Haven’t lived in Dallas since 2008, moving back in August, what will surprise me the most?
Posted by nylestandish@reddit | askdfw | View on Reddit | 58 comments
I grew up in Plano, lived in N Dallas and downtown in my 20s and left when I was 28. Now I’m 46 and moving back to N Dallas and feel like a lot will have changed. Hit me with what you think I should know
cowboypants@reddit
Red lights are the new yellow lights.
anb8814@reddit
Nordstrom has completely closed in the Galleria.
T_Nich321@reddit
Traffic is a lot worse
nylestandish@reddit (OP)
Someone I know mentioned rush hour has gotten earlier, true?
woahwoahwoah28@reddit
I'm not sure what rush hour was in 2008. But I do know I have to leave my house before 6:45 if I want to avoid it.
nylestandish@reddit (OP)
I should have been more clear. He was talking about the afternoon. Said rush hour starts at like 3:30
woahwoahwoah28@reddit
Oh yeah. That one's bad too. 😂 starts at 3 PM.
justonemom14@reddit
I call it the school rush hour. There will be lots of traffic when everyone is picking up kids from school, and doing the after school activities and errands. so yeah. It starts early and ends late.
ossancrossing@reddit
This. 3 PM to sometimes even up to 8 PM is just stupid. On a good day the worst is over by 6:30-7 PM
musingsofmuse@reddit
Yeah forget doing anything after 3 PM
nova2726@reddit
It took me a while to learn that it didn’t matter if I left the house at 7am or 745am, I would still get to work at 830am.
nylestandish@reddit (OP)
So I should look for remote/hybrid work because the traffic was already one of the worst parts of Dallas 20 years ago damn
NaturalFly1572@reddit
Traffic is worse across 7 days a week. However, it’s not evenly distributed across all major arteries. I have found 35 to be far less soul crushing over 13 years than 75 or 635. Also timing plays a big part as well as direction. What hasn’t gone unnoticed is just how far out office campuses have relocated. So even if you can travel against the flow of traffic with flexible start times, it still ends up being a 50 mile RT commute.
orthodoxscouter@reddit
It's almost a nonstop rush hour from 6am to 7pm
What_is_rich@reddit
How bad Tom Thumb has gotten and how good HEB is.
nylestandish@reddit (OP)
I heard HEB is there, I used to go to HEB when I was in Waco during college haha
chipcinnati@reddit
Hey there, welcome back. I moved away in 2007 and came back last summer. Big changes: 1) more diversity everywhere. The Costco at Coit/Churchill/Central is a veritable United Nations. 2) more toll roads, in Collin, Denton and Tarrant counties, 3) I actually think Central Expwy between downtown and LBJ is not any worse. There’s less morning rush-hour traffic downtown because more business centers are scattered about the area. There are still backups here and there, especially near Woodall Rodgers, but it’s not any worse.
nylestandish@reddit (OP)
Good to hear from someone who has the same experience!
What_is_rich@reddit
Toll lane prices are criminal.
nerdyguytx@reddit
I moved here in 2008 and have always lived near Uptown. It has a lot more skyscrapers and a lot less of a nightlife.
nylestandish@reddit (OP)
Does the 2026 you still think uptown is the right place to live the same way 2008 you did?
ArmWarm8743@reddit
I moved here in 2008 and it still shocks me how much the areas north of Plano have grown. I had some friends who lived off Legacy and Coit and I still remember driving to the boonies (The Colony) when we wanted alcohol and Plano was dry. Just up the tollway or along 121 from McKinney to Lewisville.
nylestandish@reddit (OP)
Someone I know move to Celina and mentioned it to me like it’s a normal thing. Celina used to basically be Oklahoma
pacochalk@reddit
A lot more diverse food and drink options now.
nylestandish@reddit (OP)
That’s great to know! Looking forward to exploring some new places but the first 3 months are deserved for texmex
Primary_Excuse_7183@reddit
lol there’s nearly 2 million ish more people in the metro.
nylestandish@reddit (OP)
I only need like 4-5 friends so you’re telling me there’s a chance!
Primary_Excuse_7183@reddit
Very good chance of that. Lol especially if you like mowing the lawn or bbqing and want friends to talk tips 😂
No-Potato9439@reddit
The traffic!!!
castawayyyyy342@reddit
There’s so many people…. everywhere. Driving has gotten even worse if you can believe that.
caphair@reddit
It’s this. You will try to do things at random times to beat the traffic, beat the crowds, etc. and it won’t freaking matter. Sprawl for days.
