Any suggestions on where to live in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area...
Jan 6th, 2006, 03:18 PM
#1
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Any suggestions on where to live in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area...
My husband and I are planning to move to Dallas/Ft. Worth area with our two kids (4 yr. and 2 yr. old). My husband will be transfering his job to the Dallas area as a sales person so he will be driving around the metroplex area. I would like a suburb area to live in that has great schools but not too far from Dallas (I heard the commute is pretty bad). Price range for our home is in the $250,000 - $375,000 but I don't want to live in a snobby/"have and have not" area....any suggestions?
Jan 6th, 2006, 05:09 PM
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I think you would first need to tell us exactly where in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area your husband's job is located to get any really helpful information.
Dallas/Ft. Worth is a pretty large area and you could very well be getting suggestions with a 1 hour commute time, which wouldn't be that helpful to you (unless the commute time does not matter).
I'm sure xbt will be able to chime in with some information soon.
Dallas/Ft. Worth is a pretty large area and you could very well be getting suggestions with a 1 hour commute time, which wouldn't be that helpful to you (unless the commute time does not matter).
I'm sure xbt will be able to chime in with some information soon.
Jan 6th, 2006, 06:02 PM
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I lived in the Dallas area for 13 years. 1986 to 1999. Irving, Dallas (635 and Greenville Ave.), Plano and Princeton. We lived mostley in Apts. Finally bought a house in Princeton for around $80,000. I worked in Allen and former DH worked in Dallas by the Lovefield airport. I had a 45 min commute and he had a little over an hour. The traffic and commute were terrible. We had no children. Was finally glad to leave that area and go back to a smaller town in West Texas.
Be more specific as to your DH's job location. There are many suburbs of Dallas/Ft. Worth. The area is quite spread out. We never fit into the house price range you listed, so you will have many more options than we did. Also try and find a really good realtor in that area.
Be more specific as to your DH's job location. There are many suburbs of Dallas/Ft. Worth. The area is quite spread out. We never fit into the house price range you listed, so you will have many more options than we did. Also try and find a really good realtor in that area.
Jan 7th, 2006, 07:11 AM
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There are good sections w/in the city of Dallas - I live in one.
Can NOT imagine living in a suburb where traffic is terrible and everything is generic. And the attitude is have/have not...big bummer.
Where are you moving from? For comparison...
Can NOT imagine living in a suburb where traffic is terrible and everything is generic. And the attitude is have/have not...big bummer.
Where are you moving from? For comparison...
Jan 7th, 2006, 07:25 AM
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Hello, Notsure,
My suggestion is to live somewhere in Plano near the GB Turnpike. If your husband has to drive all over the area for his sales job, the freeway access is important... and the Plano schools are good to acceptable.
The GB Turnpike is an outer perimeter road that traces a semicircle around the northern Dallas suburbs. It will soon open a leg to Irving and I635, another important freeway, which will give you good access to DFW airport. Also convenient is its intersection with the North Dallas Tollway, which takes you to downtown Dallas.
Personally, I would rather live in Dallas' inner city, the Uptown area, or in near north Dallas, since I like densely build up urban areas with things in walking distance. But I have no school age children, so the perceived shortcomings of the Dallas city school district is not a factor for me.
Actually, the northern Dallas suburbs could provide you with neighborhoods with shops in walking distance. About every 1-2 miles, there is a major road intersection, with a shopping center on it, and it would be accessible on foot to the nearby residential areas. The land immediately next to the shopping is usually zoned for apartments, and beyond the apartments you'll find single family housing.
Your price range will allow you to afford a very fine house, and even... believe it or not... comfortably live below your means. As far as the people in your neighborhood, you'll find all kinds. Some will be arrogant, some humble, some witty, some dull... just like the rest of humanity anywhere else. You'll soon fins a circle of friends that will agree with your tastes and values.
Welcome to Dallas.
My suggestion is to live somewhere in Plano near the GB Turnpike. If your husband has to drive all over the area for his sales job, the freeway access is important... and the Plano schools are good to acceptable.
The GB Turnpike is an outer perimeter road that traces a semicircle around the northern Dallas suburbs. It will soon open a leg to Irving and I635, another important freeway, which will give you good access to DFW airport. Also convenient is its intersection with the North Dallas Tollway, which takes you to downtown Dallas.
