Name: Mindy Green

City: Dallas

Neighborhood: Lakewood

Company/Title: Hill+Knowlton Strategies, Associate

When did you move here? From where?
November 2016, from Houston, Texas

Where else have you lived?
Houston, Texas, and San Marcos, Texas 

What made you Say Yes to Dallas?
I moved to Dallas for a job opportunity at a top public relations firm

How has your opinion of the Dallas Region changed since moving here?
Because I’m from Houston, I bought into the rivalry between the two cities. Now, after moving to Dallas, I’ve realized I didn’t know how much the city has to offer. I like that it has its own culture and that each neighborhood is so different from the next. Also, I attended my first NHL game which was a cool experience.

Tell us about your city/neighborhood. What do you like best? What makes it different?
I live in Lakewood, and my first impression is that it is family-friendly, just like the neighborhood in which I grew up. It’s in close proximity to the mall, movie theaters, bookstores and a variety of restaurants. I love the trails by The Village Apartments and the fact that I live just a mile from the We Yogis studio where I practice yoga. Lastly, the nearby flagship Half Price Books was where I got to meet one of my favorite healthy lifestyle inspirations, Kayla Itsines, at a book signing.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to move here?
I would tell someone, especially my Houston friends, to visit Dallas for a weekend to explore and experience the different districts. I would also recommend visiting local businesses because they are unique to Dallas. For example, I prefer the local indoor-cycling studio Zyn22 to larger corporate studios.

What is your passion, and how does Dallas help fulfill it?
I recently joined a national professional organization, Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), to help me with my career, and I was very impressed with the people I met in the Dallas chapter. By moving to Dallas, I can now expand my professional network and make lifelong connections and relationships.

Where do you go and what do you do on the weekends or days off?
On weekends, I sometimes venture to Uptown to window shop or meet friends for brunch in Deep Ellum. I’ve also attended organized activities like yoga in Klyde Warren Park and The Morning After, A Dallas Observer Brunch Event.

Where do you like to shop? Why?
I love The Shops at Park Lane because it offers quality brands at affordable prices.

Anything else you’d like to tell us?
I noticed a lot of people I work with and have met are transplants, which I think contributes to the diverse culture here.

Q+A has been edited for clarity and brevity.

Photo Credit: Michael Samples

Name: Maegan Trudgett

City: Arlington

Company/Title: Communications Specialist, Corporate Communications at Tenet Healthcare

When did you move here? From where?
I’ve lived in various cities within the Dallas Region my entire life.

Where else have you lived?
Grand Prairie, Dallas and Arlington

What made you Say Yes to Dallas?
I grew up here. I chose to stay in the area because Dallas provides a wide range of jobs in different industries — and you can experience the eventful city life and quiet family life within the same region.

How did you choose where to live in the Dallas Region?
I live in Arlington because it’s close to family, has great schools, safe neighborhoods, and tons of restaurants, shops and parks.

Has your opinion of the Dallas Region changed since moving here?
My opinion has always been consistent— it’s a wonderful place to live, develop a fulfilling career, and raise a family.

Tell us about your city/neighborhood.  What do you like best? What makes it different?
Arlington is fantastic. The Highlands has diverse restaurants and shops — all in the form of a strip mall. The University of Texas at Arlington is a wonderful school with art and fountains hidden throughout. Veterans Park and River Legacy Park provide an escape from the hustle and bustle — a quiet place where stress fades away and towering green foliage provides perpetual shade from the warm sun.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to move here?
If you love night life and busy city life — Dallas is your place. If you want to escape the hustle and bustle, but still have unlimited entertainment options, choose Arlington.

What is your passion, and how does the Dallas Region help fulfill it?
Exploring nature is my passion. Arlington and Dallas provide beautiful nature preserves to get lost in. A fulfilling career is also my passion, and Tenet Healthcare’s corporate office in Downtown Dallas has surpassed my expectations.

Tell us about the work environment here.
As college graduation was nearing, I began searching for my career job. Dallas provided great choices, and I certainly made the right choice in Tenet Healthcare. I try to leave the office at least once a day and walk the streets of Downtown Dallas. There’s a Starbucks at every corner, and countless food trucks — the perfect way to get recharged for the rest of the work day!

Where do you go and what do you do on the weekends or days off?
I love to “shop hop” in The Highlands or explore a nearby park. Fort Worth provides a classic and enchanting atmosphere with cobblestone streets and trees lined with tiny white lights. Lake Arlington is the perfect place to watch the sun set and feed the ducks.

Who is your local hero? Why?
Every police officer in the Dallas Region is my local hero. My personal experience is that they are very friendly.

How do you interact with your community?
Tenet Healthcare provides countless volunteer opportunities. Recently, Tenet volunteers cleaned more than 45,000 pounds of trash and weeds from Moore Park near Trinity River.

