Where to live around Dallas?

[2TxAgs]

If you want land, try looking at Parker, Lucas and Fairview to the north and east. Try "zillow" to get some ideas of home prices/values. Allen, McKinney and Wylie are nice, but not much in the way of space. Further north, Prosper and Celina and Melissa are growing fast - more room, but also more travel time to work. There are Catholic elementary schools in Richardson and Plano - I think St. Joseph's and St. Mark's. The new Catholic HS in Plano just opened this year to a much smaller attendance than anticipated - not that I've read anything negative, could be people are just waiting to see.

Gymnastics and shopping on practically every corner; soccer and north Texas are practically synonymous.

Just a heads up...the environment here is pretty 'competetive', for want of a better word. Kids in multiple sports, choosing pre-AP classes in 6th grade; many new cars in high school parking lots. There's lots of money floating around that wasn't here 20 yrs ago. Doesn't mean that it's not a great place to live, but I imagine life in Mississippi to be a bit more layed back. (Could be *very* wrong on that; it's just my own personal stereotype....)

Have fun with your search - coming from a military background myself, I know all about moving to new places!

TxAg

 

[lclark0621]

Well I am in Mansfield. I dont know if you would consider that Dallas or Ft Worth...

I am not sure where you are now...

One thing you need to consider with a move to this area is property taxes. They are really high. So what you think you can afford in mortgage, is sometimes unreachable for some because of the added cost of the property taxes.

I like our area. We are in good rated school districts. But the schools are growing WAY TO FAST. They dont even have the new schools finished before they are moving in the trailers because they already know they are to small.

We looked at a few private schools. I dont have to worry to much yet, since DS is only 2.5, but we are Catholic/private school fans (DH & I both went to Private Schools & are more comfortable in those enviroments). There are some good ones, but they are costly, and you need to be prepaired for that.

We moved here from NYC almost 6 years ago now, so we think the houses prices are GREAT in comparison to what we had back east. And it is a nice area. Great people, not a lot of crime here in my area.

House prices can range from $100,000 up to over a million. Land is at a preimum here though. Wooded lots, are few & far between & they are very pricey. Pretty much anything "in town" is going to be planned communities. If you want land & something more custom, you are looking at older neighborhoods & those are sky rocketing because of their land, or way out in the country. And I am not a country kind of girl.

TX is a nice enough place to live, but it is not "home" to us. DH & I hope to be moving back somewhere on the east coast this time next year. I miss seasons!

 

[lclark0621]

Oh & if you are looking close to the airport, Mansfield is a great area. They are expanding 360 now, which will make the trip to the airport really easy.

But my DH travels a lot for work, and is in and out of DFW weekly. He has never had a complaint about the commute to the airport. He says it is pretty easy & does not take very long at all.

 

[Rafiki Rafiki Rafiki]

What kind of pilot- commercial? Flower Mound, Coppell, Grapevine, Bedford, Euless are all towns really near D/FW Airport. We have TONS of airline employees living here in Flower Mound!

Well, there are several options, but he's looking at fractional carriers (business/corporate jets) right now. They tend to fly more out of Love Field.

Either way, the commute doesn't really matter for him because he would make the trip infrequently and at odd hours.

I think I want to try putting the kids in public schools...which makes a good school district a key. When we moved to San Antonio, we thought everything would be good at her public middle school, but it became difficult as she didn't speak Spanish. That's when we switched to private schools.

What about in-state college tuition at public schools...is it reasonable?

 

[KathyTX]

In-state tuition (including fees) is currently around $7000 per year. Here's a handy chart comparing tuition costs among universities around the country to give you an idea: http://www.utsystem.edu/news/tuition/tuitioncomparison50states.htm

 

[janette]

Sounds like you'll be able to live just about anywhere. If you do want a house with land you might just wait to buy/build later. There are some special land buy deals for veterans. One of my sister's lived in the country east of Rockwall and liked it okay. What they found they liked least is that living in the county there are no zoning rules etc so they didn't always like what was being put around them.

There are some nice lake areas not too far from Dallas that might be a nice option for you.

It is nice to have a job without the commute requirements. One of my brothers' is a pilot for a charter airline company and he was able to pick where he wanted to live. He just has to be able to get to the airport and catch a ride to work whereever he's assigned.

 

[challada]

Well, there are several options, but he's looking at fractional carriers (business/corporate jets) right now. They tend to fly more out of Love Field.

Either way, the commute doesn't really matter for him because he would make the trip infrequently and at odd hours.

