18 replies to this topic

[Crestline]

As linked by Fort Worth Report this morning, Culturemap reports "Dallas-Fort Worth no longer a top-25 place to live, declares U.S. News & World Report"; the article explains that between 2020 and 2021 DFW tumbled 13 spots to #37, previously #24. Importantly, it also explains that in 2020 U.S. News ranked the top 125 metros, but in 2021 they ranked the top 150 metros. So, something I need to do after I wake up is figure out whether DFW fell 13 spots because of declining fundamentals, or DFW was just (unfairly?) displaced by 13 of the 25 newcomers to the ranking!

 

Full ranking here.

 

 

 

[Doohickie]

As linked by Fort Worth Report this morning, Culturemap reports "Dallas-Fort Worth no longer a top-25 place to live, declares U.S. News & World Report"; the article explains that between 2020 and 2021 DFW tumbled 13 spots to #37, previously #24. Importantly, it also explains that in 2020 U.S. News ranked the top 125 metros, but in 2021 they ranked the top 150 metros. So, something I need to do after I wake up is figure out whether DFW fell 13 spots because of declining fundamentals, or DFW was just (unfairly?) displaced by 13 of the 25 newcomers to the ranking!

 

Full ranking here.

I saw that headline, didn't read the article.  If I had to guess it's because the cost of housing is no longer an advantage.  DFW (especially FW) used to be very affordable compared to national averages, but housing has gone up a lot in the last year or so.

[MorganRehnberg]

As someone who moved to FW from #1-ranked Boulder, I can say that a huge thing I miss is the multi-modal transit infrastructure. It was almost always faster to bike somewhere (and almost always on a grade-separate path with tunnels under the road) than to drive, and there were probably 3-4x as many 15-minute bus routes for a much smaller city.

Fort Worth and Boulder are certainly not in the same category of city, and you definitely pay a steep price to live there, but it really is an exceptional place to live.

[Doohickie]

I guess what I'm saying is that affordable housing prices were hiding a lot of city problems.  Now that we are no longer more affordable than other major cities those problems are pushing us down the ranking.

[renamerusk]

I believe that college towns in general are more progressive when it comes to alternative transportation infrastructure.  Fort Worth is set to add 10,000 new single family housing units in Far, Far NW Fort Worth which until recently was better known as Wise County.  It is simply ridiculous how easy greedy real estate developers can have their way with Fort Worth.

 

Oh by the way, China Province experience rain not recorded in 1,000 years . HSR and tunnels flood; and flood waters washing dead bodies downstream and also breaching dams.

[hannerhan]

It is simply ridiculous how easy greedy real estate developers can have their way with Fort Worth.

 

 

If a developer wants to build 10,000 homes in another county (and another city...this isn't Fort Worth as far as I can tell), why are you so bent out of shape about it?  I'm not a suburbs person myself, but if you're a young family right now and you're seeing some of the insane housing costs in the inner city, the idea of going out to Rhome and dropping $280k on a brand new house doesn't seem so bad.  Putting barriers in place to prevent affordable housing developments like that one would be very bad policy long-term.  Ask California: https://www.theatlan...m-dying/619509/.

[elpingüino]

Fort Worth is set to add 10,000 new single family housing units in Far, Far NW Fort Worth which until recently was better known as Wise County.  It is simply ridiculous how easy greedy real estate developers can have their way with Fort Worth.

Here's some coverage of the Reunion development you're referring to. Both articles repeatedly refer to the area as "north of Fort Worth," also "located between the cities of Newark and Rhome," which I interpret as being in another jurisdiction outside of Fort Worth.
https://www.dallasne...eady-next-year/
https://www.bizjourn...th-pincoff.html

[renamerusk]

Here is a series of maps for Fort Worth Extraterritorial Jurisdiction (ETJ).  It looks like this may be just on the edge of FW ETJ, but I think the developer will be able to persuade (bribe) the City into pushing the ETJ to include the project.

 

FW is the only city in this undeveloped tract of land that could promised the infrastructure upfront.  This simply goes in line with FW having neighborhoods 20-30 miles from City Hall and extolling them as somehow a windfall for the City's tax base.

 

https://www.fortwort...ationpolicy.pdf

[Stadtplan]

Does it include clearcutting acre upon acre of beautiful trees?

Those I talk to that live up that direction say 287 has become an absolute nightmare.

Several years ago I stopped by to visit some friends near Bonds Ranch Rd & 287 and was aghast at how poorly built their new house was. From the street it looked nice but from the floors to fencing to fixtures it was just sad what some of these builders get away with.

[Jeriat]

The comments on Facebook were funny and ironic to me.

An example:

 

[Stadtplan]

Im not a complete Luddite but theres some truth to those comments. I want change, growth and innovation but when I see the behavior on our roads it makes me question the quality and quantity of rapid change.

[renamerusk]

I can say that I am feeling a downward change in the quality of living here now.  Too many people creating too much stress upon the infrastructure (power, water, public safety, etc.) 

 

In the direction that we are headed, look out Chicago, here we come!

 

About 10,000 new homes just north of FW -

 

There is a town out there, New Fairview???  NF and FW have some kind of an agreement which is confusing enough for me to require others on FWF to weigh in.  Here is what I found and it appears FW can and will leap frog if shown the money.  Do you think it is time to put the ETJ to a public referendum?

