I'm from So Cal, live in Houston, and visit Dallas frequently. There both cool cities but if your into a BIG city feel Houston is the place to be. As 2112 comments and I elaborate, Houston feels tighter than Dallas, bigger, more of a mega city feel to it. The major business districts in Houston are larger than those of Dallas and there close proximity to one another make the city look very big. Dallas has some neat aspects to it like the new Uptown densification and it's topography. I also like to hang out at some of the lakes but the public areas seem to be dwindling as more residential areas go up. Just speaking for myself I like Houston's gritty and maverick like attitude better than the more glamorous Dallas. I also think that the people here are more down to earth and friendlier than those in Dallas. I will say however that I've come to know many in Ft Worth and it's got a more similar attitude to Houston than it does to Dallas. I really like Ft Worth as a choice but it does lack the big city feel that Houston and Dallas offer. Bottom line is that both cities have so much to offer and you can't go wrong either way, but if you love that BIG city feel, Houston's the place to be in Texas.