$30,000 Millionaires

I've lived in Dallas since 2004, and have noticed something other people have known for years...Dallas is mad pretentious! It's not something that someone from Dallas would readily admit, because they would usually just say that it is because they are better, end of story. The "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" extend to just about every segment of life in the Dallas area. From Porsches, to Mercedes, to 8000+ sq. ft. homes, to valets on every corner, people here live it up. After having visited Los Angeles on multiple occasions, I don't see much difference in the way appearances drives lifestyles. This hasn't gone unnoticed by the media, just last year, the Dallas Morning News produced a series, called The Price of Prosperity. The story concentrates on Collin County, which is just north of Dallas. It is the richest county in Texas, and in the top 1% in the nation. The dark side is that it has more debt than any other area as well! Planning to go out in Dallas is quite the ordeal if you're young and male, since you cannot wear anything less than a stripped, button-down; it's the uniform (make sure you have 2 or 3 credit cards!). Most people live outside of their means, which is where $30K millionaires comes from. It's a reference to those who earn $30K/year, but spend and aquire debt as though they make, yep you guessed it, $1 million--I think it has to do with the fact that there are a good 20-25 shopping areas in the region. I've somewhat learned to laugh at it, but it definitely takes some getting used to, after living 4 years in the ultimate slaker's capital, Austin. This weekend, while down in the capital, I had this conversatoin with a few of my friends that live in Austin, Houston, or in Dallas. Everyone was in agreement that there was a stereotype concerning Dallas, but it was well-deserved. It seems there is a movie (I Wanna Fake Rich) coming out soon on the lifestyle that is Dallas. Here's the Link. Happy Spending! See Also: $30K Millionaires