John,

The "D/FW" area has a lot of variation and covers more than 5000 square miles. Dallas and Fort Worth are very different places. To begin with Dallas has one of the highest crime rates in the country, Fort Worth one of the lowest. The sayng here is, "Dallas is where the East ends and Fort Worth is where the west begins." If you are looking for "big city" environment then the Dallas side may be more to your liking. If you like a smaller, friendlier city, take a look at Fort Worth. Of course both the areas have surrounding suburbs and rural areas.

Regarding off road opportunites you need to be aware of the fact that considering the size of Texas, there is releitively little Public or public access property. There are certainly a number of State Parks and National Forests and Grasslands but it is not like what you find in other western states.

I have been here since 1989. I grew up in Southern California, left there in '80 spent 8 years in Arkansas. I still like Texas. There is plenty do but it is big so it's often a long drive to get to a different kind of terrain.