Relocating from West Los Angeles to Dallas with 3 year old (Plano: fit in, apartment)

[Kaizmama]

Hi there!

My husband got a really great job offer in Dallas (Richardson) and I am starting to look around on the best places to live. Most of the people at the new company live in Plano- and we've heard really great things about it.

About us-
30-something, with 3 year old, ethnically diverse (I am caucasian, hubby and son are spanish/chinese/ creole mixed), liberal. (eek!)

In Los Angeles we loved/lived in Santa Monica, Venice and Playa Vista.
We never really needed desired to go to Hollywood anymore but loved being so close to somewhat of a nightlife on MAIN street (Santa Monica) and the fun feel of Abbot Kinney when we needed.

Our favorite place to live in LA was Playa Vista where we could walk to the park, pool, library, gym, coffee shop.
We lived in a luxury apartment ($3500/mo) in Playa Vista but are excited to be able to get a nice house in Plano/surrounding areas for less!

Yes we want great schools and a nice home but don't want to live in the boonies. Although we can afford a nice home ($500K+?) We don't want to live in uptight-land

Close to a Whole Foods would be ideal since we are vegetarians.

Any ideas/advice would be greatly appreciated!!

Tanya

[DFW123456]

Liberal? Uh-oh. Dallas is a VERY conservative and republican town. The Park Cities (Highland Park, Univ Park) have a great public school system (a/k/a HPISD) ranked 16th in the nation, but it is no place for democrats (unless you're a really successful trial attorney who's filed and settled numerous class action suits).

Richardson has a large asian community and is considered a nice place. Plano is in the north suburbs, considering a great place by those who live there and has great schools. Allen is also a good place with a really good school system.

In short, this ain't NYC or LA, so vote republican or find a good artsy neighborhood.........Oak Lawn Swiss Avenue?

[FarNorthDallas]

There is a Whole Foods at Park and Preston in West Plano and that's nice area around there. There is also a Market Street at the same intersection as well as other shopping. There is a Central Market at George Bush and Coit in Plano. It's a big interesting grocery store - many unique items and a playground for the kids. There is a Whole Foods in Richardson at Coit and Belt Line and it's in Dallas County vs Plano which is mostly in Collin County. Generally, Dallas County votes more liberal than Collin County.

We are not overrun with walkability areas. It's suburban. You can intentionally buy a house near a shopping area - strip malls at the intersections and walk to them I guess. I confess if I see an adult walking somewhere I assume they've had a DWI and had their license taken away. Seriously.

[TowerGuy]

Originally Posted by Kaizmama

Hi there!

My husband got a really great job offer in Dallas (Richardson) and I am starting to look around on the best places to live. Most of the people at the new company live in Plano- and we've heard really great things about it.

About us-
30-something, with 3 year old, ethnically diverse (I am caucasian, hubby and son are spanish/chinese/ creole mixed), liberal. (eek!)

In Los Angeles we loved/lived in Santa Monica, Venice and Playa Vista.
We never really needed desired to go to Hollywood anymore but loved being so close to somewhat of a nightlife on MAIN street (Santa Monica) and the fun feel of Abbot Kinney when we needed.

Our favorite place to live in LA was Playa Vista where we could walk to the park, pool, library, gym, coffee shop.
We lived in a luxury apartment ($3500/mo) in Playa Vista but are excited to be able to get a nice house in Plano/surrounding areas for less!

Yes we want great schools and a nice home but don't want to live in the boonies. Although we can afford a nice home ($500K+?) We don't want to live in uptight-land

Close to a Whole Foods would be ideal since we are vegetarians.

Any ideas/advice would be greatly appreciated!!

Tanya

Fellow Liberal here! I also relocated from California and I have found the Dallas area to be very welcoming. Dallas votes Democrat. Pay no attention to DFW123456 and vote however you wish. That is nobody's business. Now then, are you looking into a single-family home or a condo/townhome?

[hamiltonpl]

Originally Posted by DFW123456

Liberal? Uh-oh. Dallas is a VERY conservative and republican town. The Park Cities (Highland Park, Univ Park) have a great public school system (a/k/a HPISD) ranked 16th in the nation, but it is no place for democrats (unless you're a really successful trial attorney who's filed and settled numerous class action suits).

Richardson has a large asian community and is considered a nice place. Plano is in the north suburbs, considering a great place by those who live there and has great schools. Allen is also a good place with a really good school system.

In short, this ain't NYC or LA, so vote republican or find a good artsy neighborhood.........Oak Lawn Swiss Avenue?

Please don't listen to this guy... he doesn't even sound like he understands Dallas. Swiss Avenue is artsy and a neighborhood? Really?

East Dallas is known to be more bohemian and unconventional than the rest of Dallas. It's the area I would look in if I were you -- especially since Richardson is on the east side of DFW. Oh, and Richardson itself is fine too.

Dallas itself was split 50-50 Republican / Democrat in the last election and has mostly Democratic leadership. The Sheriff is a Hispanic lesbian. The District Attorney is an African American. The Dallas County Judge (like the mayor of the county) was gay. In short, Dallas is not that conservative. But Plano and Collin County do have that well-deserved conservative reputation.

Include these East Dallas neighborhoods in your search. You'll be happier there -- I guarantee it.