I think I want to try putting the kids in public schools...which makes a good school district a key. When we moved to San Antonio, we thought everything would be good at her public middle school, but it became difficult as she didn't speak Spanish. That's when we switched to private schools.

What about in-state college tuition at public schools...is it reasonable?

I grew up in the DFW area (grew up in Arlington) and went to grad school at SMU (middle of Highland Park/University Park)....I'm SURE things have grown and changed in the 12 years I've been gone. Have you visited Love Field? It's pretty hemmed in by building and traffic in the Dallas area. If you want close to Love, you actually ARE looking at the Parks area (if you want good schools). Now, that said, know that Highland Park/North Dallas is where folks like Ross Perot, Mary Kay and Curtis Mathis family live. You are looking at very small CapeCods in this area for prices that are ten times what they are really worth.

I can also tell you that the "competition" thing is probably not too far fetched in ANY area of DFW. Also know that your children will be considered outsiders if they were not born and raised in whatever Texas town you choose (we moved there when I was five and this was obvious everywhere).

Catholic schools weren't too big in DFW as the Catholic population is pretty small there.

 

[mt2]

.TX is a nice enough place to live, but it is not "home" to us. DH & I hope to be moving back somewhere on the east coast this time next year. I miss seasons!

We have seasons. Hot, Hotter, and Wet.

I live in Keller just north of Ft Worth. DH travels 2 weeks out of every month. getting to DFW takes us 25 mins with red lights. Love Field takes us about 30 - 35 mins.

I also have quite a few AA employees in our neighborhood. The daily drive doesn't seem to bother them much. It is a cookie cutter neighborhood though.

The new Catholic High School in Dallas area is called John Paul II or Pope John Paul II. It did open last year and isn't crowded. This area is primarily Baptist. My OB/GYN sends his DD's to Nolan Catholic HS is Ft Worth. It is just off I20.

My school district is Keller ISD. I have been happy with my DD's education. It does get very competitive in HS. DH has listened to other men at work discussing what their children are doing in sports, grades, after school plays, etc. He was surprised how each one has had to out do the other.

In our district we have 3 levels of HS diploma. I don't know the names but have learned abit from friends who have gone/going threw it.

I will explain more later but I need to sign off. My head is about to explode from a massive migrane. It has hit me like a ton of bricks. OUCH!!

 

[Beca]

We just recently returned to Texas after being away for 11 years. I grew up in Arlington, but when we returned we decided to move to Highland Village for many reasons....the community is almost ENTIRELY custom homes...but, they are relatively cheap. We live in an elevated, hilly, woodsy area that overlooks a lake (there are a LOT of lake views in my neighborhood).

We are in the Lewisville/Flower Mound school district, which is one of the highest rated school districts that I could find. Additionally, Highland Village has been rated the safest city in N. Texas for the last five years. Crime here is virtually non-existent. It really is a beautiful place. Look up some Highland Village homes on www.texasmls.com.

But, really...anywhere around here....Flower Mound, Bartonville, Argyle, Lantana...they are all beautiful places. Flower Mound is a little more "popular", and custom homes are more expensive there.

Frisco and McKinney are also becoming "popular" places, and Grapevine HS was just rated by Newsweek as one of the "Top 100" high schools in the nation.

North Texas is a GREAT place to live!!!



Beca

 

[The Mystery Machine]

We have seasons. Hot, Hotter, and Wet.

As a new transplant...like to say...no you don't. Your weather is so nice and you are so spoiled.

We live in Flower Mound.

 

[lclark0621]

As a new transplant...like to say...no you don't. Your weather is so nice and you are so spoiled.

We live in Flower Mound.

Spoiled? Just because we can hang our Christmas lights on Thanksgiving weekend, while wearing shorts? You think we are spoiled?

And on the "Hot Hotter & Wet" seasons. That is exactly what it is!

I miss the Fall season! And I miss Spring.

What the heck is this we are having now?!?! 70s are few days ago & then FREEZING the last 2 nights?!?!? My poor flowers! My roses started trying to bloom & now they look like they are all dying from the cold.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Spoiled? Just because we can hang our Christmas lights on Thanksgiving weekend, while wearing shorts? You think we are spoiled?

And on the "Hot Hotter & Wet" seasons. That is exactly what it is!

I miss the Fall season! And I miss Spring.

What the heck is this we are having now?!?! 70s are few days ago & then FREEZING the last 2 nights?!?!? My poor flowers! My roses started trying to bloom & now they look like they are all dying from the cold.

