there....Florida can feel very isolated culturally. One good thing about Florida: The school system. Excellent magnet schools, just really top of the line....I loved my high school and do have great memories of it from growing up, despite all the other downsides about Florida.

I've never been to Texas so I can't say. But honestly, due to the arts and French background, I feel like New Orleans would be so perfect for you guys. Texas just seems to be more diverse and have more opportunities than FL....I think the huge plus about Florida for people is the beach. If you want to live in a state where you're never more than a stone's throw away from the beach....FL is it. But other than that....I can't recommend it, heh.

Edited November 2, 2016 by millefleur

[JFH 12,190]

Personally I couldn't imagine anything worse than Orlando. Living close to Disney World would not be an advantage to me. Are you seriously planning on going there every weekend? Of course not, so why do you need to be close? Working in an area where the majority of people are on vacation or retired can be frustrating. I am in that situation now - I live in a south coast resort town in England with a very aging population and lots of tourists. Traffic is slow. Can't enjoy a quiet evening in a restaurant. A very transient workforce which means trying to find a good hairdresser or gardener (for example) is almost impossible. What work would you do there? The area around Disney Workd is boring. Flat. Rows and rows of identical rental homes as far as the eye can see with no real soul to the place. Thousands of uncultutee British tourists there who think life in the USA is all Disney, fast food and 24-hour Walmarts. Chain restaurants and stores with no individuality. You couldn't pay me enough to live in a place like that.

We all have our preferences. Mine is the Pacific Northwest. I have to be by the coast. From what you've said here about your jobs and lifestyle I really don't think Orlando would be for you. Seattle might be, though.... lol.

[millefleur 5,047]

Personally I couldn't imagine anything worse than Orlando. Living close to Disney World would not be an advantage to me. Are you seriously planning on going there every weekend? Of course not, so why do you need to be close? Working in an area where the majority of people are on vacation or retired can be frustrating. I am in that situation now - I live in a south coast resort town in England with a very aging population and lots of tourists. Traffic is slow. Can't enjoy a quiet evening in a restaurant. A very transient workforce which means trying to find a good hairdresser or gardener (for example) is almost impossible. What work would you do there? The area around Disney Workd is boring. Flat. Rows and rows of identical rental homes as far as the eye can see with no real soul to the place. Thousands of uncultutee British tourists there who think life in the USA is all Disney, fast food and 24-hour Walmarts. Chain restaurants and stores with no individuality. You couldn't pay me enough to live in a place like that.

We all have our preferences. Mine is the Pacific Northwest. I have to be by the coast. From what you've said here about your jobs and lifestyle I really don't think Orlando would be for you. Seattle might be, though.... lol.

The north and central parts of Florida are significantly cheaper for buying a house in some areas than other states. I think that plus the beach (and hot weather) is what draws people. But you're so right about all the houses looking the same and nothing but Wal-Marts and Franchise America everywhere. Florida does feel very transient...in addition to the tourism, a lot of people move there temporarily for jobs and then move on. A lot of people come and go due to military bases as well. I'm from there, and nobody from my family even lives in my hometown anymore. So, despite growing up there for my entire childhood, I have nothing there now. My dad relocated to a beach-side retirement community a couple hours south of my hometown, which is very nice and relaxing but....it's so isolated and there's absolutely no local culture or anything to do apart from visiting the beach.

The OP mentioned only cities in the South, so maybe they want to go somewhere where it's warm and sunny.

Edited November 6, 2016 by millefleur

[quentin955 4]

I've been busy lately, since I'm moving in 6 days, so I didn't really have time to come check the thread! Thank you for your detailed answers!

Se, when we visited New Orleans, we really loved it. It has its own culture and not falling in love with this city is hard.
@millefleur the way you describe the city is exactly how we feel. But there are two districts we love and they are expensive - French Quarter and Audubon. I don't know about the other districts, I mean I don't know which ones are safe or not.
We are planning to have kids in 2018, so we are thinking maybe New Orleans is not the best. But it's really a hard choice, because once again, we love the culture and the people here.
In what city can you eat beignets at 2am? In what city are you able to see parades at any time, no matter what day it is? Yes, we did see one in an afternoon, I think it was on a Wednesday, for a wedding.
In what city can you see a 80 years old grandma dancing, wearing a costume, spreading joy and happiness with her smile? That's why we love NOLA.

About Orlando, you all convinced us not to go there. I didn't read good things about it and apparently those things were not wrong!
Just one thing: Once an annual passholder at Disneyland Paris, I went there two to three times a month, even if I had to take a train for almost 2 hours to go there. So that's why we thought about it.
But once again, you might be right. After a year, it might not be this exciting!