Bobby_the_Great@reddit
This. The population growth is overwhelming.
nylestandish@reddit (OP)
Brutal. I used to drive an hour on the tollway to work until I just decided to move down there
Upstairs_Balance_464@reddit
You’ll see all these reports of the death of downtown but you’ll come down here and it’s far more vibrant than it was when you left. You’ll see all this stuff about how dangerous Deep Ellum is but it’s so much nicer than it was in 2008. There’s a big disconnect between what the suburbanites believe and what’s actually going on in the city.
nylestandish@reddit (OP)
That’s good to know. I lived in deep ellum for a few years. Is Angry Dog still there?!
Upstairs_Balance_464@reddit
Yes :-) Angry Dog, St. Pete’s, Adair’s all still going strong.
nylestandish@reddit (OP)
Fantastic news
sarmstro1968@reddit
Endless diversity.
ossancrossing@reddit
2008 traffic will seem like nothing compared to 2026 traffic. The amount of time it’ll take you to get to places that used to be minimal is brutal. Also the old expectation of typical rush time days/hours really no longer applies either.
Archgate82@reddit
Lots and lots of panhandlers and homeless encampments. It’s run down, the city doesn’t keep up the roadsides like they used to. Lots of old rusted stop lights and light poles, untrimmed trees with suckers along the roadsides and shorn down brown grass... except in some of the richest areas. You would never believe 75 used to have beautiful flowers and lights along the sides not too long ago.
nylestandish@reddit (OP)
Honest feedback and I feel the same way about the places I’ve lived since I left Dallas too
thorleifkristjan@reddit
Population growth is a nightmare.
No empty space left except on the fringes of the metroplex.
Highway structure: left lane: 90mph, middle lane: 55mph, right lane: 120mph AND 45mph.
Highway expansion + overpopulation has not eased traffic, but now you can pay $40 in tolls one way to get home at a reasonable time.
Don't come back
askdfw-ModTeam@reddit
Your post has been removed for gatekeeping.
Don't encourage others not to move to DFW, and do not say or imply that someone is not welcome in DFW, for whatever reason.
ListDazzling1946@reddit
Man this is so damn accurate
nylestandish@reddit (OP)
Coming back even if it is noticeably worse in many ways. Those tolls sound awful but I’ve experienced similar in two other places I’ve lived too
SoupNazzi@reddit
Traffic, traffic, traffic.
Vast-Upstairs-5832@reddit
The rent and so many people everywhere
JackMahogoff37@reddit
Toll roads — everywhere
PlayfulOtterFriend@reddit
The biggest thing is what others have said about the population growth. So many people! Especially in Collin County.
Because of that. cost of living relative to the rest of the US is much higher than it used to be. We used to sit below average and now we are slightly above average.
Public schools are worse off, thanks to intentional starvation by our state leaders.
DART is both bigger than before (more rail lines) and struggling more than before (cities pulling out).
Food choices have evolved. We are a hidden gem when it comes to dining.
The movie theater scene has imploded. It’s hanging on by a thread. But we still have some nice ones. Angelika looks rundown, but Alamo Drafthouse is cool. Though it is struggling too — they shut down for a while but managed to resurrect itself.
Dallas Summer Musicals is now called Broadway Dallas. The AT&T Performing Arts Center opened right when you left, and it is beautiful! We now have the largest arts district in the US. The city built a park over Woodall Rogers in downtown, and it is very popular. We get more major acts and touring shows than before. The Perot Museum is a fantastic science museum that opened right after you left.
Welcome back!
nylestandish@reddit (OP)
Great answer! Appreciate it. That’s too bad about Angelika, I used to go there a few times a year. Looking forward to the new (to me) performing arts center then! Thanks again
RodinBigD@reddit
The amount of apartment buildings.
nylestandish@reddit (OP)
I looked at a few online and even if they’re new, the look exactly the same as 20 years ago!
No_Obligation5739@reddit
Welcome back!
nylestandish@reddit (OP)
Cheers!
No_Obligation5739@reddit
Gentrification. south Dallas, Capital, Oak Cliff. It is disgusting. You won’t recognize a lot of areas
nylestandish@reddit (OP)
I’ve seen some other posts in here talking about areas I never went to so I imagine I’ll be surprised quite a bit in a few areas
hypogly@reddit
All those cheap homes from growing up are either torn down for new builds by cash-rich transplants or the cost of land has made them way more expensive than you'd expect back in 2008.
nylestandish@reddit (OP)
I almost bought a house in Dallas in 2007 haha. For a long time I thought I made the right choice not doing it. No regrets even if the market is ridiculous