OKAY...I am from Missouri and this is a picnic in the park compared to what I come from.
Hot? Newsflash...other states have heat in the summer. Texans think anywhere else is not hot.
Come to St. Louis in August, I will show you hot, with 100% humidity.

What do you mean YOU MISS FALL?????? YOU HAVE FALL ALL WINTER!!!!!! It is so WONDERFUL!!!!!!

Spring??? Let's see you have had Spring for 2 months!!!! It is FANTASTIC!!!!!

I seriously think Texans complain about their weather to keep people from moving here.
But cat is out of the bag folks....Texas has great weather!!!

 

[Marmus]

I have family in Grand Prairie and Flower Mound. Both love where they are. Not sure about the prices in Grand Prairie, but I know the site for the city is gptx dot org.

 

[lclark0621]

OKAY...I am from Missouri and this is a picnic in the park compared to what I come from.
Hot? Newsflash...other states have heat in the summer. Texans think anywhere else is not hot.
Come to St. Louis in August, I will show you hot, with 100% humidity.

What do you mean YOU MISS FALL?????? YOU HAVE FALL ALL WINTER!!!!!! It is so WONDERFUL!!!!!!

Spring??? Let's see you have had Spring for 2 months!!!! It is FANTASTIC!!!!!

I seriously think Texans complain about their weather to keep people from moving here.
But cat is out of the bag folks....Texas has great weather!!!

Well we are trying to move OUT of TX. So you can keep the "great weather". Me, I prefer the feeling of Fall in Sept & Oct, NOT having to run my ac because it is still 98 outside.

Yep, it is HOT all over the country in the summer. No doubt about it.

And YES, TX does have decent weather.

Me, being a transplant from NYC, I sure to miss what I consider seasons. To me, TX has the "Hot, Hotter & Wet" seasons.

Oh & you can keep the tornados! Give me a good Nor'Easter any day of the week. These tornado scares are giving me blood pressure problems!

Now it sounds like I hate TX. And I dont. It is a really nice place to live. We have been happy here for the past 5 years. And we will be happy for the next year or so.

But hopefully, this time next year, I will be moving back east, to what I remember as Spring.

Oh, another plus to living in TX, we went swimming in our pool last year until Oct! Can't do that many places. It was nice, but not something I will miss.

 

[Beca]

I have family in Grand Prairie and Flower Mound. Both love where they are. Not sure about the prices in Grand Prairie, but I know the site for the city is gptx dot org.

I don't want to offend anyone here, but IMO, Grand Prarie can be kind of "iffy"...houses are much cheaper than Flower Mound, though.



Beca

 

[rhanditresmom]

I don't want to offend anyone here, but IMO, Grand Prarie can be kind of "iffy"...houses are much cheaper than Flower Mound, though.



Beca

We live in Grand Prairie....south of I-20. The dynamic is changing down here, but this is still the best part of Grand Prairie IMO. If you are looking for a super-nice home...Lake Ridge is nice. You can find nice neighborhoods, but generally speaking South Grand Prairie is the best part of Grand Prairie.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

The two big Catholic K-8 schools in my neighborhood are St. Rita and St. Monica. There is an all girls Catholic high school - Ursuline Academy, and the all boys high is Jesuit Prep. They are all excellent schools from what I can tell, but it is NOT cheap to live near them. There are quite a few Episcopal schools here, too. For the lower grades I would estimate maybe $8000 per child per year for the Catholic schools? I'm not Catholic so I don't really know. I think the Parish Episcopal School was about $10,000 for 1st grade when we applied there with DS, and he is in 4th grade now. The Catholic schools give the kids priority based on how long you have been a parishoner, so that might be tricky.

There is a book called the Dallas Guide to Private Schools (or something like that). You might be able to pick up a copy at Amazon if you are interested in looking at tuition costs. The private school thing is funny here - I think it is very different than in other areas of the country.

No, Park Cities and Preston Hollow probably aren't where most families looking for affordable housing would look! It's where we ended up because we don't want to commute. Moving to an area with affordable housing would be too much upheaval, though, so we'll stay where we are for awhile longer.

 

[disneyaggie]

Frisco, Frisco Frisco!

I love living here in Frisco (can you tell?). It has so much to offer and it is newer and cleaner than other areas of the metroplex.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Me, being a transplant from NYC, I sure to miss what I consider seasons. To me, TX has the "Hot, Hotter & Wet" seasons.

OK, you were starting to worry me.

I don't blame you for missing NYC...my neighbors are from Long Island and they are having a hard time adjusting.
Heck if I was from NYC I would miss it too...