17 Reasons Not to Move to Fort Worth, Texas (Voted by the Locals!)

Many people want to move to Texas but have trouble deciding what city to move to. One city they may consider is Fort Worth. However, it is not a perfect city and has many flaws. Listed below are some of the reasons why you should reconsider moving to Fort Worth, Texas.

Keep reading to find out more!

1. Traffic

Fort Worth, Texas is absolutely awful, especially during rush hour. This is partly because about 80% of the population drives instead of using public transportation, which leads to the roads and highways becoming congested when people are trying to get to and from work in the morning and evening. This doesn’t include the number of tourists on the road, which we will talk more about later.

Although most drivers are nice and will let you merge with them on the highway if it is extremely congested, that doesn’t mean that you will get to your next destination anytime soon during rush hour in Fort Worth.

2. Crime

The crime in Fort Worth, Texas is awful. It has a crime index of 12 out of 100, 100 being the safest city in the United States. That score is quite dismal, especially when you consider that the crime rate per 1,000 residents is 5.47 for violent crimes and 27.68 for property crimes.

About 5,030 violent crimes occur in Fort Worth, Texas every year, and about 25,440 property crimes happen in the city every year. You will definitely want to invest in a good security or alarm system if you choose to move to Fort Worth, Texas.

3. Tourists

If you don’t like seeing or interacting with tourists, you definitely do not want to move to Fort Worth, Texas. About 9.4 million people visit Fort Worth as tourists every year. Fort Worth may be a big city, but if you choose to move there, you won’t be able to avoid interacting with tourists, no matter how hard you try to avoid them.

The number of tourists is high partially because of how close Forth Worth is to Dallas, Texas, which we will talk more about later. Hundreds of people that visit Dallas decide to stop by Fort Worth and sometimes choose to stay in a hotel in Fort Worth rather than Dallas.

4. Weather

If you enjoy cold winters and cool falls, you definitely do not want to move to Fort Worth, Texas. During the winter and fall seasons, it is warm or slightly chilly in Fort Worth. However, it rarely gets below 25 degrees Fahrenheit, even during the winter. While this will save you money when it comes to heating your home, it is unlikely that you will see snow for as long as you live in Fort Worth.

Summers are hot and humid in Fort Worth, Texas. It can get above 102 degrees Fahrenheit, but it will feel even hotter because of the humidity. You will definitely need to make sure that the air conditioning in your home is working properly if you move to Fort Worth. If your home doesn’t have an air conditioner, you will simply be out of luck and have to find other ways to stay cool.

Spring is a relatively mild season in Fort Worth, but you will likely need to have your allergy medicine on hand as spring turns to summer and the pollen starts falling from the trees, even if you aren’t allergic to pollen.

5. Natural Disasters

Fort Worth, Texas is prone to natural disasters, so if you enjoy watching newsreels about natural disasters rather than experiencing them, you don’t want to move to this city. The most common natural disasters are as follows:

Floods
Tornadoes
Earthquakes
Storms that broke off of hurricanes
Hail
Wildfires

If you choose to move to Forth Worth, make sure you have all of the insurance that you need, just in case your home gets hit by one of these disasters.

6. Lack of Quality Public Education

Even though there are many charter and private schools in Fort Worth, Texas, if you can’t afford to send your children to one of them and need to send them to public school, they will be out of luck when it comes to the quality of the education that they will receive.

Fort Worth, Texas is full of public schools that are overcrowded and underfunded, making it hard for teachers to give quality education to their students.

Only about 87.7% of high school students graduate on time, and those that do earn relatively low SAT and ACT scores, which shows that many students are not receiving a quality education that prepares them for college and the world outside of school.

7. Increasing Population

The population of Fort Worth, Texas is steadily increasing. It still has a relatively small-town feel to it, especially if you stay and live in the suburbs, but that will likely soon change as more and more people move there. It is actually considered one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States.

If you enjoy living in big cities and don’t mind talking to people that are new to the area, you may enjoy living in Fort Worth. However, if this is not the case or you enjoy how populated Fort Worth currently is because you have visited the city, you won’t enjoy living there.

8. Public Transportation

Public transportation is incredibly frustrating in Fort Worth, Texas. Although there are trains and busses that arrive at each station and bus stop relatively on time, they don’t often stop in residential areas, making it hard for people to use them to get to and from work each day. This means that most people have to drive in order to get to work, which is frustrating when they get stuck in traffic.

If you intend to travel to another nearby city using Fort Worth’s public transportation, be prepared to change trains multiple times, as each city has its own public transportation and it seems like none of them communicate very well, so you will have to try to navigate multiple public transportation schedules.

