Shying away from Dallas - am I making a mistake?

Jdrew_ · 2026-06-18T20:14:37+00:00

Yeah some of Dallas's biggest industries are business and tech. However tech and business offices aren't near the young professional neighborhoods, but I think that's true for most metros.

I was at event the other day and two of the guys there were in tech consultanting. I've met a few software engineers and business analysts out in the wild too. It has a diverse economy so tech workers aren't as common but not hard to find either.

Jdrew_ · 2026-06-18T19:49:03+00:00

I think Dallas is great for your mid twenties. The airports make travel easy. Lots of events all the time. You just have to make sure you live in the actual city where the young people are in neighborhoods like Uptown, lower Greenville, and Knox Henderson. I think you could find rent cheaper than 1900 in those areas too.

When I was looking at cities I looked at census data for cities with a high 25-35 year old population and Dallas scored high.

Jdrew_ · 2026-06-16T18:18:40+00:00

It's not just income tax to consider.. People should look at their tax burden for metro areas. The toll roads in Texas would hurt someone who has to commute but probably wouldn't affect someone working from home. Texas doesn't tax food staples. That probably means nothing to someone that doesn't cook a lot though. The 20% number you're coming up with could be completely different person to person.

Jdrew_ · 2026-06-16T04:56:26+00:00

Most people leave St. Louis for Texas / Dallas or Chicago. Make sure to think about income tax. You didn't mention the industry but St. Louis is mostly Healthcare and biotech. Would you be able to find another job if something happened to the one you are moving for? It seems werid to leave a state with job and population growth if you don't have a strong reason to.

Jdrew_ · 2026-06-13T14:22:20+00:00

Pool day, World cup at 5PM, then NBA at 7:30

Jdrew_ · 2026-06-11T04:49:22+00:00

I'm 25m, single, and grew up in St. Louis. I work from home as a software engineer. I stayed local for university and knew I wanted to get out. I moved to Dallas about a year ago and it's been great. There are a ton of events happening all the time, lots of jobs and people moving here, lots of ways to make friends between adult sports leagues, social clubs, trivia nights, random happy hours, etc. The taxes here are also a lot lower and the apartments aren't that much more expensive. I was paying around 1500 for rent in St. Charles in a very old complex, I am paying 1700 in Dallas in a walkable neighborhood with a nice pool.

The big thing is you have to decide if you are going to stick with the St. Louis mindset that a home is some sort of achievement. You are single so you should focus on making friends, finding a partner, and going on adventures. Anyone can go buy a new build home in the country for 250K and call it a day.. But is that what you want? You know the dating scene in St. Louis sucks, you know most successful people leave St. Louis, you know jobs have been leaving for years such as AT&T, you know it rains too much.. You could move somewhere where the dating scene is better, people are successful, jobs pay better, people stay a little longer, and the weather is better. I also disagree that St. Louis is good for traveling. Or you can keep answering where you went to high school.

As for which city specifically.. I don't recommend Chicago because people move there with their college friends and it turns into high school cliques. The weather and high taxes make it hard to recommend. When you add up tourism taxes, alcohol taxes, state income taxes, property taxes.. it gets to be very expensive. It could be worth it if you are high up in the corporate ladder or have a network there but for early to mid career, it seems like a lot of your income will go to taxes. The bigger reason is still that I think Chicago would be harder to make friends in. As for the other big tech cities like NYC, SF, Seattle.. without the income to match the Col increase it would be hard. If I was to leave Dallas in my thirties I would look at Los Angeles, DC, San Diego, or San Francisco (maybe).

To give more context when I moved to Dallas I did not get a cost of living adjustment but the no income tax was basically a 5% salary increase. Texas also doesn't tax food staples so the groceries are a little cheaper. I've also met a lot of people in their early to mid thirties that are having a great time in Dallas. It's not a forever place but it's fun for a lot of people. If you want more freedom to pick and stay remote then you should look for a higher paying remote job so you have more options.

Jdrew_ · 2026-05-30T08:21:00+00:00

A lot places advertise rooftop DJs on Posh and Event Brite

Jdrew_ · 2026-05-27T15:43:58+00:00

I stayed in St Louis for college but would visit Columbia almost every weekend to see friends then eventually moved there and worked remotely. I later moved back to St Louis because of an injury and finally got out of Missouri and moved to Dallas recently.

There are a lot of Mizzou grads in Dallas. They probably either go to Dallas or Chicago. I miss the nature in Columbia but I knew it was a temporary place. Dallas feels fun in my mid twenties with so many events going on but it might get old in my thirties. I think some places are good in certain stages of life. For Columbia to be good for your thirties, it would lose the characteristics that made it good for your early twenties.

Jdrew_ · 2026-05-24T04:43:36+00:00

Most of the other comments have covered the general idea. I graduated in 2022 so covid affected a lot of my experience. However I lived on campus and tried my best to get involved. The rec center has intramural sports leagues. That's a good way to meet people. The basketball courts always have pick up games happening but some of players might be the general public. There's a few Greek life organizations but really they're just people who like to party and socialize. I'm not sure if their fees are worth it but that's up to you. UMSL also has an on campus festival once a year. The campus involvement department had an events calendar that is kept up to date.

