Gale Tobin - Why I Moved to Dallas Texas

 

Gale Tobin - Why I Moved to Dallas Texas

Moving to Dallas was one of the ironic decisions I’ve made yet I decided to move here for several reasons that matched with my goals during the time. It’s a big city—difficult to encapsulate it into a single description as it is a lot of things. I wanted a calm tranquil life but moving here is the complete opposite of that. It’s always booming with city lights, events, and people that embody how Dallas is on a “usual” day. It’s where the sports happen as it is home to the infamous NFL Team, Dallas Cowboys—they used to be coined as “America’s Team” and Dallas still takes pride in that. Even before moving, I had that same sports kind of atmosphere in mind. It’s also known as a big shopping district from haute couture, to outlets, and to vintage thrift shops. It’s indeed a shopper’s paradise ever since Highland Park Village, America’s old shopping center was built here. Aside from all those mainstream things about Dallas, I found a home in an eccentric yet soulful city that somehow serenaded me into living here for good.

 

Subtleness of Dallas

It’s always surprising to find peace in the middle of chaos. If Dallas was a person, he would be this rugged cowboy that always craves adventure—but at home, he would want simplicity and stillness more than anything. That’s not how I envisioned Dallas but after living here for years, I’ve gotten to know its true essence over time.

 

Because it’s such a huge city, it’s full of diversity. Walking around the area is a tour of culture in itself, the neighborhood goes from classy to trendy to laid back while the people cannot be placed in a single category as there are the cowboys, the rich, and the hippies. It’s everything in between and that’s what I love about it—it reminds me of the Matryoshka doll wherein I wouldn’t know what to expect of getting next. Take me as an example, I’m that vegan spiritual writer living in Dallas—you would get it, no need to get into the details.

 

The subtleness of this city relies on what you see versus what you get. Everything that people know about it is true but its core goes beyond that.

 

Opportunities at a distance

Dallas is known as one of the cities that offer plenty of job opportunities. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Dallas was among the nation’s 12 largest metropolitan areas with job growth of 7.4% recorded in May 2021. It remained steady over the years but now it’s already increasing, following the steps of New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Philadelphia.

 

The area also has excellent educational schools and resources. From private to charter to public institutions, it offers excellent schools that would both match people’s interests or financial needs. It never runs out of options. It’s family-friendly yet also solo-friendly.

 

As a writer, It doesn’t really matter where I situate because I always find the beauty and will to write wherever my journey takes me. I simply revel in the literary scene of Dallas because it is both bleak yet beaming. I get a plethora of ideas when I’m living in the “in-betweens” and that’s also one of the reasons why I chose to stay here. There’s also a community of excellent writers who come from nothing or the best schools—they’ve thought me what it’s like to be a real writer. With that, being a real writer is finding possibilities in every story, defining success beyond its boundaries, and writing without an end. There’s never a guarantee in this field but there’s always a silver lining in every cloud—some pieces may get rejected hundreds of times while some may never get published but at the end of all that, wisdom is gained.

 

Dallas is known for its major transportation hub, trucking, and distribution center. The Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is one of the world’s busiest airports in size and light volume. It serves as the region’s primary airport given that it’s in between Dallas and Fort Worth—it’s surrounded by major roads, highways, and interstates which makes it easily accessible in almost all directions. On the other hand, Dallas is also a car-centric city that has a good public transportation system. It’s home to the country’s longest light rail system, the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) makes it possible to navigate every inch of Dallas through bus, train, or both. 

 

A living city

It’s the people and the community that makes this area bustling. There are noteworthy attractions and exciting events that continually feed the soul of Dallas. Yes, the word for that may be economy but soul would be much fitting. Aside from the various restaurants and cuisines, the hip cafes and the fancy nightlife define the individualism of this city.

 

There are sports events but also other cultural activities such as opera, ballet, musicals, and symphony orchestras. It’s filled with talents that continue to inspire the innate qualities of each individual. When in Dallas, you have to find what makes you “you.” It’s easy to get lost when you’re in a city full of possibilities but it’s also easy to get back to your true nature. By now, I have already delineated every contrasting element of Dallas. That is how it is in a nutshell and that is the exact reason why I moved here. – Gale Tobin

 

Originally published at https://galetobin.com on September 15, 2021.