When some people hear the words “Dallas, Texas,” images of big hair, belt buckles and oil derricks spontaneously pop into their heads. Though energy is an important part of our economy, it’s far from the only trick in our bag. Moody’s Diversity Index ranks the Dallas Region as having the fourth-most diverse economy in the United States. A growing number of corporate relocations have created even stronger demands for skilled workers. In the past five years, more than 500,000 jobs have been created by corporate relocations and expansions, such as the opening of Toyota’s North American headquarters in Plano and the construction of the Charles Schwab campus in Westlake.

Name: Sophie Sertier–Guillemeau

City: Frisco

Company/Title: Legends- The Star Frisco, Catering Manager

When did you move here? From where?
October 2015, from Paris, France

Where else have you lived?
I lived in Australia for a year.

What made you decide to Say Yes to Dallas?
My husband was relocated to Plano for a new job opportunity with his company, Hilti North America.

How did you choose where to live in the Dallas Region?
We were looking for a place with shops and things to do close to my husband’s company. Frisco is a nice area with activities and nice people. It’s a growing area, allowing us to always try new things and explore the city. Lucky me — I found a job on the corner of my street.

Where do you go and what do you do on the weekends or days off?
We find a nice place to eat like Bonnie Ruth’s or 5th Street Cafe. We also enjoy a good beer and listening to local music at the Frisco Rail Yard. 

What is your favorite restaurant?
Bonnie Ruth’s

Favorite festival/event?
I enjoy country concerts at Toyota Stadium.

Where do you like to shop?
Stonebriar Mall

Where do you feel you are nearest to your “tribe” in the Dallas Region?
Nerdvana Coffee shop is a nice area to relax and play games with friends.

Do you travel often? Easier or harder to do here?
Yes, we travel outside of Texas several times per month. The central location of Dallas provides easy access to all of the big cities in the U.S.

Photo Credit: Michael Samples

Name: Corey Best

City: Dallas

Neighborhood: Uptown

Company/Title: Granite Properties, Assistant Property Manager

When did you move here? Where from? 
December 2015, Long Beach, CA

Where else have you lived?
Newport Beach and Los Angeles

What made you Say Yes to Dallas?
I was working for CBRE, Inc. in Orange, California as an Assistant Property Manager for Granite, who was our client at the time. After working with Granite through CBRE in August of 2015, we excitedly joined the Granite family as in-house employees. We had such a wonderful experience with Granite, so the decision to become an employee was made with ease. I began working at their properties in Los Angeles and loved the culture. At one of our first meetings at the Granite Headquarters in Plano, TX, I heard that there was an opening for an Assistant Property Manager with Granite in Dallas. Feeling like I needed a change and knowing there would be more potential for growth closer to the corporate office, I inquired about a move. I was welcomed with open arms and became the first person in the company to transfer between markets. It was very exciting! I loved the idea of being in Dallas – the city is so fun for people of all ages, and the growth opportunities are undeniable. It’s been two years and I love it.

How did you choose which part of town to live in?
When I was working in Los Angeles, my one-way commute time averaged out to be about 2 hours, most of which was at a standstill. When I learned where I’d be working in Uptown, I focused pretty fiercely on a short commute, so I chose to live in the State Thomas neighborhood of Uptown (max. 10-15 minute drive to all of my office buildings). It’s been one of the best decisions I’ve made, and for the first time I’ve been able to remain in one apartment for more than a year!

How has your opinion of the Dallas region changed since moving here?
It’s a lot more trendy and fun than I expected it to be. I hate to say it, but in my extreme naiveté, I expected Texas to be all about cowboys and horses and dirt. Now don’t get me wrong, I love country and wide-open spaces, but I was pleased to find that this city is a modern metropolis with tons of things catered to young professionals. It’s more affordable, as I expected, but Dallas just has a charm about it that I love.

Tell us about your city/neighborhood. What do you like best? What makes it different?
I love living in my specific neighborhood in Uptown because of the convenience. I’m walking distance from Katy Trail and a few other parks, two grocery stores, and more restaurants and bars than I can count. All of my favorite bars and restaurants (in Lower Greenville, Deep Ellum, and Bishop Arts) are in other parts of town and are less than a $10 Uber or Lyft ride away.

Where do you go and what do you do on the weekends or days off?
I love the low-key bar/night scene in Dallas. Although there are some areas that I tend to avoid because it’s a much younger, fresh-out-of-college crowd (no judgment, but I’m 29 and in a different place in life), most of Dallas is fun and upbeat. Each little pocket of Dallas has its own personality and charm. My personal favorites are the more casual scenes, such as Lower Greenville, Bishop Arts, and Deep Ellum. I love the restaurants on McKinney Avenue and Knox/Henderson. I love to explore outdoors, so we’ll walk on Katy Trail, go to museums, or park it at the Truck Yard and just relax. We are also very close to Arlington, so we’ll go to Rangers and Cowboys games, Six Flags, or even head out to Fort Worth to catch a concert at Billy Bob’s. There’s always so much to do.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to move here?
Put yourself out there. The majority of people I’ve encountered in Dallas are from somewhere else and have a great (or at least unique) story to tell, and they are almost always open to meeting someone new. If you don’t have Yelp – get on it and use it for restaurants and bars. You could go to a different place every night and still have plenty to explore. Have fun and take advantage of all of the culture and history the city has to offer.