Personally, I would rather live in Dallas' inner city, the Uptown area, or in near north Dallas, since I like densely build up urban areas with things in walking distance. But I have no school age children, so the perceived shortcomings of the Dallas city school district is not a factor for me.
Actually, the northern Dallas suburbs could provide you with neighborhoods with shops in walking distance. About every 1-2 miles, there is a major road intersection, with a shopping center on it, and it would be accessible on foot to the nearby residential areas. The land immediately next to the shopping is usually zoned for apartments, and beyond the apartments you'll find single family housing.
Your price range will allow you to afford a very fine house, and even... believe it or not... comfortably live below your means. As far as the people in your neighborhood, you'll find all kinds. Some will be arrogant, some humble, some witty, some dull... just like the rest of humanity anywhere else. You'll soon fins a circle of friends that will agree with your tastes and values.
Welcome to Dallas.
Jan 7th, 2006, 07:47 AM
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Some more background information for you...
Dallas suburbs such as Plano, Frisco, Garland, Irving, etc, are not small neighborhoods, but large cities, with populations ranging anywhere from 100,000 to a quarter of a million. Thus, the specific neighborhood within Plano or Frisco is more meaningful.
The Dallas area has some rail transit now, and will double its trackage within the next 5 years. If access to a rail station is important to you, you might want to live near the intersection of the GB Turnpike and US 75, also known as North Central Expressway. The Red Line to downtown Dallas more or less parallels US75, and several of its stations are next to interesting neighborhoods and entertainment/shopping areas.
What you might want to do is to rent an apartment for a few months before you decide where to buy a house. That will give you time to get to know the city better.
Dallas suburbs such as Plano, Frisco, Garland, Irving, etc, are not small neighborhoods, but large cities, with populations ranging anywhere from 100,000 to a quarter of a million. Thus, the specific neighborhood within Plano or Frisco is more meaningful.
The Dallas area has some rail transit now, and will double its trackage within the next 5 years. If access to a rail station is important to you, you might want to live near the intersection of the GB Turnpike and US 75, also known as North Central Expressway. The Red Line to downtown Dallas more or less parallels US75, and several of its stations are next to interesting neighborhoods and entertainment/shopping areas.
What you might want to do is to rent an apartment for a few months before you decide where to buy a house. That will give you time to get to know the city better.
Jan 7th, 2006, 07:49 AM
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Avoid ANYTHING with Dallas ISD schools unless you want to pay for private schools for your kids!
If you don't want a "snobby" area, I'd recommend avoiding: Plano, Southlake, and University Park/Highland Park. All of these areas, in my experience, are very materialistic and snobby. They do, however, have good schools.
We live in Grapevine, in Northeast Tarrant County, and we love it here. Tarrant County has lower property taxes than Dallas County, and Grapevine definitely has a small town feel with lots of parks, community activities, etc. My daily commute takes me almost to downtown Dallas within 30 minutes, so the central location here is very good!
Good luck with your move!
If you don't want a "snobby" area, I'd recommend avoiding: Plano, Southlake, and University Park/Highland Park. All of these areas, in my experience, are very materialistic and snobby. They do, however, have good schools.
We live in Grapevine, in Northeast Tarrant County, and we love it here. Tarrant County has lower property taxes than Dallas County, and Grapevine definitely has a small town feel with lots of parks, community activities, etc. My daily commute takes me almost to downtown Dallas within 30 minutes, so the central location here is very good!
Good luck with your move!
Jan 7th, 2006, 08:49 AM
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Hmmmmm... Plano "snobby"? Well, I suppose parts of it are... parts are not...
It varies by neighborhood, of course. Since Plano has a quarter of a million people, it's pretty hard to generalize them as snobby or anything else.
You can usually eyeball a neighborhood and decide if you'll fit in... I'd avoid the generic type of housing known as a "McMansion"... an over-decorated house with a lot of gables, embellishments, and cheap curlicues... especially with huge roofs... when you look more closely at the house, you notice every fixture is bottom of the line, you see particle board shelves in the closets.
These houses crop up in every city that has a lot of people transfering in. People who will expect to spend only 2 or 3 years in a city before moving on... so they don't care how quickly the house falls apart. They buy a house that looks lavish but is actually very poor.
Fortunately, the greater Dallas real estate marketplace has plenty of houses that are not McMansions...
