Dallas, TX area

[Angrypenguin]

Hi everyone!

My wife and I are considering a transfer to the Dallas area, from here in California. Is anyone here in that area? What do you think of it? We're mostly wanting to get away from the astronomical cost of living here, and our company can probably get us to Dallas with minimal headaches, so I was just wondering what the area is like. We're looking primarily in the northern suburbs (Plano, etc.) as a place to settle down.

Thanks!

 

[Planogirl]

We live in Frisco just to the north of Plano but we used to live in Plano (hence my name). Plano is a great small city with good schools. We only moved because we could get a better house price in Frisco at the time and the Frisco schools weren't quite as huge. Plano is big and has pretty much everything you'd want. Next to Plano are also Allen and McKinney which are also great communities. If you go to the west of Plano, you will run into still more good communities.

Plano is generally divided into west and east Plano. West Plano tends to be newer and richer even though there are lovely properties in east Plano. East Plano has some areas where many people own horses so you can often get bigger properties in that area. The southeast part of Plano seems to be the generally poorer area.

The Dallas area is nice but be prepared for extreme heat in the summer and even the chance for a bit of snow in the winter (not much if any though). There also isn't much to do in the way of nature but if you're prepared to drive a bit, you aren't too far from San Antonio and Hill Country plus there are some great parks and lakes in Oklahoma and even farther are the small but lovely mountain ranges of Arkansas. Fort Worth has good to great museums and a wonderful zoo.

That aside, there are lakes, lots of shopping and plenty of sports teams, both major and minor league. Houses are certainly well priced and you pay no state income tax but be prepared for high property taxes.

Several DISers live in the Dallas area so I imagine that you'll get a lot of replies.

 

[Angrypenguin]

Thanks, Planogirl! That was really informative

I saw Frisco and was thinking Allen, too. It sounds like (from what I've researched) that all areas have good schools, which is a consideration since we're a young couple that'll start a family fairly soon. We're originally from Michigan, so the "harsh" Texas winter doesn't scare us very much

We were scrimping and saving and getting ready to suck it up and plunk down 530k for a starter home, when we decided to wander a bit on the internet to see what we could get in the Dallas area. Needless to say we reacted like this:

 

[Planogirl]

530K would get you a virtual mansion in this area!

I like Allen a lot and it's nicely located. One consideration is jobs of course. I know that you are used to traffic but we get our fair share too plus we have some pesty toll roads to contend with. I work in Allen and it's a very easy drive from Frisco.

The only harsh thing about Texas winters is watching Texans try to drive on ice!

 

[LMN]

You will be surprised at how much farther your money will go in the Dallas area! I live north of Austin, but have had family and friends in the Metroplex (Dallas/Ft. Worth) area my whole life, and go there frequently. Frisco and Plano would be good choices. Grapevine and or Colleyville would also be great choices. In the last 7 years, I have had 3 nephews and a niece graduate from Colleyville Heritage High School. Their families have lived in Grapevine for many years and have enjoyed the community and great schools. Housing is pretty affordable, especially coming from California. Good luck with your research!

 

[Angrypenguin]

The only harsh thing about Texas winters is watching Texans try to drive on ice!

I'm sure that's nothing compared to watching Los Angeles natives try to drive in the rain!

 

[LisaMayTX]

I have lived in Allen for 9 years having moved from Dallas. We looked in Plano when we were home shopping, but found that we could build a larger house in Allen than we could buy in Plano with our budget. I really like the schools, and Allen has a small town feel, but you're close to everything. Allen will also never be as big as Plano, Frisco or McKinney, simply because our town area isn't as large.

I think you can't go wrong with any of the these communities; I'm just partial to Allen.

 

[Aimeedyan]

Anytime someone asks me about moving to the Metroplex I ask where their work is. Honestly, I want more out of life than to spend 2 hours away from my family each day on the freeways. Traffic in some areas, esp those that grew quickly, is an absolute nightmare. I don't care how cheap the house is, how great the schools are, etc if I miss out on all my community offers because I'm inside the car.

There are fantastic cities far reaching across the Metroplex. I'd really only have truly negative things to say about a handful. You can find a fantastic home in a great school district just about anywhere. Find out where your place of employment is and look for neighborhoods close in range to that.

 

[Angrypenguin]

Our office will probably be in the McKinney area, so that's another reason why I concentrated around the Plano area. The traffic shouldn't be too bad, right? Especially compared to the SoCal area.

 

[Linzybrooke]

If you office is going to be in McKinney take a look at some of the sub-divisions that are along Highway 380, which is a quick and easy way to get to McKinney! We live in Providence Village and we LOVE it, just moved there from Little Elm last summer. We are in our mid-late 20's and were looking for a location that was still convenient to get to our jobs, but had a nice family atmosphere with great amenities, as we were in the beginning process of starting a family. We could not be happier in Providence. There are also Savannah, Paloma Creek and a few other developments and towns along 380 that just feel nice, very removed from the hustle and bustle, but also very convenient to still get downtown, to the airport, etc.