Do you travel often? Is it easier or harder to do here?
Super easy to travel. DFW Airport is a close drive from anywhere in the region.

Photo Credit: Chase Mardis

Name: Lissa Dewar

City: Dallas

Neighborhood: Lakewood

When did you move here? From where?
2006, from Chicago

Where else have you lived?
Suburbs of Chicago and central Illinois for college

What made you Say Yes to Dallas?
My husband Christopher and I met immediately after I earned my undergraduate degree and he graduated from law school. We are both from the Midwest, but he already had a job in Dallas. On our first date, he asked me if I would ever move to Dallas. I was young and didn’t know anything about Dallas, but I told him, “sure.” The rest is history; I moved one year later and have been here ever since. My husband moved here for the weather, ease of living and affordable home prices.

How did you choose where to live in the Dallas Region?
We both grew up in areas with lots of trees, and we like to be outside. We immediately fell in love with the Lakewood area because of the trees, White Rock Lake and its proximity to downtown. We’re on our third house in Lakewood, and we don’t have plans to leave the area. We love the small town feel in the middle of a big city.

How has your opinion of the Dallas Region changed since moving here?
Dallas itself has changed a lot in the past 10 years! When we arrived, there was no arts hub or anything other than office buildings in the downtown area. Now, Dallas has arts buildings, Klyde Warren Park and museums. We also found that the people in Dallas are not at all what we thought as “stereotypical Texans.” We’re friends with many transplants who have political beliefs all over the spectrum. Not many cowboys here!

Tell us about your city/neighborhood. What do you like best? What makes it different?
Lakewood has a small-town feel and is a SUPER involved community. It seems like we know people everywhere we go — the park, the grocery store, any of the local restaurants. The Lakewood residents are very loyal to the community, and you rarely hear of people leaving the area for other parts of Dallas. The public elementary school and nearby private school are also very strong. I often say East Dallas is a more liberal part of Dallas and is definitely much more liberal than most of Texas. We love the laid back and diverse feel.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to move here?
Get involved! If you have children and move to Lakewood, join the Lakewood Early Childhood Parents Association (LECPTA). We met many friends for life through this organization, and it’s a lot of fun. If you don’t have kids, join the neighborhood associations, which are also very active.

What is your passion, and how does Dallas help fulfill it?
I am a competitive horseback (dressage) rider, and I have competed all over the country. My competition horse lives at a training facility about an hour away, but I’m able to ride/train 3-4 times per week. I drive an hour each way, and thankfully Dallas traffic isn’t too bad, especially compared to other big cities. Although dressage is not super common in the area, it’s growing and there’s a huge presence of Western riders and trainers. There are even signs that say “Horse Country USA.”

What would you miss most about the area if you had to leave?
Our proximity to downtown and the lake, but mostly our wonderful friends.

Where do you go and what do you do on the weekends or days off?
We are currently involved in many kids activities and sports. When we’re not doing that, we love going to White Rock Lake, the Perot Museum, swimming at the country club pool, the Dallas Arboretum (especially the Children’s Arboretum—it’s fabulous!), and enjoy we going out to dinner. Dallas has so many excellent restaurants. There are also different areas of Dallas to explore: Uptown, Bishop Arts and the upscale NorthPark Center.

Do you have kids? How is the experience of raising them in the Dallas Region?
We have three kids, and we think Dallas is a great place to raise them. We have a house with a large yard and great neighbors — I’m pretty sure everyone in Lakewood claims their neighbors are “the best.” Lakewood is filled with kids, and our children spend most of their free time playing outside with our neighbors. We love knowing that a lot of their friendships could last a lifetime.

What is your favorite outdoor activity, and where is your favorite place to do it?
We love the Dallas Arboretum, White Rock Lake, Klyde Warren Park, golfing at Lakewood Country Club, the Santa Fe Trail (great for running/walking/biking), and countless local parks and playgrounds.

Where do you like to shop? Why?
Highland Park has some great local shops and NorthPark Center has more designer shops than I have seen at any mall.

Do you travel often? Is it easier or harder to do here?
We travel back to Chicago several times per year. Love Field is very convenient and easy to navigate. DFW Airport is a bit further of a drive but is also pretty easy to use.

Q+A has been edited for clarity and brevity.

Photo Credit: Michael Samples

Name: Aurélie Thiele

City: Dallas

Neighborhood: Uptown

Company/Title: Southern Methodist University, Associate Professor

When did you move here? Where from?
July 2016, from Pennsylvania

Where else have you lived?
I was raised in Brussels, Belgium; went to college in Paris, France; lived in Cambridge, Massachusetts, for doctoral studies at MIT; and worked at a university in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

What made you Say Yes to Dallas?
I wanted to go back to a big city with a booming economy and a thriving cultural scene.