 

https://storage.goog...J-12-2-19-1.pdf

[eastfwther]

My younger sister has lived in Fort Worth her entire life and seemed to love it here.  She went to McKinney about three months ago on a week long nursing assignment.  She returned home to the Hulen area, promptly put her house on the market and moved to McKinney...and loves it there.  According to her, Fort Worth just isn't a good place to live anymore...high taxes, high crime, horrible city services and just an unattractive place. McKinney, to her, is like a small town, with all the things a city offers...vibrancy, nice homes, nice shopping, good restaurants, and good jobs.  I spent three days there with her and did find it very pleasant and I can see what she likes about it.  

 

As I watch Fort Worth's careless, disorganized, poorly planned sprawl into oblivion, the street and curbs in front of my house continue to deteriorate in my allegedly good neighborhood and my taxes continue to spiral upward. I can see why Sis instantly fell in love with McKinney, TX. 

[chmartin79]

Im sorry, I can't take any ranking seriously that has Seattle and Portland above Fort Worth.  I have been to both of those cities in the last year and I literally watched 3 people receive emergency treatment on a sidewalk because of drug overdoses. All downtown in the middle of the day. In Seattle I saw more homeless camps that I have ever seen in any city. While I understand Fort Worth has its problems, the core of our city is in much better shape safety wise than either of those two. Don't get me wrong, both of them are beautiful and have great transit structures, but I would never live downtown there or walk around by myself after dark.  Just my two cents as someone who has been to both recently and lived in downtown Fort Worth. 

[Stadtplan]

McKinney, to her, is like a small town, with all the things a city offers...vibrancy, nice homes, nice shopping, good restaurants, and good jobs.  

 

But did she also double or triple her mortgage principle and property taxes?  

[Jeriat]

My younger sister has lived in Fort Worth her entire life and seemed to love it here.  She went to McKinney about three months ago on a week long nursing assignment.  She returned home to the Hulen area, promptly put her house on the market and moved to McKinney...and loves it there.  According to her, Fort Worth just isn't a good place to live anymore...high taxes, high crime, horrible city services and just an unattractive place. McKinney, to her, is like a small town, with all the things a city offers...vibrancy, nice homes, nice shopping, good restaurants, and good jobs.  I spent three days there with her and did find it very pleasant and I can see what she likes about it.  

 

As I watch Fort Worth's careless, disorganized, poorly planned sprawl into oblivion, the street and curbs in front of my house continue to deteriorate in my allegedly good neighborhood and my taxes continue to spiral upward. I can see why Sis instantly fell in love with McKinney, TX. 

Well my advice to your sister is, if those are the problems she sees with Fort Worth:

Enjoy it while you can . . . 

(Not going to share my personal thoughts about McKinney, but I get why people are moving out there)

[george84]

To me McKinney and similar places are faceless suburbs that could literally be anywhere in America with a bunch of houses that look the same and chain restaurants. Im sure it has some advantages, but I enjoy living in a city like Fort Worth where you have access to world class cultural amenities, unique local restaurants, and I much prefer living in established neighborhoods with mature trees and variety of housing. But to each their own.

[eastfwther]

To me McKinney and similar places are faceless suburbs that could literally be anywhere in America with a bunch of houses that look the same and chain restaurants. Im sure it has some advantages, but I enjoy living in a city like Fort Worth where you have access to world class cultural amenities, unique local restaurants, and I much prefer living in established neighborhoods with mature trees and variety of housing. But to each their own.

Luckily you must not get out to north, southwest, east and western Fort Worth very much; no strip malls, chain restaurants and look alike subdivisions out  there. 

 

Anyways,  I don't get into subjective arguments where there is no right or wrong.  People like what they like for their own reasons.  You enjoy Fort Worth, someone else might not and neither of you are wrong

 

When some one tells me, " I would never live in ....(fill in the blank)" my response is "Well you don't live there, sooooo what's the problem?".  

 

My sis lives in a historical neighborhood where she can walk into downtown McKinney, which is very lovely by the way. 

[Crestline]

Importantly, it also explains that in 2020 U.S. News ranked the top 125 metros, but in 2021 they ranked the top 150 metros. So, something I need to do after I wake up is figure out whether DFW fell 13 spots because of declining fundamentals, or DFW was just (unfairly?) displaced by 13 of the 25 newcomers to the ranking!

 

Now that I'm awake:

 

Culturemap, July 2021:

 

For the 2021 ranking, U.S. News & World Report crunched data for the country’s 150 biggest metro areas. It's worth nothing that in previous years, they'd looked at the 125 biggest metro areas. The data in 2021 encompasses affordability, job prospects, desirability, quality of life, and migration patterns.

 

But, U.S. News & World Report press release, October 2020 (the prior year!):

 

This year, U.S. News increased the number of metropolitan areas evaluated for both sets of rankings from 125 to 150, to provide a broader and more accurate reflection of where Americans can live and retire.

 

If I'm reading this right, Culturemap got it wrong this month in stating that U.S. News increased the list size from 125 to 150 this year. Instead, U.S. News increased it last year. Therefore, DFW's 13-spot tumble cannot be explained by addition of newcomers to the list -- instead DFW just got fairly outcompeted year-over-year!