Any Poles in Texas!

Hi,

Due to some emerging job prospects I would like to know if there are any Polish expats living in Dallas, willing to share what life is like in their city. In the main I need to know how people with children fare in the all private health care environment. Also about catholic elementary schools who charge a fair wack,...and then some more.:)

And how they compare to other schools. One thing, here in Europe there seems to be a lot of mythology about life in Texas, about culture and about guns, is it really a desert without much green.(Pardon my lack of knowledge). We as a family have already lived outside Poland. i.e. Western Canada and the U.K. But Texas, from distance, seems slightly more intense, plus of course the summer heat. I appreciate any advise you may have. Gezza

no it's not a desert. Dallas is loud, green, and for the most part friendly. I've lived here for three years. Good private schools range from 5,000-15,000. Some of the best Catholic schools in the area for boys are Jesuit (boys), Cistercian (boys), St. Luke's (boys), Ursuline (girls), All saints (boys and girls) . The episcopal school of dallas is really good and full of international students, but it's not catholic. The Highlands school is good. All of these schools are exceptional schools. I only put the really good ones.

Dallas is nice. If you and your family have a reasonable income then you will be able to live a comfortable life here. Some parts of the suburbs in dallas are a lot nicer than others. Property tax in the places around here is a little insane because in Texas you don't pay state taxes.

Some great things about Dallas
-huge international population
-good private schools
-great place to raise a family (in most suburbs)
-heat is not always so bad. The heat here is very dry and not humid so it is more bearable than in other places

Not so good things
-some suburbs very expensive
-traffic is horrible and really no good public transportation
-weather is unpredictable (example last week it was 0 celcius today its 22)

All in all I like Dallas.

No there are not guns everywhere and you will not see any desert unless you drive west for about four hours.

If you have any more questions you can e-mail me at
Jnm0065@gmail

yep, that would be Southlake... family friendly, good school (Carroll ISD), clean...but expensive...


traffic is in every big city...i've seen worst... it's good to live close to a work place...
no metro (subway), only bus and train


i agree here.... hot and humid summers... beautiful spring... and it's green around, no worries :)

about guns.... all people i know here own a gun...

private catholic schools are expensive (ex. All Saints) and a kid has to go to interview... but there is many to choose from...

friendly people... many latinos... good stakes and tex-mex food

Downtown Dallas is growing but families live in suburbs...
affordable houses...
not as expensive like in other states...
close to Fort Worth... but far everywhere else :)

Yeah I actually lived in Southlake. I went to Carroll for two years but, then I went to private schools because Carroll Isd cut all there funding for arts, humanities, and languages and then gave the rest of the money to sports and Robin Hood. I actually ended up going to Dallas International School. It was amazing.


Yes, but they don't go around carrying them places.

yes...they are state champs...


lol...it's not wild west...:)
some people have their gun in cars and trucks...

Sounds really good!

How about North Dallas near McKienny and Plano areas.
We have girls so they will need to go to either St Marks or
Prince of Peace schools,I guess..
Are they equally good?
Are state schools o.k. in those areas?
Do people find venomous snakes in their gardens?
Do schools run busses to collect/return children home every day?
How does one do without a local Driving Licence.?
(My wife and I have the UK Driving Licence but no doubt will need a local one.)
Could you name the company I need to look for for the Texas Driving Licence?

thank you and best wishes,,

Gezza

Plano is a nice place to live but it's far from downtown, .... i consider McKinney as the end of the word for me...lol ...way too far, i never go there so i don't know...

i'd check the schools myself... maybe you will choose something different... check schools online first and then maybe call them so they answer your Qs...


yes, some.... snakes, some scorpio, armadillo, possums...


i'd say that it's good to have an DL here...there is not other way...especially in Plano... you have to drive to get groceries, take kids to school... etc. it's easy to pass a test here so i wouldn't worry about that...you will need a DL to insure your car and pretty much to everything else...


yes, it's organized very well....


it depends of a county and a city where you live ... you choose the closest one...

cor.net/faqs/homepage.html

Texas Department of Public Safety

good luck :)

St. Marks is an all boys school.