What is the one thing that you could have done to make your move easier?
Get out there sooner. I joined groups in Meetup.com and Go Kickball, and that’s when I really started to flourish here personally.

What is your passion, and how does Dallas help fulfill it?
I love to travel and spend time with people. Dallas is an incredibly easy place to travel from – with two major airports (both a stones throw away and easy to get through), all major airlines, and being centrally located, most U.S. destinations are extremely easy to get to. I love to spend time with people, and Dallas is a great place for that with the amount of activities centered on socialization.

What would you miss most about the area if you had to leave?
The social aspect and the convenience of being close to everything I need.

Tell us about the work environment here.
I have a short commute by design. Occasionally I have to go up to our corporate office in Plano, but usually it’s just a 35-minute drive. I will add the caveat that I’ve been blessed to live in one of the cities with (in my biased opinion) the worst traffic on the planet (LA). I have noticed traffic get a bit worse as more people move to the Dallas Region, but nothing you can’t work with.

I love working in Dallas, largely because there is so much innovation and explosive growth here right now, and it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. The opportunities are endless, and the city fully supports it. I’ve never lived in a city that is so excited about new opportunity and focused on making improvements that are actually implemented.

What is your favorite restaurant … in your neighborhood?
I love Carbone’s Italian on Oak Lawn. I also love Blue Sushi – they recently opened a new location on McKinney Avenue. Hard Eight is hands down my favorite BBQ and worth any drive.

What is your favorite outside activity, and where is your favorite place to do it?
Walking on Katy Trail

Favorite festival/event?
5k Dash Down Greenville – St Patrick’s Day

Where do you go to experience culture? Why do you like it?
I love the West End Historic District, Deep Ellum, and Bishop Arts. They all have such character, and you can tell there’s a lot of history behind what stands there now.

Where do you like to shop? Why?
North Park Mall… because it has nearly everything you need, and what they don’t have is just a stone’s throw away at Park Lane across the highway.

Who is your local hero? Why?
Kourtney Garrett with DDI is such an inspiration for me. She is an incredible promoter of innovation and improvement in Downtown Dallas, all while being a mother and overall cool person. She is approachable and strong, and truly lives out her message.

Where do you feel you are nearest to your “tribe” in the Dallas Region?
Lower Greenville and Deep Ellum – low key and fun!

How do you interact with your community?
I work with the West End Historic Association as part of my job, but I love how much it’s involved me in the city as a whole. Hearing about all of the new projects enables me to test it out for myself, provide feedback where I can, and spread the word to friends!

Do you travel often? Easier or harder to do here?
Yes, and MUCH easier! It’s one of my favorite parts about the Dallas Region.

Photo Credit: Michael Samples 

Name: Monica Navarro

City: Frisco

Neighborhood: The Arbors at Willow Bay

Company/Title: Hilti, Senior Manager

When did you move here? Where from? 
May 2015, from Tulsa, Oklahoma

Where else have you lived?
Leon, Mexico (born and raised), LA, San Diego, Aliso Viego, CA, Tulsa

What made you decide to Say Yes to Dallas?
There are many reasons why my husband and I jumped at the opportunity to move to the Dallas area when our company headquarters relocated to Plano. Affordable housing, safe neighborhoods, great schools and universities, a diverse population, and a variety of entertainment options are among some of the reasons. We also love the great restaurants, from local farm-to-table concepts to international ethnic cuisine. We enjoy the local breweries, parks, manageable traffic, plus two major airports that provide easy connections to the rest of the world.

How did you choose which part of town to live in?
Proximity to work, a great school district, new homes, and neighborhood safety were our main criteria.

Tell us about your city/neighborhood. What do you like best? What makes it different?
Everything we need is within 15 minutes driving. I’m close to my favorite grocery stores, and there are a lot of restaurants and things to do close by McKinney, Plano and Allen are really close. We are not far from the main airports, Downtown Dallas museums and Dallas restaurants.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to move here?
My husband and I love the fact that downtown Dallas is not far from our home in Frisco and our office in Plano. We love the amazing museums like the DMA and Perot Museum, just to name two. The Dallas Aquarium has a great variety of sea life. Our company hosted an employee event there recently and watching the families and children enjoy the space was very nice. Also, the arboretum is beautiful, and it always changing with seasonal decorations. We’re now DFW sports fans. The Star, Dallas Cowboys World Headquarters, is just five minutes from work and it’s much more than just a practice facility. The atmosphere incredible, and it has a new hotel and restaurants. Of course, the drive to Cowboys Stadium in Arlington is not bad – what a fun activity!