I don't agree with Christie that people in Grapevine, Texas are morally superior to those in Plano, but Eastern Tarrant county does have some nice wooded scenery, and downtown Grapevine is very quaint. Grapevine proper will have acceptable freeway access to the rest of DFW, but other areas in the east county will be difficult. Also, it is outside of the zones where business is conducted... most of greater Dallas' business office activity is in places like Plano, Richardson, North Dallas... one of the reasons I suggested Plano. It is close to most of the area's office space.
On the other hand, Eastern Tarrant County is certainly a good choice.
It varies by neighborhood, of course. Since Plano has a quarter of a million people, it's pretty hard to generalize them as snobby or anything else.
You can usually eyeball a neighborhood and decide if you'll fit in... I'd avoid the generic type of housing known as a "McMansion"... an over-decorated house with a lot of gables, embellishments, and cheap curlicues... especially with huge roofs... when you look more closely at the house, you notice every fixture is bottom of the line, you see particle board shelves in the closets.
These houses crop up in every city that has a lot of people transfering in. People who will expect to spend only 2 or 3 years in a city before moving on... so they don't care how quickly the house falls apart. They buy a house that looks lavish but is actually very poor.
Fortunately, the greater Dallas real estate marketplace has plenty of houses that are not McMansions...
I don't agree with Christie that people in Grapevine, Texas are morally superior to those in Plano, but Eastern Tarrant county does have some nice wooded scenery, and downtown Grapevine is very quaint. Grapevine proper will have acceptable freeway access to the rest of DFW, but other areas in the east county will be difficult. Also, it is outside of the zones where business is conducted... most of greater Dallas' business office activity is in places like Plano, Richardson, North Dallas... one of the reasons I suggested Plano. It is close to most of the area's office space.
On the other hand, Eastern Tarrant County is certainly a good choice.
Jan 7th, 2006, 09:00 AM
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Well, Notsure, I hope my words have helped.
I'm leaving the forum now to go hiking in the Cedar Hills area of Southwest Dallas county. Got my pack, got my State Park Pass... and the weather is so blasted gorgeous it's a shame not to be outside...
I'm leaving the forum now to go hiking in the Cedar Hills area of Southwest Dallas county. Got my pack, got my State Park Pass... and the weather is so blasted gorgeous it's a shame not to be outside...
Jan 7th, 2006, 09:01 AM
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XBT, I NEVER said that "people in Grapevine were morally superior to thos ein Plano." I based my opinion on my experiences from living in both cities and working in Plano. People in Plano were generally ruder, and were more concerned with having "things" like designer clothes, fancy cars, and overdone houses.
Jan 7th, 2006, 09:57 AM
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From OP:
Thanks everyone for your input. I know some people think it's ridiculous to ask other people who I don't know about a place that our family is going to move to but I find the information from all of you very helpful.
We are moving from San Francisco in about 6 months. I previously had a question posted on this a few weeks ago about San Francisco vs. Dallas and now it seems like the wheels of our move are turning us to move to Texas.
To answer some of your questions...my husband will be traveling around Dallas for his job on a daily basis but his office will be at home. His parents live in Arlington so the maximum place we want to live by them is a about a 45 minute drive. In our move, I think the public school system is very important to us as well as my husband's daily commute around Dallas.
Is Grapevine's driving distance from my husband's parent's home (Arlington) pretty far? What about Colleyville, Coppell, and Keller areas?
Thanks everyone for the info. I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
-Notsure
Jan 7th, 2006, 10:27 AM
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The school system(s) will be your greatest challenge: I lived in Dallas/RISD (same heavily wooded Nothwood Hills house) for 25 years 1980 -2005, and my three went to and graduated from Greenhill and Hockaday and never spent a minute in the public primary/secondary, union dominated, factories.
Property taxes, insurance and utilities will "eat your lunch" (maybe B'fast and Dinner too).
Traffic is awful.
Buen viaje.
M
Property taxes, insurance and utilities will "eat your lunch" (maybe B'fast and Dinner too).
Traffic is awful.
Buen viaje.
M
Jan 7th, 2006, 11:12 AM
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Fort Worth - particularly the TCU, Arlington Heights, Colonial CC, Rivercrest areas near I-30. No traffic, can get to just about anywhere in FW in 20 minutes, can get to downtown Dallas in under an hour...would be glad to share more info if you're interested.
