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Old 08-30-2010, 12:46 PM
 
3 posts, read 5,916 times
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Hey all!!
I will be relocating to Dallas from Los Angeles in October, and currently apartment hunting - which I do mostly online.. since I can't visit the sites.

I will be working in UT Southwestern Medical Center, so looking for a safe neighborhood that's within 10-15 miles radius.

So far, I'm really interested in either Broadstone Ambrose (Deep Ellum area) or Broadstone Parkway. I've searched the forums, but did not find much information from people who live there currently.

Do you have any suggestion to help me decide between the two apartments?
I like Ambrose for it's closer proximity to UT (and soon will be connected to UT through the green line), but the price is a little higher than Parkway...

Thank you so much and hope you all have a great day!!
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Old 08-30-2010, 01:01 PM
 
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I also did the move to Dallas (from Canada) to work at UT Southwestern 1 month ago.

My impression from lots of online searching and this forum was that the Deep Ellum Area was not necessarily one that is considered safe (although I'm sure other posters may suggest otherwise, I'm just going by what I was told). I think most people who work at the hospitals tend to live in the Uptown area. The area around the UTSW hospitals is not very safe - and although there are a couple of nicer new apartments there, they are surrounded by construction (that won't be ending very soon - eg. construction of the DART line). Dallas is a city that seems to be primarily built for driving, and public transport is lagging -- so living near a DART station may not need to be a factor in your decision if you have a car.

If you are looking Uptown, the nicer neighbourhoods tend to be State-Thomas and Knox-Henderson (I went with the latter). Don't get wowed by the apartment websites (as I did when I was searching prior to moving), because you will quickly find out that apartment-leasing is a big business in Dallas, and buildings are very competitive and work very hard to maintain a flashy website, and promote all sorts of amenities. Be aware that there is a large university crowd that lives in the Uptown complexes that are living off parental support, and focusing on lots of partying -- so if this is not your scene, be sure to try and get a feel for it when you tour apartment complexes (although obviously the leasing agents giving your tour won't come out and tell you that there complex is party-central or unsafe!!).

Finally - mention that you are a UTSW employee at apartments and ask if they offer discounts/waive fees because of this!
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Old 08-30-2010, 03:00 PM
 
13,194 posts, read 28,095,141 times
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Deep Ellum is safe, just still suffering from some high profile crime in the early 2000's. I was just there this weekend eating at the All Good Cafe. It's more bohemian/ less fratty than Uptown.

Uptown is a good pick, too, just find an apartment that is not on or facing McKinney ("main drag" lined with bars & the Trolley route). The afore-mentioned State-Thomas neighborhood is a great pick, as is the northern end by Cole Park if you would be interested in leasing a townhome from a private landlord (via Craig's List or newspaper ads) vs an apartment from a giant property company.

The area immediately surrounding the medical district is 1) sketchy, at best, 2) full of poverty & crime, and 3) lacking in quality amenities (grocery store, drug store, restaurants).

I would avoid anything west of the Tollroad and south of Lemmon. North of Lemmon are some very nice neighborhoods (Highland Park West, Greenway Parks, etc), but not a lot of apartments.....EXCEPT for the Pavillion Place apartments on West Lovers Lane & the Tollroad. GREAT LOCATION & 5-10 minute straight shoot down Inwood to the medical district. May be a good option if you want something quieter than Uptown- a great area for 30-somethings. Walking distance to good restaurants, the idie Inwood Theatre, & great laid-back bars (Time Out Tavern, Inwood Lounge, Inwood Tavern) and in a very pretty residential setting.

All just depends on your personal preference.
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Old 08-30-2010, 03:22 PM
 
Location: Texas State Fair
8,560 posts, read 11,166,930 times
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sunset_orange, after only one month in the Dfw, is fairly on the spot on which, if nothing else, could demonstrate the complexity of your choice. Take heed to the descriptions from TurtleCreek80, who, although a bargain basement shopper, knows the area fairly well.

Deep Ellum can be a cool area if that's what you're looking for. Bear in mind that weekend nights the traffic flow does suffer some gridlock. And that you would probably spend more time traveling to meetup with friends not in Deep Ellum than they would be traveling to Deep Ellum to meet you.

Don't let the iffy description of the med area cause much angst, just know that you're not going to be spending much time walking around the area alone.

The general area of the med, State/Thomas, Uptown, Knox and the Lemmon-Highland Park area can be seen on a google map by searching zip code 75219. Deep Ellum will be seen a couple of miles EAST of US75.

Good luck, safe travel.... Welcome to Texas

------
So, I was just scooping up some ice cream and wondered... mils84, are you going to be dependent on mass transit? You mention the green line from Deep Ellum to the med. You might want to confirm there's a grocery or other shopping conveniences in that area. At least along McKinney you'd be close to shopping and could take the red line downtown then the green line to the med.

Last edited by Willsson; 08-30-2010 at 03:50 PM..
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Old 08-30-2010, 05:19 PM
 
3 posts, read 5,916 times
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Thanks for the information... I just can't drive on icy roads, so thinking living close to the rail may be convenient.. I have a car though to go grocery shopping and visiting friends on the weekend, so that should not be a problem. I just really like the price range (800) and the convenience that the Ambrose offers.. it's really too bad that I can't visit first before I lease! But I'll definitely keep all these advises in mind as I continue searching for an apartment...
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Old 08-30-2010, 06:06 PM
 
2,973 posts, read 9,440,145 times
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There might be ice on the road for a day or two...in the most extreme scenario - not a big deal at all.
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Old 08-30-2010, 06:10 PM
 
Location: Dallas, Texas
687 posts, read 1,571,095 times
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Yeah, icy roads are not much of a concern here. Last winter was record-breaking, but you can usually count on maybe one or two days with any ice at all in an average winter, and it's almost always gone within 24 hours. I'd say that most people here can't drive on ice either, so you'll be in good company.
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Old 08-30-2010, 07:00 PM
 
Location: Texas State Fair
8,560 posts, read 11,166,930 times
Reputation: 4257
Yeah, put those ice on the roads idea to rest. If there's going to be ice then just make an advance plan.

If you're at work plan to stay over night. If you're at home, go early and plan to stay overnight. Take porn, that'll warm things up.

Then it's gone.
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Old 08-30-2010, 07:31 PM
 
3 posts, read 5,916 times
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Thanks for the reassurance re: icy roads. I think I'm just freaking out for the possibility of snowy winter... California definitely does not have that in the winter!!
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Old 08-30-2010, 08:05 PM
 
Location: Somewhere in Texas
5,406 posts, read 13,221,350 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mils84 View Post
Thanks for the reassurance re: icy roads. I think I'm just freaking out for the possibility of snowy winter... California definitely does not have that in the winter!!
I'm from Burbank. It was so much fun when we had the first ice storm after living south of Dallas for only 3 1/2 months. Of course, snow is better. It truly rocks. Check out my profile photo from last February. I was in awe, walked around the neighborhood for quite a while taking photos, and didn't want to come in, but it was getting dark. It wasn't that cold either, just absolutely delightful.
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