Fort Worth, Texas

Should I move to Fort Worth, Texas? Is it decent place?

Having lived in both LA and Fort Worth, it’s nothing like LA. Not sure that is the right impression.

Fort Worth is a beautiful “slower pace” city. The cultural scene is excellent with top notch museums and classical music venues. There are a lack of “outdoorsy” activities in most of the area. However we use the money we save from living here by taking a couple vacations each year.

Fort Worth is also very “un showy” when it comes to money. Many wealthy individuals who like to keep it under wraps (family ranches and oil money). This is in contrast compared to Dallas. I’d say Dallas compares more to LA in that people drive fancy cars, show off their money, etc. Fort Worth is much different.

Downtown is one of the cleanest cities I’ve been to.

If you buy a house, property tax runs about 2.6% of the value, so take that into account.

Crime is much lower in Fort Worth than most other cities. South of downtown can get sketchy, but never really unsafe unless at night. Weather is not bad, sometimes we get tornadoes but there is a warning system in place.

May move to FW in a year, pros and cons?

As a 5th gen Texan who grew up in Ft Worth, but since lived in CA and now MI, this is my list.

Pros

Food. Really, really good TexMex and BBQ. Pretty decent Asian options. Texans like to eat, and Ft Worth doesnt disappoint. It's not the CalMex you're used to in CA, be warned. It's better. :)

People. I have tons of friends and family in Texas and IMO, Texans are good people. Very warm and welcoming. You'll find hicks and racists, but it's no worse than my current area of MI. For the most part, Texans pride themselves on hospitality.

Shopping. Hella better than MI, that's for sure. Good malls and shops. DFW is big. Really big. IMO it's better shopping in DFW than in Chicago, though more spread out vs. 1 central area.

Cons

Ft Worth can be a bit overly cowboy proud. They like to be the anti Dallas, which is fine, but it can seem somewhat pandering at times.

Weather. Texas is obnoxiously hot and humid. You get maybe 2 or 3 nice months of the year. Otherwise you get stupid hot or ice storms or hail or tornadoes or floods. For a few weeks in March you will say, "man, this is nice weather", then you might not say that again until November.

What is it like to live in Fort Worth, Texas, USA?

I have lived all over the US and I adore Fort Worth. I grew up in Los Angeles and since then I've lived in Napa Valley, San Francisco, Boston, Orlando, St. Petersburg, D.C., Alexandria, V.A., Austin and maybe a few more I've blanked on. There is an incredible amount of culture here and the hair is much smaller than Dallas. :) The scene is much less L.A. than Austin and I love that. The people have kind hearts and I've met some of the most amazing people since I've been here the last two years. The music scene is killer. They have really cool shows at really small venues and attitude and fighting is at a minimum. The museums and zoo are also fabulous. I've lived all over the US and until I arrived here I've never felt home.

What is it like to live in Fort Worth, Texas, USA?

I was born in Ft Worth, raised in a smaller suburb, went away for college and then settled in Fort Worth afterwards and never seriously considered living anywhere else.

Fort Worth probably won't wow you with any one aspect compared to cities of similar size, but taken as a whole with all things considered, I find it hard to top. It's a fairly large city with everything you expect, (excellent museums, live music, dining, festivals etc..) but also manages to maintain a small city level of charm and laid back atmosphere. The thing that transplants from other states or visitors find most surprising about Fort Worth is the fact that people not only work in the heart of the city, but live there as well. (in older buildings renovated and converted to apartments/condos) After the work day is over, you can find quite a bit of free parking to enjoy the shops, restaurants and nightclubs downtown in relative safety compared to many cities. (the private developers have their own security force in addition to the PD)

As others have mentioned, Fort Worth is part of a much larger metroplex, (don't say "twin cities") and if you can't find what you're looking for here, you surely can in Dallas or one of the many cities between or surrounding the area. Fort Worth is for people who want the nostalgia of the wild west, we have that here both real and fabricated, and a laid back atmosphere to go along with all the usual urban amenities.

Oh, and if choreographed cattle drives for tourists aren't your thing, yet experiencing the old ways of the west are still an interest, you don't have to drive very far to find real working cattle ranches and people who use "cowboy/cowgirl" or ranch hand as an actual job description.

Pros and Cons of Living in Fort Worth, Texas - Moving to TX