Lakewood Elementary school zone in Dallas (75214 zip code)
Lakewood has beautiful homes on tree lined streets on the east side of the city of Dallas. It derives its name from White Rock Lake, which is a cyclers’ paradise with miles of trails for bicycle riders. Also on the shores of White Rock is the Dallas Arboretum. With views of the Dallas skyline over the tree tops and mansions around White Rock Lake, this is one of the most scenic areas in all of Dallas. It also has the Lakewood shopping center area, which is like a small downtown with restaurants, grocery stores (including a whole foods), dry cleaners, live jazz music, and a theater. It is five miles northeast of downtown Dallas.

There are several pages of photos here:
East Dallas/Lakewood Photos

M-Streets – Stonewall Jackson school zone (75206 zip code)
The M-Streets are just west of Lakewood. It offers closer access to the highways and DART rail. It has an excellent school for your children in addition to Lakewood. They both feed into the same junior high and high school. It is also close to Greenville Avenue, a popular street for restaurants.

I would absolutely not live in Collin County (Plano, Frisco, etc.) with your budget and desired lifestyle. I think you will find a lot to be desired that far out on the prairie.

[TurtleCreek80]

I would just look in Richardson
-it's diverse and a little more funky/ liberal than the uptight conservative northern burbs
-has more mom&pop restaurants & stores than other suburbs, including a small Chinatown on 75&Beltline. Many Indian, Asian (Chinese, Korean, etc), Greek, Middle Eastern as well as black/ Hispanic/ Caucasian
-is only 15 minutes (non rush-hour) to downtown Dallas for arts and more varied nightlife options in Deep Ellum, Knox-Henderson, etc areas
-wonderful public schools. All schools (elem, middle, high) in the JJPearce HS feeder path in RISD are rated Exemplary (highest TX rating). Pearce is a top HS in the Dallas area. Your budget falls safely into the Pearce zone- $250k-450k should yield you a TON of home choices
-not as cookie cutter (Orange County) looking as Plano, Frisco, Allen, and other north of Dallas suburbs
-very well-run city: great city services, great parks and public rec center, library facilities, etc.
-Sprouts is a less-expensive Whole Foods type farmers market with lots of fresh organic food. It's near Campbell & Coit in the heart of Richardson. There is also a Central Market (loove that place) at Coit & George Bush Tollroad, just a few blocks north of Richardson's border in Plano. And the Whole Foods already mentioned in Plano which is a 10-15 minute drive from Richardson.

Of course other areas would suit your needs as well, but traffic here can be a bear, so make life easy and live close to where you work since it's such a great place anyway.

[Cowboys fan in Houston]

Hello Kaizmama.

In August of 2009, we moved from Torrance, CA (the town where I grew up) to Dallas. I also lived and worked in West LA for a long time (Pico and Sepulvida). We area also liberal and multi-ethnic (I am of Middle Eastern discent and my wife is Thai). We live in North Dallas, very close to the Galleria, which is an ethnically diverse area (the census dictates that our neighborhood is 38% Hispanic, 36% White, 16% Asian, and 10% Black).

Richardson and Plano are very nice areas. Plano is very conservative, but home to a very large Asian (particularly Chinese and Indian) community. Richardson is more moderate and also home to a large Asian community. Personally, I prefer Richardson. They also have very good schools. Carrollton is also another good ethnically diverse suburb not to far away.

As for the Bohemian neighborhoods like Venice, there arent too many of those here. Bishop Arts is the most in a California sence. Lakewood is a liberal neighborhood, but I wouldnt call it boehemian.

In Dallas, dont plan on walking anywhere unless you live in the city center.

The hardest adjustment has been the natural layout. There are no mountains, beaches, or deserts close by. Its not a particularly attractive area.

I have not encountered any problems finding people who think like me, I have not had problems finding diversity, etc. I dont think you will either. Water finds its won level. Be yourself and you will attract people like you no matter where you are.

Originally Posted by DFW123456

Liberal? Uh-oh. Dallas is a VERY conservative and republican town. The Park Cities (Highland Park, Univ Park) have a great public school system (a/k/a HPISD) ranked 16th in the nation, but it is no place for democrats (unless you're a really successful trial attorney who's filed and settled numerous class action suits).

Not ture at all actually. Dallas is a blue city and Dallas county is also blue. The suburbs and rural areas around Dallas and Dallas county are however, very conservative.

Thats kind of the story with Texas in general. The major cities and their inner burbs are liberal/moderate, but the suburbs and rural areas are conservative.

[MurphyPl1]

If you decide to check out the Plano area rather than Dallas (and I definitely think you should look at Dallas) look just to the east in Murphy. You'll find homes in your range, very diverse neighborhoods, great schools, fun people, a Sprouts within 5 mins of your home.

[Squirl]

I've lived in Dfw since 1978, I have lived in Dallas, Collin and Tarrant counties. Stay in Dallas county.

[pepper131]

East Dallas in general is a more bohemian area - this can be anywhere from Peaks-Suburban to Munger Place to Junius Heights to Hollywood Heights (or Hollywood/Santa Monica) over toward Little Forest Hills and parts of Casa Linda and into Lochwood.

There's a Whole Foods at Abrams and Gaston. Just go in there and do a quick survey of the local customers...visual will be fine...and you can tell fairly easily where you will fit in.