 

[Kirby]

I live in Rockwall which is just to the east of Dallas. We enjoy living here. With the money you are looking at to spend, you can get yourselves a whopper of a house. To be honest, I wouldn't spend that much on a house. If I had that kind of money set aside, I would maybe spend half of it and save the rest.

 

[TheSweetLife]

If you office is going to be in McKinney take a look at some of the sub-divisions that are along Highway 380, which is a quick and easy way to get to McKinney! We live in Providence Village and we LOVE it, just moved there from Little Elm last summer. We are in our mid-late 20's and were looking for a location that was still convenient to get to our jobs, but had a nice family atmosphere with great amenities, as we were in the beginning process of starting a family. We could not be happier in Providence. There are also Savannah, Paloma Creek and a few other developments and towns along 380 that just feel nice, very removed from the hustle and bustle, but also very convenient to still get downtown, to the airport, etc.

We lived in Mesquite for 6 years before moving where we are now in StLouis. But we have family like crazy down there. Cousins in Highland Park, Cousins in Frisco and another set in Plano and a sister in law in Providence Village. Now that is a small world. They've only lived there about a year.

 

[GoHogs]

We lived in Flower Mound for six years. It is Northwest of Dallas. If you are going to work in McKinney, then look for a house in that area. You can get a great price on a home in McKinney and still be close to everything you will need. Most schools in the Dallas burbs are good.

 

[Beca]

We live north of Flower Mound in Highland Village. We grew up here, moved to AZ for 11 years (via Chicago) and moved back here 4 years ago. We LOVE north Texas!!

There are so many great neighborhoods in the Dallas area. I would also recommend that you look in areas that would be close to where your dh works. There is just no need to have long commutes around here, as there are just too many nice places to live!!

We also have friends who just moved out of Providence. It is a planned community, much like you see all over CA and AZ. It is very nice if that is what you are looking for. However, one of the great benefits to living in north Texas (especially with the kind of change you have to spend) is finding one of the TRULY custom home communities that dot the landscape here. In AZ, we never could've afforded to live in a custom community (the kind where the lots are not developed by one builder who gives you 6-8 choices of floorplans). In Texas, there are a LOT of communities where you purchase lots and then hire a builder to build your home. In AZ, those home would've been $1 million and up, but here you can find them in the mid-$300's!!! We live in a hillside community covered with huge oak trees on the edge of a really beautiful lake for a fraction of what this would've cost in AZ.

Plus....being closer to WDW can never be a bad thing!!!! Have fun looking!!!!

 

[Angrypenguin]

Thanks for the replies, everyone, keep them coming!

Yeah, we obviously don't plan on spending as much as we were going to here in Cali (part of the draw to Texas in the first place), but there's so many communities it's hard to see where to go. I think right now Plano is at the top of the list, followed by Allen, but we'll see.

Oh, and just for the record, I *am* the DH.

 

[P.I. Squirrel]

Plano/Richardson is telecom central, so I've attended many a seminar in the area. Plano is a beautiful town, they put a lot of effort into their appearance. There was an endless supply of good restaurants on North Central Parkway.

A couple years ago, DW and I did some research when it looked like we would be relocated to Irving. We had settled (for our price range) to look around the area of Parker Rd, Spring Creek Pkwy, and East Park Blvd. The homes were nice there, for a decent price. There seemed to be an endless supply of houses in our price range, so I feel for you on your search.

Good luck.

 

[arminnie]

Our office will probably be in the McKinney area, so that's another reason why I concentrated around the Plano area. The traffic shouldn't be too bad, right? Especially compared to the SoCal area.

Dallas traffic is horrible, horrible, horrible. Honestly I found it to be way worse than Northern California.

I lived in University Park and commuted to Plano. It wasn't that many miles (about 20) - but it could take an hour and a half and that was so called against the traffic.

 

[Hercules10]

It's freakin' hot!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Yes DFW can get hot but for the most part the weather is absolutely fantastic. We just moved back to MO after a 3yr stint in Flower Mound TX.

Come to MO right now Hercules....you can live in the paralyzing heat and humidity here in MO. TX was never as bad as St. Louis....sorry.

Here is my 2 cents...

Utilities are through the roof expensive. (Don't miss that.) Don't buy a huge house.

Traffic is plentiful. If you are working in McKinney, buy in McKinney. Commuting from Plano to McKinney is going to be a big chunk of time living in your car. 2 hour commute, perhaps?

If you thought CA is bad, wait till you drive in TX. It is awful beyond all reason.

 

[Hercules10]

Yes DFW can get hot but for the most part the weather is absolutely fantastic. We just moved back to MO after a 3yr stint in Flower Mound TX.

Lucky you left. Flower Mound/Lewisville area just had a twister go through it last week.

I've lived here since '76. Weather issues. In spring there are no "showers". There are thunderstorms, severe thunderstorms and head for shelter. In winter you get occasional flurries but it's usually ice and freezing rain (which is worse then ice IMHO).

Other then that the forecasts are usually the same. Sunny and hot.

Oh and if you're used to the beach then we do have plenty of lakes for recreation.