Jan 7th, 2006, 11:55 AM
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Grapevine is definitely within 45 minutes' drive from Arlington, as are Colleyville, Keller and Coppell. Actually, all except Keller will be within 30 minute' drive even in rush hour!
Be careful of Coppell. Many of the roads there are still two-lane blacktops which harken back to Coppell's rural days. They are inadequate for the traffic they get today, and for whatever reason, the city is slow to replace them and they are not well-maintained! Also, there is a potential big development (called Cypress Waters) coming which is predicted will greatly overcrowd Coppell's public school system. It's getting a lot of press right now...
Grapevine and Colleyville share a public school system which is highly regarded. The communities also are very supportive of the schools, such as in the annual Christmas and GHS homecoming parades through downtown Grapevine.
Be careful of Coppell. Many of the roads there are still two-lane blacktops which harken back to Coppell's rural days. They are inadequate for the traffic they get today, and for whatever reason, the city is slow to replace them and they are not well-maintained! Also, there is a potential big development (called Cypress Waters) coming which is predicted will greatly overcrowd Coppell's public school system. It's getting a lot of press right now...
Grapevine and Colleyville share a public school system which is highly regarded. The communities also are very supportive of the schools, such as in the annual Christmas and GHS homecoming parades through downtown Grapevine.
Jan 7th, 2006, 02:43 PM
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From OP:
Thanks again for more info.
I'm curious in what you all think of Keller vs. Grapevine area. Is Keller a newer community with bigger homes, yards, and newer schools? When I've looked at some of the homes on zip realty, it seems like Grapevine homes are a little smaller and the yards aren't as big. And living in Grapevine, are you "trapped" by the airport...meaning, it looks like on the map of Texas that there would be more traffic to go around the airport to get anywhere...
Thanks again for more info.
I'm curious in what you all think of Keller vs. Grapevine area. Is Keller a newer community with bigger homes, yards, and newer schools? When I've looked at some of the homes on zip realty, it seems like Grapevine homes are a little smaller and the yards aren't as big. And living in Grapevine, are you "trapped" by the airport...meaning, it looks like on the map of Texas that there would be more traffic to go around the airport to get anywhere...
Jan 7th, 2006, 02:48 PM
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And what do you think of places like Mansfield? Is that a long commute to Dallas?
Out of these areas (Mansfield, Arlington, Keller, Grapevine) which has the prettiest areas to live in? For an example: slight hills, trees, and lakes or greenery from golf course to be admired?
Out of these areas (Mansfield, Arlington, Keller, Grapevine) which has the prettiest areas to live in? For an example: slight hills, trees, and lakes or greenery from golf course to be admired?
Jan 7th, 2006, 04:35 PM
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Hi Notsure
Keller has lots of brand new areas. We live near a golf course and the area has lots of trees, which I love. New homes can be bought with older, existing trees on the lots, giving the neighborhoods a lovely feel, like they've been here for years.
The homes in your price range would probably get you a 2800 to 3800 sq ft new home, very nicely done. Full mature landscaping, fences, walls, etc. Probably around 1/4 acre lot.
I am not sure about Grapevine, but it seems to me it's a little older (which is not necessarily bad). I would highly suggest checking it out fully. It was definitely part of our choices.
As far as schools, I think some of Keller's may be newer than Grapevine, but we also considered Grapevine/Colleyville School District when we moved from Orange County.
In my opinion, either Grapevine or Keller schools would be an excellent choice - they are both highly rated.
Keller has lots of brand new areas. We live near a golf course and the area has lots of trees, which I love. New homes can be bought with older, existing trees on the lots, giving the neighborhoods a lovely feel, like they've been here for years.
The homes in your price range would probably get you a 2800 to 3800 sq ft new home, very nicely done. Full mature landscaping, fences, walls, etc. Probably around 1/4 acre lot.
I am not sure about Grapevine, but it seems to me it's a little older (which is not necessarily bad). I would highly suggest checking it out fully. It was definitely part of our choices.
As far as schools, I think some of Keller's may be newer than Grapevine, but we also considered Grapevine/Colleyville School District when we moved from Orange County.
In my opinion, either Grapevine or Keller schools would be an excellent choice - they are both highly rated.