My fiancée got an email, an hotel chain wants to interview her because they are opening a hotel in Southlake, TX, very soon.
Thankfully, it's in the FW suburbs, so she will be able to go when I get here. I think if they offer her a good position or if they pay her well, we are going to move there.
But at the same time, her ex-manager works in a hotel in NOLA and told her if she wants a job he can get her one. He also knows a french guy there who said he is wiling to talk to me and see if he can help me get a job...
I see only two bad things about the DFW area: traffic (but it's bad in every big city), and heat in Summer. I went there during some very hot days (it reached 109°F/43°C) and it was not the best feeling!
But it's cheap, it looks clean and nice (at least the districts I saw look nice!), there are things to do, museums, zoos, restaurants (Who doesn't love Pappadeaux's?) ... And honky tonk bars! lol
It also seems good to raise kids here.
But it doesn't have what NOLA offers about culture. That's the hardest part about saying "no" to NOLA.

@JFH I've read many good things about Seattle! But her family lives in the South. That's why we don't want to move too far away. Texas, Louisiana, Florida, South Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee were the States we were thinking about.
I think we can move further, but it would be better to do so if we were sure to get good jobs here.

[millefleur 5,047]

I've heard good things about Nashville, if you hadn't thought about that area yet. I've also heard that Texas is booming economically, a lot of people seem to be happy living there. I've never been to Texas but I get the feeling that it's more diverse than Florida, based on the Texans I've met personally.

I've heard that the Carolinas are really pricey if you want to live in a good area. One of my friends moved there with her foreign husband thinking they could get jobs and they ended up bust, they moved back to her home state (OR) because it just didn't work out. Seems like a very tight-knit community in the Carolinas where it's hard to break into if you're not from there.

The hot weather in the South just comes with the territory. Year-round A/C is the way to go in most places, so if you're going to stay in the South, that's just problem across the board. You'll get used to it, but if it starts getting stifling I definitely recommend taking a vacation somewhere cooler a couple times a year just for a healthy change of scenery/climate.

[quentin955 4]

We did think about Nashville! It's actually the place I had on my mind when I said we thought of Tennessee. And as a country music lover, it sounds very good. But I don't know much about this city. I don't know about the economy here, and I don't know if it's a really nice city, since I haven't been there! I'm getting ready to move to the US and getting everything in order so I'm busy, but I'll surely look it up when I have time!

We thought about the Carolinas because my fiancée's mom lived here. But she actually just moved back to Louisiana. So, it's not really an option we are considering anymore.

[MarkPerry 488]

Dallas has Six Flags over Texas, Orlando has DisneyLand

By comparision Disneyland suxs compared to SixFlags.

Disneyland is geared toward children in grade school, Six Flags is more a family park and have many thrill rides

[Marc_us82 49]

I'm moving to DFW in January. We have done some apartment shopping in the las colinas area, for $1700 you can get a 2 bed 2 bath, and that's a steal! (I now live in Long Beach, CA and we pay $2400 for just the house minus the facilities). Lotsa employment opportunities in DFW and many more are migrating from California. Yes the summer heat is unpleasant, but something's gotta give. I will say for career wise DFW is the right choice, you can always retire somewhere else by the beach.

[MarkPerry 488]

I'm moving to DFW in January. We have done some apartment shopping in the las colinas area, for $1700 you can get a 2 bed 2 bath, and that's a steal! (I now live in Long Beach, CA and we pay $2400 for just the house minus the facilities). Lotsa employment opportunities in DFW and many more are migrating from California. Yes the summer heat is unpleasant, but something's gotta give. I will say for career wise DFW is the right choice, you can always retire somewhere else by the beach.

That is not a steal in Las Colinas, overpriced. In Texas for $1700 a month you can get a nice 2800 sq ft house brand new in the same area you are looking

[Marc_us82 49]

That is not a steal in Las Colinas, overpriced. In Texas for $1700 a month you can get a nice 2800 sq ft house brand new in the same area you are looking

Ok so maybe we weren't looking hard enough. But I wanted apartment living and I didn't mind the 1400 sqf (we are 2), also it has a lake view so I kinda wanna keep the same of what we have now (beach house in LB). We also looked at Addison and farmers branch, any input on what's up and coming?

[quentin955 4]

I got more answers than expected on this thread.
It turned out that my fiancée might get a job in Texas. In case she doesn't, DFW and NOLA will stay on the top of our list. I have to get more information about Nashville too.

I think DFW is 1st overall right now on our list. Apparently there is a lot of stuff to do. There are museums, restaurants, some nice area... And we can go watch football, basketball and soccer!
As MarkPerry said, there is Six Flags over Texas too, and they have lots of interesting offers.
Add a cheap house market, no income tax, an economy that keeps growing... Apparently we can't really go wrong with it!
Thank you all for your answers.

I like how this conversation is going, since I don't know so much about DFW neighborhoods and districts and I'm interested about knowing more about them.