What's Fort Worth really like? (Houston, Dallas: fit in, how much, home)

[stephenMM]

I'm desperately trying to get out of Little Rock by July, and Fort Worth sounds like a really good fit (on paper, who knows?). I'm an old Mississippi Coastal boy (72), artist and eBiker rider, and like to let my hair down now and then. Little Rock is not where I should be, it can feel real churchy here, although the people in my apt building are wonderful. I've met some great people here, but the city itself is an issue due to almost no public transit and cold, snowy winters. No live local music scene either.

Is Fort Worth Southern like? I've lived in Houston, San Antonio and Galveston, and none of them really felt Southern. I like folks who say yes sir and no mam, but also can speak their mind and get a little crazy now and then. Not a good fit for places that are all about money, who you know, or what you do for a living.

I'm wondering if this is a city I would feel comfortable in? Cities w/ art scenes can get pretty yuppie, and the hope is that the descriptions of Fort Worth that say it's more blue collar and laid back than the Dallas Hustle are still accurate. My online research says Fort Worth checks all the boxes, but it won't work if I can't find at least a few folks like I described.

[ChristieP]

The scene you’re describing is more Austin than Fort Worth.

[eddie gein]

There are a few of things I would say about Ft. Worth that you might consider.

The first is that it is probably not much more temperate in winter than Little Rock and it is going to be a lot windier.

Secondly, I don't know if I'd describe Ft. Worth as "blue collar" as much as it is not as corporate and is much more toned down than Dallas... While Dallas has tried to become a trendy, cosmopolitan, worldly city, Ft. Worth has hung has embraced it's "cowtown" roots to a greater degree. Still feels like a Texas town.

Finally, the area continues to grow rapidly so the area changes quite a bit within a short period of time in terms of traffic, highways, sprawl and the like. I still marvel at how much change there has been from Denton to Ft Worth along I-35 West in the last couple or three decades.

[Threestep2]

You will not find what you are looking for in Ft. Worth. Busy town, little music scene, extremely limited public transport, cold winters, hot summers.

[naterator]

Fort Worth, no. But maybe check out Granbury about 45 minutes southwest of Fort Worth.

[stephenMM]

Thanks for the info. I've been watching youtube videos on the city so much my eyeballs have almost popped out, and unless I am missing something, Fort Worth looks very white bread, conservative. As much as I like what I see of the town itself, and considering its size, it would take a lot longer to get a handle on the lay of the land, I don't think I would fit into the culture as I have seen it. I'm more the Savannah/New Orleans type. Even my phone calls to the galleries seemed like I was talking to business people, not people who were involved in the arts.

[Threestep2]

Originally Posted by stephenMM

Thanks for the info. I've been watching youtube videos on the city so much my eyeballs have almost popped out, and unless I am missing something, Fort Worth looks very white bread, conservative. As much as I like what I see of the town itself, and considering its size, it would take a lot longer to get a handle on the lay of the land, I don't think I would fit into the culture as I have seen it. I'm more the Savannah/New Orleans type. Even my phone calls to the galleries seemed like I was talking to business people, not people who were involved in the arts.

A gallery is a business.

[D-Towner]

It's a big city, but not as big as Dallas. It has much more of a western-cowboy theme than Dallas or other similarly sized cities. It is still a major city in the USA.

[Roadking2003]

Be careful with broad brush painting. That can be misleading.

If you are talking about the city of FTW, that's one thing. But if you include the suburbs, it's an entirely different picture.

There are some very upscale FTW suburbs such as Westlake, Keller, Southlake, and Colleyville. For example, the median home value in Westlake is $2,000,000.