9. High Cost of Housing

If you enjoy living in cheap housing or live in a relatively cheap apartment, you do not want to move to Fort Worth, Texas. Even though Fort Worth has a small-town feel, it charges big-city rent prices for apartments. If you move to Fort Worth and live in an apartment, expect to pay between $1,025-$2,000 per month in rent for a 1-2 bedroom apartment, not including utilities and various other fees.

Even if you don’t plan on living in an apartment, you won’t be able to escape paying a large amount of money on housing. The cost of houses is increasing rapidly as more people move to the area, so even though houses are relatively reasonably priced in Fort Worth, that is expected to change relatively soon, so expect to pay more for a house than you may want to.

10. High Taxes

When you purchase items in Fort Worth, Texas, be prepared to pay quite a bit of money in taxes. Even though Fort Worth, Texas does not charge those that work in the state income tax, people have to pay a combined sales tax of 8.25%, which is quite high.

So, if you enjoy keeping your money, even when you actively spend it, you may not want to move to Fort Worth.

11. Constant Construction

If you enjoy avoiding construction areas and avoid them as much as possible, you do not want to move to Fort Worth, Texas. There is always construction being done in multiple areas of Fort Worth, so it is unlikely that you will be able to avoid all construction areas while commuting or simply going shopping.

Construction is especially bad during the summer months, as sometimes it is too hot for workers to work outside, which prolongs projects so they take months when they should have taken only a few weeks to complete.

12. Expensive Tolls

If you enjoy saving money, even while driving, you do not want to move to Fort Worth, Texas. There are tolls on many roads and highways in Fort Worth, and if you don’t have the time or energy to memorize where they are, you will likely be stuck paying the $2-$3 toll. These tools are relatively expensive and were not always in place. The toll costs vary depending on the road and the time of day that you are driving, which makes them slightly unpredictable.

If you are driving in Fort Worth, Texas, make sure you always have cash on you just in case you need to pay for a toll, as the toll booth likely won’t have a card reader.

Most of the time you can avoid paying these tolls by simply not using the express lanes but make sure you pay attention to toll signs that you see above the highway if you move to Fort Worth.

13. Bugs

If the bane of your existence involves bugs of any kind, you do not want to move to Fort Worth, Texas. There are thousands of cicadas and mosquitos that call Fort Worth home, as well as crickets, wasps, gnats, and June bugs. You will definitely have to keep bug spray on hand at all times, especially during the summer when mosquitos and other bugs run rampant.

14. Dallas and Fort Worth Rivalry

If you have a positive opinion of Dallas, Texas, and choose to move to Fort Worth, Texas, you will encounter a lot of disapproving looks and irritated sighs. You may also find yourself arguing with complete strangers. Why will this happen, you may ask? Well, this will happen because the residents of Forth Worth and Dallas have a rivalry that has stood the test of time.

Fort Worth is sometimes called “Dallas’ little brother”, which Fort Worth residents don’t like hearing. If you talk about Dallas in a positive manner while living in Forth Worth, you soon won’t be very happy.

15. Low Minimum Wage and Salaries

If you have a high-paying job and are enjoying the money that said job brings in, you should not move to Fort Worth, Texas. Many of the available jobs have relatively low salaries. There are plenty of jobs available in the city, but they don’t pay as much as similar jobs located in other cities do.

If you don’t have a salaried job and want to live and work in Fort Worth, you are also out of luck. The minimum wage in Fort Worth is only 7.25, which is extremely low, especially when you compare it to the minimum wages in cities of similar sizes in other states.

16. Racism and Segregation

Fort Worth, Texas has a history of segregation and racism, and although it has gotten better with time, they are still prevalent. If you are African-American or Mexican, you will likely be stared at, especially if you have a spouse or significant other of a different race.

Most people in Fort Worth are kind, welcoming, and not blatantly racist, but you will want to prepare yourself for crass and uneducated comments from others if you move to this city. About 60% of the Fort Worth population is white.

17. College Students

College students often fill the streets and bars in Fort Worth, Texas, so if you don’t like encountering college students, especially drunk college students, you do not want to move to this city, as you will encounter them almost constantly.

This is partly because there are many different college campuses located in and around Fort Worth, Texas, so they enjoy going to downtown Fort Worth to party and generally have a good time. However, they are not exactly considerate of the people around them that live in the area and are often rambunctious and drunk, especially after finals week is completed.

Overall, Fort Worth, Texas is an interesting place to live, but there are definitely some things that you should know about before you decide whether or not you should move there.