Looking for FAMILY ORIENTED Cities with Good Schools in Dallas (Houston: rentals, HOA)

[KylaY12345]

Hello Dallas, you all have been so kind to me. I am looking for cities to live in Dallas. I still haven't decided between Dallas and Houston. They almost appear to be a dead lock for me. So I have to chose based on the School District and the cities in Dallas that are family-oriented.

I am asking your help with the school in Dallas. How are the schools there?

Also I am looking for some cities in Dallas that appear family-oriented. I don't want anything more than 20-25 minutes outside of Dallas as I am used to staying fairly close to a Downtown.

Thank you Dallas for your feedback. You have been great

We are a African-American family and we currently live in a mixed city in a suburb outside of Cleveland, OH.

Thanks again.

[TurtleCreek80]

What is your budget? What kind of homes do you like- new (and what years are "new" to you), old, historic, etc? What kind of yard expectations do you have (.2 acre or less, .25-.5 acre, .5-1acre, 1+acre)? Do you like master-planned communities or neighborhoods where the growth is more organic and families use the YMCA or city parks instead of the subdivision's clubhouse & pool in a master-planned community. Do you like/prefer/mind HOAs? Some areas of Dallas are almost entirely HOA mandatory while other areas (with equal schools & home values) have no HOAs.

We need a little more help to point you in the right direction!

[KylaY12345]

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

What is your budget? What kind of homes do you like- new (and what years are "new" to you), old, historic, etc? What kind of yard expectations do you have (.2 acre or less, .25-.5 acre, .5-1acre, 1+acre)? Do you like master-planned communities or neighborhoods where the growth is more organic and families use the YMCA or city parks instead of the subdivision's clubhouse & pool in a master-planned community. Do you like/prefer/mind HOAs? Some areas of Dallas are almost entirely HOA mandatory while other areas (with equal schools & home values) have no HOAs.

We need a little more help to point you in the right direction!

I'm not looking to buy a home yet, so I am looking to rent. I also am looking for a more personal opinion about cities in general with good schools not about a specific location and yard space and things like that. Sometimes if you are to specific in your search you can miss some excellent opportunities and some great places to live.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by KylaY12345

I'm not looking to buy a home yet, so I am looking to rent. I also am looking for a more personal opinion about cities in general with good schools not about a specific location and yard space and things like that. Sometimes if you are to specific in your search you can miss some excellent opportunities and some great places to live.

Yes, but if you like big leafy green mature trees and can't live without them, Richardson, Lake Highlands, or Lakewood area of Dallas would meet your preferences whereas Plano (most of it) would not. All four areas have a family friendly vibe, are within 30 minutes of downtown, and have excellent public schools, but they look very different.

Or if you are used to homes being spread out from one another, Parker, Sunnyvale, Murphy would suite your needs with their large lot sizes, whereas you may hate Plano or Frisco where you can watch your neighbors doing dishes (or other things) because homes are only 15-20 feet apart. Again, all have good schools and are family-centric areas, but they wouldn't all appeal to the same person.

Pretty much 100% of DFW meets your criteria, save for a few neighborhoods in Dallas proper (Oak Lawn/Uptown is probably too dense/urban/ young for you and the public schools in that area are rotten, Balch Springs & surrounding areas are very high crime, Wilmer's public schools were taken over by the stare, etc)....but 99% of towns & neighborhoods north, east, and west of Dallas (and far south, like 20 minutes south of downtown) are safe, family friendly, and have good public schools. You are going to have to narrow down your criteria a little because Dallas is a lot bigger than Cleveland and you'll drive yourself crazy if you research and visit 40-50 towns/ neighborhoods.

[TurtleCreek80]

Ok, you asked for it. Here's a list of places that meet your general criteria, without regard to location or price:

Dallas, specifically neighborhoods including Lakewood, M Streets, Universitu Terrace, Ridgewood Park, Hollywood-Santa Monica, Forrest Hills (elementary school is good), Little Forrest Hills (same), Old Lake Highlands (same), parts of Preston Hollow & North Dallas are zoned to good elementary schools, Kessler Park (good elem), Stephens Park (same), Winnetka Heights (same), Junius Heights (great schools K-12)

Richardson, includes Lake Highlands area of Dallas in the ISD
Central & West Plano
Garland- parts of, Firewheel area is very nice
Rockwall
Sunnyvale
Murphy
Parker
Allen
McKinney
Frisco
Lewisville- Castle Hills area is great
Flower Mound
Highland Village
Towns like Celina & Melissa are great if you like a country setting
Colleyville
Southlake
Grapevine
Keller
Trophy Club
Westlake
Las Colinas
parts of Irving
Cedar Hill
Mansfield
Parts of Arlington, mostly around I-20

Highland Park
University Park

Of course, in some towns it takes at least $1M++ to buy a home and there are almost no rentals, and in other towns you can buy for $125k or so....but you didn't want to talk budget, so happy hunting!!