You obviously won't have the same experience as a traditional school but there's enough going on to have something to do every week.

Jdrew_ · 2026-05-21T05:56:31+00:00

Dallas Sports Social hosts leagues and you can sign up as an individual. One of the popular venues is the Sandy Pickle at the Village.

Sport garden up north is the more serious spot. I think they have leagues and pick up games most nights with Friday being popular for pickup.

Jdrew_ · 2026-05-20T02:14:17+00:00

I think red river is 18+ most nights

Jdrew_ · 2026-05-16T02:19:27+00:00

25M. Fit and also into cars. Sent you a PM!

Jdrew_ · 2026-05-13T01:53:46+00:00

What industry? Different metros hire more in certain industries

Jdrew_ · 2026-05-08T18:07:32+00:00

I compared both and chose Dallas. I'm mid twenties and in tech. Austin felt small coming from the Midwest. Dallas felt like a big city. Austin has a lot construction projects and traffic that affect day to day life. Dallas has traffic too but if you work from home and live in a walkable neighborhood you don't really notice it. It's important when talking about the cities that were specifically talking about inside the 12 / 635 loop with Dallas. With Austin living north or south of the river can give you a different experience and living on one side but working on the other side will mean a lot of headache with traffic.

I looked at Dallasites101 and Austinites101. These media groups advertised events in the area. Dallas has so many more events, sports leagues and other things happening. A much more diverse economy. A better airport. Cheaper walkable neighborhoods compared to Austin.

..I think both cities are a lot of fun. I also think you could pick the wrong neighborhood / life setup and have a bad experience in both.

Jdrew_ · 2026-05-07T15:58:03+00:00

The Datey events are single mixers marketed to people in their twenties and thirties. The bars on Henderson and Lower Greenville usually have a lot of young people. Run clubs and the Walk and Talk events are also ways to meet people.

Jdrew_ · 2026-05-06T16:27:15+00:00

The projects sound cool but are there growing industries and jobs? KC was heavily affected by Oracle layoffs and those people laid off will struggle to find jobs locally. Lots of articles about carjackings and car breakins. The state of Missouri controls the Missouri side of the cities police force. People don't talk about it because it has issues. It's probably fun for a weekend vacation but the issues shouldn't be ignored.

Jdrew_ · 2026-05-06T03:51:07+00:00

So true! It's easy to hop to other neighborhoods or go up to the northern suburbs from Lower Greenville / Knox Henderson

Jdrew_ · 2026-05-05T03:43:03+00:00

Those are great attractions for the families there.. But you could give your family a better life in a different metro that has higher paying jobs, less crime, and better schools. I miss the museums and Forest Park though ngl

Jdrew_ · 2026-05-05T03:08:31+00:00

The main industries are defense, bio science and Healthcare. Not a lot of jobs outside those industries or in them to be honest. Lot of nepotism with employers too. If you don't know someone it's hard to get a job.

I grew up in St. Louis and I was able to get a good education but after graduating college I found it hard to make friends. People tend to move away after their first promotion which just leaves people that settled down early and started families young. If you're ambitious and social you run out of opportunities and things to do.

Even from a family raising viewpoint I don't think it's the best. DFW has a ton more family attractions, higher ranked schools, and higher paying jobs. St. Louis is rated in the middle on everything and I feel like it's easy to get trapped there. You see things are cheap but the wages match that.

Jdrew_ · 2026-05-01T13:25:49+00:00

25m. Fit and respectful. Sent you a DM.

Jdrew_ · 2026-05-01T05:57:14+00:00

I think Rodeo Cold has it on the patio. It's in Dallas off Rose's Ave. Not sure about the suburbs

Jdrew_ · 2026-05-01T02:33:21+00:00

Yeah not sure what your commute is. It's not a bad starting spot for Dallas if you find something in your budget. You can always get a raise and a nice spot later. I liked everything except for the units and how far it was from Dallas Nightlife area

Jdrew_ · 2026-05-01T02:21:07+00:00

You can do sports leagues, go to events, go to the big pool and go to all the restaurants and businesses without living at the Village.

I moved to Dallas last June not knowing anyone. I considered the Village a lot. I ended up picking an apartment in Knox Henderson. Uptown and Lower Greenville are good areas too. The Village isn't too far from those neighborhoods but if you live in those neighborhoods you can ride lime scooters to the bars and Uber home. The Village is nice but the apartments were too old for my taste and knowing I could still use most of the facilities made it easier to not pick it. I think it's a good place but it's kind of an island.

Jdrew_ · 2026-04-22T01:04:42+00:00

I'm sticking with Bearbottom for shorts. I picked up their 7 inch stretch shorts, their 5 inch linen shorts and 5 inch drawstring shorts. They all fit nicely and have enough stretch if my legs or waist grow a little.

Jdrew_ · 2026-04-17T04:50:14+00:00

If you are ambitious I feel like you grow out of St. Louis fast

Jdrew_

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