🎓🐴 What’s The Average Commute in DALLAS? (From a New Aggie Grad’s POV)
When I graduated from Texas A&M and packed up my maroon gear for the big city, I thought the hardest part of “adulting” would be picking an apartment. Turns out, one of the biggest decisions you make after graduation isn’t just where you live—but how long it takes you to get to work every single day.
Welcome to Dallas, y’all—where the commute can either be a quick 15 minutes or a soul-crushing 90 minutes depending on the choices you make.
🚗 The Reality of Dallas Commutes
Dallas is a massive metroplex with job centers spread out all over: Downtown, Uptown, Plano/Frisco (hello, The Star!), Irving/Las Colinas, and even Arlington if you’re in the entertainment or sports world.
Here’s the average commute breakdown most grads experience:
If you live close to your office: 15–25 minutes (and trust me, this feels like striking oil).
If you live in one part of Dallas but work in another hub: 35–50 minutes is pretty normal.
If you’re in the outer burbs (Frisco, Allen, The Colony, etc.) but working downtown: buckle up—45 minutes to over an hour is real life.
The true average across Dallas workers sits around 28–32 minutes, but for Aggie grads starting fresh, it often depends on whether you chose city convenience or suburban savings.
🏡 My First Lesson After Graduation
I almost signed on an apartment just because it was shiny and had a pool that reminded me of College Station summers. But my dad (Gig ’em, Dad!) made me sit down with Google Maps and test-drive the commute during rush hour.
That’s when I realized—oh wow, saving $200 on rent doesn’t mean much if you’re losing an hour of your life each way in traffic.
Now, I live about 20 minutes from work on most days. And you know what? That decision literally saves me ten hours a week compared to some of my coworkers. Ten hours that I can spend making friends, hitting the Katy Trail, or driving back to Aggieland for game day.
🕰️ Why This Matters for New Aggies
Your career just started. Showing up late because you got stuck on 635 isn’t a good first impression.
Social life is everything. Dallas has tons of hotspots—Uptown, Deep Ellum, Lower Greenville—but if your commute burns you out, you won’t want to explore them.
Gas is not free. Long commutes = more money out of your pocket. That adds up fast when you’re just starting out.
🎯 My Aggie Grad Advice
If you’re about to move to Dallas after graduation, here’s my tip:
👉 Don’t just pick an apartment for the granite countertops. Test the commute from the exact spot during rush hour before signing that lease.
Trust me, you’ll thank yourself later.
⭐ Fellow Aggies—drop a “Howdy” in the comments if you’ve braved the Dallas commute, and share your best advice for new grads moving here!
#AggieGradLife #DallasLiving #GigEm
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