Name: Dylan Santos Green

City/ Neighborhood: South Dallas

Company/Title: Creative Director (Dylan S. Green Design) / Marketing & Brand Director (Brist MFG) / Realtor (Rogers Healy and Associates)

When did you move here? Where from? I moved to Dallas August 27, 2021 from Portland, OR

What made you Say Yes to Dallas? Once I learned more about Dallas and visited a few times it was a very easy yes. If a city isn’t growing it’s dying, and Dallas is the polar opposite of that, which was a very welcome change from what I experienced on the West Coast.

How has your opinion of the Dallas Region changed since moving here? If anything, my positive opinions have been reinforced into positive beliefs since moving here. I’d say that the quality of people, economic viability, and abundance mentality are the top three things that excite me about Dallas. Oh wait – the restaurants and bars are #1.

Tell us about your city/neighborhood. What do you like best? What makes it different? South Dallas is a part of Dallas that folks prefer not to talk about, but for that reason it’s one of the last affordable places for folks to buy a home while being under 10 minutes from the city. To me, that represents a narrow window of incredible opportunity. There’s also a lot of history that comes with the territory, which is something that I feel should be discussed more as well.

Where do you go and what do you do on the weekends or days off? I have a 24-hour day of Dallas that I created for visitors. It’s highly aggressive and one of the best ways to experience the city. The abridged version, and maybe my favorite pieces: grab a bottle of wine and snacks at Central Market, picnic at White Rock Lake, and then head to a concert in the city.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to move here? Get to know your neighborhood but explore every corner of DFW. From Denton to Tyler to Oak Cliff to Flower Mound every community feels like its own world, offering a variety of unique experiences and lifestyle opportunities.

What would you miss most about the area if you had to leave? The diversity, variety, kindness, and sun.

Tell us about the work environment here. Prior to getting my real estate license I was working from home 14+ hours a day, which was severely unpleasant. Since I earned my real estate license, I now spend more time working with and amongst other Dallasites and it’s absolutely phenomenal.

What is your favorite restaurant in your neighborhood? Local by Tracy Miller in Deep Ellum, Ichigoh in Deep Ellum, Niwa in Deep Ellum, Ngon in Lower Greenville

Where do you go to experience culture? Why do you like it? Carrollton HMart is where I can confidently find every ingredient to any Filipino dish, I try to recreate from my memories of family dinners.

Who is your local hero? Why? Rogers Healy. Honored to work alongside someone with such vision, attitude, and tenacity. It resonates deeply with the simple approach of “if you want it make it happen”. I’ve never had a mentor and being around someone like Rogers shows me the impact a mentor can have.

Where do you feel you are nearest to your “tribe” in the Dallas Region? When I’m watching my friends win, whether it’s playing live music (shout out to Kevin Arellano), running their bars (shout out to Iluggy Recinos), or closing deals (the whole RHA team, y’all are killers).

How do you interact with your community? With gratitude. I’m so grateful to be here and don’t take for granted the incredible moments I get every time I step outside my door.

Anything else you want to add? Dallas is a hidden secret and part of me wants to keep it that way. But for anyone with a good heart, a sense of adventure, and a desire to be a part of something, it’s home.