Torn - the US half is very unsure about repatriating

I am going to reply as I have lived in Texas my whole life except for this past year as I have been in Wales working on an MA. I grew up in Houston, but spent the past 20 years in the DFW area and I much prefer Houston. I have a fairly assertive personality so when religion is brought up, which it is often, I tell people it is a private matter and not open to discussion. It is an issue you will have to deal with on a fairly regular basis. 

Other things to keep in mind about the DFW area, and Texas in general, is that it is a right to carry state meaning that one can get a license to carry a concealed weapon. God knows how many people are walking around armed on a daily basis. I know several and am uncomfortable going out with them. Also, in the past few years, not sure about 2006, Dallas was top of the list for murders in cities of its size. This is an official study done by the FBI, I believe. Not trying to scare you, but I think this type of info is important when choosing where to live.

Also, the weather is another major factor. It is unbearably HOT most of the summer and it is not unusual for temps to be 100+ deg F for days, usually in excess of 30 days, in a row. I believe this summer has been a bit milder. Winters vary greatly and can be below freezing for days to balmy. DFW also ranks high in cities with pollution issues and there are days, usually in the summer, when people with respiratory problems are advised to stay inside.

I am not trying to discourage you from moving to Texas, but really think some of these issues are to be considered. We, my British partner and I, are planning a move to the U.K and, even if we change our minds, we will move out of Texas. I just can't take another summer there.

I know I haven't posted here before, but have been lurking for a number of months. Guess I should go introduce myself. 

Try this site to find out more about TX:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/

I'm going back to the USA (not sure where yet either...) in Feb and have found this to be a valuable source of info about various locales & metropolitan areas.  Of course, like anything else you find on the net, everything should be taken with a grain of salt but it is a really good place to start. 

Good luck!

I lived in Texas in the DFW area for about 8 years before I moved to London. I grew up in California and moving to Texas was a great big culture shock. I hated it at first. I think that I would always prefer to live in California, but Texas did grow on me after a few years.

It does seem as though there is a church (or two or three) on every corner, but I have to say that I never felt  like religion was being pushed on me. Dallas is a large city and not everyone there is religious. I lived in the North Dallas area for several years and I really liked it there.

One bad thing about Texas is that it is super hot and humid in the summer. It can be miserable at first, but you'll get used to it. Good luck with whatever you guys decide!

I grew up in Dallas and lived for a number of years in Austin. Austin, to my mind, is a great place to be, and not just because it's a liberal oasis in a staunchly conservative, Republican state. Mostly, it's because there's so much going on there all the time. Cool stuff. Great music, fun events, (mostly) laid back people. The summer isn't as humid as in Houston and the winter isn't as harsh as in Dallas. So, if your husband can at all swing it, try to get a job in Austin.

Now, saying all that, I think it's possible to carve out your own little niche wherever you are. If you go out looking for activities and places that interest you, you'll find kindred spirits. The worst thing you can do is go with a pre-conceived idea of a place. I made that mistake when I moved to Florida (Tampa). I thought it would be a hip little beach community like I'd experienced living in San Diego. Boy was I wrong, and I hated it.

Personally I think Texas is great and I'm proud to be a native. There are things I'm not proud of, like the good ol' boy culture and the freaky religious folks, but you can avoid them pretty easily by finding people that you identify with. Dallas is a big place, you'll definitely find them! It has a very diverse and multi-cultural population. It's too big for me, which is my main objection to it now, but I honestly don't think you'll have trouble settling in. If you've been able to settle in the UK, you obviously are open to change and new surroundings. If you had said you were moving to some small backwater town I'd be more concerned, but I'd wager Dallas is pretty much like any other major city - with nice people, mean people, cool people, weird people, religious nuts, live and let live types, and just plain crazies.

Just my two cents, for what they're worth. Hope it helps.
Lee
PS - Austin is only a three-hour drive from Dallas so even if your DH doesn't get a job there, you can visit!

Thanks to Chocoholic for the site - I have posted on there and already had a few helpful reponses!

Brin - thank you for your input, it definitely helps! The potential position is in Dallas (irving), so we'd be there, but I will put Austin on the list of places to visit when we need a weekend away.

And it is a really good point that I shouldn't have preconceptions before moving there, I will definitely be open to new experiences, people and ideas if we go. It sounds exciting the idea of moving back, but for some reason the timing just feels off and I can't seem to shake that feelling. 

Well, DH is arriving home this morning, but going straight to work, so I won't see him until Friday evening 

He was not given an offer of employment - they want someone right away and he cannot do that even with a visa. He has contracts for work until Nov. 15th. They have not said no, just that they don't want to wait if they don't have to. This may not be a decision we have to make after all! Of course, that thought is a little sad, but I will just have to be patient and see how it plays out. DH seems okay with it since it's nothing we can speed up - trying to speed up the US embassy is just futile and he's not about to break contracts and burn bridges in the UK.

I have found some good information about texas on other sites, backing up what everyone has said here, that is all about where you choose to live and who you become friends with, as with almost anywhere. That has made me feel much calmer about possibly moving, but also knowing that we may not go is very calming.

I may be too late with this but my folks went to Austin a few months ago and they absolutely loved it. As one of the locals described the town to them: 'Austin is like a little dot of blue in a sea of red' and I think that could possibly say it all.
I cant speak personally, I have only ever been in Texas twice, and both times were in airports, waiting for connecting flights.

I live in Dallas and have all my life. I agree that most people are religious. My own father
is in fact a minister. Having grown up surrounded my religion, I'm less sensitive to the undertones it takes in the community. However, my husband (who is English) is quick to point out every instance! If you live in the suburbs like Plano and Frisco you are more likely to live in a smaller communities with a lot of prejudices and religious conservatism. That isn't to say the people will be rude or reject you. My husband works in Plano, and finds many of his coworkers exhaustingly ignorant on many levels, however people are still nice and it's not something that comes up often. He does laugh about experiences where people ask "So, what church do you go to?". The assumption that everyone is religious is fairly common here.
However, I work in science. 90% of people I work with are not religious and are politically liberal.

The neighborhoods in these suburban areas are also very depressing. Though the houses are new and nice, there usually aren't many trees and small yards. My husband still cringes at how close all the houses are together, with my separation between them. There are suburban areas closer to downtown that are much nicer. Older homes with large plots of land and mature trees. People in these areas also seem to be more liberal (based on the signs in their yards).

Dallas is becoming more cosmopolitan. Lots of new high-rise condos are being built, as well as a renovated arts-district downtown. Slowly gaining better public transportation, and the Trinity River Valley Project is supposed to be really great.

People are generally friendlier here. You can go to McDonalds at 2am and you will still be greeted with a smile 75% of the time.

It's hotter than hell in July and August, which is the main reason my husband hates it here. Walking across some massive parking lot in the middle of summer can feel like a trek across the Sahara.

Cost of living is very cheap. We live in an amazing loft apartment in uptown. While we pay more than you're average Texas rent, we could never afford a comparable place in Boston, New York, or anywhere in England.

Dallas is my home so I have a certain level of love for it because of that. It's harder to find the interesting parts, but they are there. That being said, even if we weren't moving to the UK, we would probably move to the Northwest or Northeast rather than stay here. However, no matter what state you live in, you still get very little vacation time, maternity leave, incomparable health coverage, etc etc at many jobs. America is a different pace of life, with different priorities.

America is a different pace of life, with different priorities.

I think that right there says a lot.