Moving to Dallas or Houston

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Hello allnurses. I'm a new nurse and currently working in the ED. My hubby and I are seriously considering moving to Texas toward the end of next year. Maybe sooner!!We are thinking Dallas or Houston. We have 2 kids so school district and community is definately priority as far as living. Any feed back on nice family oriented neighborhoods in the suburbs?? How is the job market and pay for an ER ASN-RN with by then a little more than 1 year of experience? What hospitals should I consider Any feedback would me appreciated. Thanks in advance

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God, I dislike Houston. Of course I live in Dallas so I am bias. I have lived in both several times and just came back from completing my BSN in Galveston, which is just south of Houston. I absolutely hated living in Houston. The weather is horrible b/c of the humidity, the roads are so worn down, the traffic is some of the worst I have driven in (live in DC 1 yr.) and overall the city is so spread out it took forever to get around. Dallas is far superior in my opinion. I find it laughable when people even try to compare the two. Rant over. Move to Dallas!

Plano, Frisco, McKinney are great areas. Also, Flower Mound and Highland Village. Really depends where he/you are going to be working. The beauty of Dallas is with the tollways you can really be anywhere in 30 min in normal driving times if your some what centrally located.

I just started at a "top" hospital in Dallas in the ICU. No experience BSN with a previous degree that didn't yield me anymore money. Im starting at $24.25 plus $3 for evenings $5 for nights $6 for weekends. Also you are guaranteed a 3% raise every 6 months for 18 months.

I was joking a bit about Houston, but really, Dallas is much better!

If you have any question let me know!

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I'm used to the weather. Live in New Orleans!!!! I would love to get away from that and Actually experience different seasons. We have summer and hell here lol. Thankyou for the input. I'm definately going to look into these areas. We are looking to plan a few trips up there soon. Get a feel of the area.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

With a little more than one year of experience, most of the major hospital systems in Dallas and the surrounding suburbs would offer a starting rate in the mid to high $20s per hour.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

Since you don't have a BSN, it would be a VERY good idea to obtain your CEN &/or TCRN certification to increase your value for prospective employers.

The biggest difference? Houston is actually a city - "DFW" is a conglomeration of small-ish towns mushed together. I am soooo glad to see OP's intense dislike of Houston metro area - or at least the portions OP has experienced. Hopefully, this will discourage a few of the jillions of people moving here seeking better economic opportunities. Native Houston here - spread OP's message & help us out before we become as diluted as Austin and most of those DFW burbs. :nailbiting:

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I'm not giving up up on Houston that easily. I have a lot of family there so I have had the opportunity to visit a few areas. Pearland, sugarland, and Missouri city area. I like what I've seen so far. For the most part at least. I have a lot of time to figure it out. I'm not sure where we are leaning to just yet. Atlanta suburbs came up as an option as well. So I'll be stalking the Texas and Georgia threads for a while. Thankyou all for your input. It was greatly appreciated.

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I will be keeping an eye on this post and hopefully you will update when possible! My husband and I are also considering Texas (Plano or Houston) and Georgia (Atlanta suburbs) but we are behind behind by about a year. I am trying to figure out the best route to take as far as working days/nights/staff/prn/part time staff-part time prn to make it all work with hubbies schedule and our kiddos!!

Good Luck!!

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