How did you choose where to live in the Dallas Region?
My criteria were a short commute to work and a walkable neighborhood, while being close to city attractions. Uptown was perfect.

What is the one thing that you could have done to make your move easier?
I was lucky to find Dallas-based Arpin America to move me across the country. If I had to do the move again, I would have the movers do a full pack instead of a partial pack. They were so much more efficient than I.

How has your opinion of the Dallas Region changed since moving here?
I like Dallas even more now. Culture is really important for me, and I expected good cultural opportunities because I knew about the SMU Meadows School for Performing Arts, Dallas Museum of Art, the Dallas Symphony and the AT&T Performing Arts Center. I thought I’d miss New York City, where I would often go when I lived in Pennsylvania to catch a play, a concert or a Broadway show. It turns out I don’t miss New York at all. The arts in the Dallas Region have been spectacular.

I love how institutions such as the Dallas Museum of Art, the Crow Collection of Asian Art and the Kimbell in Fort Worth offer free year-round admission to their permanent collections. For a vibrant society, it’s important that everyone be exposed to culture, independent of financial ability to pay. And the excellent Dallas Symphony, led by New York-bound Jaap van Zweden, also has great ticket prices. It tells you a lot about an area when local institutions (helped by generous donations, obviously) make access one of their priorities. I like how so many local businesspeople have given back to the community.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to move here?
Don’t believe the clichés. Family members in Europe mentioned JFK’s assassination and the 1980s TV show when I told them about the job offer. They meant well, but those were the only two things they knew about Dallas. Acquaintances in the northeast said they’d never be able to move to such a conservative city. I think by that they meant judgmental — not realizing they were the ones passing judgment. But I have found Dallasites to be very welcoming. People haven’t asked me where I went to church or to which political party I belong — two things I had been warned I would surely be interrogated on as soon as I set foot in Texas. I’ve been stunned by how much of a gem Dallas is.

What is your passion, and how does Dallas help fulfill it?
I love everything creative. Dallas offers so many opportunities to be exposed to first-rate creative output. My passion is to write, and I have found the book-related events at the Dallas Museum of Art (Arts & Letters series) and the Dallas Institute for Humanities and Culture to be inspirational. I also love art. It doesn’t get any better than having the Dallas Museum of Art, the SMU Meadows Museum, the Kimbell Art Museum, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, and the Crow Collection of Asian Art nearby.

Professionally, I love making a difference. It’s exhilarating to teach SMU students; they’re bound for great things. I’m proud to make my own small contribution to that.

What would you miss most about the area if you had to leave?
I would miss the great quality of life: the restaurants, the performing arts events, the proximity to everything I like. And the people, too.

Tell us about the work environment here.
I love working at SMU. All the faculty and staff members I’ve met are committed to helping students become world changers who will cultivate principled thought, excel in their endeavors, and contribute to their communities. It’s one thing to have people tell you as much during the interview process, quite another to see it in action.

Where do you go and what do you do on the weekends or days off?
I usually go to a performing arts event at the AT&T Performing Arts Center, attend a panel discussion at the Nasher Sculpture Center or drop by the Dallas Museum of Art. I might catch a movie at the Angelika. On occasion, I go to the Bishop Arts District or White Rock Lake. At some point during the weekend, I try to catch up on Krys Boyd’s Think podcasts.

Where do you go to experience culture?
SMU Meadows School of Performing Arts, Dallas Museum of Art, Meyerson Symphony, Winspear Opera House, Wyly Theatre — I like everything creative.

What is your favorite restaurant?
Dive Dallas in Snider Plaza near SMU. Their salads and seafood are extraordinarily fresh and tasty. I also love True Food Kitchen, Mesero, Meso Maya, Bolsa Mercado and Terra Mediterranean Grill in Irving for their weekday buffet. For upscale celebrations, nothing beats Flora Street Café, across the street from the Meyerson Symphony Center. It’s worthy of a Michelin star.

What is your favorite festival/event?
Anything happening at the SMU Meadows School for the Performing Arts is my favorite event of the moment.

Where do you like to shop? Why?
I usually do my shopping online, but NorthPark is the most beautiful mall I’ve ever seen and the art on display is outstanding.

Who is your local hero? Why?
Ret. Chief David Brown of the Dallas Police Department, for his leadership

Do you travel often? Is it easier or harder to do here?
Dallas is at most three and a half hours by plane of any major city in the U.S. and is a hub for both American Airlines and Southwest Airlines. That’s hard to beat.

Anything else you’d like to tell us?
Dallas is uniquely positioned to become one of the main creative cities in the U.S. and a leading innovation hub, thanks to its mix of top universities, thriving companies across a wide span of industries, and great quality of life. I’m not sure if the people in Dallas realize how remarkable and unique the city is.

(And, thanks to Derrick Spencer of Lure Salon for styling my hair!)

Photo Credit:  Sarah Bradbury

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