Question for those in the Dallas area

[m&m's mom]

Again, thanks everyone for the input. While playing around on realtor.com I was looking at some listings that mention Las Colinas and Hackberry Creek. At least some of them were in the Carrollton (?) school district. Does this put us at approximately a 30-45 minute commute? Even though we don't have kids we've always kept school districts in the back of our minds whenever we bought because of resale value. BTW, DH is astonished that I haven't asked any questions about shopping....hmmm, anybody want to share?!?

Yes, either Carrollton or Las Colinas are very nice areas - great schools, nice neighborhoods and pretty close to the same commute time.
Shopping is not an issue anywhere in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area trust me.
We have Neiman Marcus to Big Lots
The comment about vast number of people putting their kids in private schools is really for Dallas proper only. The suburbs have excellent schools. I do not know anyone that comes to DIS meets anyway that has their kids in private schools.

 

[m&m's mom]

Does this put us at approximately a 30-45 minute commute?

Sorry, forgot to answer this part. Yes ,30-45 mins from either of those is realistic.

 

[Planogirl]

Does anyone know about Farmer's Branch? It's not located too badly for the OP but I don't know anything about the community except for where it is.

 

[janette]

The Carrollton/Farmer's Branch school district is one of the closest to Dallas. It is just north of I635. It is an okay district but it really depends on where you are. North Carrollton has the more desired schools. I was very careful when we were looking for houses to check the school districts as they vary widely and don't follow the same boundaries as the towns. We live in North Carrollton and are in Lewisville school district. Carrollton addresses can be in Carrollton/Farmer's Branch, Lewisville, Dallas & Plano schoold. Realty listings were not very accurate but the school district sites all have a look up. I know in Carrollton there was at least a 10K difference in price depending on the schools assigned to an address.

As planogirl said, Dallas is a shopping town. You don't have to worry about the availability of a nearby mall

 

[janette]

Does anyone know about Farmer's Branch? It's not located too badly for the OP but I don't know anything about the community except for where it is.

Farmer's Branch & South Carrollton are about the same. Older homes and neighborhoods that have become predominately Hispanic. We lived in S Carrollton until about 4 yrs ago and our neighborhood was very quiet and had lots of families, I probably wouldn't want to live in an apartment there and really depends on the neighborhoods for houses. Many neighborhoods are still very nice and have great schools.

 

[malibuconlee]

We lived right on the Carrollton/Farmers Branch line, but in Carrollton. My neighbors LOVED the elementary school down the street a couple of blocks. It was in Farmers Branch, but that's where the neighborhood kids went to school.

They were concerned about sending the kids to the Middle School they were assigned to in Carrollton (old part, not new), but as faras I know they're still living there and the kids are in middle school now.

My neighborhood was built in the 60's. It was a mix of people who had owned their homes since they were built, two of my neighbors were living in the homes their parents had bought in the 60's, and there were an increasing number of Hispanics.

I never felt unsafe and found all the neighbors in my immediate area to be nice.

I SOOO miss the shopping in Dallas.

 

[slimplaw]

I live in South Irving and can be at Love Field in 20-25 minutes without ever getting on a highway and very little traffic. There are new homes going up in South Irving and many homes in the 10-15 year old range. There are also some large lovely homes that are about 25-30 years old. A new subdivision is being built near the Belt Line/Shady Grove area. It will also have a brand new elementary that will open next year. The middle school in our neighborhood is a national blue ribbon school. The high school in south Irving has academic decathlon teams which place in the top 3 of state competition every year. Our biggest problem in our area is a lack of grocery stores, but a big plus is that if you need to go somewhere we have multiple routes to choose from. South Irving is 10-15 minutes from Six Flags, Ranger's baseball stadium, Texas Stadium and the Cowboys new site in Arlington. You can get on a train in South Irving and be at American Airlines center for hockey or basketball in 20-25 minutes.

 

[DisneyCP2002]

The Dallas area is horrid for traffic so it depends on how much you want to pay and how much you want to drive. Love Field area is gorgeous but is well known for the crime rate and expensive houses. I cannot recommend that part of Dallas because of that. Not too far away is a nice area in the Lake Highlands area and you wouldnt have to drive very far. Schools there are good and high rated for Texas testing. But once again you run into the price question because houses there are quite high but there are some moderate houses. The White Rock area is also a very nice area and prices are not too expensive and there is easy access to bus routes if needed to avoid Dallas traffic. Now I perfer the Garland area myself because I used to live in Garland for a long time before moving to East Texas to attend school, but you would run into the traffic issues and the drive. You can email me with questions if you would like by writing to dale_e_jr_fan_8@hotmail.com. My name is Lee Ann

 

[DisneyCP2002]

Carrolton/ Farmers Branch is another great area to live in. My daughter lives in Lewisville which borders Carrolton.

 

[missypie]

Las Colinas/Hackberry Creek is very nice...kind of pricey, but you haven't told us your price range. You home will be in a homeowner's association to which you will pay monthly dues. If a tree in your yard dies and you don't remove and replace it right away, or if the trim on your house is peeling, you will get a demand letter and if you don't fix it, you'll be sued.

Lot of people love the uniformity and maintenance level brought about by a strong homeowners' association...other people HATE getting a letter from a third party saying "Your trim is shabby. We demand that you repaint within 30 days." Your choice, but don't buy in a subdivison with a strong HOA without considering how you feel about it.