What is your passion, and how does Dallas help fulfill it?
I love arts and crafts and working out. Dallas is a great city to be in because you have access to various conventions, materials, trade shows, etc. As far as working out, I have everything from hiking to aerial yoga – its awesome.

Tell us about the work environment here.
Our offices are in North Plano (Legacy East) and the area is unique and dynamic. The amount of amazing, employee-friendly offices is outstanding. We have an award-winning design by Gensler Architects with everyone having sit-to-stand desks, chill-out areas and healthy in-house food options. Being at Legacy, it’s fun to get out and walk to the amazing variety of restaurants and shops. Right across the Dallas North Tollway, the new Legacy West has even more amazing stores, apartments, boutiques and the largest food court in North America (which my colleagues and I are working our way through).

What is your favorite restaurant in your neighborhood?
It’s hard to pick just one. Here are some of my favorites:

Thai – Simply Thai; Pizza – Fireside Pies; Italian – Crudo; Ramen – Habani; Mexican – El Come Taco; Indian – Paradise Biryani. And I can’t forget to mention In-N-Out Burgers.

How do you interact with your community?
I volunteer at Meal on Wheels, Children‘s Hospital, and a local food bank. It is a great opportunity to give back to the community, while paying back for everything you have. My employer gives everyone two days off per year to volunteer in the community, which is a great way to explore what type of community involvement appeals to you.

Do you travel often? Easier or harder to do here?
For business, having the options of Dallas Love Field and DFW Airport makes travelling easy. For pleasure, we like to hit the road.  While Texas is a massive state, we’ve enjoyed experiencing Austin, Houston and San Antonio, which are all less than a few hours away.

Photo Credit: Michael Samples 

City: Dallas

Neighborhood: State Thomas

Company / Title: Loloi Rugs Principal & Pioneer Natural Resources Technology Project Coordinator

When did you move here? From where? 
2014; San Francisco & Oklahoma City

Where else have you lived?
San Francisco & Oklahoma City

What made you decide to Say Yes to Dallas?
The choice was made easy by both having family in Texas. Cyrus joined his growing family company that started in Dallas, Loloi Rugs. Also, Dallas has a rich culture filled with kind people, many of the people that we have met in Dallas will be lifelong relationships. Family, career, and friends have strongly sealed our choice of living in the heart of Texas.

How did you choose where to live in the Dallas Region?
State Thomas neighborhood has always been a gem to us in the hustle of Uptown, it’s brick-lined streets and neighborhood feel gave it just the right amount of charm to stake claim onto a townhome within. We love that the neighborhood is very walkable to many conveniences of a big city, like groceries, coffee shops- State Street Coffee in particular, and restaurants.

Where do you go and what do you do on the weekends or days off?
We spend much of our days off exploring new parts of the city. The growth of Dallas has been fun to experience, from walking trails to art hubs and beyond. Some of our favorites are Bishop Arts, Harwood district, Knox Henderson, and Downtown. Watching live sports downtown and exploring new restaurants are big highlights for us.

What is your passion, and how does Dallas help fulfill it?
Our passion lies in helping others and giving back to our community that gives so much to us. Some of our favorite organizations are tightly woven into Dallas making it easy for us to give back. Whether building for Habitat for Humanity, caring for the elderly with Senior Source, or watching our donations to Texas Scottish Rite be put toward a fantastic cause- giving back is imperative for making Dallas home.

Tell us about the work environment here.
There is a lot of friendly competitiveness when it comes to working in Dallas, many passionate and driven people work here. One of the first questions you may be asked when meeting a new person in the city is “what do you do for a living?” and that is not just a conversation starter- people here really like and want to know about your career interests.

What is your favorite restaurant in the region?
Yutaka Sushi Bistro in Uptown is our absolute favorite, even after traveling to Japan- Yutaka tops our list.

What is your favorite outdoor activity, and where is your favorite place to do it?
Our favorite activity is to walk the streets of Bishop Arts, especially during the early evening, they typically have outdoor artists. We love to shop local, stores like All Good Things, Set & Co, and Neighborhood make it very easy and fun to do so.

What is your favorite festival/event?
Dallas throws a pretty epic party in the form of Greenville’s Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, fantastic people watching and green beer- say no more.

Who is your local hero? Why?
Emmitt Smith, he is easy to spot even if you are not a Cowboys fan seeing as he has massive football-sized hands. Mr. Smith is a fantastic speaker, entrepreneur, and philanthropist that still lives in the Dallas area with his family.

Where do you feel you are nearest to your “tribe” in the Dallas Region?
At the Joule hotel, enjoying a cocktail and dreaming of the future.

Do you travel often? Is it easier or harder to do here?
We travel very frequently, for work and for play. Traveling out of Dallas is extremely easy, to be at either coast in roughly 4 hours is fantastic.