Where to Live
Most young professionals choose to live in Uptown Dallas. It's within walking distance of the Turtle Creek shopping center, DART public bus and rail, the free Trolley line, 2 beautiful parks (Griggs and Klyde Warren), and has many bars and restaurants perfect for new college grads. ‘22
I live uptown in the State Thomas neighborhood, which is a great place for recent grads. It’s made up of mostly young professionals and is very pretty with lots of trees, cute apartments, and townhouses. It’s also very safe. You know you live in a good area when people from all around come there to walk their dogs after dark. I’ve found it to be very affordable. It’s also within walking distance of lots of fun bars and restaurants. ’18
Most young people live in “Uptown” (which is different than “Downtown”), and there is a ton to do for young professionals. ’18
Plan for rush hour in the mornings and the evenings. ‘23
Be careful not to get lost on the highways, everyone drives pretty fast, everything is bigger in Texas. ‘25
Get a car and do not rely on public transport. ‘24
Live in uptown or Lower Greenville/Knox Henderson ‘21
- Uptown – If you are working downtown, or anywhere in the Park Cities, Uptown is a great place for young graduates. Many places are within walking distance to great restaurants and bars.
- Plano, Frisco, Carrollton, and Coppell are all good places to live if you are working on the North side of town, but they are more “family oriented.”
- Young graduates also enjoy living in east Dallas in neighborhoods such as Henderson and Lower Greenville
Things to Do
- Dallas Mavericks, Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers games – always fun (even if the team isn’t having a winning season!)
- The Katy Trail – (located in Uptown) A great place to run, walk, rollerblade, and bike. It’s full of young people after work and on the weekends.
- White Rock Lake – A popular place to enjoy the Dallas weather. You can rent sailboats, pack a picnic or take a walk along the paved trail that goes around the entire lake.
- Highland Park Village – Visit anytime and take a drive through the Highland Park neighborhood during the holidays—the lights are beautiful!
- State Fair of Texas – Has been held annually at Fair Park since 1889. It is a massive event that takes place in the fall. It’s something everyone needs to experience at least once in their life.
- The Red River Shootout – The football game between heated rivals Texas and Oklahoma, is a great experience. The two teams “meet in the middle” at Dallas’ Cotton Bowl.
- American Airlines Center – Gets some awesome concerts—check Ticketmaster frequently or you might miss out!
- Museums
- The Sixth Floor Museum: this is the museum dedicated to the life and assassination of John F. Kennedy. A must-see for everyone.
- The Dallas Museum of Art
- The Nasher Sculpture Center
- The Meadows Museum of Art (on Southern Methodist University campus)
- The Dallas Contemporary
- Perot Museum
- Shopping – Dallas is a great place to shop.
- NorthPark Center (10 minutes north of downtown): Everything from Zara to Neiman Marcus. It also has a nice food court and a movie theatre.
- Dallas Galleria Much like NorthPark, but further away from the Park Cities area of Highland Park Village – Rumor has it, this was America’s first shopping center.
- West Village – Located in Uptown: outdoor shopping with eclectic mix of shops, bars, restaurants and The Violet Crown movie theatre.
- Plano and Frisco – Stonebriar Mall in Frisco
- Allen Premium Outlets – A little-known secret: if Northpark and Highland Park Village are a little out of your budget, you can find great deals here. Everything from Neiman’s Last Call to Nike to J. Crew. From downtown, take Central Expressway (also known as “75”) north about 25 miles. You will see signs along the Expressway that direct you to the exit.
Getting Around
Traffic is a severe challenge, especially around rush hour, so live near your job if possible —or live somewhere where you will be driving against the flow of traffic. The DART commuter train system is very easy and convenient. Buy a Toll Tag—even if you don’t anticipate driving on the tollway much. You’ll be glad you did! Take advantage of the other great cities in Texas! San Antonio, Houston and Austin all make great weekend trips, and if you find a cheap fare on Southwest, you can be there in no time!
