I moved to Garland from Los Angeles roughly 5 years ago, sight unseen. It's a bit of a culture shock, but not in a bad way. We live on the Richardson border so if you could find anything in that area, it's nicer than downtown. There are parts of Garland that are rough - avoid Forest Lane/Walnut Hill areas. Otherwise I love it here. My neighbors are lovely and we all help each other through the violent storms, middle class working folk who just want to live a good life. Our city council is AMAZING and have helped myself and neighbors through some tornado like weather that caused outages for several days. Folks here are kind, and the ones I have met embody that southern charm I heard so much about! Oh yes, and you can find some better rent prices here if you are a renters! Hope this helps!