Mckinney and Plano are both really great schools to go to. The state schools in Plano are very nice and the ones in Mckinney are too.


I haven't seen a venemous snake in my garden, but I have seen them in a lot of other places.


Yes they do.

This website will tell you everything

txdps.state.tx.us/administration/driver_licensing_control/movingtotexas.htm

I believe you have to pass the written and driving exams. The tests are a lot easier then the Uk driving exam there.

Your advise is very appreciated.
I am a bit alarmed about the snakes and scorpions. I am sure
my wife will be wary of these. Are there any precautions one has to take
to prevent them from getting into the house, swimming pool,etc? Or how do little
children play in the sandpits in their gardens?,
Do mothers have to be conscious of this danger all the time?
Gezaa

you don't find it everyday....i've seen it a couple of times only during six years... but you have to be aware... it's good when a mom keeps an eye on kids :)

here is a link that may help you

desertusa.com/animal.html

lol not all of us own guns or pickup trucks or wear 10 gallon hats :-) it is a nice place to live.. not as scenic as some other cities in Texas but plenty to do here.

let's not disappoint people....lol;)

if you know any game hunters there let me know

lol okay.. mum's the word then! ;-)

yep....i parked my horse outside today.... it's such a beautiful weather.... ;)

lol well i parked mine outside as well... it runs on $ 3.20/ gallon gas and I call it a Toyota! ;-)

did you have a medium rare steak for lunch already? :)

Actually I had a couple of chili cheese chilitos from Taco Hell..err i mean Taco Bell :-)

lol...it's almost a national dish ;)
i like chili from Wendy's... :)
ah well, i don't really like Mexican food :(

Whaaaat?? And you call yourself a Texan? (just kidding! :-) ) TexMex is quite popular in the metroplex.. I like that as well as Chinese, and Indian and of course steak houses too! Ok..I'm getting hungry again!

hehehe... i call myself Polish :) but i like TX too :)

so is the Six Flags a must for you? ;)

Well I haven't been to the one here in Arlington, but I did go on the one in St.Louis many many years ago.... and that too after a heavy meal..lol so...it wasn't exactly a memorable ride ;-)

i've been there once....and no more! lol .... it's not for me :)

Do they have similar theme parks in Poland? Roller-coasters, etc

i remember only the park in Chorzów...(Silesian Amusement Park)

Hmm I may have to check it out sometime in the future then..but surely not after having some Golonka :-)

Texas is nice. It is one of the cheaper places to live in the US. I wouldn't want to move there but a lot of my friends are out there because of the growing market and low cost of living.

My favorite places to live would be Washington State (west coast), Oregon, Colorado and Maine.

Plan on living in all of the above provided that my life allows such changes lol

Hi,

I just moved from Dallas/Ft. Worth to Chicago about 5 months ago. Getting used to Chicago. Dallas has alot of good things going for it, but for affordability...live in Tarrant County which is the county of Fort Worth and Arlington. The weather is good pretty much all year, but be prepared for the Summer. Just as Chicago has brutal winters...it is the opposite for Texas. I lived there for almost 20 years after college.

I never met one Polish person in Dallas. If they were Poles, they were born and raised in Texas and have lost much contact with their original roots. Believe it or not...there is quite a large population of individuals from former Yugoslavia as well as some Greek. My ex was from Serbia.

It all depends on what you want. Race relations are still pretty much an "us and them" mentality. If you don't sound like us or look like us...you're not one of us. Remember one thing...Texas is a red state.

I've heard there are many Polish people in the San Antonio area. Is it true?

Yep, a few Polacks live in San Antonio ( me including:), but Houston has a good size polish community , polish deli, polish restaurant, church, clubs etc.