Garland, Texas

What don't you like about living in Garland, TX?

Good question, but there is really nothing significant that I don’t like about living in Garland, Texas. Why not?

• We live in a great neighborhood surrounded by trees up to 70 feet tall.
• We are nearby (within about 15 miles) to everything we need or want to do in the Dallas area.
• Electric power is the most reliable in Texas and is owned by the City of Garland
• Trash, brush and recyclables pickup are more frequent than any other city in the area.
• Top ten :
  -- Best run city in the US. The City’s bonds are among the highest rated in the US), and the City always has a balanced budget.
  -- Safest City in the US (including School Resource Officers that are armed.)
  -- Most diverse city in the US
  -- Best city for women to get ahead
• Serviced by two excellent school systems: Garland ISD (58,000 students) and Richardson ISD (38,000 students), depending upon where you live. (Note: in Texas, the school districts are independent taxing entities from city governments.)
• 400 Manufacturers and over 9000 businesses means that we have the lowest unemployment…anyone who wants a job can get one.
• Average Police and Fire departments’ emergency response time is less that 6 minutes.
• Only city in Texas with its own health department.
• Highest rated health department and library system in Texas

What advice would you give to someone who is moving to Garland, TX?

Just as you are reading this message about Garland, please read that of Chris Stevens as his answers are very informative. I will not cover the same information, just add more. Up until a year ago, I was a City Councilman for District 1, in the Northern most, and newest part of Garland. My tenure on the Council allowed me to learn many key things about Garland. Here is a list of attributes for this great city

Garland is about 100 years old, and developed largely as an industrial area. It is a “1st tier” city within the Dallas-Ft Worth Metroplex, being immediately adjacent to Dallas. Although the DFW airport is 30 miles away (49 km), you can reach it by car in 30 minutes. Dallas Love Field is 20 minutes away, and downtown Dallas is only about 25 minutes away in low traffic times or on the Dart Rail.

• Today there are over 400 manufacturers in Garland, who make many things you will instantly recognize: Sherwin Williams and Valspar Paints; Kraft and US Foods; Plastipak which makes bottles and packages for products like TIDE detergent; General Dynamics (make things like magnesium forgings for aircraft landing gear); Atlas Coptco (drilling rigs); Garrett Metal Detectors (seen at airports world wide) and many other things.
• Unemployment is typically in the 3–4% range (very low), and usually there is a job in town for everybody that wants one.
• The Very Large Array (VLA) of 27 radio telescopes in Socorro, NM, was designed and built in Garland for the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, and it has been a world class astronomy instrument since the 1970’s. Other radio telescopes and satellite antennas were also developed here. This spawned the large antenna and telescope business in North Texas.
• It is in the top 10 most racially diversified cities in America.
• It is among the top 10 SAFEST cities in America. People in my neighborhood and most others can safely go for walks any time of the day or night. Our police force is nationally recognized as one of the best, and with its Neighborhood Patrol Officers throughout the city who get to know and support the various neighborhood groups. Strife and turmoil are almost non-existent.
• It is in the top 10 BEST RUN cities in America with AAA Bond ratings, and it balances its budget every year.

Does Garland, TX have a good quality of life?

Does Garland, TX have a good quality of life?

I think so. My family has lived here for 28 years. City services are second to none in the area. I live in a great neighborhood. The city has a large manufacturing base, both large and small companies which you would recognize, that number about 400. In total, there are over 9,000 businesses in our city of 240,000 souls within our 57 square miles. Unemployment here is usually below the US and Texas state numbers. Currently, unemployment is about 3%. Anyone who wants a job can find one.

Some of Garland’s top 10 in National and State awards:

Safest cities in the USA
Best Run Cities in the USA: Garland has a AAA bond rating and gets the lowest interest rates, and there are many institutions that only buy Garland Bonds.
Most Diversified Cities in the USA: No one race has more than a third of the population, and all of the get along very well…they have to, they work together and almost all have jobs.
Best cities for Women to Succeed in the USA.
Best Health Department in the State of Texas (and the only city in Texas with its own health department).
Disaster Management: Handles disaster management for itself and 10 nearby Texas Counties (those with smaller populations)
Most reliable power system in Texas. Garland owns its own power company: Garland Power and Light. It is 3 times more reliable than any other power company in Texas. It is also very green. GP&L currently buys the entire power output of two large wind farms and a large solar farm, totaling about 500–600 megawatts the last time I checked. Its other power sources are gas fired, the greenest of fossil fuels.
The average first responder response time is about 5–1/2 minutes for all class A events: fires, police emergencies, disasters, etc.
Garland is served by two great school systems: Garland Independent School District (GISD), about 58,000 students; and Richardson Independent School District (RISD), about 38,000 students that serve Garland and surrounding areas. Also, there are a number of State funded and very successful traditional, Magnet, Charter and Special Education schools in Garland, plus other private and parochial schools as well.

All of this makes for a great city! Since Garland is also a first tier city to Dallas, it is convenient to most places in the Eastern half of the Dallas Ft. Worth Metroplex. DFW airport is about 35 minutes from Garland, and Dallas Love Field is about 20 minutes away. Even with its proximity to Dallas, Garland is a complete city

Come and check it out! We love living here!

What is Garland, Texas like?

It depends where, Garland is huge. The northern part, up around highway 190 is nice, mostly middle-class standard suburban america. The older parts of town in the middle, and east have some rough neighborhoods. The best way to find out for sure is to visit the area you're thinking about moving to, both in the day and after dark, and see what kind of stuff is going on. Unkempt lawns with shitty old cars parked out front in various stages of repair? That's a clue to look elsewhere. People out jogging, riding bikes? That's a good sign.

As far as the weather, the stereotype is pretty much true. It gets hot as shit during the summer, generally triple digit heat. Winters are mild, with temperatures usually above freezing. There are odd times too when the weather changes very quickly from hot to cold, or vice-versa.

Should You Move to Garland Texas?